With Malice

<blockquote> <i>Two pretty girls, an exotic foreign location, mystery as to why I did it, and the potential for revenge and jealousy to be the cause. It didn’t matter what the truth was — what mattered was that it was fun to talk about.</i> </blockquote><br />3 1/2 stars. I'm not going to pretend <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/26153925.With_Malice" title="With Malice by Eileen Cook" rel="noopener">With Malice</a> is perfect or a game-changer. It's nothing but a fast-paced, page-turning YA thriller. But - what can I say - <b>I just had so much fun reading it.</b><br /><br />This is a mystery/thriller clearly based on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Meredith_Kercher" rel="nofollow noopener">Amanda Knox trial</a>. Jill Charron wakes up in hospital and cannot remember the last six weeks of her life - a time in which she was involved in an accident that killed her best friend. That by itself would be hard enough to deal with. But now statements are emerging saying that Jill fought with Simone before the accident, that the crash looked deliberate, that their friendship wasn't all it seemed. <br /><br />Jill can't remember this at all. She remembers a long, loving friendship. Two girls who shared everything. Two girls who would never let a boy come between them. So, how can she explain what people telling her? And there is, of course, the darker question: <b>could she somehow be a murderer?</b><br /><blockquote> <i>Anne looked at me as if I were delusional. “It doesn’t matter what’s true — what matters is what people believe.”</i> </blockquote><br /><a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/26153925.With_Malice" title="With Malice by Eileen Cook" rel="noopener">With Malice</a> is very much <b>driven by the plot and mystery</b>. It's likely that you will find sympathy for Jill along the way, as she deals with the cruel depictions of the media and her increasingly suspicious parents (truly, the slut-shaming of her was enraging), but this is not the kind of book you remember for the characters. It's the kind of book you remember for the not knowing.<br /><br />Jill's narrative is split up with interview transcripts, written witness statements, emails and Facebook statuses and comments. I enjoy multi format novels, especially in mystery/thrillers, so this worked well for me. And it showed how the truth could be distorted and differ so greatly among different people.<br /><br />I foresee comparisons to <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/16074758.Dangerous_Girls" title="Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas" rel="noopener">Dangerous Girls</a> arising, and it's not quite that good. But where DG is about the obsessive nature of teen girl friendships and all the lies, jealousies and manipulations of that world, this book is about <b>the relationship between truth and memory</b>. The flimsy nature of them both. Even when Jill's memories start to return, her doctor reminds her that she could just be remembering events she's been told happened by her parents and the press, making her an unreliable narrator and the truth even further out of reach.<br /><br /><b>It was exciting, thrilling and extremely enjoyable</b>. I sometimes felt my eyes trying to skip ahead on the page because I couldn't wait to find out what would happen. There are problems with it - as I said, it's not character-driven, and some of the Italian characters/witnesses seem to fall into comical stereotypes - but, overall, it was a whole lot of fun.<br /><br /><a href="http://thebookgeek.org" rel="nofollow noopener">Blog</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thebookgeekreviews" rel="nofollow noopener">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/thebookgeek01" rel="nofollow noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://instagram.com/emleemay" rel="nofollow noopener">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/EmilyMayTheBookGeek" rel="nofollow noopener">Youtube</a> | <a href="https://society6.com/bookgeek/" rel="nofollow noopener">Store</a>

Good thrillers are few and far between--and they're even scarcer in YA. This one has the heroine lying in a hospital bed for almost the entire book, and yet it manages to be full of suspense. <br /><br />It features: characters who reveal their true natures gradually, a slower but well-paced plot, and methodical police/legal/medical procedures. (Obviously it takes some liberties, but enough ground work is laid to satisfy the inexpert reader.) These elements all fit neatly together into an entertaining puzzle of a story that touches on the dark underbelly of friendships and the uncertainty of new passion, as well as the terrible things that can happen when we're pushed to our limits. It also accurately portrays the culture of internet trial by jury, as well as skillfully rendered records of court transcripts and interviews. <br /><br />I really liked the <input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="9717f9b3-a7ee-4b46-8003-8cb53fd6cd78" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="9717f9b3-a7ee-4b46-8003-8cb53fd6cd78">somewhat ambiguous, but knowing </label> ending. I can also relate to <input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="dfcbbf79-6650-439b-9948-ae846db58542" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="dfcbbf79-6650-439b-9948-ae846db58542"> the betrayal of discovering a longtime blog troll is someone you know. I couldn't explain to you why I continued to talk to this person for a long time afterwards even though I had proof of who she was. And though the contact has mostly worn off, I'm still friends with her on GoodReads. Go figure. </label> <br /><br />All in all, a really well-crafted book that I liked immensely; even if you guess the ending, it's an enjoyable experience. I was surprised to find that I've actually read two of the author's previous books, both of which I was lukewarm about. I hope she writes more thrillers in the future, though! She has a rare talent for it. <br /><br /><i>A review copy was provided by the publisher. </i><br /><br />PS, the hardback came with a fun evidence bag and other mysterious crime items. Photographs on my Tumblr: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://misswendyd.tumblr.com/post/145311338253/fun-arc-packaging-for-with-malice-by-eileen-cook">http://misswendyd.tumblr.com/post/145...</a> .

