One Was Lost ~ Natalie D Richards (earc) review [@SourcebooksFire @NatDRichards]

One Was Lost
Sourcebooks Fire
October 04, 2016
320 pages
add to Goodreads/buy from Book Depository/or Amazon

Damaged. Deceptive. Dangerous. Darling. Are they labels or a warning? The answer could cost Sera everything.

Murder, justice, and revenge were so not a part of the plan when Sera set out on her senior camping trip. After all, hiking through the woods is supposed to be safe and uneventful.

Then one morning the group wakes up groggy, confused, and with words scrawled on their wrists: Damaged. Deceptive. Dangerous. Darling. Their supplies? Destroyed. Half their group? Gone. Their chaperone? Unconscious. Worst of all, they find four dolls acting out a murder—dolls dressed just like them.

Suddenly it's clear; they're being hunted. And with the only positive word on her wrist, Sera falls under suspicion…

Well, here is one book you really don't want to take on a camping or hiking in the woods trip, that's for sure. The three previous books by Natalie D Richards were brilliant mystery thrillers and this one was, as well. Her novels are full of twists and turns they keep you guessing right up to the end and the premisses themselves are completely original and imaginative.

What still, somehow, surprised me about One Was Lost though (and that I also liked in the other books, hence the 'somehow') was how well the characters were written, how easy it was to relate to them and how much I came to care about them, their relationships and their lives. Even in the midst of this horror-thriller, all of the mystery and the danger, the author lets us get to know the characters.

Even as they are in fear for their lives, trying to piece together what's happened and who could possibly be doing all of this to them, we learn more about Sera and her fellow campers. There are things from their past that the others know about, or at least know of, then there are the secrets they're keeping.  The pieces we learn about them only add to the mystery - and to our desire to see them (or at least some of them) rescued.

One Was Lost is an incredibly compelling mystery with captivating characters full of the unexpected and unpredictable. This is the fourth book I have read by Natalie D Richards and I am absolutely anticipating her fifth (and more)!








review copy received thanks to publisher, via NetGalley 

My Secret to Tell ~ Natalie D Richards (earc) review [@NatDRichards @SourcebooksFire]

My Secret to Tell
Sourcebooks Fire
October 6, 2015
320 pages
add to Goodreads/buy from Book Depository/or Amazon

There was blood on his hands. Where was the guilt in his eyes?

Emmie's had a crush on her best friend's brother forever. Deacon is the town bad boy who's always in trouble, but she sees his soft side when he volunteers with her at the local animal shelter. She doesn't think he's dangerous…until he shows up in her bedroom with blood on his hands.

Deacon's father has been violently assaulted and Deacon is suspect number one. Emmie's smart enough to know how this looks, but she also knows Deacon's biggest secret—he's paralyzed by the sight of blood. She's sure he didn't do this. Or did he? Because even Deacon's own sister thinks he's guilty…

Natalie D Richards' My Secret to Tell is full of surprises. In the beginning, it seems like a pretty straight forward story: Deacon ran from the scene of his father's assault, covered in blood;  now he is hiding, refusing to  go to the police or even his sister.

Is it any wonder countless people, even, it seems, his own sister think he's guilty?

Emmie, best friend to Deacon's sister Chelsea and the one he ran to, isn't so sure, though. She recognizes how it all looks, but she knows Deacon. Even if she does question some things, Emmie believes him - and wants to help.

As the story progresses, the mystery deepens and more things are called into question. It seems many aren't who they seem to be and it isn't easy to know who to trust.

Even when one or two aspects of the mystery seem easy to piece together, it does not take away from one's enjoyment of the story. Instead, knowing (or possibly knowing) something only adds to the tension you feel as you read.

The complexities or Emmie's character are fantastic Who she is and the little things that make her that way and why not only make her an interesting character to read about, a character who is easy to relate to but also sympathize with, but play into the story really well. (In unexpected but very nicely done ways.)

With its resolution, the book's mystery proved to be bigger and more complex than I could have imagined. All of the pieces came together incredibly well, with smaller things from throughout the book now making sense.

I loved the characters of My Secret to Tell even when I disliked them or their actions- Emmie, Deacon, Chelsea, Joel, Seth, her parents, even Rocky(!!). They are complex, well written characters who play great, intriguing roles not just in the novel but in each other's lives, too.

My Secret to Tell was an even better read than the author's first two books Six Months Later and Gone too Far, it is a exciting, thrilling read with great characters.







digital copy received, for review purposes, from publisher via NetGalley

Gone Too Far ~ Natalie D Richards (earc) Tour Review + Dream Cast + Giveaway [@The_FFBC @NatDRichards]

Gone Too Far

Sourcebooks Fire

January 6, 2014

304 pages

add to Goodreads/buy from Book Depo/or Amazon

Keeping secrets ruined her life. But the truth might just kill her.

Piper Woods can't wait for the purgatory of senior year to end. She skirts the fringes of high school like a pro until the morning she finds a notebook with mutilated photographs and a list of student sins. She's sure the book is too gruesome to be true, until pretty, popular Stella dies after a sex-tape goes viral. Everyone's sure it's suicide, but Piper remembers Stella's name from the book and begins to suspect something much worse.

Drowning in secrets she doesn't want to keep, Piper's fears are confirmed when she receives an anonymous text message daring her to make things right. All she needs to do is choose a name, the name of someone who deserves to be punished...

REVIEW

I really enjoyed Natalie D Richards first novel Six Months Later and eagerly anticipated reading her next; Gone Too Far was all that I hoped for.

