Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: November 16th, 2016
272 Pages
Synopsis: Nicole Morgan has been labeled many things–the geeky music girl, the shy sidekick to Miss Popularity, and the girl with the scar. Now only one name haunts her through the halls of Oyster Bay Prep.
The Girl in the Picture.
After high school heart throb Chace Porter is found dead in the woods near the school, the police are in search of the girl whose picture with Chace is the only clue amongst his personal belongings. A girl who no one knew was even close to Chace–and whose dormmate, Lana Rivera was Chace’s girlfriend.
Nicole is that girl and now she’s the primary suspect in his murder.
But what really happened that night? Were Nicole and Chace dating behind Lana’s back; were he and Lana over? Could either of them have killed him?
Told in alternating points of view, that of our suspect, Nicole Morgan, and her former best friend and roommate, Lana Rivera, readers will piece together the story of a starcrossed love, fractured friendship–and what really happened the night Chace was killed.
I have to admit I hesitated before requesting this mainly because it was obviously going to feature a love triangle. Have I mentioned how much I usually hate love triangles? But because I’ve enjoyed Alexander Monir’s previous books I took a chance, and while it’s not perfect, for the most part I’m glad I did. The main problem I had was with all the cliches, first and foremost of which was the gorgeous Chace, Mean Girl Lana, and meek follower Nicole. I can’t complain to loudly though though since the premise made it abundantly clear that this was going to be a major factor in the book. The love triangle didn’t turn out as annoying as I thought it would be, although I didn’t really buy into the romance. But, here’s what ultimately saved the story: the downright addictive mystery. The story is told from Nicole’s and Lana’s perspectives over the span of a year and it’s nicely written. There are also glimpses of Chace woven in which added further layers into an already interesting plot. All this would have been satisfying enough, but the author adds in an unexpected paranormal element which I thought was a perfect touch. Overall, I think that The Girl In The Picture is further proof of what an exceptional YA author Alexandra Monir is. It’s a fun and quick read that I think will hold wide appeal for fans of this type of book.
By Hook Or By Book 
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