Hello everyone, and happy Monday! I have been absent from this blog for a long time (I haven't been doing any less reading, but having a full-time job has been kicking me in the butt and the last thing I have wanted to do when I come home is sit down and do more typing!) However I am determined to get back into the swing of things, and what better way to start than by getting involved in a blog tour?!Today I am excited to be reviewing a brand spanking new YA book, The New Boy, by Paula Rawsthorne. The New Boy is a creepy, suspenseful thriller that will have you hanging on the very edge of your seat! It follows Zoe Littlewood, new at college, and desperate to make a good first impression. Luckily, she has her best friends by her side, so things can't change that much, can they? But then Jack Cartwright walks into the college common room, and just like that, everything in Zoe's world changes. Everyone is clamouring after Jack's attention; copying his hairstyle, his clothing, listening to his advice about what gadgets to buy, what video games to play, how to be just like him. There is something about the new boy that makes Zoe nervous, but before long even she is under his spell. But what she soon discovers is anything but a romantic fairytale, and she has to discover the truth before she and everyone who is close to her get hurt...
Intrigued? Check out the blurb here...
When new boy Jack starts at Zoe's school, something about him makes her nervous - he's so perfect, he can hardly be real. But Zoe is soon swept up in how charming, popular and handsome he is. Soon, they're dating and he's everything she dreamed he might be - kind, attentive, full of romantic gestures. Eventually, though, the cracks start to show and Zoe wonders whether she was right all along. Is Jack too good to be true?
Thank you so much, Scholastic, for sending me a copy of The New Boy in exchange for an honest review :)
As soon as I read the blurb for this book, I knew it was something I would love. YA thrillers always have that delicious dark yet playful edge, and The New Boy definitely had this edge. The plot was brilliantly crafted and so well-paced. Sometimes books like these can get weaker with too much back story or unnecessary detail, yet Rawsthorne avoided this temptation and the story flourished without it.
I found it hard to get on board with Zoe as a character; she was painted out to be anything but naive and someone who always took the less-trodden path, but for me, she was the complete opposite to this. There was always a seed of doubt in her mind about Jack, however, she didn't act on anything until the end of the book. I think it would have been interesting if this was drawn out for a bit longer, but I guess the plot-twist at the end of the book was worth it!
I loved Zoe's relationship with her mum, Ethan and Ethan's parents, and these were really well-explored in the book and provided a bit of a recess from the darker parts of the story. It made all the creepy moments with Jack seem all the more creepy! I looooove being frightened by a book and this definitely happened with the last third of The New Boy. However, the horror was anything but insubstantial, and I loved how Rawsthorne brought in contemporary issues and debates, which actually made the story all the more terrifying.
Are you intrigued by the mystery at the heart of The New Boy? If so, head to my Twitter account and enter my giveaway to win a copy of the book! (You'll find the giveaway as my pinned tweet.) UK and Ireland only. Giveaway ends Monday 18th March 8pm.
Make sure you guys check out the rest of the spots on the blog tour!
Buy The New Boy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/NEW-BOY-Paula-Rawsthorne/dp/1407180266/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?crid=2O5PTVUQ0I9KZ&keywords=the+new+boy+paula+rawsthorne&qid=1552221694&s=gateway&sprefix=the+new+boy%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-1-fkmrnull
Check out Paula Rawsthorne here: https://paularawsthorne.wordpress.com/news/
Until next time :)
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