Conspiracy Girl

Title: Conspiracy Girl
Author: Sarah Alderson
Genre: YA contemporary
Rating: 4.5/5
Cover: 8/10
Release Date: January 5th, 2015

I was given an egalley by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Everybody knows about the Cooper Killings – the Bel Air home invasion that rocked the nation.

There was only one survivor - a sixteen year-old girl.

And though the killers were caught they walked free.

Now eighteen, Nic Preston - the girl who survived - is trying hard to rebuild her life. She’s security conscious to the point of paranoia and her only friend is a French Mastiff bulldog, but she’s making progress. She’s started college in New York and has even begun dating.

But then one night her apartment is broken into and the life Nic’s worked so hard to create is shattered in an instant. 

Finn Carter - hacker, rule breaker, player – is the last person Nic ever wants to see again. He’s the reason her mother’s killers walked free from court. But as the people hunting her close in, Nic has to accept that her best and possibly only chance of staying alive is by keeping close to Finn and learning to trust the person she’s sworn to hate.

Fleeing across a snowbound New England, frantically trying to uncover the motive behind the murders, Nic and Finn come to realize the conspiracy is bigger than they could ever have suspected. But the closer they get to the truth and the closer they get to each other, the greater the danger becomes.

To survive she has to stay close to him.

To keep her safe he has to keep his distance."

Alderson has done it again. She has a knack for creating memorable, diverse and interesting characters, and Nic Preston is no different. I loved the entire setup, the premise was brilliant, and best of all, the execution didn't let me down. Most importantly, Alderson weaved a very good story in a used-up genre without falling into many of the stereotypes of that genre - and it made for a very enjoyable read indeed.

I especially liked the connection between Finn and Nic - it was nice that she didn't clap eyes on him shirtless and swoon, instantly forgetting about their past; he broke down her walls and defences with time and patience. And Nic's paranoia could have been very easily overdone, but Alderson presents it in just the right amount to make it clear that it is serious, and to make the reader feel on edge, while not making it too much.

But perhaps the best part about Conspiracy Girl was trying to figure out whodunnit. If you're a mystery buff, this one is definitely up your alley! I don't want to say too much, but I had a theory, and it was (I thought) a pretty good theory... but the actual perpetrator took me completely by surprise. They did enter my mind, briefly, at an early stage, but I dismissed it. What a bomb that one was!

A brilliant way to kick off the year's reading list! Most definitely recommended.