Wow! This is quite the rollercoaster! Told from three different voices, the life and death of Hattie is meticulously dissected to find her murderer. Hattie is quite the actress and very manipulative. The high school English teacher is caught in her web and the sheriff just wants to solve the case of who killed his best friend's daughter. The story is very fast paced, keeping the reader engaged to the end. Highly recommended!

I cringed when I started reading this book and the main character was a high school senior. I don't do YA anymore because there is too much teenage angst. It goes with the age and I'm beyond that age and then some. Then when a male, high-school English teacher entered the story, I groaned out loud.

That said, I continued reading and liked the book overall. My favorite character was the police chief. He was tough yet caring. He tried not to let the emotion aspect of the case cloud his job of finding the killer. And he did his job well.

There were a lot of components to the story that drew me in and got me to care and sympathize this the characters. I admired how the English teacher loved his wife and tried so hard to reignite their relationship. I couldn't understand his wife's distance at first but I even sympathized with her towards the end.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. The mystery wasn't easy to solve and my guesses as to who the murderer was kept jumping from one to another person and back again. I will watch for future books by Mindy Mejia.

I learned a new technique while reading this book. Each chapter starts with a character's name and a date. If this had been a paper book I would have left a bookmark at the beginning of each chapter so I could flip back and forth to see if what I was reading took place before or after "the defining event." Since I was reading an ebook I couldn't do that so I highlighted the title of each chapter. When I needed to reference what I was reading I just looked at the highlights. It really worked quicker than flipping back and forth in a paper book.

Mindy Mejia’s EVERYTHING YOU WANT ME TO leads us to deadly dark secrets and lies of a small rural town. The good daughter, turns up murdered, leaving the town in shock. Haunting, twisty, and psychologically rich the author will keep you guessing until the end.

Hattie Hoffman is living in a small rural town in Minnesota. She attends a small high school, Pine Valley. Like most teens with ambition and dreams, they cannot wait to escape the small- town community for the big city.

In this case, Hattie has set her mind on New York City, for an acting career on Broadway. If she needs to use a few people along the way, she will manipulate to her advantage. She has played lots of parts, in her life trying to be what everyone wants her to be.

Told from three POVs, we hear from Del, Hattie, and Peter. A young girl’s dreams, loves, desires, and ambitions. Her secrets. Her last year of high school, which is to be special, turns into a deadly nightmare.

Peter Lund, her English teacher, is a bad marriage. His wife is not the nicest woman and too focused on other things to satisfy her hubby. Of course, an affair begins between Hattie and Peter. The two keep their secrets, and throw everyone off course, while Hattie begins dating the high school jock, Tommy.

However, she never truly warms up to Tommy (if you know what I mean), because she has her sights set on bigger things and getting action elsewhere. Hattie was going places and Tommy was not. We also are introduced to parents Bud and Mona and fishing buddy, Sherriff, Del.

As the book opens, Hattie is planning her escape. The play was finished and she has her bags packed. She has written her note and planned her meet up at the barn. On the night she plans her getaway, she has all her cards lined up perfectly. However, her well-laid plans do not go as intended.

She is stabbed to death in the Erickson barn. Brutally murdered. She also had sex before the murder, not rape. The town is shocked. Del, the family friend is leading the murder investigation and the suspicions point to Tommy and Peter. However, could it be someone else? What about Peter’s wife, or someone else? The parents are devastated. Did they really know their daughter?

Hattie had spent her entire life playing parts, being whatever “they” wanted her to be, focused on everyone around her while inside she felt like she was sitting in the exact same spot. She was her parent’s only daughter. Who could have murdered Hattie Hoffman?

The child who was going to succeed and make a new life away from Pine Valley and marry some hotshot lawyer and come home for the holidays with a kid or two. She was not supposed to the child who was going to die. They had worried more about their son Greg, who went to Afghanistan. A life cut short.

From the Dairy Queen to other small town characters, high school, a marriage, a farm, and three main characters with events leading up to the murder. From a girl who worked at the local CVS photo counter, a dangerous affair, to high school theatrics - a girl who wanted what she wanted. A man caught in the middle, and a Sherriff, father, and mother, seeking the truth.

A contemporary young adult suspense, ideal for those who enjoy a little Macbeth and Shakespeare mixed with mystery.

Depending on the reader, each person will have their own person they may have more sympathy for than others. I enjoyed the book version, much more than the audio version. Del’s narrator was very poorly done. However, recommend the book and ideal for book clubs and further discussions. An author to follow!

A special thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy for review consideration.

