This was just an 'okay' book. When I heard about it from the Hey Ya podcast and heard it was mixed media I was expecting a more even mix of graphic novel and traditional one and maybe eve having some instructions to 'pause here and listen to this song'. Seeing that it was mostly prose wasn't a deal breaker but it was a little bit disappointing. The story itself wasn't bad but it wasn't that unique and the characters weren't as fully developed as they could be. And to say it was like that because it was YA is a disservice because there are tons of YA thriller, horror, and suspense from today and even years past that blow this one out of the water on all three of those genres. While enjoyable, it just wasn't a strong story.
Despite what other reviews might say, I had no problem with Denise as the main character. Truth be told she was actually a lot more polite and courteous than most of the ones that I've read about in years past. She actually handled being uprooted her senior year a lot better than most teenagers would have and maintained a respectful tone to her mother. I also liked that she had a good relationship with her stepfather rather than the typical combat that normally happens between those two types of characters. The people that became her friends were interesting, even if they were borderline stereotypes.
But that also was the other problem; with this book being mainly prose, there wasn't a lot of character development that was done when the opportunity was there. For example it got old fast her adamant her mother was about her going to Tulane versus the University of Houston. Even none withstanding that U of H is my alma mater is the fact that, even with the out of school fee on the tuition, it's a helluva lot cheaper than Tulane despite any scholarships that Denise might have gotten. You didn't learn a lot about her friends or why the break up with her ex was so bad since it was mentioned as a story hook but then it was left behind. I wanted to know more about everyone , even the characters that I didn't like, and didn't get a whole lot of substance. It would be one thing if the graphic and the prose were half and half but again, the prose ended up being a majority of the book. And while the mystery was interesting enough, it just wasn't enough to make this one a stellar one for me.