Three Drops of Blood Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THREE DROPS OF BLOOD by Gretchen McNeil Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

 

THREE DROPS OF BLOOD
Author: Gretchen McNeil
Release Date: March 21, 2023
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook
Pages: 336

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/ThreeDropsOfBlood

Description:

A Good Girls Guide to Murder meets Hitchcock in this novel from celebrated author Gretchen McNeil. A mundane office job takes a dark turn when a girl witnesses a double murder through the window.

Being an actress, Kate is no stranger to drama. And when her chance at a leading role gets cancelled, she is willing to do whatever it takes to get her acting career back on track even if that means getting a boring office job at her best friend's father's law firm so she can prove to her parents she can to support herself rather than go back to high school. Now, rather than living life on the big screen, she is stuck filing mundane contracts and watching the people in the office across from hers live their equally boring lives.

But when Kate sees things heat up between a woman and her assistant, her new source of entertainment take a turn for the worse when she witnesses a double murder. Now, she must get anyone to believe her and find out who this mystery woman is to get answers. But as she learns more and more about the circumstances leading to the gruesome act, she begins to realize there is a bigger mystery under the surface...

In this voyeuristic thriller filled with twists and turns, can Kate get anyone to believe her before she becomes the next victim?

I've read several of the author's other books and really liked them, so I jumped at the chance to read and review her newest young adult thriller. I will admit that I had some high expectations and hopes before I started reading, but the author delivered as I knew she would. The plot was edgy and full of twists but also had more serious topics mixed in. It touches on several issues including friendship, family, self-esteem and confidence, and even love. The author wove all of these together to create a taut YA thriller that will have readers on the edge of their seats.

I really liked the main character, Kate. She really grows and changes throughout the story. She starts off shy, quiet, and passive. By the end of the book she's brave, strong, and doesn't take crap from anyone. She was realistic with her self doubt and fears so I was able to connect with her right from the beginning of the book. The secondary characters were solid with unique qualities and personalities that made them pretty well-rounded. I don't do spoilers in my reviews, so I can't go into the plot that much without giving anything away. I found the first third or so of the book kind of boring for a thriller. It felt like it was giving the reader backstory and introducing the characters and not much else. But when the action started - I couldn't stop reading. I ended up reading the entire novel in one night. The writing pulls you right into the story and doesn't let go until you've finished reading the last word. The only issue I had aside from the slow start was the writing style. The story is told in the third person point of view, which is my least favorite. I almost always prefer first person POV because it allows the reader to really connect with the narrator. No other writing styles can do that for me. Even though it was written in the third person, I was still able to empathize with Kate. Again, this is a completely personal opinion on my part and has nothing to do with the writing, the book or the author. I definitely recommend this novel to fans of YA fiction, mysteries, thrillers, contemporary fiction, suspense and for fans of the author.

 

Gretchen McNeil is the author of #MurderTrending, #MurderFunding, #NoEscape, I’m Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl, Possess, 3:59, Relic, and Ten which was adapted as the Lifetime original movie Ten: Murder Island in 2017, as well as Get Even and Get Dirty, adapted as the series "Get Even" which is currently streaming worldwide on BBC iPlayer and Netflix.  You can find her online at www.GretchenMcNeil.com, on Instagram @Gretchen_McNeil, and on Twitter @GretchenMcNeil.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

(1) winner will receive a finished copy of THREE DROPS OF BLOOD - US Only.

Ends April 7^th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

3/1/2023	Kait Plus Books	Excerpt/IG Post
3/2/2023	Books and Kats	Excerpt
3/3/2023	YA Books Central	Excerpt/IG Post
3/4/2023	The Momma Spot	Excerpt

Week Two:

3/5/2023	Forthenovellovers	Review
3/6/2023	Thrillersandhistoricalfiction	IG Review
3/7/2023	The Litt Librarian	Review/IG Post
3/8/2023	gsreadingspree	IG Review
3/9/2023	@pages.for.sanity	IG Review/TikTok Post
3/10/2023	pluvioreads	Review/IG Post
3/11/2023	onemused	IG Spotlight

Week Three:

3/12/2023	Dreaminginpages	IG Review
3/13/2023	OneMoreExclamation	Review/IG Post
3/14/2023	Emily Ashlyn	IG Review/Facebook Post
3/15/2023	A Dream Within A Dream	Review/IG Post
3/16/2023	travelersguidetobooks	IG Review
3/17/2023	@bookishlifeofkels	IG Spotlight
3/18/2023	Lisa Loves Literature	Review/IG Post

Week Four:

3/19/2023	A Blue Box Full of Books	IG Review/LFL Drop Pic
3/20/2023	a GREAT read	Review/IG Post
3/21/2023	Eli to the nth	Review/IG Post
3/22/2023	Country Mamas With Kids	Review/IG Post
3/23/2023	@just_another_mother_with_books	IG Review
3/24/2023	@enjoyingbooksagain	IG Review
3/25/2023	Just Another Reader	Review/IG Post

Week Five:

3/26/2023	popthebutterfly	Review/IG Post
3/27/2023	@froggyreadteach	IG Review
3/28/2023	@drew_ambitious_reading	IG Review/TikTok Post
3/29/2023	Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer	Review
3/30/2023	GryffindorBookishNerd	IG Review
3/31/2023	Momfluenster	IG Review/Facebook Post

Cover Reveal + Giveaway: Get Even by Gretchen McNeil

Welcome to the the Official Cover Reveal for Gretchen McNeil's GET EVEN (Get Even #1)!

