Natalie is an 18 yr old student stuck in a weird secluded school for the elite before they get shipped off to their prospective Ivy league schools.

She is stuck in a lackluster arranged "relationship" to her childhood best friend. Then one day a new guy comes to school. They meet during her bfs school presidential inauguration. The new guy is having a issue. Natalie is the only person rushes to his side to make sure he is ok. The new guy, Henry, has been having very active visions of Natalie being murdered. Which is why he looks like he is having a seizure.
Thus starts the epic tale of Henry and Natalie trying to figure out why she is being targeted.

I really loved this book! I cant wait to see what happens in the next one!

This started really well, got a bit slow then lived up- the last part felt a little rushed and while it’s building to the next book it felt just a bit too underdeveloped for my taste. I liked the Wes POV bonus and will be interested to see where that leads.

Short review-
I really loved this and am looking forward to the next books in this series!

Long review-
The outside:
I love the cover & color scheme, very eye-catching. The title makes sense after reading as well.

The Inside:
This is told through alternating dual POV chapters of MCs Natalie & Henry.
Natalie is smart and capable.
Henry is mysterious and protective. (Trying to remain spoiler free!)

The author sets the scene (a well-to-do high school on an island for seniors only) in a descriptive & atmospheric way so the reader can easily imagine what the character is doing/how they're feeling/their facial expressions, etc.

The dialogue was tension-filled & angsty (when applicable between certain MCs), direct, clever, and fun.

I enjoyed being in both MC's heads and watching everything unfold through each of their minds.

The writing style is clear and consise without being overdone. The book's pacing/flow is fast and does not dilly-dally with filler while remaining easily bingable.
This book feels like a true slow-burn, tension/angst filled YA paranormal romance.
I'm excited to learn more about the paranormal aspects as the characters continue on their journey and the ending definitely leaves the reader ready for the next book. I can tell the author is a screenwriter, because the book can be so easily pictured while reading, exactly like a movie (hopefully it will be someday).

I will happily be promoting this book like crazy on my tiktok (@hauntedhousebooks)
TYSM for letting me be an ARC reader for this one. You've made a fan for life.

For Natalie Covington and Henry Thorne, only one thing is certain: things are about to get out of control.

What kind of control do you have when your boyfriend is the man on campus?

What kind of control do you have when the hot, new guy seems to be into you?

What kind of control do you have when someone tries to kill you?

Oh but, when you finally feel that control its terrifying but amazing.

Come along for the ride as Natalie begins to find out her past and who she is becoming. I am SO happy this is a trilogy. Fantasy and mystery fans alike will love this book and be begging for more.

Thank you @netgalley for letting me preview this book.

This was so good. I was absorbed into the story and the characters lives. I can't wait for the next two book to findbout what happens next!
I just reviewed Control by Melissa Cassera. #ControlNovel #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

I really enjoyed this book! It gave me a bit of Shatter Me vibes, which I really loved. This book was an easy and interesting read. Curiosity really can get the best of someone and for some it can be their downfall. Henry, Natalie and Wes all test this curiously time and time again balancing on that very thin line. Being able to read from both Henry and Natalie’s perspective gives you more understanding of what each character is going through and experiencing, which I really appreciated. The tension and anxiety between the two characters take a direction I would have never imagined. Their curiosity causing them become intertwined while trying to keep their secrets from getting out. Each character is fighting their own battle of life that are somehow connected with each others. The build up from the first half to the second half of the book was done very well. The details and story line was laid out so it could hit the ground running in the second half. I am curious of where the next book will go. I have so many questions!
I received this copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book! It gave me a bit of Shatter Me vibes, which I really loved. This book was an easy and interesting read. Curiosity really can get the best of someone and for some it can be their downfall. Henry, Natalie and Wes all test this curiously time and time again balancing on that very thin line. Being able to read from both Henry and Natalie’s perspective gives you more understanding of what each character is going through and experiencing, which I really appreciated. The tension and anxiety between the two characters take a direction I would have never imagined. Their curiosity causing them become intertwined while trying to keep their secrets from getting out. Each character is fighting their own battle of life that are somehow connected with each others. The build up from the first half to the second half of the book was done very well. The details and story line was laid out so it could hit the ground running in the second half. I am curious of where the next book will go. I have so many questions!
I received this copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Had to DNF 50% through. Usually, I'm not a fan of the insta-love trope but I can get behind it if the characters and relationship are good. Unfortunately, that was not the case here. The characters felt one-dimensional and like they were out of a badly written teen drama from the early 2000s. The love interest was very creepy and even a bit abusive in his stalker-like infatuation and he wasn't well-written enough to make those qualities feel sexy rather than off-putting. The relationship between the two characters lacked chemistry. I can be convinced to read a book with sub-par writing (this book) so long as the relationship is addicting (here it was not). I went into this book knowing it was going to be more of a teen paranormal romance but I still wish the plot was a bit more developed and the world fleshed out more. The characters don't question anything until 45% into the book and then they do a complete 180 out of the blue. Overall, not one I will be recommending.

I had to DNF this. I had no idea it would have abusive relationships and it made me uncomfortable. The way the male lead talks about owning a girl he's never met gave me the creeps even though he does admit that it's wrong to think that way. I'm not the type of person that can read something like that and keep going. It also reads really young though they talk about mature topics. I was very intrigued by the premise but the problematic stuff was just too much for me.

