A Dream Within A Dream: Mary Elizabeth Summer

October 13, 2015

Trust Me, I'm Trouble Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for TRUST ME, I'M TROUBLE! Today I'll be sharing my review of the book with you - and don't forget to enter the awesome giveaway!

Trust Me, I'm Trouble (Trust Me #2)
Author: Mary Elizabeth Summer
Genre: YA Mystery/Thriller
Release Date: October 13th 2015
Publisher: Delacorte Press

Rating: 4.5 Stars!

Synopsis:

The sequel to TRUST ME, I’M LYING

Staying out of trouble isn’t possible for Julep Dupree. She has managed not to get kicked out of her private school, even though everyone knows she’s responsible for taking down a human-trafficking mob boss—and getting St. Agatha’s golden-boy Tyler killed in the process. Running cons holds her guilty conscience at bay, but unfortunately, someone wants Julep to pay for her mistakes . . . with her life.

Against her better judgment, Julep takes a shady case that requires her to infiltrate a secretive organization that her long-gone mother and the enigmatic blue fairy may be connected to. Her best friend, Sam, isn’t around to stop her, and Dani, her one true confidante, happens to be a nineteen-year-old mob enforcer whose moral compass is as questionable as Julep’s. But there’s not much time to worry about right and wrong—or to save your falling heart—when there’s a contract on your head.

Murders, heists, secrets and lies, hit men and hidden identities . . . If Julep doesn’t watch her back, it’s her funeral. No lie.

Trust Me, I'm Trouble is the riveting second book in a young adult suspense series. The story continues to follow our main character, Julep, as she goes about her normal teenage life - along with her side business of taking cases for those who need her services and continuing to con people. She's still attending St. Agatha's, which is a miracle in her eyes - seeing how she recently took down a mob boss and accidentally getting the school's golden boy killed. A new case presents itself to Julep - one where she has to infiltrate a secret organization, and finds out that her mother and the mysterious blue fairy might be connected to it. On top of the case, there are new dangers facing Julep - including a hit contract someone has put out on her. She's still missing Sam and has only Dani to turn to - which probably leads her into more trouble than she needs. Julep has to solve this case fast and figure out the connection between her mother, the blue fairy, and this secret organization before someone takes her out - for good.

I'm a huge fan of mysteries and thrillers, and I loved the first book - so I was incredibly excited to read this second novel in the series. This book was fantastic and far better than I ever imagined for a second installment. Julep is still an intriguing main character - she's still an anti-hero; on the one hand being a con artist and criminal and on the other she's trying to help solve important cases. The novel is told from Julep's point of view - which was the perfect way to tell the story. Since it's first person, the narrative is conversational in tone - which makes it incredibly easy to slip into the story and feel like you know the character on a personal level. I absolutely loved Julep's snarky attitude. Her inner dialogue, thoughts, and conversations with others throughout the book are a perfect fit with what I imagined for her. She's a smart, talented and determined girl who knows how to get results.

The book was incredibly well written with a really quick pace and lots of twists and turns that you don't see coming. I always love trying to figure out the mystery before the characters do, but this one had me stumped for quite a long time - which doesn't normally happen. There was so much going on at the same time and at a fast pace - it definitely kept me on my toes and reading as fast as I could to see what was going to happen next. With the addition of this second installment, this is by far one of the best YA thriller/mysteries that I've read this year - and possibly ever - and I very highly recommend it to fans of the genre. disappointed. This is definitely an author to keep an eye on, and I can't wait to see what she will come out with next!

Follow the Trust Me, I'm Trouble by Mary Elizabeth Summer Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Mary Elizabeth Summer is an instructional designer, a mom, a champion of the serial comma, and a pie junkie. Oh, and she sometimes writes books about teenage delinquents saving the day. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her daughter, her partner, and her evil overlor–er, cat. TRUST ME, I'M LYING, a YA mystery, will be released by Delacorte in Fall 2014.

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October 13, 2014

Trust Me, I'm Lying Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Trust Me, I'm Lying
Author: Mary Elizabeth Summer
Release Date: October 14, 2014
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Rating: 4.5 Stars

Synopsis:

Fans of Ally Carter, especially her Heist Society readers, will love this teen mystery/thriller with sarcastic wit, a hint of romance, and Ocean’s Eleven–inspired action.

