The Bakersville Dozen Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

The Bakersville Dozen
Author: Kristina McBride
Genre: YA Contemporary/Mystery/Thriller
Release Date: July 4, 2017
Publisher: Sky Pony Press

Synopsis:

You have four days to locate five treasured trophies. Break the rules and you all die. Happy hunting!

Back in September, the town of Bakersville, Ohio made national news when a video went viral featuring thirteen of the high school’s elite in compromising positions. Now it’s May, and every month since the "Bakersville Dozen" made their infamous appearance on the national stage, one girl has gone missing. Officials are no closer to identifying the criminal.

Bailey "Like a Virgin" Holzman is getting really fed up with the scrutiny. She just wants to enjoy the rest of her senior year and have an epic summer before heading off to college. So when she discovers a note in her locker on the last day of school inviting her on a scavenger hunt, she thinks it’s just a sweet surprise from her boyfriend trying to cheer her up.

But following the clue leads her, instead, to the first official casualty. And another sinister envelope. The killer is close, and it could be anyone. Even the people Bailey’s always trusted most — her best friend, her perfect boyfriend, or the boy-next-door she’s always pined for.

With the clock ticking, she faces a terrifying choice: play the game by the killer’s rules — follow the clues, tell no one, and no cops — for a chance to save the rest of the missing girls, or risk becoming the next grisly victim.

The Bakersville Dozen is another dark, twisted YA thriller to add to your shelf. I was hooked right from the beginning and ended up binge-reading the entire story in a few hours. I couldn't make myself stop reading - I just had to find out what was really happening and who was behind it all. The plot is original and fresh - not to mention the red herrings, major twists, and dirty secrets. I love thrillers, so it's hard to keep me guessing - normally. This book had me though. I would form theories only to have them not work out. The author does a fantastic job of casting doubt on most of the major characters, so the reader doesn't know who to trust or believe. I was way off base with everything I came up with. I never would've guessed the ending in a million years. I love that the author could surprise me that much - it shows true talent.

I don't do spoilers, so I can't go into the plot that much without giving something away. I'll just say that there are lots of twists and turns you don't see coming, the suspense and urgency just keeps getting more intense, you have no idea who might be behind everything, and the ending will blow your mind. At least it did for me. I liked Bailey as the main character. She was interesting and realistic, and I easily connected with her right from the start. She's flawed and has some secrets that eventually come out, but she's incredibly brave for following the scavenger hunt and dealing with a killer. The secondary characters were well done too - especially the more prominent ones like Bailey's brother, their neighbor/crush Wes, and Bailey's best friend Hannah. I liked getting to know each of them and watching them work together to figure everything out. There has to be some romance involved, and I enjoyed seeing Wes and Bailey together trying to work out their feelings. It added a great level to the main story line without overshadowing it. One last thing I want to mention is the writing style, which is always important to me. The author wrote this in the first person point of view, from Bailey's perspective. I absolutely love that it was done like this. It was a great fit for the story - it made everything feel more real and dangerous, like I was there beside Bailey the whole time. I think that writing the book this way was the right call and it wouldn't have been as exciting otherwise. I definitely recommend this for fans of thrillers, mysteries, suspense, contemporary, and those looking for a dark twisty read.

Kristina McBride has published three novels for young adults - THE TENSION OF OPPOSITES, ONE MOMENT, and A MILLION TIMES GOODNIGHT. Her fourth novel , THE BAKERSVILLE DOZEN, will be released July 2017.

Kristina is a former high school English teacher and yearbook advisor, as well as an adjunct professor at Antioch University Midwest and Wright State University. Kristina has a thing for music, trees, purses, and chocolate. You might be surprised to learn that Kristina was almost kidnapped when she was a child. She also bookstalks people on a regular basis. Kristina lives in Ohio with her husband and two young children. You can learn more at www.kristinamcbride.com.

(2) copies of THE BAKERSVILLE DOZEN will go to 2 WINNERS!
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