I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you both Pintip Dunn and Netgalley for this opportunity.

When I initially requested this book, I saw that it was categorized as a thriller, and for those types of stories, I normally steer away from the description and just dive right in. MAN, was this a wild ride from start to finish.

We start this story off with Kan, a Thai girl living in Kansas. She struggles to fit in because of her culture and finds it hard getting close to others. This all changes when her mother takes in a girl, Shelly. Shelly is very hard on herself and immediately clings to Kan, their friendship becoming stronger and stronger. What Kan doesn’t initially realize though, is all the strange things Shelly does, such as dyes her hair black to match Kans or falls head over heels for Kan’s new boyfriend. She even goes far enough to steal Kan’s phone to text him late at night, posing as Kan. Kan believes that she is acting this way because she has never had a friend before, but when things escalate, Kan starts wondering the truth about Shelly’s past.

Initially, when Shelly started becoming obsessed with Kan, I was reminded of that Lizzie McGuire episode where that girl starts dressing and acting like Lizzie, repeating that Lizzie is her “role model”. This story goes many steps further, though, and sent shivers up my spine.

I find this is a story you should go into with not too much information, considering it is a thriller after all, but wow. Even though I pretty much predicted the story’s ending and the overall premise was a bit predictable, I still flew through it and enjoyed the writing and characters. Although it was not my favorite thriller I’ve ever read, I’m still looking forward to reading more by Pintip Dunn!

I started reading this and found myself not interested very quickly. I didn't finish it.

I did not read that far into this but could tell I was not into it. I just could not get into it.

"My cheeks burn. A foreigner. I may be the daughter of Thai parents, but I was born and raised in America. Which means I'll never be Thai enough. I'll never be good enough."

Kan lives in between two cultures. She isn't Thai enough to be a good Thai daughter. And she isn't American enough to not be considered exotic. No matter where she goes, she feels different.

Until the day when her mother brings home a young woman to live with them, giving neither her nor her grandmother any explanation.

Shelly is awkward and quiet. Kan thinks she recognizes the feeling of being an outsider, of being not good enough in Shelly, and tries to make her feel welcome, both in their home and at school. But things with Shelly start to seem odd and details don't quite add up.

I really like how the cultural expectations shape Kan and drive her decision making. She feels trapped in either world, not belonging to either. "I could explain how I'm from two worlds but fit in neither."

To question her elders is considered disrespectful, so even when she begins to have doubts about the person Shelly claims to be, she gets reprimanded for digging or questioning her mother's decision. Or worse, if she pushes and doesn't behave they way they expect her to, they threaten to take away the family necklace.

"The piece of jewelry connects me to all the women in my family's history."

Her one desire is to pursue fashion, which is also frowned on. It is looked at as frivolous and too American.

In many ways, having Shelly brought into her life helps push Kan to make decisions about who she is, and who she wants to be. Shelly encourages her to be more direct in achieving her dreams, but really, it is when Shelly threatens her family that Kan is emboldened to be brave and do what she needs to do.

In the end, Kan finds that there is a balance between being disrespectful and not respectful enough. She learns to balance the honor for her family and the honor for herself.

This was an enjoyable read. For me, the plot was predictable, and the scenes meant to be suspenseful weren't quite enough to make my heart pound or shock me. Again, they felt predictable. As far as thrillers go, it wasn't super thrilling. But the story itself was enough to keep me turning the pages and the outcome enjoyable even if predictable.

As far as YA goes, there are good messages in this book, especially in regards to culture, not fitting in, and finding who you are.

This book goes on sale June 27.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Full of fantastic suspense, a diverse MC, and a cunning plot, Girl on the Verge is a must read for the summer, the beach, or anywhere.

I need to admit something, I requested this book because of the diversity before I even really knew what it was. I know, that’s bad and it’s on me, but I have been craving the type of representation that Kan embodies for so long. Her inability to please both cultures, resulting in her feeling stuck, resonated deeply within me. The challenge to sort through all the unspoken rules and stereotypes to figure out who we are is something that strikes a chord within me. Especially the part about Kan’s inability to find representation of herself, only as ‘exotic’, was particularly meaningful for me. Is it obvious yet how much I enjoyed the diversity in this book? Not only was it seamlessly integrated into the plot and novel, it was nuanced and challenging.

