"You turn into someone else, a crowd of someone elses, and it makes me wonder if there's any such thing as Hattie Hoffman."

To her parents, Hattie is the perfect daughter, the spunky Minnesota farm girl who does well in school and never causes trouble. To her friends, Hattie is the perfect listener who is always there for them. To her boyfriend, she's the sweet and loving girl, too pure and hesitant to "go all the way." To Peter Lund, her high school English teacher, she is a predator, an over-sexed sociopath who will stop at nothing to have him. And goodness help him; he wants to let her.

To Sheriff Del Goodman, Hattie Hoffman is a murder victim. Someone stabbed this eighteen-year-old budding actress and threw her into a lake one chilly, Minnesotan night. But who? The key to finding her killer is in discovering the true Hattie Hoffman-- someone not even she knew until it was too late.

This is one of the best thrillers I've read in a long time. Hattie is such a complex, fantastic character. I rooted for her. I wanted to strangle her. Del is the perfect hard boiled detective, in that rural mid-west kind of way.

One of the reasons I've soured on psychological thrillers is that the plots have become increasingly sadistic and improbable in order to earn the distinction of the twist you'll never see coming! This book manages to be completely surprising and suspenseful in a manner that's also realistic. The writing quality surpasses most others in the genre. Solid 4 star read.

I enjoyed reading this book. This was one of those books that pulled me into the story pretty quickly. I knew that things would go horribly wrong but I just couldn't look away. I had to know exactly what happened and I wanted Hattie to tell me. The way that the story unfolded really added to the story. This is a book that I am very glad that I decided to pick up.

One of the first things that struck me about this book was the fact that it is told in a nonlinear manner. I am not usually a fan of this method of story telling and I have to say that I was rather disappointed to see that this book was told in such a manner. It worked wonderfully in this story. It wasn't hard to keep track of where the story was in time and having the characters tell their story as it was taking place was really powerful.

This book is told from three points of view. Del is the sheriff of a small town who is working to solve a murder. Hattie is a senior in high school who dreams of leaving the small town she has lived her life in to move to New York. Peter is the school's new English teacher who has just moved to town. All three of these characters play an important part of unraveling what really happened to Hattie.

I liked the characters even though I am not sure why I do with the exception of Del. Del is a likeable guy who is in a bad place. He needs to solve Hattie's murder but is getting a lot of pressure from everyone in town not to mention that Hattie's father is one of his best friends. Hattie is kind of hard to like at first. She is manipulative and seems to think she is better than others in her town. I liked her anyway especially as the book progressed. Peter seemed lost throughout a lot of the book. He is never sure what he wants to do and feels guilty with a lot of his choices. I thought Peter felt really authentic and I liked him even when I wanted to throw things at him.

I would recommend this book to others. It tells a story that kept me guessing up until the very end. This is the first book by Mindy Mejia that I have had a chance to read but I plan to look for her work in the future.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Atria Books via NetGalley.

"You can't live your life acting for other people. Other people will just use you up. You have to know yourself and figure out what you want. I can't do that for you. Nobody can."

Holy cow. This one will keep you guessing, right up until the end.

Mindy Mejia weaves a story that will leave you breathless and second guessing... everything. Hattie Hoffman is a high school senior who plays so many parts in life, that she even starts blurring the lines between real and made up. She's a different character to everyone she encounters. Then she turns up dead. The local sheriff tries to piece together Hattie's ever changing life, to figure out who murdered the senior who had a bright future. How do you figure out a puzzle where the pieces don't fit together?

Hattie is young, yet everything she does is so calculated and twisted. Once you start peeling away the layers, you'll find yourself shaking your head in disbelief. In the center of everything is a scandal can will turn her small town upside down. If it comes to light, it'll spoil everything she's worked hard to accomplish.

Once I picked this one up, I was pulled into Hattie's world. I needed to keep reading. It starts off innocent enough, but quickly picks up speed and forces you to jump into the unknown feet first. Even once clues are given, you'll still be in the dark... until the very end.

Well written and starts in such a surprising way and is just written in such an interesting way!