I really liked this book up until the end. I was sorely disappointed with the ending.

I had not heard of this book until I requested one of the Buzz Books from Netgalley. It was featured in that and I read a bit of it and realized that maybe it wasn't a cheap knock off of the books it's being compared too. 'For fans of <i>We Were Liars</i> and <i>The Girl on the Train</i> comes a chilling'...I hated both those books. Please I've said this before.......<br><a href="http://www.freeimagehosting.net/commercial-photography/california/palm-springs/" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1452978408ra/17769026.gif" alt="Palm Springs commercial photography" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br><br>Jill wakes up. Finds out she is in a hospital with a jacked up leg and stitches everywhere.<br><a href="http://www.freeimagehosting.net/commercial-photography/california/palm-springs/" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1452978408ra/17769027.gif" alt="Palm Springs commercial photography" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br>She then finds out that she took that trip to Italy that she has been dying to go on and that her best friend Simone is now dead. (Not a spoiler-cool your panties) <br><br>She has no memory at all of the last six weeks. She discovers that the Italian police want her for questioning and her rich dad has hired a lawyer for her. Jill is not a character I hated. I really thought she would grate on my last nerve because...<br> <b>Didn't she know who she was talking to? National Merit Scholar. Perfect score in Ms. Harmer's chemistry class, first time in school history. State debate champion and an almost certain shoo-in for our class valedictorian.</b><br><br>Jill is quite like-able as a character. Even though she comes from a rich broken family she still comes through as very real and her pain about Simone's death was actually believable.<br><b>Listening to Simone talk about her love life. I was the observer. I didn't bother with messy relationships. I preferred crushes on unattainable people-actors, musicians, or characters in a book. Fictional boyfriends were way more satisfying, in my experience.</b><br><br>The reader gets to go through the aftermath with Jill. The therapy trying to bring back some memories.<br><a href="http://www.freeimagehosting.net/commercial-photography/california/palm-springs/" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1452978408ra/17769028.gif" alt="Palm Springs commercial photography" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br><br>The real fear of going to jail in another country.<br><b>My only experience with jail was a show on Netflix, and I was willing to bet my cellmates wouldn't have such a great sense of humor.</b><br><a href="http://www.freeimagehosting.net/commercial-photography/california/palm-springs/" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1452978408ra/17769029.gif" alt="Palm Springs commercial photography" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br><br>How the internet and media can make a person feel like a bag of turds?<br><b>Anyone who says "sticks and stones might break some bones, but words will never hurt you" has never been in my shoes. I'd prefer being beaten with rocks-it would hurt, but it would be nothing compared to the razor cuts of a million nasty words.</b><br><br>Then finding out that she was involved with a boy that she has no memory of and that she and her best friend might not have been as perfect as she thought?<br><a href="http://www.freeimagehosting.net/commercial-photography/california/palm-springs/" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1452978408ra/17769030.gif" alt="Palm Springs commercial photography" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br><br>I would have given this book that full five stars except for the fact that the ending seemed a bit rushed and I expected more from a book that didn't let me put it down all day.<br><br><i>Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.</i><br><br><a href="http://www.freeimagehosting.net/commercial-photography/california/palm-springs/" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1452978408i/17769031.jpg" alt="Palm Springs commercial photography" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br><br>There are not many reviews up yet for this book. (You guys need to run and get it and let me know if I'm crazy for liking it so much). <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1487848184?book_show_action=true&amp;from_review_page=1" rel="nofollow noopener">This review </a> gives you a peek of what you are getting into also. <br><br>