But this did leave me floundering in terms of plot and what I found surpassed my expectations. This subtle uneasiness touched me gently, like a twinge of forewarning, a sour smell riding on a whisper of a breeze. The suspense is so subtle that I almost actually encourage you to give this to someone and forbid them to read the back cover. Then the feeling of uncertainty sneaks up on you, pokes the back of your subconscious and begs you to take a closer look. It is a truly creepy, but fantastic feeling and speaks to the mastery of Dunn’s writing. What seems like a story of friendship and the power to bridge the divide, takes a sinister vibe and forces us to question the nature and cost of belonging in amazing ways.

Character wise, Dunn blows so many out of the water with Shelly and Kan. While Shelly’s character transforms before our very eyes, it is in the capability we have to understand her feelings and motivations that makes her so compelling. Both Kan and Shelly have this essential need, and fear, to belong, both feeling frozen by other’s perceptions which have a sneaky way of becoming our own. It is this human desire that forms a strong foundation for their fast friendship and one I know many of us can relate to. Kan’s transformation, especially with the help of Shelly, is wonderful and allows Kan to question her feelings regarding her diasporic family history.

I cannot sing the praises of Girl on the Verge enough due to its characterization, clever plot, and writing. There is a sinister spiral bound by secrecy that descends as the wind changes and it is absolutely worth reading. This book proves that the genres we know and love will all benefit from diversity. Making this a hit for anyone who, like me, needed some stuck-between-cultures main character action, and for those who just love great stories.

Girl on The Verge is wonderful and by wonderful, I mean creepy, twisted, and disturbing. This book is filled with everything that makes a perfect thriller! I am delighted to see another great spine-chilling young adult thriller to hit the shelves soon. Check out my BookTube Channel at Books&Smiles for another review.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for providing me with an e-copy for an honest review.

Wow, this was a great book! I've never read a YA Thriller before, and after this book, I will be looking for more in this genre.

It was full of suspense, twists and turns, and kept me guessing until the end.

This story was told from two POV, and I enjoyed the contrast between the two characters - I never once got confused about whose chapter I was reading.

I highly recommend this book!

(I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

Kai is a Thai-American girl trying to find her place in two different cultures, and trying to make her very traditional grandmother understand her dreams of becoming a fashion designer. When her mother brings home a new orphan, Shelly, Kai tries to make her feel welcome while navigating her own social struggles.

And then the whole thing devolves into a predictable thriller. Unfortunately, the ‘twists’ don’t make much sense in this novel. I think the author has tried to reveal things slowly to the reader, but failed to fully predict what the reader would be thinking at any given moment… so there’s that.

This isn’t a book that I would recommend to students, since there are better thrillers out there. It’s really hard to say that, since I value MCs who are POCs, and this book does a great job of tying in Thai culture.

This book follows a Thai- American girl named Kan who feels that she is in between two worlds, her American life and her Thai ancestory. During the story, her mother takes in a girl, Shelly, who has lost her mother and has no where to go. Shelly and Kan become quick friends, but their friendship proves to be a twist in the story.
I love a story with a shocking twist and this book provided that. I thoroughly enjoyed this book... until it hit the end. The majority of the book was great but I was a bit disappointed in the ending.
I got the opportunity to read this book as an ARC provided by Netgalley.

Kanchana is a Thai-American girl that has always had a feeling of not quite fitting in. Kan has been raised in a small Kansas town where she is the only one of her descent among her classmates but when she visits her homeland she also stands out as being too Americanized.

When Kan’s mother brings home another teenage girl and informs the family that Shelly will be staying with them Kan immediately feels drawn to her. The two become good friends sharing a lot in their feeling of not quite fitting in and Kan does her best to make Shelly feel welcome. After going to school together though things start heading downhill when Shelly begins to isolate Kan from her friends and imitate Kan.