My first 5 star rating this year! This book revolves around 3 main characters: Hattie Hoffman who has big dreams of escaping her small town after graduation is found murdered in an abandoned barn; Del who is the sheriff of the small town of Pine Valley investigating Hattie's murder; and Peter who is a city boy forced to move to Pine Valley due to his mother-in-law's illness and becomes the high school literature teacher. Each chapter is told from one of the 3 main characters points of view. What seems like a simple "who done it" mystery book turns into a deep philosophical book (if you choose to make it so): Who are we really and what parts we do we play? Is something wrong due to what society's standards are or because we are not being honest with ourselves and others in following our desires? Should we be responsible and keep our obligations or do we follow our dreams? And at the heart of it, are we the heroes or the villains in our own lives? There were so many strong female characters in this book, especially Hattie's mom and Peter's wife, who keep on going despite how tired or in pain they are and some deep relationships and conversations that I feel we could all learn from. This was definitely more than a mystery novel and more than a young adult/ coming of age novel. It left me with a lot to think about long after I put this book down.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.

Wow. What a wild and wicked ride. Hatitie Hoffman is just your typical high school student waiting for life after high school. Or was she? On the outside she seemed perfect. Everything seemed perfect. She dreamed of going to New York and becoming a broadway actress. She had plans. Big plans.

Then she is found murdered after her opening night of her last high school play. She was fantastic and ecstatic. But what happened between then and when she is found murdered?

We get the events leading up to her death in three point of views, Hatitie, Peter and Del. All bring us a different side to the story, but each piece just as important and relevant.

To those around her, Hattie was happy, intelligent, and talented. They saw a girl who was a good friend, student, and girlfriend. But who was she really?

The story we get reveals who Hattie was, her last year of high school and what ultimately leads to her death. I was pulled in quickly and kept drawn in by the author. I really enjoyed this story and found it very interesting with the three different point of views.

This was a 4.5 read for me.

Guys, this book is a great thriller. Mindy does a hell of a job & she tricked me, which is what I want in a mystery.

We have Peter, the new teacher in town who is married to Mary, a farm girl returning home to help her ailing mother, Elsa. Peter feels trapped in the small town of Pine Valley & it's hurting his marriage. He didn't sign up for this; I mean, he's a vegetarian living on the homestead.

Hattie is the girl you see around town, but she always leaves you wanting a bit more. After graduation, she is moving to NYC with Broadway dreams & her CVS paycheck- good luck, right? She's smart, cunning & reserved, but she's still a teenager finding her way. Then, she's murdered in an abandoned barn.

Del, the sheriff. He is determined to find Hattie's killer & he happens to be best friends with her parents, Bud & Mona. The pressure is on & time is ticking. There's only so many suspects in this small town, so he's skipping lunch at Dairy Queen & starts knocking on doors.

I love the residents of Pine Valley, MN & this town is the perfect backdrop for Mindy's characters. The farmers are hardworking, the bloodlines are deep & the walls of the houses are thin. Mindy weaves all these details about each character, their histories with one another & their connection to the town, which makes the story all the more relatable. This novel is smart, dark & well written. It's the perfect read for any mystery lover & a book I would want by my side while traveling & I'm Really Into it. It's out today!!!

This book has one of those intriguing premises that hooks me immediately. When I see that a book is a multi-perspective novel about a murder that takes place in a small town, I'm always going to want to read it.

Since this is a mystery, there's very little I can say without giving the story away, but I will say that I absolutely loved this book. I raced through it because I was so desperate to find out what happened to Hattie. This book alternates between Hattie and two men that are very important in her life, Del, the sheriff who is tasked with solving her murder, and Peter, her English and drama teacher. My favourite part of this novel was the incredible way each character was developed. All three of these characters were interesting to read from and I loved each of them, especially because they were flawed and they felt like real people.

Hattie was the perfect character for this book to be centered around. She was a master manipulator, a fantastic actress, and full of secrets. As a reader, you always want to be drawn in by the protagonist and even though it's her murder that starts her novel, she was still a fully fleshed-out character and it hurt to know what was going to happen to her. She was intriguing and exciting and you wanted better for her life.

This book takes place over the course of a year, and jumps back and forth in time between the three characters. The past and present timelines come together seamlessly and while the plot of this novel is by no means unique, it's still fast-paced and entertaining to read. It's full of twists, but I did see a lot of them coming. However, I don't think the main point of this novel was the murder-mystery aspect of it, but the fact that it was a really interesting character study.

