Deceived

by Julie Anne Lindsey

When Elle's father, a single parent and a big shot in corporate insurance, moves her to yet another boarding school for senior year, Elle is disgusted when nothing changes. Her night terrors don't go away, and, soon, despite her father's caring calls and visits, Elle starts to believe she's losing her mind. She knows she's being followed; a ribbon is tied around her doorknob, and there are those cigarette butts that keep turning up on the doormat, in violation of a strict smoking ban on campus. Then there's Bryan, an intriguing boy Elle meets at a flea market and later finds out is a student at her school. Yet on campus, he pretends he doesn't recognize her - until the day he divulges just how much danger she's in. In her search for an answer to all the madness, Elle unravels the truth about her dad's real identity, why someone has lied to her all her life, and the terrifying truth that she may be the only one who can save her from the one who's following her now.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Romance, Mystery Thriller, Thriller, Suspense, Contemporary

320 pages, Hardcover

First published August 18, 2013

About the author

Julie Anne Lindsey- Hatcher is an award-winning and bestselling author of cozy mystery and romantic suspense. She’s published more than sixty novels as herself & under the pen names, Bree Baker, Jacqueline Frost & Julie Chase, for various publishers, including Kensington, Harlequin, Sourcebooks and Crooked Lane Books. When she's not writing the stories that keep her up at night, Julie stays busy in Kent, Ohio with her three amazing kids and shamelessly enabling friends. Today she hopes to make someone smile. One day she plans to change the world.

Be sure to check out NOT QUITE BY THE BOOK, Julie's latest work of contemporary fiction, written under her birth name, Julie Hatcher.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Also reviewed for Addicted2Heroines

Uhhhhh....
The last part of the book was pretty good, but to get to it you have to wade through some pretty murky waters. I had a really hard time understanding what was going on for the majority of the book...and not in a good way. There were numerous times when I couldn't even figure out who was speaking, mainly because it wasn't clearly stated. It's not that I like the Bob said, "Such-n-such" style of writing, but there has to be more than just quotation marks letting me know that someone else is talking after a while. In little doses it's a good thing, but after a page or so? Well, I lose track of who is saying what. Especially if there are more than two people in the conversation.

In the beginning it was also had to swallow Elle's attraction to Brian, mainly because she was so frightened of him. I didn't understand how she could switch gears that fast. She would be almost ready to pass out from a panic attack (because she was convinced he was a dangerous stalker), but she was simultaneously blushing and feeling butterflies in her stomach?
Oh God! I think he's going to kill me!
*swoon*
He's so gorgeous!
That just wouldn't happen. I've known quite a few guys who were extremely attractive, but they gave the the creeps. So. While I recognized they were good-looking, nothing fluttered around my abdomen except that tingly Danger! Danger! feeling. And honestly, that's more of a churning nausea than a tingle.
Bad-Boys? Yes please!
Showing-Up-At-Odd-Times-Stalker-Boys? No thank you.
There's nothing sexy about a guy that you think might stuff you in his trunk. And even if you're not right when your gut is telling you some dude is a possible creeper, you're not going to get a warm fuzzy feeling in your tummy if you find him lurking in the shadows.
Ever.
P.S.-Even if he's not planning to ask you to 'put the lotion in the basket', there's a reason your instincts are giving off a warning vibe. Trust your gut, ladies.

There were manymanymany other parts of the story that didn't add up...even at the end, but I would have to give spoilers to point them out. And there's no point in reading a mystery/thriller if you already know all the secrets, right?
If you can make it through the first 70% of the story, the rest of the book is very readable. At that point I got sucked into it, and flew through till the end.
Would I recommend it?
No.
But if you're a fan of YA mysteries then you might enjoy this more than I did.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book.

[Alexa L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow I am not exaggerating when I say I couldn't put this book down! I put off sleep and homework to get to the end of Julie Lindsey's new romance thriller! I immediately fell in love with Brian and was so jealous of his relationship with Elle! Nobody else could make protecting people from serial killers sooo sexy! If you're looking for an awesome read that gets you sucked into the story from page one, then pick up a copy of Deceived ASAP you won't be disappointed!

[ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars.
http://seh-bookblog.blogspot.com/

My thoughts:
After turning the last page of Deceived, I can tell why Julie Anne Lindsey decided to go with the title. In the beginning, I thought it might have had something to do with the romance element, but going further into the book, I can see that the romance is only a side story to Elle’s life.
Elle -- a caffeine-addict trying to fit into her role as the new girl, at Francine Frances Academy; with the help of her new best friend, Pixie. Since she can remember, her dreams have been haunting her, and getting little to no sleep has become a part of her everyday life. Strange enough, she always feels as if someone is continuously watching her. The meeting of the new boy, Bryan, doesn’t make things less complicated. He is always there when she needs someone, yet again he has so many secrets, and of course he being cute doesn’t quite help either. She doesn’t know what to make of his actions towards her. With Bryan’s appearance, Elle will discover heartache from years ago, which will have you bawling your eyes out.
Deceived was such a thrill! The mystery kept me on edge and the secret identities of the characters paranoid me. I was constantly taking guesses at who the serial killer might be. Everyone seemed so suspicious. And I feel bad about directing my main suspicion towards Davis – also a student at Francine Frances. You know those plot twists where the goody-goods end up being the psychotic one? Well, yeah I was sure it was Davis, until …
I liked that the story was set in more than one setting. It keeps the premise fresh. Admittingly, I may have skimmed a few times, as the mystery drags on, but as I said the change of settings really played an enormous part in grasping my wandering interest. And although I cannot pin-point what exactly I enjoyed about Elle being the protagonist, she just seems worthy of that title. Her attitude, personal, background, -- everything seems real – believable. Her character continues to develop with each passing chapter. What’s fascinating about Julie Anne Lindsey is that she writes so you can see the transition between the stressed–afraid Elle in the beginning of the book, to the brave Elle near the end. Even with the always brave and calm Bryan, you’ll witness his demeanor faltering at one point. Her characters are not “perfect” – each with their own struggles and self-proclaimed insanities, I believe this is what attracts readers to her writing. The realistic qualities.
Overall I enjoyed Deceived, and would recommend it to all the Thriller-lovin’ readers.

[erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Deceived is a chilling, suspenseful read. I was drawn in from the first scene by Elle's recurring nightmare and the paranoia associated with it and immediately wanted to know more. The mystery was easily the best part of this book: there were so many small things that just didn't add up, causing both Elle and the reader to question everyone and everything. I enjoyed watching the mystery unfold, though the big reveal didn't faze me because I had figured everything out partway through the book.

For the majority of the book, I wasn't quite sure how to feel about Elle. She's a strong and determined, and I liked how she was willing to find her own answers when something didn't seem right. For someone who has reasons to be paranoid, she made some pretty poor decisions, so there were many times when I wanted to shake her and tell her to get her priorities straight.

I'm not fan of instalove in any book, and the romance in Deceived is no exception. It happened far too quickly, and didn't make too much sense given the context of the story. When a girl is questioning the motives of everyone she meets, you would think she'd have bigger issues than boys, right? Unfortunately not. At the 30% point, Elle entertains the idea that the boy that she's in love with - who she had just met, mind you - might be following her and might be a serial killer. That thought would make me run the other way as quickly as I could, but to each his own, I guess.

As Elle learns more about this mysterious boy, the story begins to pick up the pace once again. A lot more questions are raised and lead up to some fairly intense scenes, though they don't quite make up for the way that the plot dragged on in the middle portions of the book.

Overall, Deceived was a pretty enjoyable read filled with mystery and intrigue. If it weren't for the inconsistent pacing and the fact that I somehow became a super sleuth overnight, I would have been hooked.

This review can also be found at The In-Between Place. I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Merit Press in exchange for an honest review.

[Chiara · Rating 2 out of 5]

A copy of this novel was received for review via NetGalley.

I had quite high hopes for Deceived.

Unfortunately, it fell a little flat for me. Deceived has all the tropes that have been used to exhaustion in the YA genre. Mysterious boy, instalove, damaged family, predictability, clueless heroine.