Girl on the Verge is a young adult thriller from Pintip Dunn. My first thought when getting into this book was basically a young adult version of Single White Female. I suppose that movie was twenty five years ago this is marketed towards an audience that may not know of it but for me it lacked a bit on originality.

The book however was a quick and easy read that had some good things about it. I liked that the main character was Thai and that seemed to be done well bringing that culture into the story. Kan was easily likable also with Shelly being the opposite and just a bit spooky right off the bat. I did find it odd that Kan seemed to exude confidence around Shelly though when she was anything but confident in her own school life and with friends.

In the end, I’d rate this one at 3.5 stars. The story seemed a bit predictable due to be similar to other things but it was still a somewhat engaging and creative take on the idea that I wanted to actually keep reading until the end.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

You may have or have not noticed, but I might be Pintip Dunn’s biggest fan. Most of all, I enjoy her writing style, and this book doesn’t disappoint when it comes to the writing. Her ability to pull you into the story solely with the narration comes through again.

The story revolves around Kan, a Thai-American girl who feels as though she doesn’t belong anywhere. The aspect of growing up between both cultures was very well executed, and it might be my favorite part of the story. I also loved the interactions between the characters, they were all very realistically portrayed.

In my opinion, the characters didn’t stand out as much as they usually do with Mrs. Dunn, but they were still enjoyable, and there were no character clichés, which was the best part. I loved the idea behind the book (even though it’s nothing new), and while it was slightly predictable, it was still executed well.

This is a great YA thriller, both for the readers who are just getting into the genre, and for the readers who just want a quick but well-written YA read.

I expected something different…

You see, the plot description doesn’t really tell you how much of a thriller this is.

When I started reading, I was intrigued. My own background can be described as ethnically ambiguous. The number one question I tend to be asked by strangers is, “What are you?” Usually after they’ve spent the last ten minutes staring at me. (Nothing creepy/uncomfortable about that, right?) I also get the shout out. After the requisite 10 minutes of staring, a total stranger will suddenly point at me and shout out a country of origin.

Tunisia!
Sri Lanka!
Samoa!
Brazil!

Um…no?

And I’ve been the only dark skinned person in an entire town. Taormina in Winter is…pale. But fun. (Interesting fact: If you are a non-white girl in Sicily and people start calling you Chinese – in Italian, of course - this doesn’t mean they think you’re Chinese. It’s slang for ‘exotic’.)

All that is to say that I got Kan. Though I never faced the kind of racism she faces in the book, nor the ‘friendly racism’ from people who don’t realize that they’re even being racist – and would be shocked if you told them they were – I could still easily put myself in Kan’s position. And as I read about her navigating two worlds, never really fitting into one or another, I was with her.

And then…can we say movie of the week? Suddenly, our introspective look at race and belonging mixed with a little coming of age and sweet romance becomes full on stalker cray-cray, Single White Female, Woman in Jeopardy, Bubble Gum Thriller. Whew!

The thing is, had I been expecting a popcorn read, I likely would have been okay with it.

As a full on YA drama, I would have enjoyed this more. As a full on Thriller, I would have enjoyed this more. But this mix simply seemed uneven and jarring to me.

17-year-old Kanchana lives on the edge of two identities: too Asian for her all-white midwestern high school, and too American for Thailand—and her grandmother, Khun Yai. When Kan’s mother brings hope a strange girl, Shelly, to live with them, Kan embraces her as a new friend, but soon begins to wonder if Shelly is not quite what she seems.

I really connected with Kan’s voice. She has never felt like she belongs, either in Thailand or in her high school. Even her friends don’t fully understand her, and some of them even make racist comments without realizing it. Kan’s struggle is a compelling one, as she learns to both open up to her Khun Yai about her dreams—to be a fashion designer—and as she learns to stand up for herself with her peers.