The writing in this novel is also one of the best things about it. Mindy Mejia is gifted at coming up with beautiful metaphors and sentences that forced me to re-read and really think about what was being said. Using Jane Eyre and Macbeth as important literature in this novel was perfect (and the reader will fully understand why these two were chosen as they understand Hattie better).

Overall, this was a great start to my reading year in 2017. I expect this novel to do really well, and I can guarantee I'll be reading all of Mindy Mejia's future works.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has affected my review in no way.

Life in Pine Valley, Minnesota is quiet and peaceful, some would even say that it was boring. That is until one spring day the body of eighteen-year-old Hattie is found in an old barn. Things like this just don't happen in Pine Valley and the whole town is buzzing with who could have killed Hattie. She was brutally murdered and it is up to Sheriff Del Goodman to find out who killed her and why. As more information is revealed you learn that Hattie was not the good girl that everybody thought she was. She had dreams and aspirations and was not willing to let anybody get in her way. Will the Sheriff be able to solve Hattie's murder before the whole town goes crazy with fear and rumors?

Everything You Want Me To Be is pretty much every parent's worst nightmare, especially if they are the parent of a teen. The title of the book one of the most accurate titles ever - almost heartbreakingly so. The book is told from three different viewpoints - Hattie's, Del's, and Peter Lund. Peter is Hattie's high school English teacher and was forced to move to Pine Valley to care for his wife's sick mother. The timeline jumps around a bit, leading up to the crime (Hattie and Peter) and after the crime (the Sheriff). Hattie has grand illusions of leaving Pine Valley for New York City but is hindered by her age and naivete. Hattie was like most teenage girls, she was extremely confident and possessed a self-assurance that many adults would envy. Peter Lund was a jerk. I thought he was a jerk from the very beginning, but he played such a big role in Hattie's life, he was important to the story. There were also friends of Hattie's that had huge parts in the story, like her friend Porsha and boyfriend. Ultimately, the killer is revealed and I wasn't that shocked. I hadn't figured out the killer, but it wasn't that shocking. - CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS

Bottom line - I really enjoyed Everything You Wanted Me To Be. It wasn't the type of mystery that has you on the edge of your seat, but the complexity of the story and the characters really made it a gripping novel.

Details:
Everything You Want Me To Be by Mindy Mejia
On Facebook
Pages: 352
Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Publication Date: 1/3/2017
Buy it Here!

Mindy Mejia took a somewhat cliched idea of a student-teacher love affair and created a novel that became so much more in “Everything You Want Me To Be.”

The story begins with the murder of high school senior Hattie Hoffman in rural Minnesota. Told from three different perspectives, the chapters alternate between the investigating detective who is a long-time friend of Hattie’s family, Hattie’s English teacher Peter, and Hattie – piecing together the year leading up to her death.

To me, Hattie seemed like a sad, lonely little girl never being herself and unable to figure out who she even was. Killed too soon, Hattie’s insecurities were integral to her actions. She was never comfortable in her own skin and consistently tried to find different ways of acting out.

In the same vein, her English teacher Peter came to Pine Valley on a temporary basis because his wife Mary needed to take care of her mother with congestive heart failure. Having loved their life together in Minneapolis, Peter never imagined that Mary would want to make small-town life permanent, and thus began his own downward spiral as his marriage slowly crumbled around him.

Peter and Hattie were two desperate people looking for a way out of their own lives and by chance, found each other on an internet forum for art and culture in NYC. Although extremely unlikely that two people from the same tiny town in the middle of nowhere would find themselves in an online relationship through a website dedicated to culture in a city thousands of miles away, their relationship also developed so organically that it seemed almost inevitable.

The most successful aspect of this book is all of the twists and turns Mindy Mejia incorporates, making them feel like natural progressions in Hattie’s life. Every time I was sure I knew who the murderer was, a new development came up to dispute it. This was particularly impressive because the suspects never really differed. Overall, Mindy Mejia’s writing style combined with Hattie’s vulnerability made this a quick read that I couldn’t put down.

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From the beginning I had two or three suspects (the third one you probably wouldn't expect) so the only real question was what caused them to finally snap and murder Hattie.