JDCMustReadBooks

Fast-paced and enjoyable mystery with several good twists and turns, about a teenage girl named Hattie who is murdered, told from the perspective of the detective (and family friend) investigating the murder, and from the perspectives of Hattie and her English teacher in the year leading up to the murder. In addition to being a good mystery, it was also very interesting as a psychological portrait of Hattie, who as the title suggests tries very hard to be everything everyone in her life wants her to be, in a fascinating but kind of disturbing way - not really a sympathetic character but the book makes you engage with her nonetheless. I thought I had figured out the mystery fairly early on, but was actually surprised by the ending, in a good way. I can see this book being a big bestseller. 4.5 stars.

This was a story of Hattie a master manipulator with many faces and essentially the dangerous path to her murder. Great debut from the author she kept us guessing till the end. Very entertaining and enjoyable.

Hattie Hoffman had spent her entire 18 years trying to be everything to everyone in the novel titled Everything You Want Me to Be by Mindy Mejia. When with her family she is exactly what they expect and the same goes for when she is with her friends. In her life, she is the best actress. And that is what she strives to do when she graduates from high school, go to New York to be an actress. But her plans get derailed when she becomes infatuated with a man she meets in an online chat room. Then she is found stabbed to death in a deserted barn following the night of her appearance in the high school production of the play Macbeth.

The story is revealed through the viewpoint of three characters Hattie herself, Peter Lund, the high school English teacher and sheriff Del Goodman. Each of these narrators offers a different look at Hattie and her world. And from the outside looking in, it seems that Hattie has the perfect situation. But through her actions, Hattie becomes the character that elicits both endearment and aversion.
This murder mystery, character study, and psychological tale is a sad one. Many lives are destroyed. A web of love, innocence and deceit shatters futures. As the story unravels, the mystery of Hattie’s death comes to a swift and unexpected conclusion.

Mejia drew me into the story so that I became distressed at Hattie’s and/or Peter’s behavior when new situations arose. I found myself trying to will the characters to make the right decisions as relationships began to evolve and I realized what consequences might result from their wrong choices.

Character development makes the book a good read and Hattie’s brutal and mysterious death keeps the reader guessing. I would recommend this book as an engaging character study with a mysterious outcome.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book.

The story starts with Hattie running away from home, to start a new life. The only problem is she didn't think her plan out too well and encountered problems which made her desert her plans, but the next day we find out she had been murdered and that is how I found out the story was a Murder-Mystery, not romance book which made me a bit sad but I also love crime solving book, so I was also happy.

Hattie has always been good at acting how people in her life expect her to, she had everything down to a perfect T. No one really knew who the true Hattie was and I don't even think she knew who she truly was aside from knowing she was a sensational actress. She was scary in the fact that she is so cunning and manipulatively without seeming to be, to her victims which set her out as a spectacular character.

The narrators are Hattie, Sheriff Goodman, and Peter Lund.

Yes, Hattie is dead, but we really need to know her story to understand the lead up to her death, because it has been ruled out that Hattie had been killed by someone close to her.

Sheriff Goodman was key in figuring out who had killed Hattie and why. For it was a personal case to him for he's best of friends with the deceased father and had known her since she was little. He was good and true to himself and his job.

Peter Lund, I didn't get his role in the story until later. His story is a bit predictable.

Out of the three point of views the story mainly follows, I found myself disliking Hattie the most.

The ending and finding out who did it, who killed Hattie didn't come as a surprise or shock to me in the end and the ending felt kind of rushed, I don't know.

I would like to say this book was alright, but it didn't give me the certain thrill I get from reading crime-solving and mystery books. I couldn't connect with characters and I had to force myself to go all the way with the book. Ms. Mejia did a good job with writing this book and I am very sure that a lot of people will find this book extremely wonderful and everything, but it was just an alright read for me.

I received an ARC of Everything You Want Me To Be from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This book is everything you want a psychological thriller to be! It is engrossing, twisty, and suspenseful. I was pretty confident I knew who the killer was but the author had surprised me when the murderer was revealed. The writing in Everything You Want Me To Be is flawless and brilliant. This book was very hard to put down and by far exceeded my expectations. It probably is one of the best in the genre and a must read. Run, don't walk to a bookstore to get your hands on this twisted beauty!

I absolutely love books that keep me guessing - not just who did it, but why, and how and when! This book had me on my toes until the very last page! "Everything You Want Me To Be" is an amazingly twisty page turner, that is insightfully written, and I completely loved it!
First off, I have to say this book is super hard to review without giving spoilers! So, if it seems like there are big ol' holes of information - it is only to be sure that I do not give even the slightest bit of a spoiler away! Pretty much impossible to really dig into the plot, but oh well! Definitely worth not ruining the suprise(s)!

