Are You Still There

Are You Still There is so much more than just a thriller. While on the outside this looks to be a book about a high school bomber, I believe it is so much deeper and so much more. Scheeger takes a serious subject- high school bullying- and adds a cast of characters and complex plot that holds you in suspense while also making your heart break. Yet, somehow, she successfully adds humor which provides an extra layer and a needed break from the heavy and dark plot.

The story is told from Gabi's POV, yet we get glimpses into the mind of the would-be bomber through pages of his/her Manifesto. His/her mind is dark, jaded, and full of hatred.

Meanwhile, Gabi is the "perfect" student, daughter, friend, but is also very complacent in her life at the beginning. As she begins to interact with her fellow helpline peers, she not only finds new friends, she begins to see that appearances aren't everything. This discovery, along with conversations with anonymous callers, prompts Gabi to reexamine not only how she treats others, but how so many high schoolers do. She begins to see the negative effects that bullying (or even ignorance and avoidance) can cause. Her character's growth throughout the book is subtle, but enriching. She was never a bad person to begin with, but her steps to reach out to others is refreshing.

Are You Still There is full of suspense and mystery. I found myself constantly analyzing every person Gabi came into contact with, wondering if they were the bomber. One of the things I loved though was that it's not all nail biting suspense. You get lulled into this false sense of security by the normality of Gabi's teenage life and it's when your guard is down that the thriller part kicks back up. It is this back and forth that made the book unputdownable making it to where I finished it in one sitting.

Are You Still There starts off with a bang (not literal!) as the school is in lockdown. There has been a bomb threat made to the school, and Gabrielle is stuck in the girl's bathroom. It's a terrifying start as Gabi is so scared that she actually pees her pants (just a little). But even when the lockdown is over, the threat is still very clear as Gabi finds a playing card stuffed into her locker with a message from the bomber. While Gabi's dad, a police officer, is leading the investigation into the case, Gabi is doing her own investigating, helped by being tapped to help run a confidential student crisis line, the bomber seems intent on making her a part of his plan, and she knows the passcode to her dad's safe where he stores his files on the case.

This novel is full of so many twists it leaves you wondering who the bomber is. The clues lead the reader to suspect everyone, from the Stranger's Manifesto, the playing cards, and the phone calls and text messages received by the crisis line. The suspense was enough to keep me reading way past my bedtime (apparently responsible adults give themselves bedtimes. Who knew?!). I think I even carried the book around and read it while cooking supper, eating, and even walking across the street. I did look both ways first, but still! This book had my attention from the first page to the last.

The writing itself wasn't extraordinary, but Gabi's voice was. The way Sarah Lynn Scheerger wrote Gabi was amazing. She had personality that exuded in every page she was on, and it was what made the book for me. Gabi is down to earth, focused on school, a bit of a goody-two-shoes, and has a sense of humour and caring that makes her someone I felt drawn to. But then she changes as she makes friends, and learns to actually live her life instead of just following the rules and keeping her grades up. Gabi becomes a regular teenager, someone the reader can connect to. She's a bit of a rebel, follows the important rules but knows when to break some, curious, passionate, and still so very caring and funny.

My favourite part of this book, though, wasn't the suspense or the bomber. It was the crisis line. It was a place where friends were made, people were helped, and friendships were fixed. Sure, You can probably guess who some of the frequent texters are, but that doesn't take away from the service provided any. It really shows that there are services available to people who are going through tough times, considering suicide, or harming themselves or others, or who need someone to talk to. It's so important, I think, to have a service actually play such a crucial role in this book as it humanizes the services as well as the people who use them. While crisis lines like this aren't generally run by high schoolers, they do serve a great purpose, and I truly hope that if anyone is in need they reach out to a crisis line to get help. In that vein, this book does include a page on resources that are available:

WILL BE PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

I really enjoyed this book, it is totally up there amongst my easy reading, easy to be sucked into stories. It’s one of those books where you can read with a million distractions around you and not bat an eyelid.
It is full of suspense and keeps you guessing and wondering continuously throughout.