One of the best aspects of this book for me was its honest depiction of micro-aggressions. From the beginning, we see Kan struggling with being labeled as “exotic”—by people who assume it’s a compliment, rather than yet another way of assigning Kan the identity of “other.” This isn’t a book about race (in the sense of, say The Hate U Give), but it’s almost certainly a book that depicts the struggle of being the only ethnic minority in town.

I also enjoyed the complicated family relationships. Kan’s mom, Mae, is a workaholic who leaves her daughter to be raised by Khun Yai, who encourages (and maybe even manipulates) Kan to act the part of the good Thai girl. Kan has to hide her fashion design from Khun Yai, who expects her granddaughter to go to college and become a doctor or a professor. Despite their clashing over cultural differences, you can tell how much Khun Yai cares for her granddaughter and wants to see her succeed in life.

If you’ve been reading my reviews, you know that the Toxic Best Friend is possibly one of my favorite tropes (if it’s done well). Right away, I could tell there was something going on with Shelly—both because we get to see flashes of her perspective in the text, and because of her actions. I’ve had many manipulative friends in my life, but Shelly is downright creepy.

Which is where the mystery/thriller aspect comes into play. I’ll be honest, the first half of this book didn’t grab me as much as I wanted it to. I could tell Shelly was Bad News, and I was frustrated that Kan didn’t act sooner. The second half of the book picks up in pace and you know that things are only going to get worse. While it’s obvious that Shelly is up to something, you’re kept guessing as to the how and why of it all. I had my suspicions, but they weren’t confirmed until the very end.

Maybe I’ve just been reading too many stories with romance in them, but I couldn’t really be bothered to care about Kan and Ethan’s relationship. I felt that his character was more of a plot point, a reason for Kan to suspect Shelly’s manipulations, than he was a real person. Their relationship all happens very fast before I could really care how it turned out. Ethan also felt like more of a carbon copy of the Ideal Boyfriend than anything else.
This is my opinion: I would’ve totally been more into this story if it was queer. Yup, I said it. At the end, when Ethan and Kan are being held hostage by a seriously terrifying Shelly, I would’ve rather seen Shelly herself have a crush on Kan, or seen Kan in a relationship with a girl.

overall recommend:
Ultimately, this was a fast-paced read. I devoured it in a matter of two days; after the first half, I couldn’t put it down. While there were aspects that made me really uncomfortable, particularly Shelly’s behavior, I can see how that was the author’s intention—to make the reader uncomfortable.

Though Girl on the Verge has a strong focus on Kan and her American-Asian roots and the trying to fit in with her friends, this story isn't about Kan. Its main focus is on Shelly. Kan's dad has passed away, and her Grandmother has come to live with them as Kan's mother works long hours at the local hospital. When a patient is killed, Kan's mother takes in Shelly - a teenage girl about the same age as Kan. Kan has always wanted a sister and sees this as an opportunity to have someone around whom she can bond with. What she doesn't realize though is that there is something strange happening with Shelly. As we learn Shelly doesn't like to share. First Shelly will start to isolate Kan away from her friends and prove to Kan she doesn't need anyone, then it will be subtle things like copying and dressing like Kan and try to steal her boyfriend but what will happen when Shelly takes things too far and tries to rid Kan of her life once and for all ? Kan decides to do research on Shelly and the death of her mother and will unravel family skeletons and dark secrets. Can Kan save her life before Shelly decides to take everything that belongs to her? Girl on the Verge ended on a major cliffhanger, and the twist had me going OMG. Girl on the Verge was a book completely different to her Dystopian series and was a good thriller by Pintip Dunn. After reading this and enjoying I am looking forward to reading The Darkest Lie.

I enjoyed both Kan's "not American enough, not Thai enough" story, as well as the mystery of the new houseguest, Shelly. I also liked that the story had alternating POV chapters, most in first person and a few in third. While the book held my interest, it was somewhat predictable ...but we are given a few possibilities, so it's not entirely predictable. I think if you read any mystery or thriller type books at all, this just comes naturally after a while. Either way, it was worth the read to find out the ending. Sometimes Kan's friends and family members were kind of frustrating, but that probably just added to the build up and mystery. I've read all of this author's books thus far, and have enjoyed each one.

