Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne Review

Title: Truly, Madly, Deadly
Author: Hannah Jayne (Twitter)
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publish Date: July 2, 2013
Genre: YA, Mystery
Pages: 272
Source: Publisher

Sawyer Dodd has it all. She's a star track athlete, choir soloist, and A-student. And her boyfriend is the handsome all-star Kevin Anderson. But behind the medals, prom pictures, and perfect smiles, Sawyer finds herself trapped in a controlling, abusive relationship with Kevin.

When he dies in a drunk-driving accident, Sawyer is secretly relieved. She's free. Until she opens her locker and finds a mysterious letter signed by "an admirer" and printed with two simple words: "You're welcome."

For the longest time, Sawyer was stuck in an abusive relationship from which she could see no way out. Nobody knew of the abuse, and nobody would have really believed it anyway because in public, they were the picture-perfect couple. But life gets a whole lot easier - and messier - when Kevin dies in what seems to be a cut and dried car accident. But when a note appears, seemingly claiming responsibility for his death, this are about to get tricky and dark. Can Sawyer found the culprit before it's too late?

There's something to be said for eerie, dark tales that give you the creeps long after you close the book on the last page. Truly, Madly, Deadly sets the stage for exactly that, inspiring readers everywhere to sleep with the lights on. Author, Hannah Jayne, has written a classic mystery tale, but adds the twisting, compelling drama of YA into the mix giving readers the best of both worlds. With a fast pace, and carefully-revealed details, Truly, Madly, Deadly will stick with you.

There is a lot about Truly, Madly, Deadly that works in its favour, making readers anxious and eager to weave their way through the tale. First and foremost, the mystery element of the story is perfectly eerie, with just a touch of gleaming danger that makes you a bit hesitant to find out the truth behind it all. With that said, however, there is a lot within the story that is, indeed, teased through the synopsis, but we're left wanting upon reading the story. From the premise, I assumed that the abusive relationship in which Sawyer found herself would play a significant role in her character development. Much to the contrary (and my dismay) though, we watch as that element is placed on the backburner and, instead, we simply watch Sawyer chase her tail as she searches for this unknown "saviour" in vain. In my humble opinion, had the abuse of the relationship been more prominent through the story, I would have been far more invested in Sawyer's plight to find Kevin's killer. I think that the mystery element was set up well through the novel and, though I was able to pick through it all quite quickly, the mystery was well done. I do have to say that I wished it had been a bit twistier because I think that a bit of extra development in terms of the unknown would have gone a long way. But, the book was not bad by any means. I enjoyed the fact that I could read the book in a single sitting, and I found that the author's writing voice was engaging and empathetic, making Truly, Madly, Deadly stand out.

Overall, though there were some elements I wish we could have explored more, and though I think more mystery would have worked in the story's favour, this book was quite well done. I give it a 3.5 out of 5, and I recommend it to all fans of YA, especially those who enjoy mysteries and thrillers.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.