My number one favorite about this book is the way that it is structured. "Everything You Want Me To Be" is told from three different view points - Hattie's POV, before she is murdered, Del's POV as the sheriff investigating Hattie's murder, and Peter's POV, Hattie's English teacher. The shifting view points made the pacing and plotting very fast and engaging. Just as I was tired of one voice, a new voice appeared that provided new information and a new angle on the story. I never wanted to put the book down!

The last line of the review on goodreads is the crux of why I loved this book "Everything You Want Me to Be challenges you to test the lines between innocence and culpability, identity and deception. Does love lead to self-discovery—or destruction?" - I love books where you wrestle with whose side you are on, and what that says about your own character. The thin grey line between black and white is such a challenging and engaging space for storytelling. As a reader, I felt constantly torn between hating and hoping for the characters in "Everything You Want Me To Be". I was completely engaged with the story and just completely sucked in - did I mention I had trouble putting this book down!?

Not only was the story excellent, so was the writing. Frequently in books with such an exciting plot, you don't also expect to find thoughtful quotes and beautiful writing. "Everything You Want Me To Be" has all of it though! One of my favorite quotes from the book is:

"She probably thought there were only a few years between us, but it was a lifetime- dark, undiscovered caverns of disappointment and compromises. She was the adult idealized. I was the adult that really happened"

Killer, right?

You guys, this book was amazing - the plot was on point, the characters were full and complex, and the suspense was genuine and thrilling! I also love that this book is a genre bender- I really think it would appeal to YA readers, new adult readers, and, of course, general fiction lovers like myself!

People in small towns seem to know everything about their neighbor. Hattie Hoffman was no exception. The local darling had set her sights on moving to the big city after graduation which seemed a bit far-fetched to some in her small Minnesota farming community. But nothing could be more shocking than what actually does become of Hattie. Her body is discovered in an abandoned barn a few weeks before graduation leaving the entire town wondering not only about the identity of Hattie's killer, but also how well they really "knew" Hattie.

If you are a huge fan of psychological thrillers like I am, you know that sometimes we struggle with finding "that" book. You know what I'm talking about, the one that keeps you turning the pages so fast you see sparks. It's also the one that keeps you guessing until the very last page. The struggle to find that book is real my friends, but struggle no more - this is "that" book.

Everything You Want Me to Be by Mindy Mejia is the kind of book I immediately tell all my bibliophile friends about. From the first page this book got my attention and kept it. It is deliciously descriptive and so well-written that I couldn't tear myself away. It is one of those books that you just can't put down.

The story is presented from 3 different points of view. First by Hattie Hoffman, who is our 18 yr old protagonist, then by Del Goodman, who is a good friend of Hattie's father and the town sheriff in charge of Hattie's murder investigation. Last we have Peter Lund, who is a recent transplant to the small town of Pine Valley, and the High School's new English teacher. Through their eyes the story unfolds and thrusts the reader forward with all it's suspenseful twists and turns.

You see, our girl Hattie loves to act. She has big dreams of leaving her small town and becoming a star in New York City. But, she doesn't confine her acting abilities to the stage. Hattie is the girl everybody wants her to be; the good daughter, the model student, the best friend. She plays all her roles to perfection. And when she is found stabbed to death, the whole town is turned upside down that something like this could not only happen in their town, but to their golden girl.

There is so much to this story and the people who tell it. I could excitedly go on for an hour about it and tell you how fabulous it is, but instead I'll just tell you this.....READ IT!!!!! I know about 3 other people who have, and we all agree that it is not to be missed.

Mindy Mejia is a fantastic storyteller. This lady knows her stuff! This book is SO good!! So if you love to be taken on a literary roller coaster ride you need to go out right now and find this book. And then you can thank me later.

I received an arc of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and would like to thank the publisher for allowing me to review this fantastic book. I will definitely be watching to see what Mindy Mejia comes up with next.

I don't know what I expected this book to be, exactly, but it was one of those books that grabs from its first sentence to its last. There is some meandering between timelines and it's told in three POV but it all just worked. I read this one so fast because I was so intrigued and I did not see the ending coming. I thought I had it figured it out but that was turned on its head at the very end and I loved that! This was my second 2017 release and both it and History of Wolves are set in Minnesota. Totally unplanned but it was very interesting to think about both book in that context - one in the north of the state and this one in the south. They were both stoic and stark in their own ways. I would also be remiss if I didn't tell you that this author created one of the best formed, articulated and complex characters I've ever read in Hattie Hoffman - such an effortless read but I am sure that writing it took everything.

Everything You Want Me To Be came out earlier this week on January 3, 2017, and you can purchase HERE. I definitely recommend this one if you like a good mystery!

