I quite enjoyed reading this! 'Girl on the Verge' has an interesting story that pulled me in from the very first page. The story was paced well, and the characters felt almost like real people and not fictional characters—I loved the characterisation in this one. Overall, a solid book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

I was happy when selected to read this book. I liked the cover and the description and I'm always a fan for thrillers..... so bring it on!

There story was good. Fast paced and a pretty good page turner. There even was a sort of love triangle going on with the "perfect" boy.

As for the thriller part of the story, not so much. I pretty much had that figured out. The part I had figured out was the only suspense of the story. Because of that I rated 3 stars.

All and all a pretty decent read

I can say, with my hand on my heart, that this book is one of my favourite books this year. I will not say much as I really do not want to give the story away.

I'm torn down the middle about this book. I loved the main character and I loved the story up until the "mystery' tried to get tied into the plot. I've read books that made me feel uneasy and when it's done right it's acceptable, but I just don't feel like this one did. Somewhat poor execution for the premise. Two stars, maybe 2.5 at the most.

This book has an easy to read writing that focuses way more on characters than plot or anything else. I actually prefer stories that are like this sometimes. One of my favorite things is that you think it's really obvious what's going on in the first half of the book and then it turns into a whole new story after that. I did guess the plot twist but this made it more enjoyable for me because I wanted to be righ

In her small Kansas town, at her predominantly white school, Kanchana doesn’t look like anyone else. But at home, her Thai grandmother chides her for being too westernized. Only through the clothing Kan designs in secret can she find a way to fuse both cultures into something distinctly her own.

When her mother agrees to provide a home for a teenage girl named Shelly, Kan sees a chance to prove herself useful. Making Shelly feel comfortable is easy at first—her new friend is eager to please, embraces the family’s Thai traditions, and clearly looks up to Kan. Perhaps too much. Shelly seems to want everything Kanchana has, even the blond, blue-eyed boy she has a crush on. As Kan’s growing discomfort compels her to investigate Shelly’s past, she’s shocked to find how much it intersects with her own—and just how far Shelly will go to belong…



I'm not really sure how I feel about this book. There were bits I liked and bits I hated, but I still haven't figured out exactly where I stand with it, so this review is basically me trying to put my thoughts in order.

Starting off with the things I liked, I really loved the fact that this is an #ownvoices book about Thai culture. I enjoyed all the parts where Thai culture was explored and I do consider them to be one of the best aspects of the book. Another part that I really enjoyed was that Kan had a passion, a hobby that made her happy and complete. I also really loved Kan's relationship with Ethan, who was a genuinely sweet and nice guy. So far, so good; the book reminded me of another book I recently read and loved (Love, Hate & Other Filters, by Samira Ahmed). And then, the "mystery" comes in.

First of all, I have to say that the mystery was not done well. You could see everything coming from a mile away, and if you are in any way familiar with the genre, it's a story that you've probably seen before. At first I have to admit I enjoyed the mystery that surrounded Shelly, as I thought it would provide some horror/thriller element to the story. But, in the end it ended up being a very predictable, far-fetched story. I was also very uncomfortable with the way the author handled Shelly's situation. She is a girl from a neglectful, abusive household, and she ends up following into the same footsteps, which is not a narrative I am comfortable or agree with. Not to mention the fact that she is probably struggling with mental illness, which is again villainized and almost exploited for the sake of the story.

Overall, I do think that the bad parts outweigh the good. I enjoyed the writing style and I think I will be reading more by the author. This one was, however, a fairly short book that tried to deal with a lot of things, and succeeded in beautifully representing only 'secondary' elements of the story, such as the romance, Kan's relationship to Khun Yai, and the representation of Thai culture, while the main thriller arc was just a tad bit disappointing. 



**An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.**

Kensington Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Girl on the Verge. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Kanchana does not really fit in with her predominantly white classmates in her small Kansas town, as she owes half of her heritage to her Thai roots. Living with her mother and her Thai grandmother, Kan secretly designs clothing and dreams of a life far from the Midwest. When her mother brings home a teenager, who suffered a recent loss, Kan is at first happy about the prospect of hosting someone her own age. The impact on her life, however, is not what Kan had pictured. When the pieces of the puzzle start to come together, will Kan be able to help those she loves the most?

