Fast paced,
barely believable,
squicked me out at times,
CLIFFHANGER ENDING,
private school,
experimentation,
one of those "rare" super memories that seem to happen so often in YA,
secret society,
looks like brain washing,
...hot mess. ( )

Sanctuary Bay by Laura J. Burns & Melinda Metz is an intriguing young adult novel with supernatural elements.

In the foster care system since her parents' deaths when she was three years old, Sarah Merson cannot believe her good fortune when she is presented with a scholarship to attend the elite Sanctuary Bay Academy. Set on a secluded island off the coast of Maine, the majority of students are from privileged and wealthy families, so Sarah is out of her depth and uncertain of her reception by her classmates. Pleasantly surprised by their easy acceptance of her, she shares a suite with two other teenagers, Isobel "Izzy" Trescott and Karina Sharma and they are quick to include her in their circle of friends. Curious about her new roommates mysterious midnight excursions, Sarah follows them one night and when she is discovered, she is invited to join a secret society known as the Wolfpack. Seemingly harmless, she enjoys being a member of the pack, but when a prank goes too far one night and Karina goes missing, Sarah turns to Karina's indolent boyfriend, Ethan Steere, to help search for her.

Given her past, Sarah is somewhat guarded and finds it difficult to trust people. She has a bit of a chip on her shoulder and she is quick speak her mind when her temper gets the best of her. Sarah easily jumps to conclusions on occasion and lashes out at those around her when she feels threatened. She is little curious about some of the strange happenings but overall, Sarah is happy with her new school and she is grateful for the opportunity to make a better life for herself.

Ethan is indifferent to the opportunities provided to him at the academy and unlike most of his classmates, he is not happy about being on the island. He is deliberately antagonistic to many of the students and his relationship with Karina is rather rocky. He is a rule breaker who defies authority and he has a bad boy reputation with the school's administrators and his fellow students. Ethan's rebellion and antisocial tendencies make him the perfect person for Sarah to turn to when she needs help searching for Karina.

The first half of Sanctuary Bay is pretty ordinary with Sarah and her friends going to class and hanging out together. There are a few anomalies that pique Sarah's curiosity but she easily sets these troubling questions aside. It is not until she joins the Wolfpack that the plot turns a little more sinister. Even then, there is nothing too troubling other than a few creepy rituals which include drinking a concoction that heightens Sarah's senses and experiences. However, Karina's disappearance ups the ante and Sarah is truly frightened by her friends' inexplicable behavior. It is not until she and Ethan begin making progress with their investigation into Karina's disappearance that Sarah's fear turns to horror as they uncover shocking information about Sanctuary Bay.

With a compelling and unusual storyline, Sanctuary Bay is a fascinating young adult mystery. With one notable exception, the characters are well developed and three-dimensional. Although rather slow-paced in the beginning, the novel thunders to an action packed and exciting conclusion. Although most of the loose ends are tied up, a few unanswered questions will leave readers hoping that Laura J. Burns & Melinda Metz plan to write a follow-up novel starring Sarah and Ethan. All in all, an enjoyable contemporary young adult novel that I recommend to readers of all ages.
( )

Sarah is an orphan and she's been plagued by that one descriptive word her entire life. Her teachers treat her like a cheater, she lacks friendship, and while she has a foster family she doesn't feel like she belongs. After receiving an unheard of scholarship to Sanctuary Bay, an all-immersive high school, Sarah's social worker convinces her this is her best chance at attaining a successful life. With no access to the outside world, Sarah finds herself surrounded by people she likes, without judgement of wealth or privilege. Invited to join a secret society of other students, Sarah finds that the innocent front might have a far more sinister background.

Sarah is a hard to like character, but it works for this book. She's seen a lot of ugly in the world, questions everything, and judges everyone. You would think reading her constant inner monologue of judgement of people would get old, but it really just makes her who she is. I connected with her, with her protective layer over herself and her role as an outcast, even when she no longer was. She isn't the best secret keeper in the world, but she does have the qualities of a great best friend. The saving grace of this book though is Ethan. He's like John Bender from the Breakfast Club, like the criminal with a negative viewpoint, but he makes you think, he brings out the best in Sarah, and he really brings a lot of missing pieces to the puzzle. I really would like to know more about him and see his story line's conclusion. I definitely was surprised by everything in this book, you get the creepy crawlies just knowing Sarah is off to a school that's completely cut off from the outside world, but I didn't expect the twists and turns that did happen. I, for one, wouldn't want anything to do with a school connected to an insane asylum or a POW nazi camp.

