Thursday, October 6, 2011

Review: Deadly Cool

DEADLY COOL
Gemma Halliday
Contemporary Young Adult
272 pages
HarperTeen
Available October 11th
Received for review through Teen Book Scene

THE STORY
Today did not go well for Hartley. Not only did she find out she was the last one in school to know her boyfriend was sleeping with the head of the chastity club, but when she went to confront him about it, she discovered said chastity failure dead in his closet.

To make things worse, her cheating boyfriend decides to show up in her bedroom after dodging custody to plead for her forgiveness and, more importantly, her help in proving his innocence. Despite her anger and hurt, Hartley knows Josh isn't a murderer and agrees to help him though she is certainly no detective.

With the assistance of her best friend Sam as well as the bad-boy editor for the school's online newspaper, Hartley attempts to track down anyone besides her who might have had a grudge against the chastity queen and would try to frame Josh. Before long though more bodies start to pile up and Hartley and her team are no closer to helping Josh, but they are, however, a whole lot closer to becoming targets themselves.

MY THOUGHTS
Deadly Cool is one of those stories whose spine should only be cracked when there is plenty of time to read as it grabs us from the very first page and keeps us laughing and voraciously consuming every moment of Hartley's tale until we regrettably reach the end. Our friendship with Hartley forms instantaneously when our sense of female solidarity leaps to the forefront at Hartley's discovery of Josh's infidelity, and we puff up in righteous indignation while silently encouraging her to act on our behalf as though we were the wronged party. From our initial loyalty grows genuine affection, and we spend the remainder of the book shaking our heads in good humor at her antics while trying to anticipate the killer's every action as our own inner detective joins in the fun.

Hartley is a young woman who beautifully embodies her age, acting in a mature enough way as to be relatable to older fans of young adult fiction but also not so much so that she becomes unbelievable as a teenager. She's witty and genuinely hilarious, satisfying our vicarious anger at Josh's betrayal by releasing her feelings in a torrent of choice adjectives, but also curbing her emotional turmoil quickly to logically focus on the more monumental of the multiple problems in her life. She doesn't spontaneously morph into an inexplicable super-sleuth who uncovers clues the police themselves cannot to solve the case single-handedly in a show of magnificent intellectual prowess, instead she fumbles along making mistakes and gaining little ground, entertaining us with her humor and realism all the while.

There's just a touch of romance accompanying the mystery element, her partnership with Chase of the bad-boy-appearance-but-adorable-personality variety one filled with both awkwardness and so much potential we can hardly read fast enough to see what happens, if anything, between them. Ms. Halliday allows us to hold the relationship cookie and take that first delectable nibble in this book, but then yanks it out of our hands and places it out of reach somewhere in the depths of the second installment where it will continue to taunt us until we can get our hands on it yet again. Chase and Hartley's banter is a joy to read, acting as a balm to the burn caused by Josh's general idiocy and intimate betrayal, and we are thankful for his and Sam's presence to keep us smiling giddily despite the fact that a killer is on the loose and closing in.

For those looking for an all-around amusing caper with a less-than qualified trio of investigators who make every page immensely gratifying, then add Deadly Cool to your reading lists immediately. We are given a real conclusion to this story even though there's a sequel in the works, and we close the last page with light hearts and sore cheeks from our perma-grins. Ms. Halliday has written a brilliant young adult debut, earning herself a solid place on my must-read list.

Rating: 4/5

32 comments:

  1. Ooh! Looks like a very interesting read! I really love the cover too! :) Great review!

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  2. This sounds good. I read a positive review on Deadly Cool from another blogger and I'm glad you liked it, too. I'm definitely picking up a copy when it comes out! It's great to see YA mysteries!!

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  3. Oh this sounds so delicious and amusing. I really could use a mystery with a fun slant and Hartley sounds like a hoot.

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  4. I've been looking forward to this review forever. I love this cover so much, like you cannot believe. It is so pretty and the description makes it seem like there's a pretty good story hiding under it. I love the fact that you mention engaging characters. Eeep. Love it. Thanks for the great review, Jenny!

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  5. I alwys say it, but your reviews are just so excellent. You should be a writer :)

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  6. I've seen a lot of good reviews for this lately! I can't wait to check it out myself! Chase sounds like he's going to be an interesting character. I love the bad boys. lol! Thanks for sharing!

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  7. Roxy - It was a really fun book, one you can just dive in and read in one sitting:)

    Julie - I loved it:) I thought the mystery was well done too, it just had a little bit of everything.

    Jan - It was super amusing. My husband just kept looking at me when I was reading because I had a big (probably creepy) smile on my face:)

    Kris - The characters were too funny! Hartley is cute and ridiculous (but not annoyingly so) and she, Sam, and Chase are great together.

    Blodeuedd - Thank you so much!

    Christy - I quite enjoyed Chase, I'm hoping for lots more of him in book 2:)

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  8. I love that there's an element of humor in this book. Or a lot of humor it sounds like. Too many books are drama, drama, drama.

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  9. That cover just chills me to the bone! It is brilliant :)

    This actually sounds like a YA I would like---I like them a bit more funny than drama filled :)

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  10. *rushes off to add Deadly Cool to my reading list*

    I'm always a sucker for a little investigation and mystery.

