While this wasn't the greatest thriller I've ever read, I did actually really like it. This book follows Addie, a fan fiction writer who runs a popular blog based on a very popular thriller novel. When she starts to receive messages from the author, she is thrilled to be helping him. But then a popular girl from her school dies and things start to go downhill from there. I thought that this book was genuinely creepy and a decent mystery. There weren't that many clues pointing to who did it, so Addie never really knew what was coming next. My only real problem with the book was that the culprit and their motives were never really explained. How the book ended was also a little strange, but I would still overall recommend this book.

I felt kinda weird about this book as i would go between being really invested in it and hooked about what was happening and chapters where i just didn't care. The story was interesting in premise and Jayne tried to build up a 3d world for the action. It did not work fully even though it had lots of promise. The main character, Addison, went from being a stereotypical nerd in danger to being a complete Mary sue and i wish that there was more her best friends and clues towards the actual "copycat" writer. It was a fun read but i didn't feel like it was super special.

Addison is a teenage girl who is the biggest fan of R. J. Rosen, an author of suspense. He writes the Gap Lake series and Addie has read every word in every book at least 10 times. She has a blog of all things Rosen that now has thousands of followers.

She is excited beyond belief when she is contacted by the author. He's impressed with her fandom and offers her the opportunity to help him with his newest book. He follows by sending her quite an excerpt sending Addison into a head spin with a note telling her a surprise will follow.

Unfortunately that surprise is the murdered body of a school friend. When Addie realizes that the murdered girl is exactly described as in the newest book. Life imitating art? And then the author sends a note ... Did you like my surprise?

And then there are other surprises that seem to surround her....

I don't read a lot of YA mystery, but the book blurb drew me in. I liked the teenage characters, most of the conversation was very much reminiscent of my own children at that age, although it's hard to fathom that they were allowed to investigate they way they did. It's heavy on the action, slightly less on the suspense.

Many thanks to the author / Sourcebooks Fire / Netgalley for the digital copy of COPYCAT. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

3.5 Stars

I just didn't enjoy this and found myself struggling to finish it about halfway though. It doesn't feel very well thought out and I didn't care for much about it at all.

So this book read like a clunky YA novel. Was this sold as a YA mystery? I'm not sure. Either way, i could not get into the way it read in teen voices and it the obsession of hero worship of this author to the point of annoyance was just.. ugh. Utterly predictable ending too.

Big reading slump at the moment - can't wait to read something fresh and exciting.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Having read Hannah Jayne novels before, I knew I wanted to check out Copycat. Jayne has a way of telling a story that draws you in, and nobody which way the story goes, you always want to know how it ends. Copycat did that.

The story follows Addison, number one fan of the Gap Lake seires by author R.J. Rosen. She runs a popular blog about the series and writes her own fanfiction. Then she gets an email from the author himself asking her to be part of his reveal for his next book, but the pieces he gives her are very similar to real life playing out in her town as kids start coming up dead from freak, but gruesome and violence deaths.

I loved the mystery of this novel. As a lover of books, I loved the book nerd qualities of Addison. I can appreciate her love for the ficticious world and all that goes along with it. The characters were detailed and inventive, matching up with people any reader could relate to in their everyday life. I was a little put off by the insistencey and almost childish thought process of Addison where her love of the novels became a bit of an obsession in terms of constantly bringing it up in inappropriate times. I found that an occassional mention due to the situation approrpriate, but other times it was more annoying. And maybe that is what Jayne was going for, because Addison's best friend sure was getting annoyed, but I found it took more from the story than added to it. With that being said, I feel the core of the story kept the book flowing and kept me guessing until the very end. I never guessed right either! I was wrong every time. I love a good mystery novel that leaves me questioning the "who done it" at the end.

Jayne has brought us another fantastic mystery that reads quickly and full of twists and turns to keep you interested the entire way. Every fan of a good YA Mystery/Thriller should pick up this novel.

Addison is obsessed with the murder mysteries written by R.J. Rosen, to the point of reading each book over and over again. When he gets in touch one day to ask her to be part of the team creating exposure for his new novel, she is absolutely ecstatic.

I can understand her excitement and bookworm joy at being picked to work with the author of the books she absolutely adores. Being able to share her own ideas in the form of fan-fiction. Gaining recognition and attention via her blog, it all gives Addie a sense of security and achievement.

Her joy quickly turns to fear when life begins to imitate the fictional stories on her blog. Addison is torn between her love for the books and the cruel reality of life. In a way her reading is a form of escapism. With a nose in a book she doesn’t have to think about the relationship she has with her father or the insecurities she has about herself.