Control is a book that follows Natalie Covington as she starts her year of school at Lockwood. For all of her life, Natalie has been what to do, who to date, what the wear, and how to act - and everything changes when she meets Henry Thorne. Trying to understand why she seems so drawn to Henry, Natalie gets thrust into a world she knows nothing of. Caught between a world that she's always known and uncovered secrets, one thing is clear - life will never be the same. Personally, I really enjoyed this book and the dual POV between Natalie and Henry made it even more exciting. I spent the entirety of the novel rooting for Henry, who is the underdog in so many senses of the word. Once I picked this book up, I couldn't put it down. Absolutely infectious. I cannot wait until the second book comes out!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Melissa Cassera for this eARC of Control in exchange for an honest review.

Control by Melissa Cassera was the craziest book I’ve read!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

She had me reading this book until 2am, because I needed answers, I got some.. but ALREADY starving for the next book in this trilogy😭

This book was filled with drama, suspense, twists & turns with a sprinkle of spice that will leave your brain dripping out of your ears. Melissa did an amazing job dropping all the details needed to make the twists ACTUALLY work and make sense {the drama that is gonna be in this next book 🤯} !! The writing was concise, which made the book super fast paced and easy to read! Though this book is in a contemporary setting it was bursting with Paranormal romance; so we got ALL the vibes! Fantasy, thriller, romance & mystery, upper YA 😈; it will leave you NEEDING ANWERS!!

I went in basically blind, it’s one of my favorite ways to read books & I highly recommend because it makes the story unravelling even more addicting

BUT if you want a synopsis this to you from me; a bunch of rich kids live are going to school on a island. They aren’t allowed to leave, no phones and cameras watching them. Our FMC is Natalie, she is trying to survive Jack and living in this hell hole. The light at the end of the tunnel seems to be this scholarship kid named Henry? Well stud muffin has been having these visions that are scary as hell… about Natalie. If you love a misunderstood, foul mouth MC & a FMC who takes charge you gotta check this book in March!!

4.5/5⭐️ my only wish is that there was a little more relationship building between some of characters & scenarios, is it a teenager drama yes, they are older 18-19 and this trilogy will go Until they are in there 20s, there’s room to grow! I think the miscommunication give it more yearning and tension! I loved all the tropes in this book, But overall it didn’t take away from this incredible mind blowing & unique story!!

Release date: March 28th, 2023!!
You can pre-order the book on Amazon, Barns and Nobels, Apple Books & Kobo💚

#controlnovel #netgalley

tl;dr
Messy soapy teen drama with a paranormal twist. Hits a few of my personal peeves, including jealous boyfriend and miscommunication.

Thoughts
The author's notes at the end describe this book as a guilty pleasure soapy read, and I can see why. It's packed with messy teens, high drama, jealousy, dark family secrets, and a big paranormal twist partway through that almost seems to shift the genre. Unfortunately, it turns out guilty pleasures and soap are not my thing. Some of my least favorite storytelling flourishes are in here. He grabs her to keep from walking away when she wants to leave. He secretly follows her back to her room for her own safety. Sometimes he gets violent when other guys get too close. He just can't help himself. I don't vibe with that. Also, everyone jumps to a lot of conclusions. Both POV characters become wildly jealous seeing the other merely hanging out with someone. Misunderstandings propel a lot of the drama. I found myself yelling "what if you just talked to each other?" I'm just not clicking with the leads and their relationship, it seems. If you are unlike me and you enjoy the things I listed, feel free to get excited, because it's all in there. There're also some well-telegraphed paranormal twists and a lot of dark family mysteries hinted at, with a cliffhanger that promises even more drama in the next installment.

3.5 stars

Control depicts the story of Natalie and Henry, two unlikely allies in the chaos of private school, lost among the possibility of supernatural abilities and mysterious organisations.

I enjoyed this book; the dual perspectives were engaging and kept the story moving. The fantasy elements of the novel were intriguing, and I'm looking forward to the next instalments of the series to find out more - I'm particularly intrigued by the ending and where it will lead.

However, while the writing made this a four-star read, I had some issues that took it down to 3.5.

For instance:
1. The beginning and the end of the novel felt a little disjoined. I felt that the events didn't flow the way I would have expected them to.
2. Additionally, for a story set in a reclusive, guarded school, the characters can move in and out quite freely - it felt easy for the convenience of the novel.
3. As for the characters, I found Wes quite frustrating, particularly with his constant sexually motivated conversational approach with Natalie - it was so persistent that it began to bother me. This leads me to the forced "connection" between Natalie and Wes (there are later developments in their relationship, but before that happens, I wasn't engaged).

Overall, this was a page-turner with an interesting magical system that delivers a strong setup for future sequels. A worthwhile read!

I would like to say a huge thank you to NetGalley and Mogul Scarf Productions, Inc. for the opportunity to read and review this book! All opinions are my own!

Melissa Cassera does a great job in creating a great paranormal romance going on. It was a great start to the Lockwood Trilogy series and I enjoyed every part of the journey. The characters were what I was expecting and I was hooked in the world itself. I'm excited to see where this series will go and from the author.

"I try to shake Natalie from my mind as the line inches forward, but within seconds, I’m fisting my hands again, frustration brewing. Whatever my intention with Natalie, it’s no excuse. It was shitty of me to push her, and I need to apologize. But what am I supposed to say? Oh, I’m sorry, Natalie, but I was having a vision about your murder, so I hope you accept my apology."

This books centers around two high school seniors, Natalie and Henry. They both attend the prestigious Lockwood Academy. Henry begins to have visions about Natalie and her death, and Henry can't do anything about it. Or can he?

This one was a wild ride. I was sucked in from the beginning with Natalie's attitude and world view, and I stayed for a fast-paced fantasy thriller. My heart breaks for Henry. He's just a victim of circumstances through the whole book and I hope we get better outcomes for him in the next book. My suspicions about Wes were proved correct with the bonus chapter, and I'm glad Natalie agrees!

I definitely recommend this book if you're looking for a fun and mysterious read!