The story starts with a bomb threat in a high school, this is where you will meet Gabi. She is the girl who never gets into trouble and always comes out on top as a straight A student. Not the most popular and a bit of a plain Jane. She’s always trying for extra credit and volunteers often in order to have the perfect resume to achieve the school of her choice and also to keep her parents happy, she is seen as the perfect daughter.

We follow Gabi as she meets new people when ‘volunteering’ for her high school helpline. New friends and new values are considered throughout the book. The story runs a lot deeper than first imagined when reading the synopsis. There’s more to it than just a high school bomber. We see insights into the bomber’s mind, nothing is given away.

I was constantly guessing who, what and why. I had to keep reading to see if i was correct when guessing, it really is so full of suspense i was unable to put the book down. It has everything, mystery, love, friendship, values and more. It really had me on the edge of my seat.

Definitely worth a read and i will be recommending it to others.

Special thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for the opportunity to read the book in exchange for an honest review.

What I liked: This book is about bullying and empathy and making choices in your relationships that you are proud of. Sarah Lynn Sheerger does a great job of keeping the suspense throughout the entire book...I loved the little clues we would get about callers on the helpline. Gabi is independent and smart and she the way she evolves over time as she deals with the complexities of the bombing mystery, a closed mouthed sister, and a first boyfriend. The plot and pacing in this book are well executed.

What I didn't like: I felt like there were some inconsistencies with relationship and a few loose ends. And maybe not quite enough clues about the actual bomber!

Overall, this is fast, fun read.

Really enjoyed the book. Definitely had the suspense factor. I was able to guess who the bomber was early on, but I still enjoyed the process that the main character went through to figure out who the bomber was.

Very suspenseful and engaging. I liked this story very much. The concept was fresh and relevant to our teens today and the evolution of the characters as they interacted was like a modern and much deeper Breakfast Club. I think this is a good book for teens and will be recommending it to readers!

Are You Still There is a great thriller that delves into the stigma of teenage bullying. Gabriella starts working with other students in her school on a secret crisis hotline, in hopes of preventing another bomb threat at her school. The book is interspersed with journal entries from The Stranger, as Gabriella and the cops try to discover the bombers identity.

I love books that are unpredictable and start with a bang and keep me guessing right until the end! This is one that I will definitely buy for my Library as it opens with a girl hiding in the toilets during a bomb threat on her school in the US, Gina is our main character, only 11 months older than her sister Chloe, daughter of a cop and a neurotic housewife, straight A final year student who has never had a boyfriend. The bomb is real but defused, so the school sets up a helpline run by final year students, of which Gina is one. It is also in response to a suicide that happened 12 months ago. And now the fun begins...is one of the callers the would-be bomber, and, if all the hotline helpers are anonymous, why does Gina get creepy playing cards in her locker, and a caller who knows her dad is a cop?
Threw into this mix, the attentions of two boys, Miguel (quintessential Mexican bad boy) and Eric ( nice nerd with a crush); a distant sister and her depressed friend, a judgemental bestie, an ex-alcoholic new friend and you have a dozen red herrings ...or do you? Underline all this with the bomber's diary and you have a suspenseful and engaging story that older teens will love! The issues of suicide, bullying, and clique driven world of high school are looked at carefully, and there are notes at the end of the novel regarding phone numbers and places to go for help.
There's a small amount of swearing, some violence and drug/drink references which makes this novel suitable for Year 10 upwards.
Highly recommended.

This was a thrilling read. I was kept on the edge of my seat at all times. It makes you play detective yourself. I thought it was three different people that was the terrorist through the book and was wrong every time.

This was my first book by Sarah Lynn Scheerger and I really enjoyed it. It had a perfect combination of mystery and romance, but was also a coming of age story.

I was a bit of a goody-two shoes in high school, so it was easy to connect with Gabi and understand why she felt the need to be perfect. I loved watching her rebel a bit and take a step back to actually enjoy her time in high school.

I also liked the way her relationship with Miguel developed. There was no instalove and it took time for these two to get together.

Aside from that, there was the element of mystery. Scheerger builds this up by intermixing Gabi's POV with the POV of the person behind the bomb threat. It added a unique and creepy element to the story. There were a few red herrings added in to keep you guessing as far as who was behind the bomb threat.

