Gr 9 Up—Mary wakes on her 17th birthday naked, in a display window of Crate & Barrel, on view to the commuters in New York City. She has mysterious scratches on her back and a hangover. She arrives at school to find that no one even remembers that it is her birthday. The day gets continually worse, until she finds herself at a surprise birthday party. Her happiness is short lived, as the night ends with her murder. She then must relive the day through the eyes of seven of her friends and begins to understand what was really going on the day she died and tries to save herself. While the premise sounds similar to Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall (HarperCollins, 2010), the two books are not read-alikes. This one is a plot-driven, "Gossip Girl"-type book (Little, Brown) with a supernatural twist. The incessant name-dropping is distracting, with everything from paint (Krylon) to Scotch (Dewar's, oddly for a book with so many posh references) to cigarettes (Dunhill). The transition from Mary's point of view, mostly lacking in supernatural elements, to her after-death experiences is awkward. Even as she sees what was really going on, character motivations are often unclear. Despite its flaws, this is a book that will be read and enjoyed by fans of Melissa de la Cruz's "Blue Bloods" (Hyperion) and its ilk.—Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH
A curse forces Mary to relive the day of her murder in the bodies of seven people who hated her. Experiencing her own callous behavior through others offers Mary a chance to make amends and possibly save herself. The plot is somewhat convoluted and motivations are tenuous, but the many switches in perspective are clear and effective in revealing clues to Mary's death.
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