The Weight of Guilt

After a terrible car accident claims the life of 18 year old John Hawk’s girlfriend, he’s consumed with guilt. He was the one driving that night and his school mates, and his own conscience won’t let him forget. He transfers to another school to finish out the year and catches the eye of principal’s daughter, Megan. Somehow, she talks him into escorting her to the prom – the next day she’s reported missing, four days after that, she’s found dead. Everyone suspects John, including Megan’s friend Charley, but Charley also knows that Megan had a secret and as she and John work together to uncover the truth, they find there are plenty of people who wanted Megan dead

I thought, at first, that this book was more of a coming of age novel, but boy was I wrong. It was a thriller in which the hot, popular girl gets murdered after a night out with the new boy with the troubled past. The novel and plot itself were good -- but not great. At first, I liked that it rotated between Charly's and John's points of view, but it didn't add more to the story by doing so and they ended up having to "repeat" themselves to one another when they switched views.

I thought that since John had mentioned after his trauma he had blackouts that it was going to end up being that he did kill Megan and just couldn't remember doing so. Or at least that he knew something more about the night but couldn't remember because of the head trauma. Also, considering he had been in the car accident and received a concussion there, he should have been way worse off after he received another one. I think Charly was a good character, but her actions were pretty predictable.

The cabin scene where we found out the killer the previous night and then it was "confirmed" for us the next day was not well done in my opinion. I did not like that John revealed the killer to us before we really got to meet them? Even though it ended up being "wrong" per say. I just think that it would have been better for John to have his revelations about who the killer was as he was explaining the story to the person he assumed was the killer. I think that would have made for a better twist/story.

Overall: 3.5/5 stars because while it was good, the characters ended up spoiling the killer for me and that wasn't cool.

Edge of your seat thriller

Although the mystery itself wasn't as strong as I personally like, the writing was compelling enough to keep me engaged from start to finish. I liked John very much, and although I wish Charley had more page time, she was also an intriguing character. I felt like John's growth was realistic, and that drew me in, despite a few of the less fluid aspects. Overall, it was a compelling and satisfying read.

I really enjoyed The Weight of Guilt. I felt the buildup throughout the first half of the book was perfect, and it kept me guessing almost the entire time. My heart went out to John - being in a car crash that killed your girlfriend that wasn't your fault but that you're blamed for is hard. Then with a mother who ran off and a dad who disapproves, it seems like John had no one in his life and just wanted to blend into the background. But when Megan catches John's eyes, he gets caught up in drama he didn't want. Especially when Megan goes missing and everyone points to John as the culprit. Thankfully, it's Megan's best friend that believes John and the two have a scary, epic adventure bringing justice to Megan and John.

Great book with true lessons. Not just for the YA reader. (Amazon reviewed).

Excellent book for teens. What I like about it is the fast pace of the book. I love the characters. Teens will go for a character who is trying to cover up his tracks after unintentionally killing someone. It pulls the reader in to find out what will happen.

This was a great, page turning read. I couldn't put it down. The character growth, writing and the plot was all amazing to read! It was a refreshing take on romance!