If you're looking for a straight up mystery, this might not be the book for you as there is definitely focus on the romance and coming of age piece. But if you like your stories with a hint of mystery, I'd definitely check this out.

Note: I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story is told by Gabi, with intermixed glimpse's into the mind of "Stranger" who has found himself determined to make a statement. The story starts when a bomb is found in a very large high school. No one was injured, but Gabi and her friends are nervous about what has happened and what will come . Volunteering for the help line give Gabi a chance to help others (and please her mom) as well as a way to meet new people. This story is full of drama and deals with a lot of relevant teenage problems. The story also deals with strained relationship between Gabi and her sister, as well as Gabi dealing with what could be her first love. I really like this story, it was true to the world of teenagers and it was focused on a lot of the issues that are presented. I thought Gabi was a little too perfect and then the end found her straying from the character she presented herself as the entire book, but overall I will recommend this to my high school students as a book to read along with 13 Reasons Why and Nineteen Minutes.

Gabi's got it all and she is on track to the colleges of her parents' dreams. When a bomb threat puts her school on lockdown, Gabi finds herself beginning to question her goals and dreams. She accepts a position on the school's new help hotline and finds herself overwhelmed by her responsibilities and strange mysterious calls that begin coming in. Can she help the police determine the identity of the bomber before he or she strikes again?

At times intense and other times humorous, this story is relate-able and relevant. It tackles the hot-button topic of bullying without being trite, and really gets readers to stop and think, not just about the tole of the bully but also of the non-acting bystander.

So first off I've never read a book dealing with this subject matter before so wasn't sure if I was going to like it. But I was really interesting I was so hooked from the beginning, I don't understand what everyone else read who said they didn't like it because no offense this book is really good. It has these mysterious "Stranger" passages before each chapter then it's transferred over to the main protagonist. Whom is just this perfect student. The mystery unravels each chapter just to become even more twisted I swear by the end I was a ball of nerves and was like come on who is it already. I loved this book and would definitely recommend it. Great characters, overly suspenseful, and intriguing story.

Good pacing. Through its protagonist, this book has commentary on all the groups of high school: jocks, geeks, ESL, drama kids, LGBQT, general misfits. Enjoyable, not too graphic, but the themes are strong ones.

It begins with a bomb threat. Or at least everyone thinks it's just a threat - but Gabi knows the bomb was real. Her dad is the lead detective on the case and she "overheard" him talking about it. She has never missed a day of school so of course she was on campus when it happened. She was in the bathroom, hiding in a stall, curled on top of the toilet hoping her feet didn't show through the bottom of the door and desperately trying not to pee. She didn't want to make any noise. Afterwards her perfect life seems to be disappearing in a puff of smoke. The school creates a peer counseling line to help deal with the aftermath of the threat, and try to "improve the culture of the school" to prevent it from happening again and she is recruited to take part. But it's just another in a long list of volunteer opportunities for college, which already take up all of her free time. Her best friend is drawing away, her sister is acting weird, she's stopped studying, and now she is dating one of the "losers". When she starts getting mysterious letters in her locker, and calls on the Line that she thinks might be from the bomber she doesn't know what to do. Telling her dad could set the bomber off, but keeping it to herself could blow up her life. Then suddenly she starts making connections, and with her new friends she thinks she knows what this is all about and how to keep anyone from getting hurt. But can she do it in time?

A lot of times when you find teen/YA books with a plot on bullying and/or suicide that theme tends to overtake all else. The book gets so focused on getting the message across you lose the actual story. That didn't happen with Are You Still There. I was so taken by the story I stayed up until 3am trying to finish it - I was so disappointed I only got to 89% complete by the time I was too tired to stay awake anymore! As soon as I got up the next day and finished my morning duties I threw myself into my armchair and began reading again. There are so many characters that I felt slightly overwhelmed by their personalities, but I very much enjoyed the slow unveiling of their layers. Not everybody was who they seemed to be - it really captured high school. I think it helped that author Sarah Lynn Scheerger is a licensed clinical social worker. She works with at-risk youth, so she sees these personalities all the time and her writing really showed that.