The real mystery was who was Hattie Hoffman; as the title suggests she's everything you'd want her to be, the good student, the good daughter, the good citizen, she's also one hell of an actress, a bit crazy and maybe just a lost little small town girl. She will make you feel many emotions for her, you'll hope for her and her big city dreams, you'll be annoyed by her naiveté (she really is just a young teen), and you'll fear and be sad for her end (she really is just a young teen).

There is no right or wrong in this story it just is. People doing what they feel is right in that moment. You might agree or you might disagree (personally I was the latter,) but you will get caught up in the lives of these characters. You will want to know how it ends.

Like waking up in the middle of the night, trying to convince yourself that you might as well keep reading seeing as how you're already awake. I can not admit that I liked or really cared about these characters (with the exception of the sheriff, he kind of is the key to the mystery) but I did care about their stories and their actions and where it would all lead.

Question: How many secrets can be exposed during an investigation into a young girl’s murder?

Answer: As many as it takes to make a gripping and satisfying mystery.

Before anyone is aware of 18 year old Hattie’s grand plan to run away to New York City, her body is discovered in an old barn. Nothing about the case is simple. More than one person in Pine Valley has a good reason to make her disappear, and it is Sheriff Goodman’s job to bring events to light that are better left in shadow. As the reader travels through her last year of life, we begin to understand just how difficult his job is going to be.

I think what I appreciated most about this book is the headlong give-it-all pace and the surprising structure as the layers in the plot and characters are revealed. It is definitely one of those books that you just need another five minutes with…until it is late, late, late, or, if you’re lucky, you finish. Not that it is incredibly deep or complex, just a fun read and entertaining YA mystery thriller (mind the aggressive sex scenes for the younger set) from a writer who is professional, solid, and confident. Even when the events are a bit convenient, it is fairly easy to accept it and enjoy the ride anyway.

Read it today!

Thanks to the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review. This review and others at annevolmering.com.

Well this book is one that grabs you on the first page! I was shocked that this writer started the story with the death and then we had the going back to the past with the victim and into the future to figure out her devastating death. I loved this, I Loved that Hattie had a voice throughout the book, she did not get left out, as a young beautiful vibrant yet immature girl. She lived through the story and that was done excellent. Some parts dragged a little for me and that had me putting the book down which usually doesn't happen. I am going to blame it on the Holidays and to much scenery talk! I'd call myself a country gal from KY but I don't look to the Tress nor the smell to make or break me on staying or going!

This was a first for me for this writer Mindy Mejia. She did a great character set up and built them up well and she had a Lot of characters, through out the book! I am glad on some we barely got the smallest of layers peeled back if not the story would have been way to long, Loved all the points of view and the shocking end was done very well. We knew it was coming but never a good clue into the who and why. I had several scenarios in my mind and one was pretty spot on and that we thought we had it figured out but the Neck jerk change was GREAT! Peter, oh Peter what a Dick are you, however I do feel sorry for you that you let the love of your life get away, yet was she the love of you life or did you love the idea of being with her and away from everything you had become to hate, what a very sad state you became and rather than take a stand you became a mess of a man and lost a lot, great storytelling with Hattie and Peter! Bud and Mona my heart and soul hurts for parents such as you, I could never imagine your pain! Your innocent daughter that chose to live in a life she built around herself that was all made up and then it became real very fast and she found herself caught in a very fast lane that wasn't drivable! Rather than live in today, lying to everyone she knew gets her into a lot of messes and in today that's a very good lesson to learn. I loved the mixed in MacBeth play and the crazy things that theories that could come with doing such a Play.

I Loved Hattie anyways I dont think you could not love Hattie because we all have faults, she was just to trusting in the end, I also felt sorry for her, she had great parents yet she decided not to talk to them, instead she lived in the made up world and that didn't work so well for her. I loved that small town people become comfortable in the environment and never fear the "this can happen to me" it can and does happen everywhere. Hattie was playing with fire and I know she knew that becoming intrigued with Tommy was a good idea but it was not a good idea in the mess she has with Peter, you cannot Use people. He had feelings as well, Portia pegged him early for her, to bad she didn't heed her thoughts later!

All in all its a great story put together very well in the timeline, you will get a wonderful ride from Everything You Want Me To Be....I would recommend this book to anyone, Well done Mindy, well done! Cant wait to read you again! Thanks to Net Gallery and Atria Books, Atria Emily Bestler Books for allowing me to review this Book! Until Next time folks!

