Kate McLaughlin

What happens when you are a girl who loves books and the world doesn’t let you read? You apologize to the author and to make up for things you buy the audiobook so that you can inhale the book in 6 hours give or take.
This is a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Scarlet is a fairly average teen. She has some great friends, has a boy she is very interested in, and an overprotective mother. She also has a father she has never known, until now. When Scarlet thinks she has a normal life be it with an over bearing mother things are going ok and then the FBI shows up and nothing is ever the same. During their visit Scarlet she learns a great big whopper of a secret. Her father is an infamous serial killer! Jeffery Robert Lake. Now, he’s dying and has said he will only give the names and locations of the victims he hasn’t told anyone about to her. Now the reader knows why her mother is as she is and it makes perfect sense. This is my favorite kind of thriller because You know what to expect but the way it is presented is fresh and fun!

Scarlet is a teen at the end of the day. People expect her to do the right thing, right but how can she when She just found out about her father and on top of that He’s a KILLER. The story has your traditional YA and all the makings of a great thriller. An all around a great read 4 stars all the way!

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This book, about dissociative identity disorder, what used to be called multiple personality disorder, reads like an after-school special. And if the intended audience is reluctant teen readers, I'd say it hit the mark. But for this adult reader, not so much.

It presents the Dylan, a college freshman, and her alters in a black and white fashion. Dylan seems to get along with her alters as if they were friends outside of her head. Connor, who she meets at the beginning of the story when one of her alters is in control, is the perfect gentleman who never takes advantage and seems to have no issues with a woman who can be someone else at the drop of a hat. C'mon, really? Connor is out of the realm of fantasy. The whole book suffers from the "tell" rather than "show" syndrome that English teachers talk about. Still, for reluctant readers who like their stories clear with no nuance or ambiguity, it might be interesting.… (más)

Dylan wakes up in an apartment unsure of where she is, who she is with, and unaware of the past three days. After her best friend suggests that she has DID - dissociative identity disorder - the diagnosis is confirmed by a doctor. Unsure what trauma caused the DID, she begins delving into her past.

I'm not sure how to rate this book. I think DID is a fascinating topic, particularly the therapy and integrating personalities. However, everything seemed to come so easily to Dylan. She didn't struggle with the diagnosis, but seemingly accepted it with very little questioning. The process of meeting her alters seemed routine, as if she was meeting a new neighbor. The ease just did not seem realistic. I understand this may appeal to a young adult/teenage reader, but it didn't work for me. Overall, 3 out of 5 stars.… (más)