Out of nowhere I remembered my grandpa's silent, tear-streaked face in that depressing nursing home room. It was probably the last time anyone should be thinking about their dead grandfather, like some final proof of how unnatural I was, but in that moment I understood, finally, how love could be too much for our bodies to hold.

Where to begin.... The summary for the book made me think that it might be a good read, but I kept putting off reading it. Each time I read the summary, I was less drawn to the story. Today, I decided that I was going to read it because I had received it from the publisher for a review.

Wow! I was caught from the beginning. I won't give any spoilers because this is one read that you should go into with no pre-formed ideas (as I did). It was a dramatic story with several twists - and I had the killer pegged a little over half way into the book - but I had to *know* exactly what had happened and how. Imagine my surprise, when everything I thought I knew evaporated! I thought the author did a great job with the story and I was very pleased with the ending...although it was not a "happy" ending. The entire story was tragic - but I couldn't put the book down!

I have to admit, I was once just like Hattie; I became whomever I needed to be for that part of my life (perfect student, perfect daughter, perfect girlfriend, perfect employee), until I wasn't. After reading the book, I am sure that is what really drew me to the story, and fear of what I might discover about myself kept me from reading it sooner. Message - be yourself; don't put on an act for anyone or anything.

**Received from NetGalley for my honest review.**

This is a top-notch suspenseful psychological thriller. Hattie Hoffman is a whipsmart senior in high school who is brutally murdered. This isn’t a spoiler because we find this out in the very beginning. The story goes back and forth between the present day murder investigation (2008 actually) and the events leading up to it through three different POVs: Hattie, the sheriff investigating her murder, and Peter Lund, an English high school teacher. It was all about the characters for me. This book is addicting and you’ll want to do nothing else but just get to the end already once you start reading. A smart thriller that not only makes you question whether you truly can know somebody but how well do you know yourself?

A community is left reeling after a beloved high school senior (Hattie) is found murdered. Who killed Hattie and why?

This book kept me guessing, and I thoroughly enjoyed trying to figure out who killed Hattie and why. The story is told from 3 points of view: (1) Hattie (2) Sheriff Del, who is also a close friend of Hattie's father, and (3) Peter, Hattie's English teacher.

Hattie spent most of her life acting, both on and off the stage. Just like the title, she tried very hard to be "everything you want me to be." She enjoyed figuring out what behavior was expected from each person in her life and acting accordingly. After her death, her fellow drama club members tried to blame it on the Macbeth curse, which added even more intrigue to the story. Last but not least, I found it very sad and upsetting that Hattie had finally discovered her true self right before she was murdered. This one kept me guessing until the very last page, and I will be recommending it to everyone that enjoys a great thriller!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Compulsively addicting! Kept me guessing the whole way through. Loved how the story alternated POVs... really worked great in fully developing the characters.

We know from the beginning what happens, but the unraveling of how and why it happened is what makes this story hard to put down. The story is told from the viewpoint of three different people, a format that I totally enjoy. I would recommend this title highly.

"What could happen to any of us if we pursue our darkest desires? What do we lose of ourselves when we cross that line? What does it cost those around us?"

High school senior Hattie Hoffman seems to have it all. She's confident, popular, whip-smart, ambitious, loved by her friends and family, doted on by her football star boyfriend, and ridiculously talented on the stage. She dreams of escaping the small Minnesota town where she's spent her whole life, to pursue an acting career in New York City.

But what most people, even those who think they know her, don't fully realize is just how much of her seemingly-perfect life is an act. She's a chameleon, shifting her demeanor and attitude to suit her environment and get what she wants - as the devoted best friend, the top student, the twitterpated girlfriend, the loving daughter, the friendly CVS photo clerk.

"You say you're just acting, but you're fracturing yourself into a thousand pieces, and every time I see another piece, you're gone again. You turn into someone else, a crowd of someone elses, and it makes me wonder if there's any such thing as Hattie Hoffman."

When Hattie is found brutally stabbed to death the day after opening night of her high school's production of "Macbeth," in which she plays the female lead of Lady Macbeth, another more dangerous role Hattie has played throughout her senior year comes to light.

The sinister story of how Hattie met her demise unfolds from the alternating perspectives of County Sheriff Del Goodman (who happens to be a close friend of the Hoffman family), Hattie's English teacher and drama director Peter Lund, and Hattie herself.

Although the story jumps around somewhat, as Del's role in the book doesn't factor in until he begins investigating Hattie's death, Mindy Mejia succeeds in weaving together the narratives of all three central characters to lay out what went wrong. She manages this by bringing in Del's take typically whenever a piece of the puzzle is introduced regarding what Hattie has been up to during the school year.

