This is an incredible read for a debut! I was hooked from the first pages. This is a story where everybody is a suspect. You'll get so engrossed in the characters that you'll want to know who did the killer is! The book is thriller but what the author excels at is showing the ramifications of grief on a small town. This is not your typical thriller book. I can't wait to read more books from this author. I recommend this book to others.

Not my favourite, this book was slow moving, and at times seemed to be going nowehere. I didn't develop an interest in the characters and I did try. I struggled to finish it and hoped there would be a big ending to redeem it. This book was not one for me.

This is supposedly a mystery about a teenage girl who is murdered. But it's really a character study of three individuals- a young man that stalked her, a girl who hated her and a policeman. It's not a fast paced novel at all, instead there's lots of internal dialog. In fact, it's the opposite of fast. It moves at a glacial pace.

It is well written with lots of well turned phrases. The two teenagers are both odd, damaged souls. Friendless, they live in their own little worlds. Cameron literally spends most of his time spying on his neighbors. Russ, the cop, seems stuck in a dead end job and his marriage is stupefying.

But in the end, I just needed more action to make this one interesting for me.

I loved this book and could not put it down. I usually don't like literary fiction that seems to be depressing just for the sake of being depressing, but Girl in Snow delivered a heart felt psychological drama about the people we pretend to be and who we really are in our darkest moments.

Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Simon & Schuster for the ebook ARC of Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka.

When a beloved high schooler named Lucinda Hayes is found murdered, no one in her sleepy Colorado suburb is untouched - not the boy who loved her too much, not the girl who wanted her perfect life; not the officer assigned to investigate her murder.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, these three indelible characters - Cameron, Jade and Russ - must confront their darkest secrets in effort to find solace, the truth or both.

I give this book a rating of 3 stars. The story is told in three different perspectives; Cameron Whitley, Jade Dixon- Burns and Detective Russ Fletcher.
The story drew me in from the beginning and it kept me wanting to read. But as the story went on, I kind of felt like it dragged on. The book was well written.

This thriller kept me clicking through pages and, even better, kept me guessing until the very end. Looking forward to more from this new author.

I’m sure this book is loved by many, and it was well written, but it was a struggle for me. I felt no connection to Lucinda until the end and really didn’t care about the other 3 main characters.

This book unfolded in an interesting way, revealing the mystery a little at a time. I did find the ending a bit anticlimactic ... possibly because I didn't pick up on clues along the way that might have foreshadowed the conclusion? Regardless, a fine story.

When I first picked up Girl in Snow, I was expecting another quick thriller to add to the stack that I've flown through and raved about this summer. What I found, however, was not the heart-stopping, twisty novel that I've come to expect from the genre, but an astounding observation of human flaw. This is not a novel that had me anxiously awaiting the big twist (though there was somewhat of a twist involved), rather I found myself fascinated by Kukafka's treatise on human obsession.

Before I dive in, I should tell you that I loved the first half of this book, and it was in the second half that I realized it really hadn't been marketed correctly. I generally think of thrillers as the type of book that has you turning pages as fast as possible, but this novel had me soaking up the story in a different way. The novel is written from three perspectives: Russ, a cop with a hollow marriage, Jade, a bruised and resentful social outsider, and Cameron, the strange boy whose father committed the town's most scandalous crime. All three perspectives tell the story of the aftermath of the murder of. Lucinda Hayes. Lucinda was a popular high-schooler who was found murdered at the elementary school playground. It's a small town, and there are no witnesses and a long list of suspects. Instead of an investigation into the crime, however, we get more of a glimpse into the ruins of our three narrators' personal lives, and how Lucinda's death created further cracks in their relationships with others.

I mentioned that this is a novel about obsession. Russ is obsessed with his former partner, Jade with her former best friend, and Cameron with Lucinda. The level of obsession in this book is unhealthy -- in the way that the characters feel uncomfortable in their own skin, I started to feel uneasy as the obsession grew to increasingly disturbing levels. Despite it being an uncomfortable reading experience, I think that was Kukafka's aim here. I think she means for her readers to feel the same discomfort that her characters face, and if I'm right, then her ability to translate feelings across the page is superb. The only thing that I didn't love about this story was the plot -- the twist fell a little flat for me, but then again I was so disoriented from being inside the characters' heads that the twist didn't actually feel all that important to the book. The first thing that I always want in a book is a character to admire -- I didn't find that here. Nor did I find the plot to be a driving force, so under normal circumstances that might have led me to give it a lower rating, but the prose in this book was brilliant. Brilliant. It was one of those books that had me stopping to admire turns of phrase. The reading experience itself reminded me of how I felt when reading Donna Tartt'sThe Goldfinch, during which I loved the style of writing -- it was prosaic -- but was so uncomfortable with the story itself (if you've read it, you can probably guess which part of the story I'm talking about) that I ended up with mixed emotions about the book as a whole. For a while I struggled to give this novel a rating because I felt divided on the concept of plot vs. prose. It was in talking to other readers that I realized this isn't actually a thriller -- not the type that I've come to expect, at least. I can see the reading experience being completely different for each reader, depending on your fascination (or ability to watch) characters descend into their own neuroses. The impact of this novel will drive me to read whatever Kukafka comes out with next, and I want to mention here that this is her debut. At twenty-four years old (we are the same age), I am somewhat in awe of her ability to write.