From my blog: Always With a Book:

My thoughts: This book has been generating a lot of buzz and I knew it was one I just had to read - and it was so worth it...I really enjoyed it! It's one of those books that is utterly addicting and will have you thinking about it long after you finish reading the last page.

I loved the way this story was told. We have three points of view - Del, the local sheriff, investigating the murder; Hattie; and Peter, the English teacher, who is in the midst of dealing with his own problems. As the story alternates between these three characters, tidbits are slowly revealed as to what happened to Hattie, and we go back in time as well, to set the scene. It is so cleverly crafted that you get caught up in the drama that is the story and find yourself feeling quite sympathetic to these flawed characters, characters that tend to be quite manipulative and secretive at times. But, you find yourself getting attached to them, nonetheless.

The twists and turns that this book takes had me frantically flipping the pages, desperate to know what really happened to Hattie. I thought I had it figured out, only to find I had been misled! I loved the tension that slowly builds as the story progresses. It's as if the more we find out, the more tense the story gets.

This is a great read and I cannot wait to see what comes next for this author...she is definitely someone to keep an eye on!

Told from three viewpoints, Everything You Want Me to Be is a thrilling whodunit. Hattie, an aspiring actress, tells her story before she was murdered and left in a barn. Sheriff Del Goodman follows the trails left behind to try to catch Hattie’s killer. And Peter, a new resident of Pine Valley, has his own role to play in the story. The story has plenty of false trails, twists, and the classic small feeling that a tiny town brings to a book.

I won’t lie to you — this book may hurt you. I stayed up way too late because I couldn’t put it down and only got 4 hours of sleep. That next day was a real struggle, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I wouldn’t have been able to concentrate not knowing what Hattie did, who killed her, and why. Pick up this book for a cozy snow day read — it’s killer.

This is a good story of a seemingly "modern" girl named Hattie but while the writer is trying to take you somewhere, every time you get picked up movement stops. The last part of the book moves a little better but the 3 stars is because the first half or so crawled.

I was unable to finish the book. I lost interest while reading. Best of Luck to the author.

This book is not something that I would normally read but I truly enjoyed the read. Highly recommended.

Hattie Hoffman is dead. Pretty, talented, brilliant Hattie has somehow gone from a lively eighteen year old hell-bent on moving to New York to nothing but a memory. Who would want to kill the girl who seemingly had no enemies? Everyone loved her. She was a promising young actress with an easy charm. Everyone liked her without her even trying... or was she more manipulative than she seemed, playing parts even when she wasn't on stage? She could be everything anyone wanted her to be... whether that was a loving daughter, a sweet and shy girlfriend, or attentive student. Figure out what someone wants and it's easy to get what you want out of them... and they're none the wiser. Is that wrong, or just clever?

The story is told from three perspectives: the sheriff, Hattie, and her English teacher. Sheriff Del has been a family friend of the Hoffmans for years and watched young Hattie grow up. Teacher Peter is new in town, having followed his wife there to care for her ailing mother, which is putting a major strain on their marriage.

We don't begin the story by knowing for sure the identity of the murderer, but for me the book wasn't about finding that out. It was more about getting there... discovering what happened in the year in Hattie's life before it was cut brutally short. Well written book of a good length. I read in two sittings and had a hard time putting it down the first time. If only we didn't need sleep! Easy to read and follow, but very addicting. My first introduction to this author, and very promising. I look forward to more by Mindy Mejia.

I was permitted to read an ARC of this book from Net Galley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

Hattie Hoffman was a good girl and not the girl her family would have predicted would be found stabbed to death, so when the investigation starts into her murder they are blindsided by the truth left and right.

With twists and turns that I predicted and came out of nowhere, I don't want to say too much about this one. It is in the middle of the pack in the who dun it genre, it didn't stand out of the pack, but I would definitely read another from this author.

The one thing that stood out to me that I absolutely loved was that you heard some chapters from Hattie's point of view before her death. I loved seeing the before through her eyes and it was interesting hearing from the victim before she was a victim.

I definitely enjoyed this one, it read quick and it was actually nice to read during the holidays when life is crazy - to have a book suck you in and keep your attention is saying something!