by Kelley Armstrong
Book: Stand Alone
Publisher: Tundra Books
Pub Date: April 11, 2023
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Book Links: Goodreads Amazon
Blythe and her friends—Gabrielle, and
brother and sister Tucker and Tanya—have always been a tight friend group,
attending a local high school and falling in and out of love with each other.
But an act of violence has caused a rift between Blythe and Tucker . . . and
unexpected bursts of aggression and disturbing nightmares have started to
become more frequent in their lives.
The strange happenings culminate in a shocking event at school: Gabrielle is
found covered in blood in front of their deceased principal, with no memory of
what happened.
Cracks in their friendship, as well as in their
own memories, start appearing, threatening to expose long-forgotten secrets
which could change the group’s lives forever. How can Blythe and her friends
trust each other when they can’t even trust their own memories?
My Review: Compared to other books by Kelley, this one was meh.
I struggled back and forth if I should continue this book. It took until the half way mark before I was finally hooked in.
Blythe (Bliss), has a tight knit group of friends. Tucker is 'bad influence' of the group. His sister is feisty I love her standing up for Tucker with Blythe's parents. Then there's Gabi, who's suddenly having these mental breakdowns without reason/cause.
Gabi is late to class, not a big deal. The big deal is when she storms in, starts freaking out over being watched and then is taken to the VP's office.
That's when things get fuzzy. Blythe ends up with memory issues. It seems weird from a concussion. You keep getting this feeling that there's got to be more to what remembers vs what she's been told.
I have to say that this book does have gaslighting moments, which was triggering for me. So do keep that in mind if that's a trigger for you.
This wasn't my favorite by Kelley. The first half I had to push through and the second half is when I was finally grabbed and get those thriller vibes that only Kelley can give.
If you want thrills her Aftermath book is AMAZING. If
you want YA, the Darkest Powers and Sea of Shadows are so worth the read.