Deceived also dragged. On. And on. And on. Barely anything happened, and yet there was so much potential for things to happen. I mean this is a story about a stalker serial killer, but there are only two interactions between the main character and this evil guy. There could have been creepy shit left, right, and centre, but the room for creepy shit was just not utilised in any shape or form.

Our main character wasn’t really … anyone. She didn’t have a passion. She didn’t have aspirations. She didn’t have hobbies, or anything that she liked. She wanted to be a lawyer but even said that she wasn’t so keen. And then once it was mentioned that she liked crime shows (which seemed quite ridiculous given her paranoid recurring nightmare about someone murdering her). So it was quite hard to connect and really care about Gabriella (or Elle as everyone calls her … which made no sense but hey).

The romance was predictable, like I said before. Mysterious guy who is nice to the girl when they’re alone but a dick when they’re in public. Wants to protect her. Can’t be with her because of obligations. Still makes out with her anyway. Happily Ever After.

Overall, Deceived had some great potential but seemed to fall victim to genre clichés.


© 2014, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity . All rights reserved.

[Cheryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Elle's father has relocated them again in a new town. Elle is tried of all the moving. At least this is her senior year. Elle does not receive the warm welcome she was hoping for at her new school. Strange things start happening to Elle. First there is the ribbon stuffed in her locker door. The ribbon looks just like the one Elle's mother used to have. She is gone. Than there is the mystery of the cigarette butts that someone leaves on Elle's door mat at school. Who is stalking Elle and why?

I was not feeling this book as much as I would have liked to. It is on the darker side but not dark that it is depressing. What I mean by this is that the book does touch on a serious subject but without all the gore. I just could not connect with any of the characters. In fact, I found myself skimming parts of this book to make it read faster. From what I was reading it did not make me stop and slow down. The ending was alright. Sorry as there is not much else I can say about this book.

[Jeanne Drzewiecki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book and would not have read this had Julie Anne Lindsey placed the 5 chapter teaser on GoodReads! I was hooked actually after the first chapter and had to download this.
I loved the suspense and fell in love with Elle as a vulnerable character trying to gain her independence as she tries to go on with her life after being plagued with dreams and feelings of being watched. I loved the delicate situation of the romance between David/Nicholas and Elle which I felt was very well done.
I truly think that we need more stories with Austin family in it as I would have loved to gotten to know each of them better and we only got a small glimpse of the dynamics of that family (hint hint!)

[Brittany (Brittany's Book Rambles) · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5/5 Stars.

Thank you Netgalley.com and Merit Press for my electronic ARC of this book.

The plot is unique but too many things didn't add up or make sense to me. I understand that this was meant to be a mystery book, but I found a good chunk of this book to be written in an overdramatic fashion. There were some brilliant flashes in this book, but just not enough for me.

To read my full review of this book, you can visit my blog here: http://brittanysbookrambles.blogspot....

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel by Julie Anne Lindsey. A young teenage girl who has moved around her whole life is going to boarding school in a small Ohio town. Elle didn't know that her life was about to be turned upside down.
I have read several crime/mystery/suspense novels throughout my life so I thought I had this one mostly figured out a little over half way through, but Julie Lindsay really threw a couple of curve balls my way. Except for a few blurbs it is a very well written book.

[Margo Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you liked the movie THE BODYGUARD, you'd probably enjoy this book. I certainly read faster during the second half of the book, because I needed to know exactly what was going to happen. A fun read for sure.

[Julie Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! A forbidden romance and a serial killer - what’s not to love? Ella’s father is very protective and they have moved often throughout her life. It’s now her senior year and he has reluctantly agreed to let her attend a boarding school. Ella has night terrors and doesn’t sleep more than a few hours a night, so she is addicted to caffeine. On the first day, she finds a ribbon like her mother used to wear in her hair in her locker. There are cigarette butts left outside her and her roommate’s door each morning. Then, Brian, a boy she met at a flea market before school started, shows up in her classes. She can’t figure him out or why he runs hot and cold towards her. When rumors of a serial killer start in the school, Ella must decide who she trusts and find out the truths that have been hidden her whole life.

