Review: The Girl in the Picture by Alexandra Monir

The Girl in the Picture by Alexandra Monir

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
Publication Date: November 15th 2016
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Point of View: 1st Person & Alternative
Recommended Age: 12+
Pacing: Normal
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Mystery, Contemporary, Romance, Boarding School

---

BLURB:

After high school heartthrob Chace Porter is found dead in the woods near the school, the police are in search of the girl whose picture with Chace is the only clue found amongst his personal belongings. A girl who no one knew was even close to Chace–and whose dormmate, Lana Rivera, was Chace’s girlfriend.

Nicole is that girl and now she’s the primary suspect in his murder.

But what really happened that night? Were Nicole and Chace dating behind Lana’s back; were he and Lana over? Could either of them have killed him?

Told in alternating points of view, that of our suspect, Nicole Morgan, and her former best friend and roommate, Lana Rivera, readers will piece together the story of a starcrossed love, a fractured friendship–and what really happened the night Chace was killed.

My feelings regarding this novel are very mixed.

I just want to point out that this is my first Alexandra Monir book and that her writing style makes me want to pick up more of her works.

It’s an interesting story, especially in the beginning. We don’t know what’s happened – there was an accident, someone died, and what about the girl rivalry? I liked how there seemed to be a lot going on, since I eagerly waited for everything to be explained at a normal pace.

Plus I’m just a huge fan of boarding schools. While the setting in this story is important, it’s only so because of how it limits the students about partying and going out. But otherwise, it’s not exactly worth picking this book up only because, like me, you love dorms and all the stuff that can happen far from home.

But it’s got two opposites points of views from a meek girl and a bitch, so that’s entertaining and makes for various events. I like being in the mind of someone shallow and diva-like, since I don’t consider myself as being like that (way to go, using the word trice in a sentence), therefore I tend to be captivated by those types of people. If they’re well characterized, that is. And Lana definitely is.

Now the problem with this book is that it has a LOT of clichés. But the most prominent one is the love-triangle between gorgeous lover boy Chace (picture Nate from Gossip Girl), Queen Bee Lana (that’s Blair) and her roommate shy Nicole (definitely Jenny before the gothic look). While the love-triangle didn’t irk me exactly, I still found it redundant and cliché and I just didn’t feel the love.

I found the mystery addictive, though. I needed to know more of what would happen next. Not that I expected to hit the floor with my jaw in the end, but it’s still well done throughout the story. It’s more about the psychological of the characters than the action itself, however. Do expect it to move slowly, but not too slow. Good read.

Follow me on:

Youtube | Twitter | Instagram | Google+ | Goodreads | Bloglovin’