Eight months ago, Oli's sister Eloise is found murdered in the woods. With no suspects and no leads, her death is soon forgotten except by Oli. When Oli happens upon another girl left for dead in the same place, she knows that this girl is the key to solving to solving her sister's murder. The two girls soon realize their town is not as safe as they thought. Lots of twists and turns resulting in a great YA read.

I've never read a Luanne Rice book before. But I will immediately remedy that after reading this thrilling YA mystery. If she could pull me into this story I'm sure she'd capture the attention of even the most tacticturn YA enthusiast.

Thank you to Scholastic | Scholastic Press and Netgalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Scholastic for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"If Anything Happens to Me" by Luanne Rice is a unique young adult thriller (with the killer’s backstory and reasoning) that grips you from the first few chapters and never lets go. The story focuses Oli and Iris as they embark on a quest to uncover the truth behind Iris's mysterious appearance in the same shallow grave where Oli's sister, Eloise, was found buried.

Rice has created a story filled with intrigue and suspense, keeping you on the edge of your seat with many twists and turns. I will say that I found the major twist (the identity of the killer) to be pretty predictable, but I definitely wasn’t expecting the depth of the killer’s backstory. That was the most interesting part of the story to me, and I enjoyed learning more about the killer.

From the chilling discovery of Iris to the shocking revelations that follow, the plot unfolds at a breakneck pace. There was never a dull moment in the story as the plot had quite a bit going on, but all these different pieces ended up coming together at the end. The different characters, mainly Oli and the killer, were developed nicely. Some of the other characters, like Oli’s love interest, needed more development for me to get invested. The love interest felt a bit flat and standard to me. Some of the character behavior detracted a bit from the reading experience. Some of the characters’ choices felt a bit naïve and childish, which made the story feel more like a MG story than a YA. However, the overall story remains engaging, with moments of magic and mysticism adding depth to the story. I really liked the magic angle of the story, and I wish it had more focus.

While the storyline may feel somewhat familiar at times, Rice's skillful pacing and plot keep the reader invested until the final page. "If Anything Happens to Me" is a must-read for anyone who loves a good mystery (especially with a magic realism kind of angle).

If Anything Happens to Me by Luanne Rice is a young adult thriller about two girls desperate to catch a murderer who's still on the loose.

The plot of If Anything Happens to Me is good, it is a little out there, but overall, it is pretty good. The pacing held my interest, and the characters were interesting.

There were some slow parts, and sometimes frustration in how the characters behaved, but overall, a solid read. I would check out more books by this author.

I would rate this a 3.75 out of 5 stars (rounded to 4).

#IfAnythingHappensToMe #NetGalley @Scholastic

Luanne Rice’s newest novel, If Anything Happens to Me, is a fast paced book that follows Oli and Iris’s journey to uncover the real reason that young women are being kidnapped and murdered. Nothing is what it seems in this twisty thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book:
IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO ME by Luanne Rice
Thank you Scholastic and Netgalley for the arc (September 17th)

Review:
4⭐
IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO ME was a thrilling read telling the story of Oli and Iris as they try and solve the mystery of what happened to Iris and who did it. This book captured my attention in its entirety from the first few chapters as they entailed the beginning of the mystery(who killed Eloise and what happened to Iris?) I read this book in what felt like no time at all, engrossed in what seemed like a never-ending mystery. Like when you can't guess the whodunnit and the mystery keeps giving.
Until...
The mystery unraveled and I was utterly shocked. The twists and turns and overall mystery of IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO ME kept my on my toes. IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO ME is a must-read for anyone who loves a good mystery.

What I Liked About It:
*everything

This book was amazing! I really enjoyed how suspenseful it was, and I loved seeing how that characters and their relationships grew and changed. The ending was such a surprise, and I loved seeing how all the characters worked together to escape and catch their kidnapper!

Luanne Rice knocks it out of the park in If Anything Happens to Me!! We get sisters, two loves- one good, one bad- and one heck of a thriller/mystery. I devoured this book & you will too!!
A definite 4.5 star read!

Thank you NetGalley & Scholastic for an ARC copy of this book.

Luanne Rice is at her best in this twisted tale of toxic love, I read this in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down

This was an okay book. I really loved the magic and the mysticism portions, but overall, the storyline felt a little cookie cutter.