It’s an intriguing premise, and in our day and age of anonymity behind social media accounts, perhaps not such an unrealistic idea. Although this is a YA and features very young characters, I think it would also work well with older characters. Jayne makes a point, albeit subtly about online popularity, and how fast the flighty opinions of social media users can change. One day you’re a star and the next you’re the scum of the earth. The winds of change on the world wide web are unpredictable.

It’s perhaps best not to take yourself too seriously or any kind of supposed status you think you have on the internet. That’s the kind of advice someone should have given to Addison then maybe she wouldn’t have walked right into the trap of a killer.

Copycat has the charm of Pretty Little Liars, but with less conniving and more genuine emotions and a loyal friendship. I would genuinely love to know how many bookworms would fall into the same trap, a murderous game fuelled by the fears and hopes of a young girl.

Honestly, this book wasn't hard to read and it wasn't boring, I was however glad that it was short so I could breeze right through it and be done with it. I didn't exactly hate it, but I didn't enjoy it either. I have a lot of opinions that I'm going to get into.
If you're looking for an exciting mystery/thriller that isn't really that long or complex, then I guess this book might be for you. If not, I'd say you're just better off leaving this one off your reading list.
Within the first few pages, I noticed that the dialogue was... clunky, to say the least. I'd say the first good while of the book is literally just dialogue, and the dialogue of these characters is barely even interesting enough to keep one interested reading characters talking to each other and little else. And then, after a while of just talking, somebody dies. I wrote this down in my notes, the major event hinted in the synopsis literally happens page 28. And this is the event that the entire plot is based around.
The pacing is not the best. We've now just witnessed a major plot-altering event, and then you have a long period of time where pretty much nothing happens, and then the climax of the story. And that's a whole other point I'll get to. Clues were just dropped way early in the story, and they weren't spaced out at all, and so by the end all of these clues hidden in the story barely even matter anymore because nobody remembers anything that happened that long ago in the story, we were all trying to just skim-read to get through this book.
You know what adds to the wonky pacing? There are so many chapters for literally no reason. There could have been way less, and 85% of all the chapters end at the weirdest points and some just end abruptly right in the middle of a character's conversation. I'm not sure if this is some tacky way of ensuring a reader can never afford to put the book down as a result of constantly wondering what'll happen next, but there is a way more tasteful way to do this effect and ending chapters at random times in the story is not it.
The adult characters weren't written very believable at all. I'm pretty sure law enforcement is required to take online threats, especially timed with bodily harm of other characters, at least a tad bit seriously when presented to them. And Addison's dad? He was just a mess of a character.
And now, I'll address the ending. I don't want to give away anything, but basically, the story is a whole contradiction of itself and popular tropes it addresses in the text. The villain is completely expected but at the same time, not. And, I find it unbelievable that he would go through so much effort just to drive Addison crazy when she had nothing to do with the situation in which his motive lies. Why couldn't he just go for the person he was really mad at? This made no sense to me, and this motivation pretty much came out of nowhere. Addison's backstory seemed kind of unwarranted for a long period in the story, but then it all comes together or tries to, in order to bring forth a giant climactic reveal of the villain and his motive. In my opinion, this didn't really work that well, and instead seemed to me like a huge, useless backstory referenced time and time again for no reason to loosely explain a motive that may or may not have been thought of last minute. The story didn't feel tied together at all.
I will say, this book wasn't entirely displeasing. Maya was a great character and I feel as though she pretty much saved the story for me. I really enjoyed her, but she's pretty much the only one.
All in all, upon reading this book, you should be taught a bit more about stranger danger, especially on the internet. Always make sure celebrities and anybody otherwise more famous than you who may try and interact with you are verified on Twitter.

Addison ‘Addie’ Gaines is a huge fan of the teen series, Gap Lake Mysteries by reclusive author R.J. Rosen. She has a blog dedicated to it and writes fan fiction both for her blog and her school paper. When she receives an email purporting to be from Rosen inviting her to take part in the publicity for his next book, the last in the series, she is excited especially when he tells her he’s got a big surprise for her. This is followed by an apparent excerpt from the new book. But shortly after she and her best friend, Maya Garcia, discover the body of a classmate posed in a way that resembles a murder from the series. And then she receives a message from Rosen

<i>did you like my surprise?</i>.

She is convinced that this is a copycat murder but no one, not even Maya believes it – they are convinced that Addie is overreacting and what she sees as a copycat is really just a string of coincidences – that is until the parallels between real life and the series become too obvious to dismiss and the threat becomes much more personal.