I'm not sure if I'm just too caught up in the details, but something was missing in Sanctuary Bay. For all the background we get, I still don't feel like I really understand. The "wolfpack," or secret society, aspect of the story really threw me. I love secret society books, I will read any you give me, but this one confused me. Once you tie in the thing leading the society mind control due to a drug, you'd think this would make sense, but no it's even worse. Was there even a meaning behind it? I certainly couldn't figure it out. On top of that, the secret society is pretty much sex, drugs, and booze, I mean is it supposed to make me think? All I'm thinking is these 16 year olds are too wild for their own good. Sarah's involvement in it is nonsensical, for a girl who thinks everything through you would think this would have a major question mark next to it, instead she's just as willing to make out with someone she doesn't even know. I get that there's something behind the other students, but Sarah follows along like a puppy and with no explanation whatsoever.

I'm really hoping this book is part of a series, because even though I didn't full understand everything I do really want to know what happens to Sarah and Ethan, as well as with the Bromcyan. There are several story lines that didn't reach conclusion, especially Sarah's life and Ethan's family. I could also easily see a prologue, one involving Sarah's parents, being written, because it sounds so interesting. Like I said, I'm a sucker for the details, but overall this book was a good read. Just enough YA/NA mixed with creepy mystery. ( )

Sanctuary Bay was a title I was really excited to read and I admit that I hate that I pushed this to the back of my queue due to the release date (I had received an invite to read this last year). As someone just getting into the thriller genre, I wanted to add something new to the list. Before reading, I decided to read through a few of the negative reviews this book was getting. One of the main issues that I noticed was that some people were confused. This made me pay extra attention to this book to see where one could start getting confused, but let's start with the things that I really liked.

The main character, Sarah, is what I would understand to be a "nobody" (please mark the quotes because it is not meant to insult anyone living in her reality); she doesn't have a family or a home and she's... (more via website) ( )

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was nothing like I had expected.

Sarah Merson has lost her parents when her home was invaded, and only she was able to escape the assailants. After years going from one family to another, having the worst experiences, she was invited to an elite school with an immersion program. This meant she was to live there for two years receiving top grade education, which would increase her chances of getting into college. To make the deal sweeter, she actually enjoys her roommates and feels she can finally trust people for the first time since her parents death.

I confess I wanted to read this book because the description teased me more than informed the content. Half the story keeps the rhythm. We arrive at this beautiful school, filled with rich but friendly people, and I'm not exaggerating when I say this reminded me of Hogwarts. This isn't a witchcraft school but it felt magical and warm, which was the ideal for Sarah, who was more scarred than Harry Potter. So what happens? The thriller you feel building on in the details—they live on an island that had been both an asylum and a POW prison? And people forget important events or even fail to notice them?—keeps you turning a page after the other.

I confess I didn't buy much of Sarah but this didn't irritate me. The romance sounded like someone read the story and said, "you know, this lacks some love interest," and the author(s) edited it in afterward. It not only didn't play any part in the events but the two boys around the MC's life didn't seem meant for her. Which was also okay. I should add I found all the characters, or at least the non-evil ones, quite likable. The villain(s) was(were) more on the plain type of characters.

What really matters with a plot as such is whether development lives up to expectation. Here I'd say it surpassed what I realistically expected of a Young Adult book but it was only average when it came to my optimistic expectations. You have a resolution, you don't want to kill anyone for it but there were still issues. First, the explanations lacked depth. And second, but somehow connected, the ending was to quick-paced in a bad way—to the point I wondered, did she have a page limit? Or a time limit?

Also, even though it does have a conclusion to the main story, I'd say there is a sequel at least planned. As I feel I understood enough, I'm not sure I want to read it, even if more books could give more depth to what is happening—what would be of Harry Potter if it weren't seven books?—but I do want to follow the authors' next stories. They have that something different we always appreciate on our YA's. ( )