Girl on the Verge was a little too much like the movie Single White Female for my taste. Having read many mystery/thrillers, this book held no surprises for me. I found the concept to be not all that realistic and the characters were not fully developed. On the positive side, I did like how Kan has a backbone and does not always follow the traditional role that has been laid out before her.

As I am a big fan of the author's dystopian fantasy series that begins with Forget Tomorrow, I was expecting the same level of plot and character development. Readers who like mystery/thrillers might like Girl on the Verge for its fast pace and its readability.

A diverse, own voices, twisted thriller that will keep on surprising you with every turn of events.

Girl on the Verge is a mystery/ thriller starring Kan, a Thai- American who struggles with fitting in either cultures and traditions. The feeling of being the Girl in Between is very conflicting. It is difficult at first to grasp the idea of "getting the best of both worlds".


This is a book that you need to dive into without knowing much about it, so I don't want to spoil it. But, one thing that I can say is that you will have a lot of " WHAT the FUCK!!! " moments while reading Girl on the Verge


The only reason this isn't getting 5 stars is because of something in the end. A new fact was revealed after the story was wrapped up, so I couldn't enjoy that part because I felt like, for me, the story has already ended.

Pints Dunn was successfully able to shine a light on how it feels like to be a WOC immigrant, who lives in America. Honestly, I hereby declare Pintip to be the Queen of standalone novels because of her unique style in writing them.

So, here is why you read it:

. Own voices
. A dark, twisted Thriller
. A Pintip Dunn Mystery
. Good representation of WOC

I received an eARC in exchange with an honest review.

This is a great YA romance meets psychological thriller. It's a total page turner, and really well written. The romance is sweet and heady, and Kan's life and character are painted beautifully. This is for the reader who loves romance, but wants an edge of their seat killer thriller to go with it.

3.5 Stars

'Girl on the Verge' is an exciting new YA contemporary thriller that brings a diverse female main character to the genre. A big thing with readers lately has been the inclusion of diverse characters, and Kan is a perfect fit - in my opinion. As the description states, she's always felt like she's stuck between two worlds - American and Thai - but doesn't really belong to either of them. This is central to her character and really defines who she is and everything she does. I thought this was a wonderful attribute and I found it interesting to watch her struggle with her identity throughout the story. The only hard part for me was identifying with her. I never had the same kind of issues that she experiences, so I couldn't fully connect with her. Because this struggle is so deeply ingrained in her personality and life, it takes a large precedence in the novel. This really made it hard for me to get into the story, which is completely on me - it has nothing to do with the writing.

All the other aspects of the book were well done - from the characters to the plot and the writing style itself. The characters were rounded and unique - each felt realistic in their own way. Kan, the main character, is very distinctive and has many positive traits and flaws - which made her realistic. The plot was fresh and original - sort of Single White Female only in young adult, which I really enjoyed. The book did feel more like a contemporary novel than a thriller to me though, mostly because of the main characters struggle with identity and her heritage. The writing was descriptive and detailed, which I liked a lot. The author wrote the novel in the first person point of view - from Kan's perspective - which was a huge plus for me. If it had been done in any other way, I really don't think I would've had a positive experience. The POV was a great fit for the story and made it all the more realistic for the reader. I recommend this for fans of YA contemporary, thriller, suspense, and those who enjoy the author's other works.

I think the book was well written but I was able to guess the ending very early in the book. It seemed so obvious to me and that kinda pulled me out of the story.

Unfortunately, I was unable to finish this book. I am a big fan of Pintip Dunn but at this stage I was unable to connect with the character and the storyline.

Thank you for the opportunity to read Girl on the Verge.

