If pressed, Kenzie Summerall would probably describe herself as "Latin Nerd" or the little sister of the widely beloved and mourned Conner Summerall with a way-overprotective mother. So she is completely surprised when she turns up as 5th on the "Hottie List" which is supposedly voted on by the entire male population of her high school. Suddenly, she is getting tons of attention from girls and boys and is instantly popular. But there is a dark side to being on "the List." Several nearly fatal "accidents" befall her and then #1 on the list dies in an accident, as does #2. Kenzie will have to use her brains and her knowledge of Latin to survive, figure out what is going on, and decide whom to trust. This was a fast-paced mystery / thriller that kept me reading with believable and flawed characters. ( )

This is one of those books I wasn't sure I would enjoy but ended up reading in one sitting. Yes, there are some unanswered questions. Sure there are some absurdities. However, the story is written in such a way that it grips you from the start and never lets go until you turn that last page. So even though there are points in the story that made me shake my head because of its improbability, overall I still enjoyed it. ( )

I have mixed feelings about this book. I think that the main problem that deters me from giving it a higher rating is the main character. I really could not understand or like her. I couldn't believe how judgmental she was, or how she couldn't realize the size of her own ego. I loved Levi, but she did not deserve him from the get-go. Three words in and she was already belittling him and his academics in her head despite knowing so little. My eyes were rolling so hard that they nearly popped out.

I think that the story got a lot better for me when it began to become more plot driven and not solely focusing on the MC's thoughts. However, the ending was way too far fetched. Overall, I rate it 3.25 stars. ( )

The Good
-Good mystery, especially in the last third of the book.
-Genuine surprises
-Open ending that leaves you wanting more

The Bad
-The first half of the book is pretty slow
-None of the characters are particularly well developed (Some are caricatures, others are just unlikable) ( )

Similar to the book I reviewed above, this is another book that suffers from trying to do too much, and overstretching an interesting premise. When the narrator, a self-described Latin nerd, finds herself number five on the legendary "Hottie List" at her school, her whole world changes--including finding herself narrowly escaping a series of almost-lethal accidents.

It turns out she is not the only girl on the list who keeps finding herself in danger. As girls around her fall victim to their own mysterious accidents, in the order they are found on the list, our narrator must find a way to solve the mystery and save herself.

Where the book lost me was towards the end. It's such an intriguing concept-ten people on a list, mysteriously dying one by one in ways that could never be proven as murder-but the end of the book gets, to put it bluntly, ridiculous. The way St. Claire chooses to resolve the mystery just doesn't work for me at all. ( )