BOOK REVIEW: Bad Girl Gone by Temple Mathews

Title: Bad Girl Gone
Author: Temple Mathews
Publication: August 8, 2017
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Teen, Mystery
Pages: 272

 

 


SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)

Sixteen year-old Echo Stone awakens in a cold sweat in a dark room, having no idea where she is or how she got there. But she soon finds out she s in Middle House, an orphanage filled with mysteriously troubled kids.

There s just one problem: she s not an orphan. Her parents are very much alive.

She explains this to everyone, but no one will listen. After befriending a sympathetic (and handsome) boy, Echo is able to escape Middle House and rush home, only to discover it sealed off by crime scene tape and covered in the evidence of a terrible and violent crime. As Echo grapples with this world-shattering information, she spots her parents driving by and rushes to flag them down. Standing in the middle of street, waving her arms to get their attention, her parents car drives right through her.

She was right. Her parents are alive but she s not.

She s a ghost, just like all the other denizens of Middle House. Desperate to somehow get her life back and reconnect with her still-alive boyfriend, Echo embarks on a quest to solve her own murder. As the list of suspects grows, the quest evolves into a journey of self-discovery in which she learns she wasn t quite the girl she thought she was. In a twist of fate, she s presented with one last chance to reclaim her life and must make a decision which will either haunt her or bless her forever.

 
REVIEW:

**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for na honest review.**

The description of Bad Girl Gone by Temple Mathews is what initially drew me in. A girl, who does not remember dying, figures out she is dead and has to figure out why and how? This was unlike any book I had ever read or even thought of reading, but it sounded interesting. My murder/mystery loving self wanted to know what happen.

The story follows Echo, who wakes up in a strange orphanage like place, with a bunch of weird kids and circumstances. My first impression was confusion, but for once this didn’t bother me because I felt like that was the point. Echo was confused, therefore we were confused. From there I absolutely loved the camaraderie around the group coming together and trying to solve the murders of their lives. The group was like the island of misfit toys, where all these different types of people with different walks of life and personalities are able to come together and help each other out.

On top of this youthful bonding and life lessons that author Mathews weaved into the story, we also have a murder to be solved. I did guess who was guilty as soon as they crossed my path as a reader, but it didn’t ruin the rest of the story. The story flowed nicely and kept me interested all the way to the very end. I enjoyed the small glimpses back into Echo’s life before she died and seeing what led her to where she was now. It was a full circle kind of story, which is not something a lot of authors do. It’s a chunk of their life, but not beginning, middle, end. Temple Mathews is a writer to keep your eyes on. Bad Girl Gone has everything a young adult wants in a book, but also enjoyable for adults who want to read.

I will definitely be checking out more from Temple Mathews in the future.

STAR RATING: 5/5


You can get your copy of Bad Girl Gone by Temple Mathews on August 8th at Barnes and noble or a bookstore near you. Make sure to add it to your To Reads list on Goodreads and leave feedback for the author when you are finished reading. You can also check out more of Temple Mathews’ books on Goodreads.

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