The Cutting Room Floor

by Dawn Klehr

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

The blurb for The Cutting Room Floor makes it sound super creepy! I mean, having someone essentially be so obsessed with you that they manipulate various aspects of your life to make you love them is just crazy! There's also a murder mystery, but that was less interesting than super stalker extreme! However, that blurb makes Dez's meddling seem a bit more prominent than it really it is, which was disappointing. He's not so much directing Riley's life as much as sabotaging anything that causes her attention to drift away from him. Dez also can't seem to grasp the fact that Riley is most likely a lesbian and will never want him the way he wants her! Boy is straight up delusional!

My favorite part of The Cutting Room Floor was how the author handled Riley's sexuality. Riley has dated boys before, but those relationships never went very far (only in part thanks to Dez). Then she meets Emma and things change. Riley sees how relationships should be and she realizes that she's attracted to girls in a way that boys never interested her. Unfortunately, Emma publicly dumps her and outs her before she's ready, causing much heartache and ridicule for Riley. Afterward Riley struggles with her feelings towards guys, girls, and relationships in general. Is she gay? Is she bi? Should she try again with boys? She's very conflicted, and it was interesting to see her try to come to terms with who she is and who she wants to be with.

As for the murder mystery, I was less impressed. I figured out who killed Ms. Dunn almost from the beginning, since the murderer in question is quite a creep to start with. However, I didn't consider a motive. It's a pretty cliched motive, but I had a hard time believing it. It seemed too drastic and out of nowhere, but this character is revealed to have a record at the end, so I guess that was suppose to make it make more sense. Either way, the mystery wasn't very mysterious or interesting, and I feel like some other plot could have taken its place. Or there could have been more focus on Dez's meddling with Riley's life, since that's what I was most looking forward to.

The end of The Cutting Room Floor was great. I think the author made the right choice there, because anything more...happy would not have fit. It also would have made me think Riley has now lost her mind. Overall though, I did enjoy the story even if I wish some of the focus had been shifted a bit and that it was less predictable. I definitely appreciate the author tackling sexuality in the way she did. Not everyone has it totally figured out, especially as a teenager, and Riley certainly represents that.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.