This is a timely book considering the culture of bullying we've seen rise to the media's attention in recent years. It brings attention not only to the side of the observing student - the student who does nothing, tries to remain uninvolved - but of the victim. The one who feels isolated and alone, who is drowning in hopelessness. Particularly poignant, to me, was the fact that Gabi was helping her friends on the Line without even realizing it. As the reader I was able to identify the situations with the surrounding characters and sadly see what Gabi did not. It brings home the point that is being made - it isn't always the direct actions that hurt, but also the indirect actions of those who ignore the pain of others, and that bullying comes from many sources, not just enemies.

Are You Still There is a psychological thriller that focuses on hard hitting teen issues. While it was gruesome at times, it did not take away from the fact that everything was pulled together so neatly wound. I had a hard time putting this book down. It made me angry, it made me cry, it made me shrink away it in fear, and it made me happy. This was an outstanding book, one I feel hits every issue in just the right way and handled everything perfectly. Loved it!

I was given a copy of this book by Albert Whitman & Company and NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Mystery/thrillers are my favorite, although the ones I read are usually not from the Young Adult section. Author Sarah Lynn Scheerger captured the suspense aspect perfectly, as the mystery and intrigue continued to build throughout the book until the final reveal. Some reviewers seem to think that romance should have had no part in Are You Still There, but I feel differently. Gabi seems more realistic, as she juggles her school work, volunteer activities, and her social life. Not being able to figure out how to let a guy down easy and trying to decide the best way to disclose a budding relationship definitely is in keeping with normal high school drama. Being threatened and basically tormented by a bomber does not mean that regular life would stop, as most teenagers that I know would mostly put their fear in a mental box and go on with their daily activities. The only part that did not seem believable to me is when Gabi does not disclose all she knows to her father. I can understand later in the book, when Gabi feels that her life will change if she confides in him, but it did not seem realistic when she had nothing to lose. I am not usually a fan of alternating points of view, but the free verse ramblings from the Stranger's Manifesto really helped to amp up the suspense. I would recommend this book, both to teenage readers and their parents. Are You Still There is a book that can provide a good way to open a dialogue, especially about bullies and suicide.

I received this book from NetGallery in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5 stars

Summary:

Gabi is the ideal daughter. She does too much volunteering every week, gets straight A’s and never does anything against her parents will. Which is why she’s surprised to be caught in a bathroom stall during a bomb threat at her high school. After she is rescued by the police, events whirl into motion. She’s recruited for a secret helpline that is designed to try and catch the bomber, and stop him before he tries anything else. As Gabi gets sucked in more and more into this case, somehow discovering she’s more involved than she wants to be, her alliances change too. She finds her closest friends within a group of unlikely people, the others working on the helpline. Along with discovering new friends, a romance blooms between her and an outcasted student, Miguel. While trying to deal with this unlikely and forbidden romance, their bomber continues to get closer and closer, and Gabi keeps feeling like she’s missing one very important detail. As the clues roll in, Gabi becomes more and more desperate, knowing the day the bomber will set up his next stunt. Can Gabi save her friends, and the mystery bomber? Or will she have to make a sacrifice she might regret?

Main Characters:

Gabi- Our main protagonist, who appears just like every heroine of stories. Good girl, turned bad by the boyfriend. Gabi had a lot more depth to her than I realized though, although this conclusion wasn’t evident to me until I finished the book. Another difference between her and the common main female heroines is that she wasn’t completely turned bad by the “bad boy” boyfriend. Some changes in her personality happened, but overall, she was still the same person, just with some different traits.
Chloe- Gabi’s little sister. The rebel child, who is jealous of Gabi for their parents loving her more, and seeming to do everything right. Typically characters like this don’t get much dialogue in stories similar to this, but she became more and more essential as the plot-line progressed. The dark, brooding child may be hiding more than meets the eye.
Miguel- The “bad boy” boyfriend. Different from the typical male lead, he’s actually from a different culture than Gabi, which isn’t something I’ve seen much of. While there are some parts of him that are more rule breaking, he’s more like a reformed bad boy than anything else, which was also unexpected. I did love the twists thrown into his personality that made him seem more realistic.
Janae- Janae also defied my expectations by not being the person that Gabi (and I) assumed she was. Her true personality surprised me, and after that I wasn’t sure what to expect from her. Janae is a character that I feel I can personally relate, although not in the exact way her character is. I believe she might actually be my favorite character. Eric- The common smart boy who Gabi’s parents believe is “perfect” for her. On his way to being valedictorian, kind to all, perfectionist, who could be a better match? As he realizes more and more about Gabi, he shifts his attention away and seems to concentrate more on working with the helpline, while still holding some resentment for Gabi for what he blames her for. In the end though, he pulls through when she needs him most.