Julep Dupree tells lies. A lot of them. She’s a con artist, a master of disguise, and a sophomore at Chicago’s swanky St. Agatha High, where her father, an old-school grifter with a weakness for the ponies, sends her to so she can learn to mingle with the upper crust. For extra spending money Julep doesn’t rely on her dad—she runs petty scams for her classmates while dodging the dean of students and maintaining an A+ (okay, A-) average.

But when she comes home one day to a ransacked apartment and her father gone, Julep’s carefully laid plans for an expenses-paid golden ticket to Yale start to unravel. Even with help from St. Agatha’s resident Prince Charming, Tyler Richland, and her loyal hacker sidekick, Sam, Julep struggles to trace her dad’s trail of clues through a maze of creepy stalkers, hit attempts, family secrets, and worse, the threat of foster care. With everything she has at stake, Julep’s in way over her head . . . but that’s not going to stop her from using every trick in the book to find her dad before his mark finds her. Because that would be criminal.

“A sexy love triangle and madcap mystery . . . I loved this book.” —Jennifer Echols, author of Dirty Little Secret

“Buckle up! You’re in for a wild and funny ride. I fell in love with the fresh and snarky voice of 16-year-old con artist Julep Dupree. This book has it all: homework and hit men, prom drama and silencers.” —April Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Girl, Stolen

“Summer creates a standout character in Julep. She lies and cheats with so much confidence and skill that readers will cheer her on, but she also adheres to her own strict moral code. The nature of the crime her father is caught up in, when revealed, just ratchets up the suspense. A memorable debut; here’s hoping for a lot more from Summer.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Julep’s investigations and quick escapes keep the high-stakes story entertaining and readers guessing…” – Publisher’s Weekly

Trust Me, I'm Lying is a captivating and thrilling young adult mystery novel. The story follows our main character, Julep, as she goes about normal teenage life - along with her life as a "fixer" or grifter. She's the best at what she does and everyone at St. Agatha's, the rich prep school Julep attends, knows it - and they're willing to pay a high price for what they want done. Things are going according to Julep's plan - suffer through St. Agatha's with great grades in order to get a full-ride scholarship to Yale after she graduates. Until the day that Julep comes home to an empty apartment and a missing father. Determined to find him, Julep uses all of her resources and tricks to track down her father and get to the bottom of things. She has no idea the places her search will take her - weird stalkers, hit attempts and buried family secrets. Will Julep be able to use her grifter skills to find her dad before things go from bad to worse?

I'm a huge fan of mysteries and thrillers, so I was immediately drawn to this book. I didn't know what to expect - I haven't really read about grifters or con artists - so I kept an open mind. The book was spectacular and better than I ever could have hoped for. Julep is an intriguing main character for the story. She's almost an anti-hero; on the one hand being a con artist and criminal and on the other she's a desperate daughter trying to find her dad. The novel is told from Julep's point of view - which was the perfect way to tell the story. Since it's first person, the narrative is conversational in tone - which makes it incredibly easy to slip into the story and feel like you know the character on a personal level. I loved Julep's snarky attitude. Her inner dialogue, thoughts, and conversations with others throughout the book are dead on for what I imagined. What do you expect from a teenage girl who's scamming people for money? She's not completely heartless though - she's a smart, talented girl who knows how to get results. It might not always be pretty (or legal), but that's life. The love triangle in the book didn't bother me at all. It didn't take away from the main story line in any way - in fact, it may have added a new layer to it all. Some readers hate love triangles in books, but I didn't feel like the one here played a significant part to the main plot. The book was incredibly well written with a really quick pace and tons of twists and turns that you don't see coming. I love trying to figure out the mystery before the characters do, but this one had me stumped for quite a long time, which doesn't usually happen. There was so much going on at a fast pace - it definitely kept me eagerly reading to see what was going to happen next. This is by far one of the best YA thriller/mysteries that I've read this year and I very highly recommend it to fans of the genre. You need to read this book. NOW. You won't be disappointed. This is definitely an author to watch, and I can't wait to see what she will come out with next!