Let’s just say that <b>this just wasn’t a book for me</b>. I really like to read outside of my comfort uone, but that does not mean that I’ll necessarily lie the book I decide to try out. This was the case here, because I’m not your typical thriller person, in fact I am the least thriller person I know. It’s <b>not really my genre</b> and I felt so stressed and creeped out by all the murder and manipulation. Therefore, I could not really enjoy the book, but I still have it <b>3 stars</b>, because my opinion is very much purely dependant on the genre!

• <b>All the emotional manipulation was making me uncomfortable</b>. That’s nothing the book did wrong, but just a personal thing. The way Shelly was manipulating her from the start really stressed me out, as these things tend to get to me. It’s always hard for me to read a book about emotional manipulation.

• <b>Towards the end, the book dragged a bit</b>. I think I had 100 pages left, when I was like “This could end now, it’s like at the climax of the story”, however the book still went on. I was feeling that the story dragged a bit after that point and was too long after things had already gotten so very intense.

• <b>I feel like there were too many twists</b>. Maybe that’s just me, but I felt like the author was trying to pull too many plot twists. After a while I just got confused, as there was twist after twist and I had a hard time keeping up. I just didn’t like getting attacked with too many revelations at once. It’s hard to really process things well if you don’t get a break between them.

• <b>The romance felt too rushed</b>. Don’t get me wrong, I liked both Kan & Ethan and found their quiet pining cute, but they got together too quickly. They’ve never spoken more than a few words, but suddenly Ethan wants to kiss her? I don’t really get it, as he did not know her to begin with. Yes the romance was cute, but it was not build up very well and happened way too quickly.

<b>HERE’S WHAT I ACTUALLY LIKED</b>

• <b>The representation of Thai culture & Kan as a Thai American</b>. This is the strongest aspect of the book and why I wanted to read it in the first place. The Thai rep is ownvoices and therefore accurate. Kan is Thai American and struggles to fit in with her culture while growing up in the American lifestyle. These two worlds frequently clash. She feels like she is never “Thai enough” and does not really belong anywhere. The book is about her journey to tackle those feelings. The book also talks about fetishization of Asians and how people use the word “exotic” to describe people of color. There’s also lots of Thai food and a loving, but stern Thai grandmother, who has very clear ideas about how Kan should behave.

• <b>The voice & creepy atmosphere the author conveyed</b>. I was pretty creeped out all the time, so the author managed to create this eerie atmosphere very well. The atmosphere and vibe of the story was always there and leaves you feeling uneasy, like one would expect from a thriller. Not that I have read many thrillers to begin with so this was a first. The suspense surely is there and you just feel that things are so very wrong and dangerous.

• <b>How the author differentiated between the two POV’s</b>. Kan’s POV is told in first person present, while Shelly’s is told in third person past, which perfectly shows how different both girls are. It makes it very easy to differentiate between them.

<b>IN CONCLUSION</b>: <i>Girl on the Verge</i> is the perfect read for anyone who likes a <b>good creepy thriller</b>, that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It also revolves around a Thai American girl, who struggles to fit into both worlds by feeling like she’s never enough. This is a must read for Thai-diaspora readers!

This is a fantastic book. It maintains the creepy factor while tackling the incredibly important topic of diaspora. The main character is Thai-American, and her identity is very important to her. The novel validates her experiences and will certainly resonate with readers. Girl on the Verge creates an unsettling atmosphere from the start, and weaves an eerie story about the friendship between Kan and Shelly. A great read!

This book floored me. It's one of the most creative explorations of identity and belonging I've read, and it interweaves the diaspora experience with the best thriller elements so well in a way that heightens the tensions by making everything intensely personal. This book will stay with me for a while.

Girl on the Verge was a very pleasant surprise! Kan's mother comes home one day with a teen girl named Shelly after her mother commits suicide. Kan is very welcoming to Shelly and the two become close rather quickly. Kan knows all about being different, since she's the only Thai-American at her very white school, so she takes Shelly (who has a scar across her face) under her wing. But soon enough it becomes clear that there's something wrong with Shelly, and maybe Kan needs to be wary.