Review:

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. It was attention-grabbing, a bit of a thriller, but still had more of an innocent feel than a complete thriller story. What caught my attention at first was the cover and the title. The first few chapters felt really slow to me, but after a main plot-line point, I got sucked into the story. Even when I wasn’t reading, I felt like I was analyzing the characters in order to get deeper into their psyche and attempting to understand the things that were going on. The story was something uncommon, but had elements that were similar enough to not make a reader who likes to stick to certain genres uncomfortable. The characters were also well developed, although to a point they were stereotypical. The author did a good job of making sure they weren’t completely what they seemed, and I really enjoyed that. People are rarely what they’re labeled as, and I appreciated her making sure that was visible in this work. I feel like it had a good end, and definitely appeared to be a conclusion, not leaving any open ended questions, but still allowing the reader to make some inferences of their own.

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

Are You Still There is a young adult novel about Gabi’s experience through a lock-down of her high school – and the affects it has on the student body as a whole. It’s a horrific experience, and one we see in too many headlines in the news these days. But reading it from Gabi’s first person perspective, while hiding in a bathroom stall – feet on the toilet, hoping she can’t be seen in case the assailant comes in… the sheer panic as she hears footsteps down the hallway…. the fear when the door to the girls bathroom opens and she knows this is it. Luckily – it wasn’t.

But this is just the beginning.

What turns into one of the most scariest experiences of Gabi’s life – turns even sinister as the would-be-bomber starts leaving creepy little clues for Gabi. And like the synopsis says… she has no idea who the bomber is, or why he’s targeting her, but it turns into a very cryptic cat-and-mouse chase for Gabi to figure out who it is, before they have a chance to do something else.

As kids are picked for a secret crisis-line, Gabi starts breaking out of her perfect-student-daughter shell. She’s hanging out with new friends, even meeting boys for the first time in her high school existence. She’s actually taking herself out of the norm and putting herself out there and that’s very brave for a girl her age. Because nothing is more scary when you’re in high school than diverting from your norm. And I loved Gabi for that – she has guts.

I was going through a YA phase when I received this book and it did not disappoint. It’s not the usual theme of YA I’m used too and it was a definitely a great change of pace. There is suspense without being graphic, the story gave me the chills more than once and left me more than a few times with the heebeegeebees (yes that’s a word.)

But it’s not just suspense, behind this cat-and-mouse chase to find out whose responsible for the failed-bombing, and cryptic messages left for Gabi, it’s also about a girl whose finding herself for the first time – letting loose and allowing herself to have a life outside of her studies and volunteer work. To say Gabi is the perfect child is an understatement – and she deserves to enjoy what time she has left in high school before she gets swallowed up into college and adult life.

There are a lot of stories going on throughout this story – from Gabi’s POV and from the would-be-bomber. It’s scary to see things from that perspective and very emotional. To read the pain they’re experiencing…. and hoping someone will notice? It will definitely make you think… and feel.

Check it out!

Good ending - wasn't sure who the bomber was until the end!

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

“This is not a drill, Am I going to die?!”
Gabi is hiding in the school bathroom, there is a bomb threat at her school and this is not a drill……. This is how the book starts off… GRABS your attention in the first couple of paragraphs…. BLOWS your mind…..
Than…..
BORING……..
But like most books….Gets better in the middle…. Thank god…. Right when I was going to give up hope and throw in the towel… BAM….. Book gets good again…. Glad I did not stop reading it because I would have been kicking myself in the butt later!! BOY OH BOY that ending…. That alone should make you want to read this book…. But no spoilers!
The book switches between Gabi’s story and the “strangers manifesto”
Gabi is a pretty perfect girl, she eats the super healthy food that her OCD mom makes for her, follows all the rules, in every AP class…etc.. you know those types of girls…
After that incident, the school initiates a crisis helpline for the students and Gabi is recruited to be part of it. Along with a hispanic male named Miguel and several other kids from the school's cliques. Such as Garth the jock, a party girl, etc. Is it to give the kids help when they call? Well no. The kids aren't trained to to that. They are only there to direct the callers to other hotlines .Her experience in the helpline opened her eyes in the reality of what's going on around her school and how she tends to overlook everything.