There are so many twists and turns in the story that, just when I thought I knew who killed Hattie, Mejia would deliver another bombshell and my suspicions would shift. This kept up literally until the last few pages and I was in total shock when the real killer was revealed.

The depth of the main characters is just unreal. Mejia could devote entire novels not only to Hattie (who, in a nutshell - ha, she is kinda nuts, actually - is a teenage version of Amy from "Gone Girl") but about Del, about Hattie's parents and active-military brother Greg, about Peter and his emotionally-distant wife Mary, etc. The best part about this is that their personal histories don't detract from the main plot. Instead, they enhance it. Their own experiences outside of knowing Hattie seem to shape how they handle her death and the dramatic investigation that ensues. I found myself grieving with them, even though I knew Hattie had pulled the wool over their eyes. She was still their daughter, their friend, etc.

Throughout the book, there is a pulsing undercurrent of fear and anger as the community demands answers. That really adds a lot to the small-town setting, really makes Pine Valley come alive.

Hats off to Mejia for the way she approached the investigation aspect. If she didn't already have inside knowledge of law enforcement and forensics, she must have done her homework (at least as far as I can tell, given my very limited expertise). The conversations between Del and his chief deputy, the searches for evidence, Del's interactions with suspects and Hattie's friends and family - all of it seems pretty believable for a work of fiction. There are a couple of times when Del says or does things that seem a bit questionable, but they're so minor I can't even recall them.

"Everything You Want Me to Be" is a masterfully-written, captivating and unpredictable tale of how a small town can harbor dark secrets, and how easily we can be fooled by someone we think we know like the back of our hand.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

EverythingYou Want Me To Be
Mindy Mejia Author
Hattie was a wonderful daughter, a great performer who loves acting, is an excellent student and the perfect girl next door. She is full of life and yearned for more.
She learned to not show her true emotions and be who ever everyone else wanted her to be. She was a people pleaser.
Del is the small town Sheriff of Pine Valley a rural farming town where everybody knows everybody else and their life history. He truly cares about everyone.
Peters the new high school english teacher who has been uprooted from the city to the farming community. He moves here temporally so his wife Mary can take care of her ailing mother and take care of the farm.
This is a well written book that keeps you wanting to read more. The characters evolve through out the book as you read the story from three different views.
There are a lot of surprises in the and some of the story is predictable. The ending has a twist you will not expect.
This book does make you wonder why some people always do the right thing for others and accept that freely because that makes them happy, and others do what makes themselves happy whether it be temporarily or long term with no thought of who it effects . Is there a right or wrong? What is right for who?
I recieved a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Wow, wow, wow. This book was much more than I expected. Everything You Want Me to Be is an exceptional debut novel by Mindy Mejia. It’s hard for me to categorize it into a single genre. It has bits of suspense, psychological thriller, police procedural, YA, and family drama, all wrapped up in a big ball of rapid page-turning unputdownability.

This is a story told from 3 points of view and in two rather close time frames. We have Hattie, a very unique and quite brilliant high school senior; her AP English teacher, Peter Lund; and sheriff Del Goodman. In chapter 2, someone is found dead. The rest of the story centers on who committed the murder and why it happened. This is NOT, as mentioned above, a simple police procedural; this is an intricately woven tale of love, deceit, loss of control, remorse, sorrow and issues with self-identity (note the title). I was really wrung out at the end of this, in a good way.

The characters are wonderfully drawn, especially Hattie and Peter, but the more minor members of the cast are also well characterized. There also are not that many people to keep track of, which is always a plus. The setting was especially meaningful to me--southeast Minnesota, where I have lived for the last 36 years. On many occasions I could clearly visualize where the action was occurring—even that “dirt road off the highway just south of Zumbrota.”

The plot mesmerized me. I couldn’t stop turning the pages, not because of unbearable suspense, but because of sheer intrigue. How was this all going to shake out? And even more importantly, what would be the consequences to all involved? Plenty of little bombshells were dropped along the way to blow up my ever-changing theories. And so much to think about as this all played out, including what would I do if I were in the positions some of these people found themselves in.

The only thing I can think of to criticize is that at times I got confused as to when in the timeline a specific event occurred. This is a minor complaint.

Bottom line is I enjoyed the heck out of this book. It left me with a lump in my throat and much to consider. I highly recommend it to all readers who are looking for a good story. I eagerly await the author’s next offering and will be first in line to grab it.

Many thanks to Net Galley, Atria Books, and Ms. Mindy Mejia for providing me with an ARC of this book. The opinions expressed above are mine alone and not biased in any way.