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the plot. I guessed some of what was happening before the end, but not everything. I didn't particularly like the characters though. Gabriella/Elle alternates between boring and ridiculously naive. "Oh, this person keeps creeping up on me and I'm not sure whether I find him scary or not, but he's attractive so I'll go off on my own with him anyway". Uhh, okay. But even though I didn't care for Elle I did want to know what had happened to her and read this book through in one sitting. I'm giving 3 stars, but really it's somewhere between 3 and 4.

[JaimeMarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started reading Deceived, I thought the direction of the book was going to go one way but it surprised me and ended up going the opposite way. The book starts off with Elle starting yet another new school, this time a boarding school. Elle slowly gets used to her new school, and everything is pretty normal, well except for Brian.

Elle met Brian at some flea market, they chatted for a while, then he left. Elle keeps thinking about him, but never expects to find him at her new school! But then (because boys are just dumb) Brian acts as if he's never seen her. Brian may have even been able to pull off pretending to never have met her if he wouldn't keep staring at her all the time and transferring into almost all of her classes. (talk about creeperish! [oh, but he's such a hot creeper. Mmmm I'd be okay with him being my creeper])

Now here's my two cents. From reading the synopsis, I was kinda thinking that this book was going to be one of those books where the guy just comes up to the girl and declares "oh, we're soulmates, but your dad moves you all over the place so that I can't find you but now I've finally found you" I dunno, maybe I've just read too many sappy YA romances (yeah, I most definitely have).

Any-who, I quickly mark that off my mental list of what-the-hell-is-the-main-plot-of-this-story. After mentally crossing off numerous other ideas ('daddy's in the mafia' being the coolest idea I can think of), I realize, that's what the author is wanting! Duh! It is such a friggin page turner, not only because it's a great read, but also, you just want to know what the hell is going on. At first, I thought that Julie Lindsey should have put a more detailed synopsis, but I realized that would have just taken away some of the mystery of the book.

Now, the characters:

•Elle. This chick is pretty awesome. She is someone who likes to be in the know, and when shes not, she snoops. But I'm not saying that as a bad thing, because I'm the same way (I hate when a character in a book doesn't do a little snooping, because they are just oblivious to whatevers happening). Now I will respect the author by attempting not to give you all the secrets in this book, but I just have to say, this chick beats a guys ass while having numerous injuries, so as far as characters go, she's one of my top faves.

•Pixie. Pixie is Elle's roommate, and ends up getting Elle out of her shell and comfort zone. Pixie is the one character so many of us wish we could be. She is not afraid to show her true self, speaks her mind, and is one awesome friend to Elle. I really don't know what else to say about this chick, because frankly those few sentences pretty much sums up Pixie, she is just damn awesome.

•Brian Austin. Arghh there is so much I wanna write about him, but it would just give too much away. Hmmm okay, Brian. Brian is this tough macho looking guy, he's a fighter, but also just a giant teddy bear (now that is one fine ass teddy bear lemme tell you!). Let me also tell you, every time when I would think I finally figured Brian out, something would prove me wrong, and it made me so mad! I just wanted to find out who this hottie was. Here's some things I can give away without giving too much out: from square one, Brian's looking out for Elle (from what? I just can't tell you;) ), he's super protective, but he is also really freaking infuriating (he holds all the answers for Elle, but doesn't give out any of them).

•Davis. Davis starts out as a possible love interest for Elle. He is an all-American, boy-next-door kind of guy, but sadly, him and Elle are a no-go.

Now here are some things I can tell you:

Elle's dad is super protective of her, especially since her mom died when she was 6. (But why overreact when someone may have accidentally put a ribbon in Elle's locker like the ones her mom used to wear?)

Elle has a project for school to search for herself on the Internet to see what other people can find out about her. However, when she searches for herself she doesn't find anything. Then, on a whim, she searches for Brian Austin in D.C. (where he says he is from) and again, comes up with nothing. (Why does she find nothing about herself? Or Brian?)

