Oct 2, 2013

Review: 3:59 by Gretchen McNeil

Title: 3:59
Author: Gretchen McNeil
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: 9.17.2013
Pages: 368
Genre: Multi-Verse
Series: No
Source: ARC from BEA

Rating: A-

Summary (from Goodreads):
Josie Byrne's life is spiraling out of control. Her parents are divorcing, her boyfriend Nick has grown distant, and her physics teacher has it in for her. When she's betrayed by the two people she trusts most, Josie thinks things can't get worse.

Until she starts having dreams about a girl named Jo. Every night at the same time—3:59 a.m.

Jo's life is everything Josie wants: she's popular, her parents are happily married, and Nick adores her. It all seems real, but they're just dreams, right? Josie thinks so, until she wakes one night to a shadowy image of herself in the bedroom mirror – Jo. 

Josie and Jo realize that they are doppelgängers living in parallel universes that overlap every twelve hours at exactly 3:59. Fascinated by Jo's perfect world, Josie jumps at the chance to jump through the portal and switch places for a day.

But Jo’s world is far from perfect. Not only is Nick not Jo's boyfriend, he hates her. Jo's mom is missing, possibly insane. And at night, shadowy creatures feed on human flesh.

By the end of the day, Josie is desperate to return to her own life. But there’s a problem: Jo has sealed the portal, trapping Josie in this dangerous world. Can she figure out a way home before it’s too late?

Review:
I’ve seen so many conflicting reviews of Gretchen McNeil’s 3:59 and I just gotta say: What is wrong with y’all? I freaking love this book! Why aren’t you all reading and loving it, too?

Josie is a bit of an odd character. It took me a little while to warm to her because while I get she had stuff going on, she was just so aloof in the beginning. But once she was trapped in Jo’s world, she came to life and I loved following her.

The paradoxes and similarities that McNeil throws up in both worlds are commendable. It amazed me the precision used to create two totally different but eerily similar worlds in one book. It think I’m in love with her brain. For real.

This book is original and fun and dark and twisted … Yes, there’s a few WTF? moments, but doesn’t every book have that? Just sit back and enjoy the ride, guys, because McNeil throws up a ton of curveballs and creative turns to keep you on the edge of your seat.

I have to warn you all: The ending nearly did me in. I’m still trying to recover from it. I’m not above begging Gretchen McNeil to write a sequel. Maybe if we all do it together it’ll happen?

Buy: Amazon

1 comments:

  1. That ending that's killin' you...it's not a cliffie, is it? Or one of those unresolved suckers? 'cause that would drive me nuts and then we'd both have to hound the author.

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