Then, the bomber starts calling and threatens that there will be another attack.
Throw in some romance and some im going to kill myself drama the book starts to get REAL

Great topics discussed and brought up….

Overall great book… stick with it you will not be disappointed!!!

*Full Review Coming*
I knew as soon as I read about this book that it was one that I'd have to check out. So very relevant to the world today this book allows you to really step into the characters' shoes. Suspense-filled - I couldn't put it down. Definitely recommend

This is a multi-faceted YA novel. On the topmost level, it's a thriller about a high school bomb scare and the complicated aftermath, intertwined with a student suicide from the recent past. Then there's Gabi, our protagonist, the Perfect Student and Daughter, who is a 4.0 student, has early acceptance to all the right schools, who doesn't date, doesn't party, volunteers hours and hours every week; and her sister, who has taken the opposite path, perhaps out of self-defense. But Gabi finally realizes that she's missing the best years of her life by focusing on the future instead of the present, so she allows herself to start making new friends, allows herself a boyfriend, and challenges many of the restrictions she or her parents have placed on her. So it's very much a coming-of-age story and a bit of a romance, to go along with the sinister thriller main line. Kept me guessing until the very end, and did not disappoint. Well worth a read. And the insights about teen depression and suicide are important.

Wow. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this book. It is a very tender topic, yet, this book intrigued me. I am glad I gave it the chance it so desired. Very well written!

Read an excerpt through Buzz Books: This one has a bomb threat and so far I'm not entirely sold on it, but it was easy to read and the voice was decent.

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Gabi is a smart, perfectly behaved teenager - she stays in line and has her eyes on the college prize. She has a slightly neurotic mother, a younger sister, Chloe, who loves to be the rebel and drive their mom even more crazy, and a police officer for a father. The story begins with Gabi in the bathroom at her high school during a lockdown. It turns out that it is NOT a drill and there was an actual bomb in the school. The principal starts a crisis phone line and hand picks a variety of students to assist - including Gabi. Through the crisis phone line, Gabi makes new friends, starts seeing a boy, and ends up talking to the bomber.

Overall, the story was a very easy read. Gabi's voice is easy to connect with. However, I wasn't really sold on the story itself. The characters seemed pretty flat. You don't really get much but a scratch on the surface of what they are all like. I think some character development really would have made this book an excellent one. I did enjoy the manifesto of the bomber in between chapters of Gabi's POV. I found them to very interesting and they added some suspense to the overall plot.

This book started off really good with the protagonist being caught in the bathroom stall peeing her pants out of fear. I just wish the level of action from the beginning of the book had been just as high throughout the rest. The middle of the book was pretty boring and just about normal high school drama; boys, friends, family etc. Excuse me, there's been a bomb threat to your school, could we adjust our focus, please?

I really liked the relationship between Gabi and Chloe. I liked how they could be best friends one moment and the next they hated each other. It felt very true. I wasn't too big of a fan of Eric and Miguel though, and the romance felt flat to me. I just didn't feel anything. Janae was a really good character though, and I also liked that her parents was a big part of the book (but what happened to the mom in the end? Why didn't we get an explanation?).

Overall, this was an okay book, I just wish there would've been more action and focus on the bomb thing instead of the teenage drama.

ARE YOU STILL THERE by Sarah Scheerger was scary, misterious and kept me at the edge of my seat.

Are You Still There was an intriguing premise and a book that I enjoyed. It was a fast read, with some interesting themes and characters.

Are You Still There starts off with a bang, as we meet Gabi, hiding in the bathroom during a school lockdown, waiting to see if she lives or dies. The school has received a bomb threat - in this case no-one is hurt but as the story progresses we come to realize that the danger is not over.

