Sunday 10 January 2010

Wish You Were Dead by Todd Strasser

Publisher: Egmont USA
Pub. Date: October 13th 2009
Age Range: Young Adult
Pages: 288
Format: ARC
Source Of Copy: from the publisher - Egmont USA

Str-S-d:
I’ll begin with Lucy. She is definitely first on the list. You can’t believe how it feels to be in the cafeteria and turn around and there she is staring at me like I’m some disgusting bug or vermin. Does she really think I WANT to be this way? I hate you, Lucy. I really hate you. You are my #1 pick. I wish you were dead.

The day after anonymous blogger Str-S-d wishes the popular girl would die, Lucy vanishes. The students of Soundview High are scared and worried. Especially frightened and wracked with guilt is Madison Archer, Lucy’s friend and the last person to see her the night she disappeared.
As days pass with no sign of the missing girl, even the attention of Tyler, an attractive new student, is not enough to distract Madison from her growing sense of foreboding. When two more popular students disappear after their names are mentioned on Str-S-d’s blog, the residents of Soundview panic.

Meanwhile, Madison receives anonymous notes warning that she could be next. Desperate to solve the mystery before anyone else disappears, Madison turns to Tyler, but can she trust him when it becomes clear that he knows more than he’s sharing?

The clock is ticking. Madison must uncover the truth behind the mysterious disappearances . . . before her name appears in Str-S-d’s blog.



A compelling, movie like thriller novel to add some new taste to the feast of 2010. Want something different and exciting, something to make you work your brain while reading a little? This is your book.

I have to admit that I'm pretty timid and I don't really like reading any kinds of thriller but Wish You Were Dead sounds so fun I have to pick it up. The first part of the book is just exactly like what I expected - mysterious and very chilling. There's a great combination of the blog posts and the kidnapper's point of view chapters, so the excitement is almost doubled.

What I like about it is that it keeps my curiosity up for most of the time. I have fun guessing who is behind it all. Some parts are given away so soon but I'm glad I didn't find out the evil one until it ends. There are a large range of characters so you'll surely be confused just like me.

What does not satisfy me? Uhm, let's see. It's the fact that the thrill kind of subsides near the end. The part I expected to be the greatest didn't come off well enough to impress me and that's a pity.

As for the characters, I like them all. Madison - our lead female, isn't a typical character. She belongs to the rich and mean crew but she acts nicely and quiet. It's a good thing that she is involved in first kidnap and has complex relationships with the unfortunate kids too. My favorite characters, however, are the bad kids who are wished to be dead. I enjoyed reading their sides of story and how they reacted to such an extreme situation.

To summarize, it's a nice thriller novel. Just don't expect too much thrill.

Rating: 3.5/5

14 comments:

Diana Dang said...

Thanks for the review! :)

Michelle B. said...

Ooh, good review! :) Sounds interesting.

Krista/Tower of Books said...

This book sounds good. Too bad it could have been more thrilling though.

Anonymous said...

Nice review. I've been wanting to read this one. Sounds creepy which I love. ;)

Test said...

Great review! This has been in my TBR pile for ages now and thanks to your review, I think I'm going to read it soon.

Carla said...

This sounds quite interesting, may have to check it out. Thanks for the review Thao :-)

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