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  11. Oh, I really like the sound of the slow building romance, like you got caught eating your desert before dinner and had to put it away, but you know its waiting for you! Yum!

    And it's always great to have witty humor. I love looking like a loon when I'm reading in public and LOL all over the place.

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  12. Duuuuude! I know, I can't wait to start this one! What about near nakedness? ;) I'm hoping to start this one today!!! I can't wait to meet Chase! He sounds wicked yummy!

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  13. The book's description already had me chuckling. This sounds simply like a book I would pick up for a fun and light read. I'm adding it to my ever growing tbr pile. Thanks for the recommendation, Jenny!

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  14. Alison - So true! This had lots of drama and humor which was a really nice combination:)

    Felicia - I love this cover! So pretty and icy and interesting:) Hartley is definitely a trip, I think you'll like her.

    Amanda - YAY! Hope you find some time to get to it:)

    Missie - YES! Loved Chase and Hartley. I'm a sucker for an antagonistic relationship that becomes something more and that's what they have:)

    Ashley - Nakedness = WIN.

    Rummanah - That's exactly what it it is - fun and entertaining and something you just enjoy reading:)

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  15. Hmmm I was on the fence but I think you sold me with that Amusing Caper line....:D lol your reviews are so golden....

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  16. "For those looking for an all-around amusing caper with a less-than qualified trio of investigators who make every page immensely gratifying, then add Deadly Cool to your reading lists immediately. "
    Totally sounds like my type of read. Thanks for making me pay attention to this book. I looked into after you posted your character interview and we've added it to the upper school library order. I think our kids are gonna like it.

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  17. Now I really want a cookie. Seriously, I'm a little upset that my daughters licked all the icing off my pumpkin cookies, therefore ruining them with their spit. *giggles* See what sweets or the mention thereof do to me!

    I actually really want to read this book because it sounds amazingly funny. That is one of the reasons I so love Kiersten White's books. I love to laugh and release some of the seriousness of life. I'm really excited to pick this one up, Jenny....and possibly get myself a metaphorical cookie. It'll probably last longer than a real one, anyway! :D

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  18. I am so excited for this book! EEEPPP! I loved that the characters are mature! Nice review!

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  19. Tina - It's definitely amusing and well worth a read I think!

    Jennifer - You're welcome, glad I could generate a little interest:) I hope your kids like it!

    Jen - Me too. And I don't have any cookies. I just have M&Ms. That will have to do:) Despite the murder situation it's a nice light book, doesn't take itself too seriously and is just an entertaining read:)

    Savy - They're mature enough I guess I'd say, I in no way mistook them for adults, but they also weren't so stereotypical "teenager" that I couldn't relate to them being almost 30 myself:)

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  20. Nice! Deadly Cool sounds quirky and fun. I like that the characters are more mature teens; they're definitely more relatable! Thanks for the review, Jenny! :)

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  21. Oh my gosh, I'm SO excited to read this one! It sounds like such a fun read, and my favourite books are almost always ones that can make me smile like an idiot, so I know that Deadly Cool is going to be awesome!

    Awesome review, Jenny! I'd been craving to read this one for a while now and I'm really glad that you liked it! :)

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  22. Witty protagonist + mystery = Win. I'm so getting this one, it sounds like it'll be a fun read :)

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  23. This sounds excellent! I like how you describe Hartley as mature but not so mature as to be unrealistic, as witty but not so clever as to know exactly what's she's doing to figure out a murder mystery. Adding this to my tbr now!

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  24. The characters in this book sound so good! Oh I've been wanting more character type books. Hartley sounds like someone I really want to get to know. Oh yes, I am wishlisting this book now!

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  25. Okay. I'm in. You totally talked me into it with your descriptions of hilarity, a fabulous MC, and an adorable bad-ish boy! Yeah, buddy.

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  26. This book was sooo cute! I agree with everything in your review--I couldn't put the book down for one second! Lovely review, Jenny. =)

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  27. Yay for no cliffhangers. Also, I really like that Hartley doesn't go all Nancy Drew but makes mistakes while trying to solve the case. It's so unrealistic when a character who has no clue about sleuthing suddenly starts discovering clues that the police just totally misses.

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  28. This sounds great and I can't wait to read it! I could use a light, funny book! Great review. And I loved that character interview with Sam. Just know I'm gonna love her.

    Heather

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  29. We are given a real conclusion to this story even though there's a sequel in the works, and we close the last page with light hearts and sore cheeks from our perma-grins.

    Praise the high heavens! ;)

    I was very much looking forward to this book, but after having read your review, I am even more so! Though I must admit (as gorgeous as the cover is) I just don't understand what it has to do with the book (I guess I should be happy that it isn't another cover that features a girl wearing a ballgown on it... ;) ).

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  30. This sounds like a really fun book. It kind of reminds me of a Veronica Mars episode.

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  31. Hmmm a YA without vampires or werewolves... but with a 4/5 rating... perhaps it's time to try something a little out of the norm for me :)

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  32. Deadly Cool is a MUST READ! Hartley is amazingly awesome... There is romance, thrills, chills and mystery a plenty, you will NOT be disappointed!

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