I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley. This book had me from the very beginning. I love that it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I would highly recommend this book to my fellow readers. Thank you for the chance to review this book!!!!

****NETGALLEY READ****

The story of a teenage girl murdered in a Colorado small town. Told by 3 people in that small town, Cameron, the boy in love with her. Jade, her school mate who, not really her friend by made to hang out with the victim when the were younger. Russ, beat cop caught up in the murder investigation.

This isn't the thriller where the cop is on a mission to find who killed Lucinda, he just happens to be the cop who is thrown into this investigation. Jade and Cameron are the outsiders, thrown together in their knowing Lucinda. Jade envious and loathing of Lucinda and Cameron hopelessly in love with Lucinda.

This is about how a death in a small town can bring almost everyone's secrets to light. How everyone's live are intertwined without them even knowing it and maybe without them ever even knowing it. It is about loneliness, how everyone handles it. How even when you are married, you are still lonely. How even though you have a family, two parents and a sibling, how you are still utterly alone.

I did enjoy this book very much, I saw a few review where they did not like it. Are all the characters likable? No. But they are understandable. You understand how they got there, why they feel lonely. Why they have done what they have done. I don't need the characters to always be exciting and happy. I quite enjoy when the characters are lonely and isolated, I think that makes a more interesting book.

Do they find Lucinda's murderer, yes. But the story is how these three characters come to terms with their loneliness and isolation.

the plot looked promising. I had trouble reading this book as it is very slow burning and the POVs are quite scattered. always have to turn back the page to determine which POV I am reading. I did not get to finish the book as it was that difficult to get into it. 1 star

A town is rocked by the murder of a teenage girl. Told from three points of view, the narrative is constantly shifting, to the point where it becomes difficult to connect with any of the protagonists. Despite the murder mystery, the feeling of tension is never really captured. Instead, what you get is a decent but ultimately underwhelming YA novel.

I had a really hard time connecting to this book. And I think it was a me thing instead of the book itself. I was looking for more of a who did it and why and that climax I was looking for did not happen for me.

When I started this book, I was expecting a mystery or suspenseful story based on what I thought the book was about, I was very disappointed. This story is about three characters; Cameron, Jade and Russ and what they learn about themselves in the aftermath of the death of a ninth grader, Lucinda. The mystery element is there, with the investigation here and there throughout the book, but it was almost an afterthought. I plugged away at the story, but found it very slow moving and there was not much happening until almost 75% of the way through. As we learn more about the three characters, we see their dark sides and their secrets. There is a lot of foreshadowing throughout the book, but it is still hard to catch the clues and information as you go through. Much of what we learn about the characters had nothing to do with the murder.

Having said all that, Danya Kukafka's writing is beautiful. It’s lyrical and very descriptive. It often felt like you were in a dream or hazy foggy place wondering what would come next. I did not become attached to any of the characters while reading this book. It was not until the last quarter or so of the book where the real killer is revealed that had me interested. It moved quickly and the suspense built up.

I did not enjoy this book, but it does not mean others would feel the same way. If you are a fan of introspective writing styles and like books that explore inner turmoil or struggles of the characters, then you will probably enjoy this book much more than I did. As I said above, the writing is wonderful, I did not enjoy the story.

4 stars for Danya Kukafka's Girl in the Snow. When a young girl Lucinda is found murdered on the school play yard in a small Colorado town, Who's to blame for her death, this novel is well-written and the characters well developed except for that of Lucinda (hence the 4 star rating) I felt I could connect with the other characters, the storyline and it all felt so real except I seem to feel nothing when it came to Lucinda. I loved Jade's POV as it was done in a way of what actually happened as opposed to what she wishes she had said & done. If your looking quick read that's enjoyable add this one to your list of books to read, I received an advanced copy of Girl in the Snow thanks to NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I started this book a couple of times and it took me a little bit to get into. I appreciate this is a debut book for a younger author and believe she has touched on a lot of deep feelings and ideas while walking us through each chapter, written from the perspective of the given characters. I think part of what I was having a hard time grasping was why I wanted to finish the book and if I was really dedicated to finding out what truly happened. I feel like I wasn't connected enough to the characters and the storyline to feel I needed resolution in the end. I did enjoy the unique way the story was written, seeing the story unfold through the eyes of each character the chapters were assigned to. I believe this story will appeal to many readers who enjoy a detailed, suspenseful tale, but it wasn't one of my favorite books.

Did not like this book. It was boring, repetitive and jumped around a lot. This a more like a YA but with some adult issues tangled in between. I think this author may have a great talent it just wasn't with this book. The book follows Jade, Russ and Cameron and they all tell a story and the only one I really cared about at all was Russ and he wasn't in it a lot. There is a murder of a beautiful girl and no one knows who did it.

I really couldn't get into this book. I think, because it was requested during my reading slump, I was finding most things difficult to get into, though.

3/5 stars. Wish the characters were more indepth. characters. This book is along the same lines of girl on a train or woman in the window. If you like flawed characters with a story to tell this book is for you.