Mini Reviews | Easy Prey & Dear Evan Hansen

I don't have an awful lot to say on these books, both were just middle of the road 3 stars for me, so I thought I would just share my few thoughts in a more casual review. I thought I would share a few things I liked and a few things I didn't like about each book and you can decide from that whether you think these would be books you would enjoy. Both of these books were received fro publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Easy Prey by Catherine Lo
Published On: October 12, 2018
Published By: Amulet Books
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Mystery
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
Rating: ★★★
Amazon | BD | Goodreads

Only three students had access to a teacher’s racy photos before they went viral. There’s Mouse, a brainy overachiever so desperate to escape his father and go to MIT that he would do almost anything, legal or not. Then there’s Drew, the star athlete who can get any girl’s number—and private photos—with his charm but has a history of passing those photos around. And finally there’s Jenna, a good girl turned rebel after her own shocking photos made the rounds at school last year, who is still waiting for justice. All three deny leaking the photos, but someone has to take the fall. This edgy whodunit tackles hot-button issues of sexting and gossip and will have readers tearing through the pages to reach the final reveal.

I Liked...
- The plot. It was fast-paced and the story was very interesting. It was definitely engaging and you were kept wondering how situation were connected and how things would come together in the end. The premise was interesting and a lot of relevant topics were addressed and debated from various points of view,
- The characters. All three main characters were so different but each had their own issues and storylines aside from the main plot. I really enjoyed reading from each characters perspectives, all of which had their own distinct voice. They were not the most likeable group of characters but they didn't need to be for me to enjoy them.
- The majority of the book. This was a really fun, enjoyable book for the first three quarters of it. I was really enjoying the story and the characters, like I said, and was generally having a good time. I thought it was cleverly written, it kept me wanting to read on and find out what happened next and I was flying through it. Sadly, it didn't last.

I Didn't Like...
- The end. I understand why this book ended the way it did, I understand what the author was trying to do. I just didn't agree with it. I don't like how things worked out and was quite disappointed by the ending. I wanted something better.
- That it was predictable. I had guessed who 'done it' pretty early on was just waiting to find out how and why. I know some people like to be able to guess the culprit but it always annoys me when I'm not surprised by the reveal.
- I can't think of a third thing, it was really just the ending that I didn't like.

Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich
Published On: October 9, 2018
Published By: Penguin Random House
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Pages: 368
Format: eBook
Source: Netgalley
Rating: ★★★
Amazon | BD | Goodreads

When a letter that was never meant to be seen draws high school senior Evan Hansen into the Murphy family's grief over the loss of their son, he is given the chance of a lifetime: to belong. He just has to stick to a lie he never meant to tell. That the notoriously troubled Connor Murphy was his secret best friend. Suddenly, Evan isn't invisible anymore. And Connor's wealthy parents have taken him in like he was their own, desperate to know more about their enigmatic son from his 'closest friend'. As Evan gets pulled deeper into their family, he knows that what he's doing may not be right, but if he's helping people, how wrong can it be? No longer tangled in his once-incapacitating anxiety, this new Evan has a purpose. He's confident. He's a viral phenomenon. Every day is amazing. But when everything is in danger of unravelling, he comes face to face with his greatest obstacle: himself.

I Liked...
- It's Dear Evan Hansen. I love this musical so of course I'm going to enjoy that this book is based on the show.
- The story. Like I said, I love the show and as this is the story of the show, it's safe to assume I would enjoy the story.
- The characters. Again, they are the same as the show. However, they really came to life in the book. They were all very well written and I really enjoyed reading about all of them.

I Didn't Like...
- It just didn't translate well. The story alone without the music and stage production just didn't live up to the standard of the show. It fell a bit flat.
- I was bored. As much as I love the story, I found it boring in this format. It took me too long to get through it and I lost interest.
- I was disappointed. I set my expectations too high as this was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. Sadly, it didn't meet my expectations, which is probably more my own fault than the book itself.

Both of these books have their positives but neither blew me away. However, I can see why so many people have enjoyed them, they just weren't for me.

Sophie :)