Kiss Me Kill Me (Scarlett Wakefield)

by Lauren Henderson

[rakesandrogues]

Reading KISS ME KILL ME was like a throwback to my younger teen days of reading Louise Rennison’s Confessions of Georgia Nicholson series. British girls and their teen drama with boys, popularity, and fashion. But KISS ME KILL ME is all of that plus more. Scarlett is finally invited to a party hosted by the richest and most popular girls in school, and the guy she’s been crushing on is paying attention to her. But just when things could not get any better, Scarlett’s world comes crashing down when the hottie Dan McAndrew suffocates to death in her arms. Right after he kisses Scarlett.

The premise could easily have a supernatural/paranormal spin-off, but trust me, KISS ME KILL ME is pure contemporary with a mix of mystery. I liked Scarlett, but she isn’t my new favorite character. It was hard for me to relate to her because I was just never one of those girls who wanted to be part of the rich, popular clique. I see the appeal, but its not for me. However, I am glad that Scarlett sees these girls for what they really are. She knows that they’re popular because of money and confidence, and she understands the dynamics between the girls.

Other than Dan McAndrew, who doesn’t make it very far into the book, sorry to say, there is a love interest, and he is quite dreamy. There is very little development in the romance department in KISS ME KILL ME. But I’m certain that Henderson won’t disappoint in this department in the subsequent books.

A huge part of the novel is mainly about Scarlett coping after Dan’s death. It’s a traumatic experience, and despite a police investigation, no one knows what happened. This is where the mystery comes in. Scarlett tries to recall what happened that night at the party to figure out how exactly Dan McAndrew died.

MASSIVE SIGH. My biggest qualm with this book was the ending – or lack hereof. KISS ME KILL ME ends with Scarlett one step closer to figuring out the exact cause of Dan’s death, but that’s it. Mystery not solved. This ended up being a book in which nothing happens. All development. So as much as I did love the mystery, this wasn’t a page-turner because nothing ended up getting resolved. It lacked a proper story arc in my opinion, and it was just disappointing.

I wanted to give KISS ME KILL ME a three-star rating, but I just couldn’t do it. Based on my standards, a beginning, middle and end are so important, and the fact that this felt like a half-written novel is not acceptable for a 3-star rating.

Despite my disappointment, I am still willing to continue on with the series, but it’s definitely not at the top of my TBR. I think that fans of the Georgia Nicholson series will enjoy this one as well as those who are fans of contemporary and mystery young adult novels.