Elle and Pixie keep finding a growing pile of cigarette buts in front of their door, even though there is a strict no smoking policy on campus. (is it just some random person leaving their trash there?)

Elle slowly starts thinking people are following her. (Is it just her nightmares that are making her paranoid? Is she loosing her mind? If she is being stalked, who is it? Davis? He smokes, Maybe the cigarette butts are his. Maybe Brian? He's transferred into more than half her classes and always seems to show up when she's alone.)

Deceived starts out about a girl who thinks she knows everything about her life, but she slowly realizes that all of her life is a lie. I have to say, I've never read a book like this, and it is refreshing to read a YA book that isn't like all the other ones. Julie Lindsey is a great author, and I look forward to reading more of her books! :)

Happy Reading!

[Brooke Church · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very VERY great story! SO intrigued from the very first page!

[Sheila Osborn hatcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

Julie,
I didn't want to put it down. You are an amazing author. I'm not going to stop until I have read every one of your books. Keep them coming!!!!

[Yuliza Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was great. Had a little bit of everything. I loved it! It started a little slow, but it grew into a faster paced book, which I enjoyed.

[Audrey Wilkerson · Rating 1 out of 5]

New girl at boarding high school runs, drinks a lot of coffee and takes caffeine pills to stay awake so she doesn’t have recurring bad dream. Odd things and weird coincidences happen and make her feel like someone is watching her. She finds out that there’s a rumor that there is a serial killer on the loose in the area...

Didja Like It?: A resounding no. This book felt like five different people were told what to write about, then they each wrote a section then shuffled the pages together like playing cards. The overlying theme to this book was security or the lack thereof. Supposedly, the father in the story is super overprotective of his only child, Elle, ever since his wife was killed in a car accident. However, he’s gone a lot, and now he’s sent his daughter to a boarding school where she knows no one. The dorms sound like they are a de facto apartment complex where these underage students live on their own without any adult supervision. It’s an open campus where anyone can come onto the grounds, too. Sounds like the exact place where a dad like this would send his kid.

Then there’s Brian. Elle and her roommate, Pixie, meet him at a flea market several towns over. An affable guy, he buys them coffee and seems to take an interest in Elle. Then, strangely, he shows up as a new student at this school (apparently, there are not many boys at this school, something that is mentioned but not explained). He doesn’t even speak to Elle, even though they basically spent a day together. This goes on for quite some time, with him speaking to her some days and ignoring her others. How annoying. We’re supposed to feel that there’s something going on that hasn’t been explained yet, but it feels manipulative. “Why is he acting so weird? Is he bad news? Or does he just not like like Elle?”

Anything Else to Mention?: There was just too many things that were repeated over and over, such as the cigarette butts on the welcome mat, the fact that Pixie lived on campus year-round, the security (or lack thereof), Elle’s being so uncomfortable, feeling watched, etc. etc. We get it, it’s important! Elle’s inner dialog made me want to strangle her myself. So, so, so many questions (good questions) for someone who worried constantly but never did a thing about her concerns. Very melodramatic. I found her to be equal parts exasperating, dry, boring, straight, too serious. And when she did joke (which was infrequent), they came of very flat.

She was one of those characters who does things the expected way, because she’s a “good girl” or predictable or whatever, then throws everything she believes in out the window because she’s so darn tired of being that good girl or predictable or whatever and who cares, she just wants to have fun/cut loose/find the killer/go somewhere by herself when she’s told not to. Gahhhhh.

The set-up in this story was incredibly meticulous and over-the-top lengthy. You knew exactly when something was going to happen, and while there were some red herrings (gosh, you don’t want to know whodunnit right away, do you?) I couldn’t have cared less by the time we met her wannabe killer. In fact, this killer, while no surprise, was the only one who didn’t get to vent her/his/its drama for pages. Poor killer.