It waa a mix of suspense and character relationship drama - not only is a load of stuff going on at the school but Gabi herself is beginning to bloom after a long time being the perfect child.

On top of that she gets involved with a crisis helpline set up by the school, meets new friends there and starts to expand her horizons. This is an excellent plotline and I enjoyed seeing how these things work and the point of them. The story also mixed in with plotline of figuring out how the bomber is.

Gabi's voice is engaging throughout the story. The wider cast lenta good group dynamic to the plot. The suspense element, that of the hidden personality behind the threats felt kind of secondary to me. I didn't feel the story really NEEDED that bit. I found "him" far less interesting than the rest and a little flat.

I enjoyed the idea of looking at the wider affects things like this have within school communities. This was a fast and addictive read for me, excellent writing and it flowed well- with some good points made and a main protagonist I really got behind. Overall a good one.
ARC-Netgalley

I'm not sure if it's due to my 'book rut' that I'm working out of or if it was the story itself but it started really slow for me. I couldn't really connect with Gabi for a long time and the general build up took a while to really take off. The book is a lot about Gabi figuring herself out in the midst of all this chaos with the school bombing and not entirely what I expected. A lot of the book is spend around her perfectionist personality, always trying to live up to her mothers almost impossible standards. I felt bad for her, it seemed she was missing out on a lot of teen life by living in such a regimented way. The person who annoyed me the most through the story was Beth - her best friend. I wanted her to flex a little bit on some things and it just didn't seem like she ever would.

Surprisingly, I didn't really connect with anyone in the book all that much though I can see myself a little bit in Chloe, Gabi's sister. Even toward the end when the action started picking up I just felt sort of detached from the characters themselves. This in a way made the book a bit hollow for me because I cared in a more distant manner about the well being of the school. However I really enjoyed the mystery nature of the story and trying to figure out who the bomber was. Once the action picked up at the end I was completely immersed and couldn't put it down. I was satisfied with the ending but it was a bit predictable for me. In the end it was a decent read with a very nice wrap up at the end.

Title: Are You Still There Author: Sarah Lynn Scheerger Series: standalone Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company Pub Date: September 1st, 2015 Page count: 288 Genre: young adult, suspense, contemporary, mystery Source: NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review Format: e-ARC Rating: liked it Need of tissues: none, or one Cover: 6\10 Review: on Goodreads

I didn't have any expectation from the book before reading it, bit Upon reading it I expected something like the movie "The Call". Well, it wasn't. But it was an enjoyable fast read.

Gabi's high school is under bombing threat, so the school creates a hotline and put a diverse mix of students in charge of it. Gabi is one of them, of course. Meanwhile, the cops are trying to figure out the identity of the bomber. And Gabi makes an investigation by herself since the threat is leaving her play cards and have a particular interest in her.

Since the main setting is a high school, then teen drama is always present. Some don't feel necessary. Luckily, most characters are likeable. They have a potential of further depth.

As for Gabi, I liked her. She is a good student, with strict parents, likes to help others, kind of relatable. And how her relationship with her family was portrayed amazingly, that it had its struggles, not perfect, but at the end, they stuck together.

Now for the thriller itself, it wasn't always present, like it was suspenseful and kept you guessing, but only at the end the novel focused on it. So, the last 40% was my favourite. And I wish that we had more of the unknown offender. Maybe more complex ideas? Less lucky guesses?

Also, this novel put spotlights on several important matters, like bullying, suicide, mental health, though not in depth, but it was there.

It may not be a hit to everyone, but if you want a contmporary fast read with a bit of suspect and a mystery, then I recomend it to you.

Are You Still There was a thrilling young adult novel with plenty of twists and turns to keep you on your toes. The novel starts with a student planting a bomb on a high school campus and leading police straight to it. The bomber never reveals their self and the police are unable to determine who planted the bomb. Then, the bomber starts planting cards in students lockers and sent to the police, taunting further violence. A helpline is set up at the school which forms the heart of this story, made up of 8 students from every social circle imaginable. They have shifts every day after school and take turns in pairs, answering calls and texts from fellow students. But what happens when the bomber is still unhappy and gets really invasive and stalker-like with a student from the helpline, who happens to be the police chiefs daughter?