An excellent book! The main character, Sonja, has to complete forty hours of charitable work in a home for elderly people with a variety of dementias. She starts out seeming to be a shallow girl but once she encounters the elders suffering from Alzheimer's disease, we see her sweet and generous side. We can't understand why she continues to date Donovan, a petty thief, liar and untrustworthy person until she allows us to glimpse her own insecurities. The story begins with Sonja's trial. Shockingly, she is charged with manslaughter. Her innocence or guilt is never black or white.

This book opens up some very controversial issues, such as the right to die with dignity, assisted suicide, and euthanasia. We aren't sure what hand Sonia plays in the old woman's death until almost the end of the book. There are sure to be mixed opinions about her actions and especially about the verdict. ( )

It's your turn to back a decision. Is she guilty or isn't she? Did she kill someone or was it a simple mistake? Perhaps it was a pack with the family of the patient and she was setup as the fall guy or perhaps we don't understand much of anything at all. In this book, the reader gets a chance to do something that many jurors wish they could do. We get to hear the evidence, hear the case, and get an inside look into the accused mind. My mom is addicted the murder mystery/forensic files/cold case shows so I am familiar with the whole process that takes place in a murder trial but this truly sounded interesting. It appeared to be right up my alley, although I ended up being slightly disappointed in the end with the main character and some of the story.


There are some people in this world that just happen to rub you the wrong way and it's hard to forget, even if they change. Sunny, sadly, was one of those characters for me. Her vibrant pink hair didn't honestly bother me because it fit her rebellious spirit. However rebellion doesn't always equal bratty attitudes and disobedient behaviors that grated on my nerves. I admire characters who manage to show their true nature through their facades of brattiness, however I failed to see it. Yet she did manage to prove that she did care for the residents of the care center and her disobedient behavior became a way to try to make these patients lives better. Her attitude really did continue to bother me though, which proved to be a problem regarding the rest of the story.


The main men of this story are Cole, the son of one of the patients in the care center and the eventual supposed murder subject, and Donovan, whom she actually claimed to be her boyfriend but seemed to lose eventual interest in him. Her parents had forbade a relationship between Donovan and Sunny after he was caught shoplifting but as any teenager and parent knows, when you say no, it only makes the opportunity seem that much better. It drives the girl into the wrong guy's arms and leads her farther away from the good influences of the people who should be closest to her. However, she eventually begins to show some form of interest in Cole but refuses to entirely admit it to even herself. This little crush has a small motive in the whole plot of the story, even if she claims that he is only a friend.


So, now it is your choice. Is this your type of book? It wasn't really mine but I understand that to each their own! Check it out and maybe share your thoughts.


**This book was received from the publisher via NetGalley. None of the review was influenced by the author or the publisher. This is a completely original review. The thoughts and feelings of the reviewer are entirely her own and have no ties to the publisher.** ( )

Due to copy and paste, formatting has been lost.

From the cover, I thought that this was going to be some kind of paranormal. Even the title, Crush. Candy. Corpse. hints that there's going to be some made up creatures. I'm not sure what my final classification will be, but without a doubt, there was no paranormal activity in this one.

It was actually kind of a mystery-- did Sunny or didn't she kill Helen? It wasn't what I was expecting at all.

I actually liked Sunny-- I feel like she made a lot of bad decisions, and that she definitely could have done better for herself than Donny, but she's a teenager. We're prone to screwing up. I loved her interactions with the old folks-- she was very patient with them, and she did her absolute best to please them all.

I liked Cole too, but I felt like he could have had some more development. For half of the book I was trying to figure out where he went and all, so I was really surprised by the ending, to say the least. I wish that we had gotten to see more of him, and more development on his part.

My favorite part of this story was definitely the flashbacks, though. I love it when books have a present/past kind of thing going on. It gives me better insight into the characters, then and now.

All in all, I enjoyed Crush. Candy. Corpse., but I feel like the characters could have had more development. It's a quick read that's definitely worth a look, though. ( )

Being a cosmetologist and also hearing stories from my social-work friends who work in nursing homes, I actually found this book...what's the word...almost endearing with a touch of humor. I felt for the main character, Sonja aka Sunny, as she just seemed to be misunderstood and trying to establish her role in life during her teenage years. We all experienced peer pressure and toxic relationships growing up, but not everyone experiences the selflessness of volunteer work. Especially in a place like a nursing home. Even though this wasn't an action-packed fantasy romance novel, Sylvia McNicoll took me on a journey that pulled me in and left me thoughtful and growing along with the main character.

I really enjoyed the unique format this was written in. We find ourselves ping-ponging between the present-day courtroom and the flashbacks of the 41 hours Sunny spent at Paradise Manor. At first it was difficult to decipher between where Sunny's journal entries ended and the flashbacks began, but after the first few I figured it out. I do wish there was a better division between the two, I think it would have been more helpful to the reader.

From the acknowledgements in the back, it seems that McNicoll really did her research before she wrote this book and integrated some experiences of her own. I like seeing that an author did their homework.

Honestly, this reminded me of one of those kinds of books you read from your school library in Elementary (4th grade+) or Junior High. I think this could be a useful title in those venues as it isn't inappropriate in the least and contains a storyline that provides mystery and education in one. No steamy romance scenes, either.

If you're looking for a light read that doesn't necessarily provide a deep storyline, then I would recommend this book. Like I said, it didn't take me on any grand adventure, but it did leave me thoughtful. 4 stars for this one. ( )

My thoughts on Crush. Candy. Corpse. By Sylvia McNicoll

Crush. Candy. Corpse. Isn’t a typical young adult book. I was completely taken by surprise when I started reading it. But I have to make this perfectly clear…

I loved it. I think everyone should read it.

But don’t go into thinking it’s going to be a sappy, romantic contemporary love story with a happily ever after ending like I did, because it isn’t and it won’t. This is a totally different experience. One that can potentially change lives.

Crush. Candy. Corpse. Follows the court hearing of Sunny who is charged with murdering one of the Alzheimer patients she was assigned to work with for her high-school’s mandatory forty-hour community service hours. The chapters alternate between the courtroom scenes and scenes at Paradise Manor, the Alzheimer home.

The book is riveting. I couldn’t put it down. I had to know what was going to happen next, what witness was going to be called and what they would say…what was going to be revealed in the scene at Paradise Manor…I was immersed in the story.

Sunny starts out her mandatory forty-hour community service hours hating her placement. She doesn’t want to be at Paradise Manor. She thinks it smells, the old people are weird, she doesn’t know how to deal with them. She wants to be anywhere but there.

But as the story progresses, we see Sunny mature. She begins to develop relationships with the patients, care about them. She worries if they are eating enough, if their families are visiting enough, if their clothes fit right. She develops a sense of empathy toward them that she didn’t have at the beginning of the book. We watch this growth as we go through her murder trial with her.
This book touches on some very deep and emotional subjects. Alzheimer’s disease and the effects it has on a family and the person afflicted. And, perhaps even harder to deal with, euthanasia. Is it okay to end a person’s life if they ask you to? When is the time to do so? Or is it never an option?

Crush. Candy. Corpse. Looks at these questions form a young adult’s view. It’s a powerful book.

Bottom line: Would I recommend it? Yes! Most definitely. Would I read it again? That’s a hard question. As much as I loved the book, it was also emotionally draining. I don’t know if I would read it again. Also, knowing the outcome, it wouldn’t have the same impact as the first time I read it.

Five Stars. It was an exceptional book. Not what I was expecting at all. It was much, much better!
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