Rosebush

Review Time! While I don't really judge the cover in my reviews can I just give some cover love to Rosebush? It's an AMAZING cover, you can't see but my copy has these shiny swirls on it, amazing cover to match an amazing book! Thanks to Hachette for the review copy!

(Goodreads ) Instead of celebrating Memorial Day weekend on the Jersey Shore, Jane is in the hospital surrounded by teddy bears, trying to piece together what happened last night. One minute she was at a party, wearing fairy wings and cuddling with her boyfriend. The next, she was lying near-dead in a rosebush after a hit-and-run. Everyone believes it was an accident, despite the phone threats Jane swears were real. But the truth is a thorny thing. As Jane's boyfriend, friends, and admirers come to visit, more memories surface not just from the party, but from deeper in her past . . . including the night her best friend Bonnie died. With nearly everyone in her life a suspect now, Jane must unravel the mystery before her killer attacks again. Along the way, she's forced to examine the consequences of her life choices in this compulsively readable thriller.

The Short Story ? - If you liked Pretty Little Liars, you'll LOVE this one! Attempted murder? check. Social Hierarchy? check.  Dark secrets? check. Dark, suspenseful and original, this is one thriller you don't want to miss! Best thriller I have read yet! Bookie approves!
 
The Long Story ? - I'm not much of a mystery/suspense reader because they're usually too mysterious and too suspenseful to keep me from peeking at the ending. Which is exactly what I did, I peeked, I saw and it took the mystery out of it, now you know why I usually stick with predicable contemporaries or wacky paranormals. However, I really enjoyed it, like I really, really, really liked this book.
 
Honestly, I'm very fascinated with this concept of high school where teenagers would do anything to be popular, quite frankly I like reading books about social hierarchy and designer clothes and great parties ( no, I'm not a loser who has no friends). I found all of that, with a deadly twist, in Rosebush. The plot was really quite excellent. Interesting, suspenseful and full of twists and turns. It's face-paced and keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Original and wait for it...unpredictable. The art of thrillers, I would never have pick "that person" to be the murderer or attempted murderer.
 
With Rosebush it just keeps getting better and better, you think you know who the killer is and then something happens and you doubt yourself. You think you know the full story and then something happens that changes your perspective. It's unpredictable and exciting to read because you don' know what's going to happen next!
 
My second pick for best highlights would be the characterisation. Realistic characters that we can all connect to on some level. These rich, popular adolescents harbour the same fear and insecurities as the rest of us. Worse, they harbour deadly secrets could ruin everything. Jane, the main character is easy relate to, she's nice, insecure around her friends and a people-pleaser. I'm definitely not a people-pleaser or insecure around my friends but I have felt that way before I changed cliques. High school really is a nasty place, it's predator and prey. Each of the characters in this novel may seem tough and carefree on the outside but each have their personal demons whether it be family issues or other "stuff".
 
Last but not least, the writing. Gosh, some of the best writing I have ever read! I envy your ability to write Michelle Jaffe! I loved the writing in this novel, it was serious yet relaxed. Reader can feel completely at ease, understand every word, every description and every example even when the topic is serious, a matter of life and death. It was comfortable to read, even when we're talking about attempted murder and dirty little secrets. It's also interesting to read a thriller in first-person where there isn't the omniscient narrator spilling all the secrets but Jane, makes you wonder....
 
Overall, Rosebush is one of the best thrillers I have ever read. Fantastic plot, great characters and beautiful writing! Amazing cover and an even more amazing book, filled with twist and turns and dirty little secrets. Rosebush would be my pick for a perfect Friday night read! Ditch your date, pick up this book!
 
Rating - 5/5
 
Badass Bookie xx