Copycat was a nice fast YA read. For the most part, I liked Addie and Maya although I wasn’t sure how teenagey they sounded – then again, it has been a long time since I was that age so I’m not exactly an expert on teen parlance so you can take this criticism for what it’s worth. I enjoyed this book but suspect it works better for a younger audience which is, after all, only fair since that’s its intent. Overall, I’d recommend it as a quick summer tale for a teen reader.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

"Copycat" is my first read by Author Hannah Jayne. I read the blurb and, as a lover of all things mystery, had to check it out! I must say that it was predictable in for the most part but overall it was a quick read that kept me entertained. The ending was swift and could have landed a bit better. The characters were a little hard to connect to. With all that said, I look forward to reading more of Hannah Jayne's work in the future.

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

Review: COPYCAT by Hannah Jayne

My first Hannah Jayne novel, and I adore it! I was magnetized from the first page and couldn't look away. The novel's premise is riveting: a vastly popular YA mystery/thriller series is approaching its end, and a California blogger is invited to participate in the planned promotion leading up to the final book's publication. Her "GapLakeLove" blog sports well-written fan fiction and speculation on the identity of the series' killer. Addison Gaines, the blogger, may well be author R. J. Rosen's greatest fan; but what she could not possibly predict is the series of terrifying events that commence in her own high school, and soon it is clear that Addison and her friends are targets of a cunning, grippingly determined, mastermind who knows each novel in the series by heart, just as thoroughly as does Addie.

Addie runs an online blog for the popular Gap Lake Mystery series and is over the moon when the reclusive author contacts her through email to promote the latest book in the series. But soon life starts imitating fiction especially when a popular girl is murder in Addie’s school. When other strange things from the book start happening around her Addie knows she has to figure out who the murderer is before she or her loved ones get hurt.

Copycat is a fairly good YA read with a fairly decent mystery . My only problem was that I could not connect with the characters but I’m sure people who like this genre might enjoy it.

I would like to thank Sourcebooks Fire & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

A YA thriller, Copycat asks the question; what if your love of fiction became a very real threat to your existence?

Addie shouldn’t have a care in the world. She’s young, pretty and well-off. Her fan blog for the incredibly popular Gap Lake murder mystery book series is getting serious traction, and when she receives an email from the mysterious author inviting her to participate in the next book’s release publicity, she’s over the moon.

Soon things start turning weird, though. The discovery of a murdered classmate killed in an almost identical manner to a victim in the first book is just the first in a chain of steadily increasing incidents. When her best friend is almost murdered, Addie’s absolutely convinced she’s next on the hit list.

This was very well crafted, with a steady increase of stakes and tension, and very real characters. I didn’t see the final twists coming at all (in fact I suspected completely the wrong person!) but they were logical and fit perfectly well with the plot. The characters felt true to life for teenagers, using appropriate language, actions and thought processes for their age group. Despite that, it didn’t feel too juvenile for adult readers and I was thoroughly caught up in the story. I hadn’t heard of Hannah Jayne before I picked this one up for review and I don’t read a lot of YA, but I’ll definitely be looking out for more books by this author. Five stars.

I really well written mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat. Finished in one night because I needed to know the ending

This is an intriguing story of a teen fangirl who discovers that sometimes the stories she's so addicted to and blogs about are being reenacted in reality - including a popular peer being murdered. As Addison finds more aspects of the book really happening but no one believing her, contact with the author of the books proves even more dangerous for Addison and those around her . . . .

This is a suspense filled teen murder mystery, a somewhat gruesome read and a real page turner. It has great characters, each with their unique teen take on life and relationships which are explored further as the mystery progresses. The diverse relationships between peers and adults are explored through the story. There's plenty of tension which develops further as Addison discovers that she really needs to change the ending of the story to enable her to survive! It is a fast paced read with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing - I certainly hadn't guessed who was responsible for the murder!

I requested and was given a copy of this book, via NetGalley. This is my honest review of the book after choosing to read it.

I. Loved. This. (Ok, full disclosure, I haven't quite finished it, but what I have read is awesome). I'm really enjoying this recent crime-wave of YA books, and this one is nice in that it's different! Famous blogger who blogs about her favourite mystery/thriller series (and writes fanfic!) is contacted by the reclusive author of the books. He wants her to help with the publicity buzz leading up to the release of his new book, and begins an online correspondence with her. When our hero finds the body of a murdered classmate in circumstances eerily similar to the advance chapters of the new book, she is understandable worried. Add in a cryptic message that might or might not be about the murder, and it's all go.

I felt the characters were well developed; we learned enough about each one to feel they were a real person without random copious info dumps.

Easy 4 stars.

“So you think some obsessed superfan thought it would be some sort of homage to kill Lydia Gap Lake–style?”
Addie pinched her lip. “It’s a theory.”
“Addie, hon, I hate to break it to you, but the only Gap Lake superfan in town is you.”