A Final Blow: The writing was poor; it definitely needed a few more passes through the editing process. Like fingernails ever-so-gently dragging across a chalkboard (do they even have those anymore?), the school of “that’s a close enough word, right?” (which is the sister school to “that’s a saying, yeah?”) drives me crazy. Sometimes made-up descriptions or words can be very effective. Here, they are not. I know that when the pages of my notes contain more grammar than story info, I am in trouble. Here’s a few examples:

“stumping my toe in the ground”
“screams built in my chest” (and that’s because she couldn’t get her locker open)
“She spit an exasperated throat noise at me”
“Her absence gonged in the silence”
“short snippet” (I thought that all snippets are short)
“tension licked his words”
“Being alone with him tied my lungs in knots”
“His brows crumbled in frustration”
“My heart skipped in a faulty way”
“it would have behooved me to actually know”
“brooming it under the rug”
To Read or Not To Read: Choose something else.

Deceived by Julie Anne Lindsey was published September 18, 2013 by Merit Press. A free copy of this book was given to Ink and Page in return for an honest review. Thank you to Merit Press.

Rating: 1

Genre: Young Adult Fiction Contemporary Mystery Thriller
Ages: 12 and up
You Might Want to Know: I can’t remember if there was any profanity, but I do believe there was underage drinking.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Words to describe DECEIVED by Julie Anne Lindsey: haunting, frightening, bone chilling. I don't think there are any other words to describe this phenomenal YA thriller. This is the prime example of what book not to read alone at night. I did it anyway.

Here's the gist: Elle is tired of moving every year and hopes that her last year in high school will go over smoothly at this new prep school she's attending. She'll miss her dad but she's ready to reinvent herself. She's got a great roommate, has met a handsome boy, and is settling in nicely. That is until she learns there's a serial killer on the loose that is more connected to her than she'll ever know. Now she's not only scared to death for herself and those around her, but she's determined to get down to the bottom of this, even if it gets her face to face with this psychopath.

Oh, Elle. She was a wonderful main character. She had an awesome voice, a great personality, and was very real. I love characters that I feel are authentic and can relate to, despite the particular circumstances they are in. Elle dreams of going to pre-law school in a big city where she can blend in and there's lots of hustle and bustle. She's a coffee addict, literally, and wants to explore the world. She's extremely curious and independent...which sometimes led to trouble. She has a knack for not listening to her gut and being in the wrong place at the wrong time. If you feel like you shouldn't be somewhere because you're getting that "vibe," leave! She could be so infuriating sometimes! She knows she shouldn't be somewhere, yet she goes anyway. She's not much for self preservation sometimes. She has a hard time realizing how much danger she's potentially putting herself into. I will say she has an amazing heart and has it in the right place, though. Given all that she finds out and has been through, she's extremely strong and handled things 100x better than I would have been able to.

I must talk about Brian. Good Lord, I could not figure him out! Lindsey crafts his character in such a way that you have no idea who he truly is, what he does, etc until much later. You see him often, but never get to learn much about him. He's this giant, mysterious person that you are dying to figure out, but can't. He divulges little bits and pieces of himself to Elle one painstakingly day at a time. Poor Elle can't figure him out either and it drives her as much insane as it drove me. He's that first Christmas present your parents put under the tree with your name on it. They put it under there on November 1st and you can't open it and find out what it is until December 25th.

I will say that Brian and Elle's relationship did suffer a bit from the "telling not showing" syndrome. Elle says she really likes him, but you don't get the sort of interactions between them that proves she does. We're just told she has these feelings. Now, while this did disappoint me at first, I later realized it was necessary. Without giving anything away, just know that their current circumstances make it almost impossible for the showing to occur. You'll understand when the truths start to unravel.

As I said, this is a book you really don't want to stay up all night reading alone. It'll terrify the mess out of you. It's so gripping and so well told, you're not going to want to walk outside by yourself. This serial killer is a psychopath by all stretches of the imagination. He's a certified stalker with a very specific target and way of killing. The unbelievable thing about this entire novel is how believable it actually was. This could be real life, and I honestly felt like I was living the nightmare. Lindsey has a magnificent way of story telling, keeping you completely engrossed until the very end, no matter how hair-raising it is. DECEIVED has secured its spot on my favorite books of 2013 list and will not disappoint!