 

Get Even (Get Even #1)

Author: Gretchen McNeil

Expected Release Date: September 16, 2014

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

  

Description:

Follows the secretive exploits of four high school juniors - Kitty, Olivia, Margot and Bree - at an exclusive Catholic prep school.

To all outward appearances, the girls barely know each other. At best, they don't move in the same social circles; at worst, they're overtly hostile.

Margot Mejia – academically ranked number two in her class, Margot is a focused overachiever bound for the Ivy League.

Kitty Li – captain of the California state and national champion varsity girls' volleyball team, she's been recruited by a dozen colleges and has dreams of winning an Olympic gold medal.

Olivia Hayes – popular star of the drama program, she's been voted "most eligible bachelorette" two years running in the high school yearbook and has an almost lethal combination of beauty and charm.

Bree Deringer – outcast, misfit and the kind of girl you don't want to meet in a dark alley, the stop sign red-haired punk is a constant thorn in the side of teachers and school administrators alike.

Different goals, different friends, different lives, but the girls share a secret no one would ever guess. They are members of Don't Get Mad, a society specializing in seeking revenge for fellow students who have been silently victimized by their peers. Each girl has her own reason for joining the group, her own set of demons to assuage by evening the score for someone else. And though school administration is desperate to find out who is behind the DGM "events", the girls have managed to keep their secret well hidden.

That is until one of their targets – a douchebag senior who took advantage of a drunk underclassman during a house party, videotaped it on his phone, and posted it on YouTube – turns up dead, and DGM is implicated in the murder.

Now the girls don't know who to trust, and as their tenuous alliance begins to crumble, the secrets they've hidden for so long might be their ultimate undoing.

Gretchen is a former coloratura soprano, the voice of Mary on G4's Code Monkeys and she currently sings with the LA-based circus troupe Cirque Berzerk. She is a founding member of vlog group the YARebels where she can be seen as "Monday," and she is an active member of both The Enchanted Inkpot, a group blog of YA and middle grade fantasy writers, and The Apocalypsies, a group blog of 2012 children's debut authors.

You can find Gretchen on Twitter, Facebook, and on her blog.

Pre-Order Links Will be available in the coming months, so keep an eye on your favorite retailer for more information!

Must be 13+ To Enter | See restrictions in Terms & Conditions located at bottom of Raffelcopter Form

 

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What do you think of the cover? Leave a comment!

  

3:59 Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

 

Welcome to my stop on the official blog tour for 3:59 by Gretchen McNeil! Today I have my review of the book and don't forget to scroll to the bottom of the post to enter the tour wide giveaway!

This tour is going to wrap up in a very exciting way! Gretchen McNeil is going to do a live chat via YouNow with YOU!!!

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 9TH
7:00 PM (West coast)
6:00 (Central)
4:00 (East Coast)

Click here to bookmark her channel right now!

3:59 
Author: Gretchen McNeil
Genre: YA Science Fiction/Fantasy/Thriller
Release Date: September 17, 2013
Publisher: Balzer + Bray

AMAZON | BARNES AND NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY

Description:

Josie Byrne's life is spiraling out of control. Her parents are divorcing, her boyfriend Nick has grown distant, and her physics teacher has it in for her. When she's betrayed by the two people she trusts most, Josie thinks things can't get worse.

Until she starts having dreams about a girl named Jo. Every night at the same time—3:59 a.m.

Jo's life is everything Josie wants: she's popular, her parents are happily married, and Nick adores her. It all seems real, but they're just dreams, right? Josie thinks so, until she wakes one night to a shadowy image of herself in the bedroom mirror – Jo.

Josie and Jo realize that they are doppelgängers living in parallel universes that overlap every twelve hours at exactly 3:59. Fascinated by Jo's perfect world, Josie jumps at the chance to jump through the portal and switch places for a day.

But Jo’s world is far from perfect. Not only is Nick not Jo's boyfriend, he hates her. Jo's mom is missing, possibly insane. And at night, shadowy creatures feed on human flesh.

By the end of the day, Josie is desperate to return to her own life. But there’s a problem: Jo has sealed the portal, trapping Josie in this dangerous world. Can she figure out a way home before it’s too late?

From master of suspense Gretchen McNeil comes a riveting and deliciously eerie story about the lives we wish we had – and how they just might kill you. 