Addie is the self-described number one biggest fan of the Gap Lake mysteries, a series of books revolving around the murder of several high school students in a small town. With the last book coming out soon, traffic to her blog – where she writes fanfic and expounds on theories of who’s actually the murderer – is up. She’s elated when she receives a message from the elusive author, claiming that he’d like her help as part of a promo for the new novel. When she and her best friend Maya find the body of the most popular girl at school, the parallels between the books and real life start to add up. Does Addie just have murder on the brain, or is there something more sinister going on?

“Do you like my surprise?”


This book reads a bit like the teen horror flicks that were popular when I was teen, movies that weren’t particular deep but were great for a quick thrill while stuffing your face with popcorn. It’s an engrossing page turner with short chapters, but the characters were pretty sparsely developed and the plot was very predictable. The big reveal was a bit of a letdown, with the book ending a few pages later. I was hoping for a big twist at the end – any sort of twist, actually – but the murderer was exactly who I thought it was, and the motive was exactly what I had expected. I thought the pacing was nice and snappy, though, and it didn’t take me long at all to read it. My favorite part was how Ms. Jayne alternated the snippets from the Gap Lake mysteries with what was happening in Addie’s life, and I was disappointed those trailed off as the story progressed.

Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable read, though I was disappointed with how straightforward the mystery was. I think a fan of YA thrillers would be pleased with this as a quick summer read!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Yes!! This was so the right book for me. It was a lot of suspension, some twists and some more guessing. Since I love reading thrillers, it was easy to identify with Addie and her fan fiction/blog writing. And having your favorite writer getting in touch with you....that is a dream come true for every book lover. So, when the first dead body pops up and the messages from R. J. Rosen get more threatening, I felt kind of threatened. All that made for such a fun, quick read, that I really and wholeheartedly recommend this book to every one - if you like thrillers and aren't easily scared. Maybe the end felt a little rushed after the building up to the point of finding out. But, nevertheless a five star read for me.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire!

This book in my opinion had a lot of similiarities to Pretty Little Liars in the way that it was written. It was well written for the most part, albeit a bit dark and gruesome. The plot twists for the most part were expected.

It was an interesting premise with the main character being Addie who is obessed with a mystery book series called Gap Lake, she even has her own blog and writes her own fanfiction. Then one day Addie is contacted by the author of Gap Lake and she is beyong thrilled. Then mysterious things start happening in her little town and Addie has to figure out who is behind it all.

The characters were a little lacking as there wasn't a super large cast of characters. Overall, I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars because it was enjoyable to read but it was easy to guess "who-dun-it" (in my opinion).

If you enjoy young adult contemporary mystery than this is the book for you!

Thanks for stopping by and reading this book review!
If you enjoy reading book reviews, check out my blog at www.sarahjuneblog.com.

Copycat is a story that had an interesting concept but didn't live up to it, while relying on old tropes. The story begins when Addison gets an email from her favorite mystery author, writer of a series she is a bonafide super-fan of, regarding making some promotional posts about his next book. Innocent enough, right? That is, until she realizes a classmate gets murdered in the exact way the excerpt she was sent. After that, she starts to worry that life is starting to imitate art, but (a) no one takes her seriously, and (b) the police are pretty much incompetent.

The 'mystery' of the identity of the killer was pretty easy, and the only surprise was that I was thinking it would NOT go down that route. The motive was also pretty flimsy and it felt like an effort wasted on the part of the reader to try to solve the mystery. I haven't been able to put a finger on what exactly made this book mediocre for me, so I'll probably be nitpicking after this:
- Earlier on in the novel, she is told by the 'author' that he found her through her fanfic. Knowing the book community and how authors are adamant about not reading fanfic because of copyright and plagiarism claims, that should have sent the warning bells ringing in her head.
- There is no mention of any DNA evidence throughout the book, even though there was a struggle, and the fact that the 'killer' didn't exactly seem the kind of people who would be careful about it.
- The police have only one suspect and we don't even know what or why he is let off the hook (like, did he have an alibi?). Addison provides clues to them yet they don't really act on it much until the end.
- The motive and Addison's hatred for her dad did not make much sense in the context.

The voice of Addison might also feel like it is trying to sound teen-like but juuuust falling shy of nailing it. Additionally, while I liked the flashbacks, I think as a mystery, it would have made more interesting by not indicating first that it was a flashback or dream. And honestly, it going the psychological route would have added to the tension, but we get an easy mystery, with barely any red herrings (at one point, Addison is like - he is an adult so it could be him) and not much excitement. Sure, it was fast-paced, but speed alone couldn't build the urgency or the high stakes that a story like this deserves.

Overall, it is a good mystery, but if you a regular reader like me, or one who likes to solve the mysteries while reading, it might not be that enjoyable.