Review : Find Me by Romily Bernard

Summary (from Goodreads) 
Title : Find Me
Author : Romily Bernard
Publication Date : September 24th 2013
Publisher : HarperTeen
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble

Find Me.”

These are the words written on Tessa Waye’s diary. The diary that ends up with Wick Tate. But Tessa’s just been found . . . dead.

Wick has the right computer-hacking skills for the job, but little interest in this perverse game of hide-and-seek. Until her sister Lily is the next target.

Then Griff, trailer-park boy next door and fellow hacker, shows up, intent on helping Wick. Is a happy ending possible with the threat of Wick’s deadbeat dad returning, the detective hunting him sniffing around Wick instead, and a killer taunting her at every step?

Foster child. Daughter of a felon. Loner hacker girl. Wick has a bad attitude and sarcasm to spare.

But she’s going to find this killer no matter what.

Because it just got personal.

Personal Thoughts

If you've been following my blog for some time, you'd know what a huge fan of YA thriller/mystery books I am. Find Me by Romily Bernard was the latest addition to the genre that caught my eye. It sounded like it would be an exciting read. While I thought overall the book was captivating enough to hold my attention throughout, I wasn't that elated to find out that I had correctly guessed the culprit early on.

I've said this before, but too often I find that the characters in YA mystery books are underdeveloped because the authors devote their attention to the actual mystery element and the plot line. This wasn't the case with Find Me. Romily Bernard masterfully developed both her characters and her story line. The main character in the book, Wicket (that is one strange name BTW), was a strong heroine. She had gone through a lot in her life and those events had roughened her up. Plus, she was also a hacker, which directly made her a super smart girl. While Wicket was rough around the edges, she did display her warmheartedness at from time to time. This was depicted through her relationship with her younger sister, Lily. Wick did everything she could all for the sake of her sister. Everything she did, including the hacking, she did for Lily's future and happiness. The love interest, Griff, was the perfect complement to Wick. He too had this dark mysterious thing going on for him, but he was a sweet heart. I loved how he pushed Wick's buttons. I was surprised by the amount of depth he possessed unlike many other love interests in the genre. He also played a significant role in the plot line, which I was pleased with.

Romily Bernard maintained the air of mystery throughout the book, which definitely kept me on the edge. When you read many mystery books over the years, your brain becomes attuned to the actions and speeches of every characters in the book. This makes it easier for me as a reader to predict the culprit. That was what happened with Find Me too. The culprit, to me at least, was glaringly obvious from the start. In books like these, it's always the least likely character and my prediction was completely right. While that might have frustrated me a little, it didn't cloud my enjoyment of the book. Like I said, the author did manage to keep the air of mystery and suspense throughout the book which made Find Me a pleasant read for me. Another thing I feel like doesn't usually work well in YA mystery books is romance. Once again, Romily Bernard surprised me with the romance. It worked beautifully and I liked how it developed on the sidelines with the plot line. I was also happy that it never overwhelmed the plot line. Griff and Wick were great together and they made a good couple. The one relationship I wish was more in depth was the relationship between Wick and Lily. I wanted to see more interactions between the siblings than was portrayed in the book.

Find Me was a promising debut from Romily Bernard. It was a whole lot better than many YA mystery books already published. Fans of the genre will have a good time with this book.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 3/5
Characters : 3/5
Writing : 3/5


Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperTeen for the e-ARC of Find Me.

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