Dead Jealous by Sharon Jones

How did I get the book?
Received from publisher, in an exchange for an honest review.

Genre: Mystery

Synopsis: People think of Mother Nature as a gentle lady. They forget that she’s also Death…Sixteen-year-old Poppy Sinclair believes in quantum particles, not tarot cards, in Dawkins, not druids. Last summer, in a boating accident in the Lake District, Poppy had a brush with death. But the girl she finds face down in Scariswater hasn’t been so lucky. As she fights to discover the truth behind what she believes is murder, Poppy is forced to concede that people and things are not always what they seem and, slipping ever deeper into a web of lies, jealousy and heart-stopping danger, she comes to realise – too late – that the one thing that can save her has been right there, all the time.

250word review: Firstly I have to tell you that I’ve met Sharon Jones (she’s lovely btw) and I’ve been wanting to read Dead Jealous since she told me about it last year. As excited as I was to have a review copy in my hand I was also really worried about not liking it. First page of Chapter 1 read and I knew it’d be fine. (You’ll understand why when you read it.)

Following a near death experience Poppy is all about science and fact, which means the festival & her mother’s marriage ceremony at not high on her list of fun things to do. That night she meets Beth by the lake, though it’s only a few hours Beth has a lasting impact on Poppy and not just because she’s found dead the next morning. In fact Beth is my favourite person in the book, she isn’t just ‘the girl that died’ to have a mystery for Poppy to solve.

As characters go Dead Jealous certainly doesn’t let you down, Poppy, Michael, Poppy’s parents and even Tarig (who lost my support the minute he dished Blackpool… but that’s another story) are believable and interesting.

Poppy easily won me over at the beginning of the book and I liked how her new factual-self worked against her past. I even got invested in the little bit of romance, which is rare.

Dead Jealous is a haunting mystery that delivers on characters and storytelling. Can’t wait to get my hands on the next book.

Recommend it?

Absolutely

Expected publication: July 4th 2013