Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

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Book summary:

The city of Ludlow is gripped by the hottest July on record. The asphalt is melting, the birds are dying, petty crime is on the rise, and someone in Hannah Wagnor’s peaceful suburban community is killing girls.

For Hannah, the summer is a complicated one. Her best friend Lillian died six months ago, and Hannah just wants her life to go back to normal. But how can things be normal when Lillian’s ghost is haunting her bedroom, pushing her to investigate the mysterious string of murders? Hannah’s just trying to understand why her friend self-destructed, and where she fits now that Lillian isn’t there to save her a place among the social elite. And she must stop thinking about Finny Boone, the big, enigmatic delinquent whose main hobbies seem to include petty larceny and surprising acts of kindness.

With the entire city in a panic, Hannah soon finds herself drawn into a world of ghost girls and horrifying secrets. She realizes that only by confronting the Valentine Killer will she be able move on with her life—and it’s up to her to put together the pieces before he strikes again.

      This was my first book by Brenna. Even though I've seen her book The Replacement around, you can't help but to notice that lovely cover. So once when this book was announced I realized that it was time for me to meet her characters.

       To say that Paper Valentine wasn't mysterious and thrilling would be a mistake. I as a huge fan of all crime TV-shows couldn't help but to enjoy this mystery. We read Hannah's story here. She is a typical teenage girl but when her best friend Lillian died six months ago her life changed. She tries to get back on track but you can't  do so when Lillian's ghost is haunting her around. Having some things unfinished Lillian tries to get Hannah to investigate her death. The things get more complicated when more girls get killed and now they have a serial killer in their town. In the meantime Hannah's life start to change. She is growing up and some of her views aren't same as before. Also she meets Finny the boy who is always judged by his look and no one tries to actually get to know him.

       Well I, as a huge fan of Criminal Minds, failed to get who the killer was. Dammit! That was the part of this story that I really liked. It was mysterious enough and it kept me in agony for some time. But some other parts of the book weren't so thrilling. Firstly the characters both Hannah and Finny. She was a really sweet and likable character but I thought that we needed someone stronger and more unpredictable - as a matter of fact - for this story. Also Finny was really great and everything but at some points I felt like I was missing something like I didn't know him.

       All in all - this was a really interesting and fast read.

Rating: 4 stars.

Until the next time,