I wasn't sure about Girl on the Verge at the beginning. We already know from the blurb that Shelly isn't who she seems and that some weird stuff is about to go down. So throughout the first few chapters, I was mentally yelling at Kan for not seeing how weird Shelly is! Obviously, Kan wasn't told the plot of her story, so she's not going to pick up on these subtle things. But once Shelly actually starts getting super weird and kind of scary, I was hooked! That girl does some outrageous stuff, but manages to keep it hidden from others. I couldn't wait to see what she was going to do next!

There are a lot of twists in Girl on the Verge. Shelly is hiding something and I had trouble figuring out what it was until Kan starts investigating her. It is obvious that her mother and grandmother are somehow involved, but I never would have guessed! I was shocked! Shelly's other secrets were also shocking! How is she getting away with this?! That ending was super intense.

I really enjoyed Girl on the Verge once it got going. It kind of had this "If I can't have you, no one can" vibe going on at times. Shelly gets quite possessive of Kan, especially when she gets a boyfriend. I was just on the edge of my seat waiting to see what was going to happen next!

Kanchana doesn’t look like anyone else in her small Kansas town, and even her friends say things that prove they don’t think she belongs. At home, her Thai grandmother tells her she’s too westernized. The only place she’s comfortable is when she’s designing and making clothes in secret. When her mother brings home a teenage girl named Shelly, Kan thinks she’s finally found a true friend.

At first, things are great, with Shelly admiring everything about Kan, including the boy she likes. But soon its’ like Shelly is trying to take over her life, including copying Kan’s appearance. So Kan investigates Shelly’s past, and finds dark secrets about Shelly—and her own family—that she never imaged.

I read Girl on the Verge in less than 24 hours. I could not put it down! I loved how Kan struggles to bridge the gap between her heritage, and the culture she lives in (Okay, I don’t love the struggle, but I love that it’s depicted.). The relationship between Kan and her grandmother is full of layers and a deep love, but secrets abide there as well. The creepiness of Shelly and her fixation on Kan grew slowly, and the ending was very well-done. Fast-paced with several twists, I highly recommend this book!

Pintip Dunn lives in Maryland and writes YA fiction. Girl on the Verge is her newest novel, on sale today.

(Galley provided by Kensington Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

**I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 stars

I was really excited for Girl on the Verge because of the Thai representation. I've never read one with a Thai-American main character so I decided I needed to. However, I didn't really realize the genre of this book, and I'm not really a horror kind of person, hence my rating :/.

Kanchana is stuck in two worlds: her school life at a mostly white school with students who consider her too Asian and her home life with her Thai grandmother who consider her too American. She's crushing on a boy in her grade who dances, but she doesn't think he'd ever like her because she doesn't look like the typical girl in her small Kansas town. Kan also loves to make clothing and wants to pursue a career in fashion, but her grandmother disapproves. Then Kan's mother decides to take in a white girl named Shelly whose mother committed suicide. Shelly is nice at first, but quickly shows another side to her.

I really liked Kan; she's a strong character, and she's very caring, to her detriment in this book. She welcomes Shelly with open arms because she knows what it's like to be an outsider in this town. Her romance with Ethan was really cute, though I wish we got to see a little more of it.

Again, the main reason I didn't really like this book was because of the genre. I am really just not a horror kind of person, but if you are, you'll love this book. It reminded me of the movie The Roommate with Leighton Meester. Both are insanely creepy but not enough that you don't want to watch/read it.

Girl on the Verge was a thrilling read. I was mostly glad for the Thai representation, and there's a lot. Kan's grandmother cooks, so there's a lot of mentions of Thai food and how it's made. If you like horror and/or psychological thrillers, you'll love Girl on the Verge.

Holy mother of god this book was amazing. It was single white female meets the movie Fear with Mark Wahlberg. Dang this was good. I will update my review when my post goes live.

I truthfully don't have much to say I liked the plotline but it just was to slow going for me I couldn't grab enough interest into this book but don't get me wrong just because it wasn't for me doesn't mean it wasn't a good book I believe others would like it especially young teens.