Creepy page turning thriller!

Girl on the Verge is a story about a teenage American/Thai girl named Kanchana (aka Kan) living in Kansas who doesn’t quite fit in America, which is her birthplace, or Thailand the birthplace of her family. She lives at home with her mother and her grandma. Her grandmother essentially raising Kan criticizes her for being too westernized and not being a good Thai girl. One day her mother agrees to provide a home for a teenage American girl named Shelly. Kan wants to prove to her mother and grandmother that she is a good Thai girl and makes an effort to make Shelly feel welcome. Shelly and Kan grow close but soon Kan starts to get that creepy feeling when Shelly starts to do odd things. Kan attempts to tell her mother there isn’t something quite right with Shelly and that they need to get her out of the house, but without proof her mother dismisses it. Kan decides to find solid proof Shelly isn’t what she seems by investigating her background and prove to her mother she isn’t the sweet and innocent girl she has welcomed into their home.

I loved how this story had a Thai teenage girl as the protagonist and how Pintip Dunn told the story of a girl very much growing up and living in between the American and Thai culture. You really get the sense for what its like to be Kan where she is truly the traditional American in every way except for her appearance which is very much Asian. Kan is confident, talented, beautiful, smart, and has a handful of fairly good friends. The issue for Kan being in a small Kansas town is she continually puts up with bigoted jokes from her male classmates. At home Kan is constantly trying to prove to her family she can balance her American ways while embracing her Thai culture. So you can understand when Shelly comes into the picture why Kan is so accommodating to her even when alarm bells start to sound that there isn’t something quite right with her. Shelly is just plain ole creepy and nuts. She starts off very sweet and nice but quickly her being too nice starts to get totally weird. Eventually Shelly starts to fully immerse herself into Kans life changing her appearance to mirror Kan’s and attempts to steal the boyfriend. Without spoiling this story, Shelly’s disturbing personality is the thriller part of this book and mystery element is what Kan discovers about Shelly’s past and how it relates to her own family. In every few chapters you get the story told from Shelly’s perspective. While her perspective is interesting it also kind of ruins the tension and surprise because you want to accompany Kan on this journey of discovering Shelly. Ms. Dunn created some great characters in this story but I couldn’t connect with Ethan who was Kan’s boyfriend. Ethan was just kind of there and if his character had been left out completely I wouldn’t have missed him at all.

This is a great story for teen/YA readers over age 16+ due to some violence. I wouldn’t recommend the story for adult fans of thriller/mystery because I think they will connect the pieces fairly early in the story.

Pintip Dunn already proved she has talent in the thriller genre with her previous book, The Darkest Lie. She continues to show off in this new novel worthy of her developing reputation.

She has a way of taking those oh so dramatic young years and turning them into a thrilling time that will grab your attention and hold it til the end. I binged through this and found her examination into the yin and yang of human behavior added this dark spookiness to her story. Her writing quality has a way of tapping into this subconscious part where we all hide our fear of the darkness in others.

I loved Kan and the way Dunn wrote her I kept rooting for her triumph because she’s this innately good person who deserves better. Of course it had the requisite ‘hot’ romance practically every YA novel adds to be a part of the genre.

One of my favorite parts though is the diversity as it’s the first book I’ve read where the main character is Thai. Dunn did a great job writing a storyline that showed how her character lives in a predominantly Caucasian world but it was done with respect to the culture so you find yourself drawn to Kan rather than feeling irritated at stereotypes.

If you’re a huge thriller genre buff you’re probably going to figure a few things out before they get revealed and since the story was mainly about the interaction between 2 girls I would’ve liked to see more from the second’s (Shelly) perspective to get inside her head more.

Speaking of side characters – Ethan? You’re going to love him or hate him. Something about him reminded me a bit of Edward from Twilight with that oh so perfect, Victorian era like romantic thing about him.

In the tradition of "Fatal Attraction" and the recent movie "Unforgettable," "Girl on the Verge" explores what happens when someone gets a little too....friendly. However this book adds some twists that make it a great, suspenseful read.

