ARC Book Review: Deadly Cool

Author: Gemma Halliday
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: October 11, 2011
Pages: 272
Read it in: 1 day
Source: Chelsey from Starry Sky Books

Summary: Hartley Grace Featherstone is having a very bad day. First she finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her with the president of the Herbert Hoover High School Chastity Club. Then he's pegged as the #1 suspect in a murder. And if that weren't enough, now he's depending on Hartley to clear his name. Seriously? Not cool.

But as much as Hartley wouldn't mind seeing him squirm, she knows he's innocent, and she's the only one who can help him. Along with her best friend, Sam, and the school's resident Bad Boy, Chase, Hartley starts investigating on her own. But as the dead bodies begin to pile up, the mystery deepens, the suspects multiply, and Hartley begins to fear that she may be the killer's next victim.

LC's Take:

First of all, I have to send out a big thanks to the lovely Chelsey from Starry Sky Books for lending me her ARC copy of Deadly Cool. She is just too awesome for giving me a sneak-peek of this new release!

So I finished this book in one afternoon, and it was definitely a quick, easy read that kept me fairly entertained.  The murder mystery plot centers around Hartley, a 16-year old from Silicon Valley, California. Hartley has just found out that her boyfriend Josh has been cheating on her-- with the president of the Chastity Club. Then, she accidentally stumbles upon a dead body in Josh's closet while trying to bust him. Yeah, not a good day. It's now up to her to find out who the killer is and prove that Josh is innocent of the murder, despite his betrayal.

Even though the story line of Deadly Cool was-- in my opinion-- somewhat unoriginal, I thought that the narrative was really funny. Told from Hartley's humorous POV, it kept me reading. Along with her charming and snarky attitude, I loved all of the over-the-top, ridiculous high school drama (ex. getting dumped via Twitter!). I couldn't tell if the author was being serious or was making fun of her characters and their dysfunctional teenage lives. Anyways, whatever Gemma's intentions, I was definitely laughing throughout the whole story, wondering to my self: is this supposed to be taken seriously or treated like a high school parody? I'm going with parody!

Some people have said that the ending was too obvious, but honestly, I had no idea who the killer was until the final chapters. (But then again, I'm always horrible at guessing the endings to books and movies!) I think that for awhile the plot dragged a little, but the ending was exciting, action-filled, and all the loose ends were satisfyingly tied up. And the parts that were slow were at least made fun with Hartley's sense of humor. While I wasn't totally blown away, I think that the quirkiness of the characters made up for the lack of originality, and the pacing was quick enough that I never felt bored or like I had to put it down. Overall, this was a fun read, despite some flaws and staleness in the plot.

LC's Rating:

I can't say that this book was exactly brilliant, but it was definitely entertaining. If you're looking for a quick read with quirky characters, an unsolved mystery, and a narrative that'll make you laugh out loud, Deadly Cool is a good pick!