Junior Year is Hell

High school is hard, even without murder and a new principal making life nearly unbearable. For Lauren the start of the new school year is not better than the last year. There is a lot going on in her life and it is about to get more difficult with every passing day. And in the end there are lives at stake, literally. Liked the story, the characters and would love to read more about why "High School is Hell".
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and The Wild Rose Press!

This book had me on the edge of my seat. I wasn't sure what to expect at first. I figured it would be a paranormal story but was not expecting the horror element. There was a bit of graphic content so be sure you're prepared for it. The characters were well-developed with real relationships. Even the "bad" kids were ones you bounced between disliking and feeling sympathy for. The world in which this took place was your typical AnySmalltown, USA. The dialogue was authentic. The creepy factor was turned all the way up.

All in all, I highly recommend this book and I will be looking for more by this author to read.

Thank you to Claire Corvey, NetGalley, and The Wild Rose Press, Inc for allowing me to read this book and share my thoughts and opinions with others.

Lauren can't wait for the start of her junior year of high school. She has a BFF, a soon to be boyfriend, and she is an editor for her school's newspaper. She ignores how her crush's younger brother bullies both her and her BFF and is willing to accept the new school principal after the former one mysteriously died. Things turn south when animals are murdered and the principal acts stalkerish and creepy to Lauren and her mom. Not to mention that he tore about the newspaper club, telling them they weren't allowed to meet anymore due to lack of funding. Soon enough, Lauren's junior year turns into her worst nightmare filled with mystery and fright.

This was an okay read. I didn't establish any connections to the characters, but the plot kept me interested. Lauren always boasted about being a strong, independent feminist woman living in the 21st century and regularly went on rants about it, but yet she dresses seductively to her first date with her crush, changes her appearance when she meets him, attempts to be clingy with him, and judges other girls at her school. She was very much a hypocrite obsessed with her crush. And despite nothing rarely happening between the two since Jaime always worked and took care of his younger sibling, they confess their love to each other at the end of the novel.

The principal acting like a creep was unbelievable. Why not report him instead of deal with it? I'm assuming there will be a sequel since some questions were left unanswered. We never found out why Lauren was having dreams of the past nor why she hated her dad and refused to talk about him. The story would have been stronger if the sole focus was on the mystery. I wouldn't have minded if Lauren had befriended Jaime and there was a hint that something was going to eventually happen between them, but Lauren spent too much time stalking and analyzing every interaction with Jaime that it removed the mystery aspect. This was more of a drama/romance read filled with a touch of mystery.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this supernatural thriller. I felt like the mains character Lauren was naive or immature but some teens are while others are very wise and have lived more than they should have to. Unfortunately with the character coming across that way the writing suffered and felt slightly juvenile while covering seriously grotesque things that wouldn't be in a MG book.

It was easy for me to overlook most of this because the mystery of the principal was fascinating and the way the author interwove history through her story kept me glued. I would say one of my favorite parts was Lauren's dreams. They were beautifully written and showed off more of the author's writing talent. This book is a quick read and I enjoyed the story especially for the fall time before October.

Thank you to The Wild Rose Press, Claire Corvey, and NetGalley for and advanced ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick enjoyable read and I really flew through the book. Lauren is starting her junior year with a new principal. After a few encounters with him, she starts to wonder if there is something more sinister going on him. Lauren also starts having dreams that are flashbacks and I really liked those. It gives some insight to the past and connects really well to the present.

There is a little romance in the book between Lauren and Jamie. Jamie and Lauren are really cute together. Jamie is super sweet and it is obvious they really care about each other. Their relationship is believable because their relationship starts slowly and builds from being friends.

There were a couple of graphic scenes in the book that involved children, but it helped depict just how terrible the big bad is! Overall, I really enjoyed this quick read and I can't wait for more in the series!!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from The Wild Rose Press, Inc via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Junior Year is Hell by Claire Corver was a very enjoyable young adult book. Lauren Baker is 17 and starting her Jr. year at school. She has a big crush on an older boy who works at the convenience store, she has been going to all summer. The old principal at Claire's school has died, and she really dislikes the new one. Strange things start happening at school and Claire's home, and she is determined to get to the bottom of it. This book kept me reading page after page, plus it had some funny parts also. I look forward to reading more books by this author. If you like unique mystery reads, give this one a try.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I started reading this one but didn't hold my interest. I though the concept was good but I wish I could have connected with the characters more.