“I don’t want to fear life—I want to live it.”

Rating: 1.5/5 stars
Format: Physical Copy

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Synopsis

Every year, the lives of ten girls at Vienna High are transformed.

All because of the list.

Kenzie Summerall can’t imagine how she’s been voted onto a list of the hottest girls in school, but when she lands at number five, her average life becomes dazzling. Doors open to the best parties, new friends surround her, the cutest jock in school is after her.

This is the power of the list. If you’re on it, your life changes.

If you’re on it this year? Your life ends.

The girls on the list have started to die, one by one. Is it a coincidence? A curse? Or is the list in the hands of a killer?

Time is running out for Kenzie, but she’s determined to uncover the deadly secret of the list…before her number’s up.

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The Verdict

We’ll keep this one on the short side so we can all continue to merrily go about our Sunday. To put it plain and simple…it’s a no from me. Ultimately, what hooked me on this story was that it was pitched as Pretty Little Liars meets Final Destination and once upon a time I was a sucker for both of those. So, when a good ol’ deal from Book Outlet was happening and I was able to get this book for a couple bucks I figured I might as well take the plunge and give this a try. Hands down, the most frustrating thing about this book is that it could have been really good, but it just didn’t make any sense whatsoever.

This book is HELLA misogynistic since it’s essentially about high school girls who are only worth something if they’re on the Hottie List. *gags* If you’re not on the list you’re basically considered a no one. Half the girls on the list were so vain that I was cheering them on when they died because there is literally nothing worse than a girl who is full of herself. There’s a huge difference between self-love and knowing your worth vs. treating people like dirt because you think you’re better than everyone. And to make matter’s even worse the girls are often called by their number on this list…not their name. So Kenzie, our MC, is better known as “fifth” to the whole school than she is Kenzie. Lord, help us all.

The romance in this? HARD PASS
Likable characters? SO BLAND THEY HURT
Level of investment in the plot? ZERO

As for the ending, obviously someone is behind the murders but they’re making it look like a Final Destination-esque type of death that just boils down to being a freak accident. While it was pretty predicable who the “killer” was, the way the author spun the story and the killer’s reasoning as to why the girls were dying made absolutely NO SENSE. Like, I could not believe what I was reading because it just came out of no where and had nothing to do with anything. It’s basically the equivalent of putting mustard on a PB&J sandwich, that shit just doesn’t work. There were so many plot holes in this that it’s literally maddening.

All in all, it’s pretty clear that this was a thoroughly disappointing read for me. But I’m also not one to shy away from talking about the books that I don’t like because I also think that readers can find new books to read from negative reviews as well. I know I do.

Until next time,