Girl on the Verge Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway!

Posted May 30, 2017 by Melissa in Uncategorized / 3 Comments

Hi everyone! Welcome to my stop in the Girl on the Verge blog tour hosted by Xpresso Book Tours! This YA Thriller is written by New York Times bestselling author Pintip Dunn and releases on June 27th. Below you can find my review of this heart-racing book and an amazing international giveaway that you definitely don’t want to miss! Enjoy. ♥

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Girl on the Verge 
by Pintip Dunn 
YA Thriller
June 27th 2017 from Kensington

From the author of The Darkest Lie comes a compelling, provocative story for fans of I Was Here and Vanishing Girls, about a high school senior straddling two worlds, unsure how she fits in either—and the journey of self-discovery that leads her to surprising truths.

In her small Kansas town, at her predominantly white school, Kanchana doesn’t look like anyone else. But at home, her Thai grandmother chides her for being too westernized. Only through the clothing Kan designs in secret can she find a way to fuse both cultures into something distinctly her own.

When her mother agrees to provide a home for a teenage girl named Shelly, Kan sees a chance to prove herself useful. Making Shelly feel comfortable is easy at first—her new friend is eager to please, embraces the family’s Thai traditions, and clearly looks up to Kan. Perhaps too much. Shelly seems to want everything Kanchana has, even the blond, blue-eyed boy she has a crush on. As Kan’s growing discomfort compels her to investigate Shelly’s past, she’s shocked to find how much it intersects with her own—and just how far Shelly will go to belong…

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*The Reader’s Review*
My rating: 4/5 stars
Um, wow. Consider me officially spooked for the rest of the year. How am I supposed to sleep soundly after this??? I swear my hands are still shaking while I type this. This book… gosh, it’s like my worst nightmare. However, it is undoubtedly good, so if you enjoy reading thrillers, you might find this one quite enjoyable.
Girl on the Verge captured me from page one as it introduced Kan, the main character. She’s a Thai girl born in USA, living in a small town where she’s the only one “different”. Never feeling as if she belonged in Kansas or even in Thailand (for she was just not Thai enough, according to them), she constantly struggled balancing her two separate lives. What she did know is that she wanted to be a clothes designer because she’s actually really good at it. So her story starts off well, a girl trying to discover herself and possibly get the boy she has a crush on finally notice her. That is until her mother allows a recently orphaned girl to stay with them that all hell breaks lose.
I must say, I think I failed to notice when I first read about this book that it was a thriller. I RARELY read thrillers/horror because it all honesty, I get scared pretty easily. So imagine my surprise when after a few chapters of a great main character struggling with self-identity that I knew she was somehow going to overcome and the swooniest boy ever,  some things started to get oddly creepy, it the subtlest ways. First, a girl coming on a bit strong for being a stranger. Then immediately acting like your best friend. Then making you be blood sisters, ritual and all… among many other things that screamed DANGER. Yup, you bet goosebumps sprouted all over my arms while reading it.
This is my first book by Pintip Dunn and holy muffins, I cannot deny her great ability to captivate you with her words, her storytelling, and characters. I was so damn scared and disturbed, to the point of feeling nauseous, but for the love of books, I could NOT set the book down. I read it in one sitting and I don’t regret the read at all, but I also somehow want to forget it. It insanely brought me a sense of déjà vu and that scares me the most because WHY?? I don’t ever EVER want to have a stranger come into my life and try to steal my identity, my life. That is truly my worst nightmare.
Ugh. Anyway, this book will surely stay with me for a long time. I thought it was a dark contemporary read, but never guessed THIS dark. It certainly fooled me when the love interest was introduced (OMG so cute, I loved him!) and I thought it would focus more on them as a couple, but instead this book took me into a twisty, devilish journey that I’m perfectly content for it to always remain fictional, thank you very much.
Final Verdict:
Girl on the Verge had me at the edge of my seat the whole time and while it may not be my usual genre, I certainly was enthranced by the thrilling story inside. Definitely check it out of you like to feel your pulse raised!
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About Pintip Dunn

Pintip Dunn is a New York Times bestselling author of YA fiction. She graduated from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B. in English Literature and Language. She received her J.D. at Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the YALE LAW JOURNAL.

Pintip is represented by literary agent Beth Miller of Writers House. Her debut novel, FORGET TOMORROW, won the RWA RITA® for Best First Book. Her other novels include THE DARKEST LIE, REMEMBER YESTERDAY, and the novella BEFORE TOMORROW.

She lives with her husband and children in Maryland. You can learn more about Pintip and her books at www.pintipdunn.com

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Giveaway!

Enter the rafflecopter below for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card! Open internationally. Good luck!

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3 responses to “Girl on the Verge Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway!”

  3. Giselle

    Great review, Melissa! Even though it wasn't what you usually read I'm glad that it ended up being a good read for you! I love thriller books so this one is def up my alley – and the darker the better! 😀