4.5 Stars!!<br /><br /><br />mal·ice<br /><br />Simple Definition of malice<br /><br /> : a desire to cause harm to another person<br /><br />Full Definition of malice<br /><br /> 1 :desire to cause pain, injury, or distress to another<br /> 2 :intent to commit an unlawful act or cause harm without legal justification or excuse<br /><br /><br />Eighteen-year-old Jill Charron wakes up to what she thinks is the annoying sound of an alarm clock. However she quickly realizes she's in the hospital and it's the monitors she's attached to that are beeping. She has absolutely no idea why she's in the hospital. But she knows things must be bad as BOTH of her parents (divorced with no love lost between them) are there. When she tries to speak she has trouble expressing herself and remembering the correct words for certain things. She also can't remember what happened. <br /><br />She wants to talk to her best friend Simone but her mom says only family can visit. She's told that she was in a car accident. One of her first thoughts is that she won't be better in time for her trip to Italy. Shockingly, she finds out that the trip has already happened and that Italy is where the car accident took place. Jill is devastated to learn that Simone was killed in the same car accident and that Jill was driving the car. <br /><br />Jill still has no recollection of her time in Italy or the accident. She is horrified to hear that people are suggesting that it was no accident and that Jill crashed the car on purpose. That the police may in fact even hold her responsible for Simone's death, that she could have to go to court and possibly even to jail. <br /><br />She loved Simone. She would never hurt her best friend, especially on purpose....<br />Would she?<br /><br />Quite a bit of the story is told from Jill's point of view. However, the author also included other things like interviews with police, newspaper articles, Facebook posts, emails, media statements and much more to give an idea of what happened. It also gave an idea of how Jill was being perceived in the media, by the public and by police. I loved the fact that the author included this other information to give the reader a better perspective of everything going on in the story.<br /><br />I really enjoyed this book. Well written with a fantastic plot that had me gripped from beginning to end. I have not previously read any other books by Eileen Cook. However, after reading this book, I am really looking forward to more from this author. <br /><br />Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Eileen Cook for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.<br /><br />My reviews can also be seen at: <br /><br /><a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpress.com/">https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpr...</a><br />

Well! This book took me for a spin! Never before has a book caused me so much unending stress.. but in a fun way where I just had to keep reading to try and find that sweet relief.

You wake up all groggy in a hospital bed in a state of confusion. You can’t remember why or how you got there. You realize you are in a lot of pain, but still can’t remember a damn thing. You are at the mercy of others to tell you what happened. Come to find out, you’ve been in an accident - one that killed your best friend. You were driving. And you have absolutely no memory of the last six weeks of your life (or more like of your best friend’s life) including that trip to Italy you were so excited for. There’s a bigger problem. They are saying it wasn’t an accident after all. It was deliberate and the two of you were fighting. You know you wouldn’t have done such a thing. <b>But how can you defend what you can’t remember?</b><br /><br />Welcome to Jill’s world. We are with her as she tries to put all the missing puzzle pieces together. <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/26153925.With_Malice" title="With Malice by Eileen Cook" rel="noopener"> With Malice</a> is mainly set in a hospital and rehab facility as Jill works on healing her body as well as her memory. The story is told mainly from Jill’s perspective. Every other chapter is made up of excerpts from police interviews, email, Facebook, incident reports, blog posts, texts, articles, etc. These added additional insight to the story giving an idea of what the general public and media were thinking. It helped to show how easily things can be twisted and viewed in different ways.<br /><br />The comparisons to <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/16074758.Dangerous_Girls" title="Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas" rel="noopener"> Dangerous Girls</a> are inevitable. Both stories focus on two female best friends and the investigation of a possible murder in a foreign location. Unlike the latter, this one didn’t have our story actually set <b>in</b> the foreign country. Our characters made it back to America before the actual investigation occurs. They also have different themes, possibly in part because <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/16074758.Dangerous_Girls" title="Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas" rel="noopener"> Dangerous Girls</a> happens to include more of a psychological exploration of the aforementioned female friendship. Though they both drew comparisons to the Amanda Knox trial, I found they really weren’t too similar.<br /><br />I really enjoyed this book. It was quick, thrilling, and I read it in only a few hours. My intentions were only to read a chapter...you see how that turned out. The story was plot-driven and had plenty of twists. If you typically enjoy YA thrillers, you don’t want to miss out!

3.5 Stars for "With Malice". This book is NOT "Dangerous Girls". This book is not "Gone Girl". This book isn't even "The Good Girl"! If you are looking for a thrill ride on hyper speed go elsewhere, but, but, it's a descent little YA mystery! I wish it was marketed as such!<br /><br />Jill wakes up in a hospital room with Aphasia. She can't remember what has happened in the past six weeks. She finds out that she and her best friend, Simone, had been in Italy. While they were in Italy they had been in a horrible car accident. Jill was the driver. Jill is hurt, but Simone is dead! Jill's father is a piece of work. That's all I'm going to tell you. If you want a better and more in detailed review please check out my friend Shelby's review here: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1509641184">https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...</a> . Her review inspired me to give this book a try. I'm so glad I did!!!<br /><br />I listened to the audio version. The narrator was good until she had to do an Italian accent. No mas!!! This could have used a better narrator. I'm just keeping it real.<br /><br />Recommended for fans of the YA genre!