3:59 is a thrilling and mind bending science fiction mystery that will have readers on the edge of their seats for the entire book. The story follows leading lady Josie Byrnes, whose life has gone drastically downhill lately. Her parents are getting divorced and she just found out that her best friend and her boyfriend were hooking up behind her back. Just when Josie thinks she can't take anymore, strange things begin to happen - every day at 3:59. It starts with strange dreams about a girl who looks just like Josie, but isn't her. Then Josie sees the girl - her doppelganger - in an old mirror in her room. It seems as if the mirror is a portal between two universes - Josie's world and the mysterious girl's, Jo Byrnes, world. Jo's life seems perfect - a nice house, loving boyfriend, a tight knit family. Josie wishes that she could have Jo's life, even if it's just for one day. Surprisingly, Jo has the same idea about Josie's life and they agree to switch worlds for 24 hours. Little does Josie know that the world she stepped into isn't as great as it seems. There are terrible monsters attacking people after dark, Jo's mom is in an insane asylum, and her boyfriend - Nick - definitely isn't in love with her. Now she's stuck in Jo's life without a way back to her own and Josie must find a way to help the people in this world all while trying to find a way back to her own.

This book was incredibly fascinating and thought provoking with an edgy mystery and tons of thrills mixed in. The story deals with the theories of multiple universes and quantum physics, which is really complicated and mind boggling (for me at least), but the possibility that this type of thing could really happen is so crazy and intriguing to me. Josie is a great main character. She's been going through typical teenage hell with a cheating boyfriend, horrible ex-best friend, and parents going through a divorce. Even though she's dealing with these problems, she's still incredibly smart, kind, thoughtful and strong. We get to see what her character is really capable of when she steps through into the alternate universe and must rescue not only herself but the people she cares about. The other characters were well written too, each with their own personalities and quirks - even though most of the time there were two of each in separate worlds. The plot was mind blowing and had me eagerly reading the book as fast as I could to attempt to understand the concepts that were discussed as well as trying to figure out what was really happening in both worlds. There were definitely some scary and creepy times in the book where things were confusing and I loved trying to put the pieces together before Josie did. As always, the writing was phenomenal and I easily immersed myself into the book alongside Josie. The author uses lots of vivid details and descriptions that made the story palpable and it felt almost like it was happening right outside your window. As I mentioned, the concepts in the book are actual theories in physics, which is equally exciting and terrifying if you think about all the possibilities that entails. If any of those theories are right - something like this could be actually possible in our world. Until then, I'll stick to just reading about it happening to someone else. Highly recommended for fans of science fiction, fantasy, and thrillers.

Singer. Writer. Clown.

Gretchen is repped by Ginger Clark of Curtis Brown. Her YA horror/paranormal POSSESS debuts with Balzer + Bray for HarperCollins, August 23, 2011. Her second novel, TEN – YA horror/suspense about ten teens trapped on a remote island with a serial killer – also with Balzer + Bray is tentatively scheduled for a Fall 2012 release.

Gretchen is a former coloratura soprano, the voice of Mary on G4′s Code Monkeys and she currently sings with the LA-based circus troupe Cirque Berzerk. She is a founding member of vlog group theYARebels where she can be seen as “Monday,” and she is an active member of both The Enchanted Inkpot, a group blog of YA and middle grade fantasy writers, and The Apocalypsies, a group blog of 2012 children’s debut authors.

You can find Gretchen on Twitter, Facebook, and on her blog.

 

A SIGNED copy of 3:59 – 7 winners
A SIGNED copy of TEN – 7 winners

An eBook of TEN – 7 winners will receive a coupon for download

Must be 13 or older to enter

Giveaway is US only for physical books, International for eBooks

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Review: TEN by Gretchen McNeil

TEN
Author: Gretchen McNeil
Genre: YA Thriller/Suspense
Release Date: September 18, 2012

Description:

And their doom comes swiftly.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?  


Review:

TEN is a taut and riveting young adult thriller set on Henry Island - a private island off the coast of the Pacific Northwest. Meg and her best friend Minnie are excited to be invited to one of the hottest parties of the year, thrown by the most popular girl in school. When they arrive at the island, they discover that there are only ten of them on the island, instead of the huge crowd and party they were expecting. A storm hits Henry Island and they are suddenly cut off from the rest of the world and with no way out. Soon, people are dying one by one, there are strange red marks on the wall, and they don't know who to trust. Will Meg be able to survive the weekend until she can get off the island for help? 

In my opinion, there are nearly enough young adult thrillers out there. With TEN, Gretchen McNeil has written a truly creepy page turner. The book is very well written and had me hooked from the very first sentence. I literally couldn't put it down until I finished it and found out who the killer was. The setting is a perfect place for the book - a secluded private island shut off from the rest of the world during a storm. The characters are original and have unique personalities and flaws - all which fit perfectly into the plot. 

The way the story is writing is phenomenal. It starts out at a good pace, and then things just start accelerating until you have to find out what's going on. There are some incredible twists and turns that you don't see coming - which only add to the completely engaging storyline. Every piece of the story is perfectly implemented and works together to make a serious masterpiece of a thriller. I honestly can't say enough to show how amazing this book is and how much I absolutely loved it. TEN is by far one of the best thrillers I've read, and definitely one of the best books I've read in a long time. You don't want to miss this one! Very highly recommended!!