Kan is a great character who is immediately likable and relatable. I really enjoyed her character and was immediately creeped out by Shelly, who was also really well written. One added "twist" that makes the book interesting is that despite Kan's pleas, her mother and grandmother seem to ignore Alan's concerns as things get more and more weird. It adds a desperation to Kan's situation which adds to the suspense.

This book really packs a punch too toward the end. We're not talking about just dressing alike; it's full blown boiling bunnies. And I couldn't stop reading until I found out what was going to happen.

I sailed through this book quickly. The cultural identity issues Kan faces and the other subplots will keep you turning pages too.

Highly recommended.

The Good
I was super excited to read this book because of the Thai American protagonist. I know of no other young adult books with featuring Thai girls. Kan’s struggle to fit in felt real. It was also nice to see glimpses into Thai culture and to see how Kan’s somewhat unconventional family structure worked. If this had been a story about the struggle to be both Thai and American with a dash of high school drama and a lot about family life, I think I would have loved it.

The Bad
Unfortunately, this is not what the book was about at all. I went into this knowing it was supposed to be a thriller, but the thrilling aspects of the book were very, very hard to believe. Shelly gets away with everything and has seemingly endless resources at her disposal. The twist at the end has also very recently been done in YA books. It didn’t need to be done again, at least not right away.

The romance was also complete insta-love. I say this all the time in reviews, but it keeps happening and it always bothers me. I find it so hard to believe, which made the overall plot harder to deal with.

The Verdict
Lots of bonus points for the unique main character and the depictions of Thai culture, but overall this book wasn’t for me.

This was a book. It was twisty, and engaging, and fun. It reminded me of a Criminal Minds episode in the best way. There was action, suspense, and a bit of romance. All around, this was a really run read that kept me on my toes.

Things I Liked :
I loved that we got to see Kan deal with microaggressions in her daily life. I mean I’m not happy she had to deal with assholes, but I thought it was very realistic to show how Kan was othered in her school and home life – she wasn’t Thai enough, she wasn’t American enough, she was a girl between. It also nicely set up that this small town, while it may be charming, is not idyllic – crime exists here, and it’s a threat.

I like that Ethan, the love interest, did ballroom dancing. I love that he had a hobby that wasn’t traditionally masculine. It was nice to see him enjoy and succeed at something he loved and not conforming to gender stereotypes and shunning dancing.

I loved that Shelly roundhouse kicked Walt in the face for being a supremely nasty guy. He sucked and so I didn’t feel bad for him at all.

There was nice mystery and setup surrounding Shelly. What was her background, what was her connection to Kan’s family? I bought into the suspense. Plus, Shelly was creepy as hell, which we really get to see in her POV chapters. Though there were few, you really see her warped mindset and delusions, so you knew something was up.

Things I Didn’t Like :
Ash wasn’t the greatest friend. She dropped Kan for petty reasons, didn’t defend her to the racist/misogynistic scumbags, and ignored for. I liked that she didn’t trust Shelly and confronted both Kan and Shelly about that mistrust, but I don’t think she was very understanding of even that great of a friend. And I don’t feel like we really get enough of her to become invested in her character, or her relationship with Kan.

I didn’t like that Mae and Khun Yai were dismissive of Kan’s reservations about Shelly. I get they were keeping a secret, and it added to the overall mystery of the story, but it was also frustrating.

The story was fairly predictable. Like I said, it reminded me of a Criminal Minds episode, you can generally figure out the who and the how pretty easy, but they why can really give you the twists. I feel like this book was similar. It was obvious that there was more to Shelly that what there seemed to be, and she was really crafty at manipulating people and sneaking around. But the why did through me for some loops and added some unexpected intense moments.

This was a thrilling story that showcased surprising depth. We see Kanchana deal with existing between two cultures and how she grows from her experiences in the book. They were really given the proper weight and not ignored or glossed over. I liked the characters and the suspense. Girl on the Verge is a thrilling story of family, secrets, and self acceptance.