DNF at page 58.<br /><br />I have a right to DNF a book I can't find a fuck to give about. Life is too short to read shitty books. :))<br /><br /><b>My reason to DNF this book?</b><br />The main character. :))<br /><br />Jill fucking Charron is such a bland, plain, and emotionless character. <br /><br /><b>Jill:</b> *wakes up in a hospital room bruised and hurt*<br /><b>Jill:</b> I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT???? *gasp* SO FUCKING SHOCKED!<br /><b>Lawyer:</b> We need to question you about your accident shit blah blah blah<br /><b>Jill:</b> -Oooh damn boy you're probably my dad's age, but you're fucking hawt-<br /><b>Lawyer leaves</b><br /><b>Jill:</b> *finds out her best friend Simone is dead*<br /><b>Jill:</b> Oh okay. *stares into space*<br /><b>Jill:</b> *continues to stare in space*<br /><b>Mom comes in.</b><br /><b>Jill:</b> *gets all fucking angry and punches mother's hand* WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT SIMONE DIED???<br /><b>Mother:</b> *sobs* WE ARE SORRY HONEY<br /><b>Jill:</b> *stares into space again*<br /><b>Jill:</b> "I want to cry"<br /><i>but she doesn't cry. She doesn't even care. this bitch has no emotion. and I don't want to continue reading about some emotionless bitch. This story didn't pull me in and I definitely did not connect with any characters.</i><br /><br />Ugh I can't even with this one.

<b>Full review found at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://thesuspenseisthrillingme.wordpress.com/2016/05/14/review-with-malice/">https://thesuspenseisthrillingme.word...</a></b><br /><br />Date Read: 05/14/16<br /><br />Pub Date: 06/07/16<br /><br /><i>Eighteen-year-old Jill Charron wakes up in a hospital room, leg in a cast, stitches in her face and a big blank canvas where the last 6 weeks should be. She comes to discover she was involved in a fatal accident while on a school trip in Italy three days previous but was jetted home by her affluent father in order to receive quality care. Care that includes a lawyer. And a press team. Because maybe the accident…wasn’t an accident. Wondering not just what happened but what she did, Jill tries to piece together the events of the past six weeks before she loses her thin hold on her once-perfect life.</i><br /><br />COVER ART!!! Gorgeous. This is the most beautiful cover I’ve laid eyes on in awhile. It has all my favorite colors, the water, even the fonts used are aesthetically pleasing. I don’t usually gush over cover art but this one deserved it!<br /><br /><i>” Maturity is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter<br />could be said to remedy anything.” -Kurt Vonnegut</i><br /><br />When we are first introduced to Jill, she is waking up in a hospital room with no memory of the past 6 weeks, battered and bruised, and not as concerned about her situation as she should be. Her and best friend Simone were in an accident abroad in Italy and Jill can’t piece together what really happened. Jill is transferred to a rehab facility to “focus on healing” while also being shielded from the ever-growing paparazzi that seem to stalk her family’s every move. We join Jill in a journey to discover the truth about that disturbing day and what truly transpired. Was the wreck truly an accident or something more sinister?<br /><br />I found myself completely sucked into this book once I began. Eating? Showering? Who needs those silly things; I had a mystery to solve! The pacing and length of this book was fast moving, which caused me to finish in just over 24 hours. I was trying to find excuses to pick this book up at all costs; heck I went to the gym twice so that I could read without being disturbed on the elliptical. The characters were pretty good for such a quick read; my favorite was Jill’s rehab roommate Anna. I liked her gumption; she got more accomplished in her few moments than that arrogant lawyer Evan and Jill’s pompous daddy combined throughout the entire novel. I also really liked the format of how the story was told; we had chapters from Jill’s perspecticles (that’s totally a word) that were broken up with chapters from travel books, police interrogations, and news/blog updates.<br /><br />I was slightly disappointed that not all my questions were answered by the books conclusion. I’m not the type to need everything spelled out for me but there were a few crucial aspects (or so I felt) that needed explaining. I also felt the ending was a bit rushed after all the suspense and tension was built throughout most of the book, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this read! The sheer fact that I couldn’t put this book down seems reason enough to read it, but if you enjoyed <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/16074758.Dangerous_Girls" title="Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas" rel="noopener">Dangerous Girls</a> I think this is right up your alley. This is my first experience with author <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/1049315.Eileen_Cook" title="Eileen Cook" rel="noopener">Eileen Cook</a> but certainly won’t be my last!<br /><br /><b>*I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review; this has not influenced my review in any way.</b>