Title: The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die
Author: April Henry
Release date: June 11, 2013
Publisher: Henry Holt
Pages: 224
Source: Publisher
Reading level: YA
Challenge(s): YA Contemporary
“Take her out back and finish her off.”
She doesn’t know who she is. She doesn’t know where she is, or why. All she knows when she comes to in a ransacked cabin is that there are two men arguing over whether or not to kill her.
And that she must run.
In her riveting style, April Henry crafts a nail-biting thriller involving murder, identity theft, and biological warfare. Follow Cady and Ty (her accidental savior turned companion), as they race against the clock to stay alive.
The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die is only the second April Henry book that I’ve read but it will not be my last. She is quickly becoming one of my go-to authors for young adult suspense!
I don’t want to give anything away about the story so I’m going to attempt to keep this review short and sweet. The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die grips readers from the very first page. Readers are introduced to a girl who knows nothing about herself other than the fact that someone wants her dead. Readers learn about her past as she does and it’s a really interesting way to find out about a character.
It’s hard to like most of the characters in The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die. The problem is that readers can’t know who to trust. The MC has no memory of anyone so someone who says they are her friend could actually just be pretending and really want to kill her. It definitely makes getting to know people a little difficult but it definitely works for the story. The only two characters you really need to know or care about are the MC and Ty, her sort-of savior. While the book is short (coming in at only 224 pages) you learn enough about the characters in that time period to like them and want to see them have a happy ending.
There’s one other thing about The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die that made it really interesting for me and that was all the information about biochemicals. I don’t want to go into much detail about this but I’ll just say that it’s interesting stuff that hasn’t really been done before in YA. Also, while it is very informative, the story is never made boring by the information.
Overall, The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die is a fabulous addition to the young adult suspense genre. Definitely check this one out if you’re a fan of that type of story. It’s perfect for a quick rainy day read!
What others are saying about The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die:
Maji Bookshelf’s review:
“April Henry was able to capture me from the first page and only released me on the last page.”
The Page Turner’s review: “The Girl Who was Supposed to Die has a cinematic feel to it, the plot is full of twists and turns and there is non-stop action.”
Carina’s Books’ review: “I’m glad I read the book, even though it wasn’t that perfect for me, but it is a three star book, and I did enjoy reading it all.”
Other reviews for this author:
This sounds intense and super good! Thanks for the review.
This was a quick read but I felt like it fell apart at the end. The whole reason behind why the bad guys did what they did didn’t really feel genuine to me. But it was a good page-turner and up until that point, I enjoyed the book. Great review 🙂
This happens to be what I’m reading right now. I’m halfway through and can hardly put it down. I wasn’t familiar with Henry’s work before but can definitely see myself picking up more from her. She has quite a gift for action and suspense.
I have heard amazing things about April Henry, though I am yet to read one of her books. I do love suspense and mysteries, so I’ll definitely be checking some of her books out soon. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with us 🙂 Great review!
The plot of having no memory of what happened before reminds me of the movie Memento (2000). I might enjoy the part about the biochemicals, especially since you say it won’t slow the reader down.
There aren’t many thrillers out there, but she’s a wonderful author for this audience who want thrillers!
When someone memory is erased, it makes everything dangerous, everything a risk and if you add the threat of death to that, no wonder you were totally hooked.
I hope her savior redeems himself if he’s also part of the people who want her dead.
Lovely review 🙂