Piper is a 'normal' high school girl. She isn't popular but she isn't an outcast, either. A devoted (and talented) photographer she always has a camera at the ready, leaving many conscious of how they appear around her.

It's what is beneath how her classmates appear, though, that soon becomes Piper's focus.

What causes Piper to view her friends differently, what diverts her from the path she was on, is one little notebook. Filled with transcriptions of her classmates wrongdoings (with pseudonyms, of course) and mutilated photographs, the notebook is nothing Piper ever expected to encounter. And what she does with it is something far different than even she expected.


I love that the notebook is this unassuming thing that Piper finds in such an unspectacular event that results in something so monumental. It makes the whole series of events, everything that happens to Piper, that she does, that she is a part of, something readers can easily identify with.

It is also great the Piper's feelings about the notebook, about the punishments aren't black and white. Things seem clear cut to her, but the more involved she becomes, the more questions she has and the more we see her internal turmoil. Both good and bad, liking what is happening and being a part of it and doubting it, wanting no more.

Piper is an easily relateable character and her emotions throughout everything that happens in Gone Too Far are realistic and believable. Her relationships, both those already established and those begun during the book are well done. They add to the story - the unfolding of events - and the unraveling of the mystery of who the 'anonymous' messages are from while also giving us insights into the different characters. Not everyone is who we - or Piper - think they are . . . and Piper may not be who she believed herself to be, either.

Gone Too Far managed to say something about human nature, about the choices we make and what they mean about us - or don't - while also having a cute romance and a great central character.

BUY THE BOOK
Book Depo / B&N / iTunes / Kobo / Amazon

DREAM CAST

Kaya Scodelario as Piper

Jeffrey Licon as Manny

Colton Haynes  as Nick

Grant Gustin as Harrison

Allie Grant as Tacey

ABOUT AUTHOR NATALIE RICHARDS:

At seven, Natalie D. Richards wrote about Barbara Frances Bizzlefishes (who wouldn't dare do the dishes.) Now she writes about awesome girls, broody boys, and all things dark and creepy. Natalie lives in Ohio (Go Bucks!) with her techno-wiz husband, three amazing kids, and a seventy pound dust-mop who swears he's the family dog. Her psychological thriller, Six Months Later, will be released in October 1, 2013 by Sourcebooks Fire. Until then, you'll probably find her writing her next book or trying to wade through the towers of dog-eared paperbacks that have taken over her bedroom.

website // blog

Details: Win (1) finished copy of Gone Too Far, a copy of Six Months Later and some swag (US Only)

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Gone Too Far received from publisher via NetGalley for this tour & review

Six Months Later ~ Natalie D Richards (arc) Review & Giveaway + Dream Cast (tour)

Six Months Later

Sourcebooks Fire

October 1, 2013

336 pages

add to Goodreads/buy from Book Depo/B&N/IndieBound/or Amazon

Chloe didn't think about it much when she nodded off in study hall on that sleepy summer day. But when she wakes up, snow is on the ground and she can't remember the last six months of her life. Before, she'd been a mediocre student. Now, she's on track for valedictorian and being recruited by Ivy League schools. Before, she never had a chance with super jock Blake. Now he's her boyfriend. Before, she and Maggie were inseparable. Now her best friend won't speak to her.

What happened to her?
And why can't she remember?

I have to admit that Six Months Later surprised me.It sounded like a fun read but ended up being so much more.

For most of Six Months Later, I really was not sure what was going on  - or even what genre the book would ultimately fit in. All of which I mean in the best way. Sometimes a book is confusing in a bad way, but sometimes it's confusing in a good way which is what happened here.

Chloe wakes up having lost six month --  instead of it being almost summer, it's almost Christmas -- and her life has transformed tremendously. As readers we're lost as to what has happened right along with Chloe.  Author Natalie D Richards does this really well, too. While the not knowing could, potentially, lead to frustration and turn someone away from the story, here it pulls you in instead. Things are uncovered at just the right pace to keep you guessing, keep you wondering, and hungering for more . . . all while likely battling confusion.

The characters also keep things moving very well. The little glimpse we get of the 'before' Chloe makes the 'later' Chloe seem that much more drastic. It's a short introduction but it sets up the relationship between Chloe and Maggie very well. It has you pulling or them through the rest of the book and hoping they can overcome whatever it is that's come between them.

There is a lot more of the plot I do want to mention because I loved the twists it took but I loved working it all out, especially finding out the ending. I don't want to risk any spoilers and ruin your fun!

Full of fantastic suspense and mystery along with great characters and relationships, Natalie D Richards debut, Six Months Later is one not to miss, no matter which genre you usually prefer.

Rating: 9/10

Dream Cast:

I think this is the first time I've done a 'Dream Cast' - at least as part of a post, I've tried to match characters up with real people in my head before.

Vanessa Marano as Chloe

Claudia Lee as Maggie

Luke Benward as Blake

Callan McAuliffe as Adam

Sasha Pieterse as Julien

author Natalie D Richards 

Natalie D. Richards won her first writing competition in the second grade with her short story about Barbara Frances Bizzlefishes (who wouldn't dare do the dishes.) She later misplaced her writing dreams in a maze of cubicles and general office drudgery. Natalie never forgot about Barbara or those dishes, and eventually she found her way back to storytelling, following the genre of her heart, teen fiction. When she's not writing or shopping her manuscripts, you can probably find her wading through the towers of dog-eared paperbacks that have taken over her bedroom. Natalie lives in Ohio with her amazing husband and their three children, who inspire her every day to stick with her dreams.

She can be found online:
Facebook; @NattDRichards on Twitter; Website; Blog; Goodreads

Enter the giveaway below . . .