I received a finished copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

This review can be found at: The Bookish Daydreamer

[Maggie · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars

I don't quite know what I thought this book would be about, but whatever story I had built in my head just wasn't the case here. The story starts with Elle away at boarding school (unlike the description states it's actually her first boarding school) at the beginning of the school year. Oddly enough Elle is already very good friends with her roommate having moved into their off-campus apartment "dorm" room several weeks before school starts. Now, I didn't go to boarding school, but I have lots of friends from college who did and I've never heard of a situation like this. I can't imagine a school, or parents, that would be happy with their 16-year-old or 17-year-old high school seniors living with no supervision with a whole bunch of other teenagers. It was like these kids were in college. They could come and go whenever they wanted and they even cooked their own dinners in their own kitchens!

On the first day of school Elle runs into Bryan, a guy she and her roommate met at a flea market that past weekend, but he pretends he doesn't know her whenever they're around anyone else. I guess I should also mention that Elle suffers from a debilitating nightmare that she can't explain and rarely sleeps and constantly is afraid she's being followed or watched. Elle is suspicious of Bryan, but she's also drawn to him. And not in a mild way, I mean on one page she was scared he might be out to get her and on the next page she was saying she was in love with him. It was very confusing.

Sadly that wasn't the only inconsistency in the book. On the first day of school one of the girls Elle meets tells her what nice hair she says and Elle thinks that her hair is her best feature that she inherited from her late mother. But then in class that first day Elle sits between two beautiful girls and thinks about how boring and ugly her hair is. She also talks to her dad one night and he's in Japan and less than 24 hours later he's at her school in Ohio. That's a pretty long flight, is that even possible? (This is kind of explained later, but it's still really odd.)

Elle also suffers from that "oh, a strange noise in my empty house that's in the middle of nowhere, let me walk upstairs in the dark to investigate" syndrome. Seriously, I cannot count the number of times in this book where Elle expressed her paranoia and unease, but then did something that defied common sense and logic. I know that's often how books like this work, but the girl did it so much I just couldn't respect her.

Also, law enforcement figures prominently in the book and, oh my god, if this is how law enforcement actually functions we are all screwed. I'm not going to say much about this because I don't want to spoil it, but it's like the FBI is being run by a bunch of teenagers who rely on their hormones over any type of training or even common sense.

But, the worst part of this book to me, by far, was Elle's relationship with Bryan. Jesus effing christ it was just so inappropriate. I don't feel like I can say any specific things about the relationship without spoiling the book, but it made me so uncomfortable and angry. Honestly, I think it was abusive and manipulative on Bryan's part and I can't believe it was treated like such an amazing great romance in the story.

Bottom Line: Skip Deceived. Seriously, it's pretty well written, but that's the only thing this book has going for it. The story if full of inconsistencies, illogical actions, and a terribly inappropriate romance. I honestly don't know why I finished the book.

I received an electronic review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are (obviously) my own.

This review first appeared on my blog.

[What Makes Patri · Rating 4 out of 5]

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Deceived by Julie Anne Lindsey

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Review:

I am truly impressed, and a little bit creeped out, with Julie Anne Lindsey. She created a story of mystery and suspense, to the creepy, I'm-having-goosebumps type, and added romance. I really enjoyed it.
Before I do my write about this book, I need to tell it: I knew it! I knew it from the first page!! Ok, you will understand my crazy act after reading the book.
The main character, Gabriella, or Elle as Pixie, her roommate called her, is in a boarding school when everything starts to get creepy, again. She starts to find things in her locker that remind her of her dead mother, she feels like she's been followed, every morning she finds cigarette butts in the floor in front of her door... Creepy much right? Like I said total stalker-thing going on here.
What makes this story go on until the end are two different events. The first one is when Elle meets a gorgeous, yet a little bit older guy. He's interested in her and the feeling seems to be mutual. But shockingly, he surprises Elle by being at her same boarding school. But he does not look like seventeen at all. So everything around Brian is a mystery that Elle is willing to unravel.
The second one is when a teacher assigned the whole class to look on internet about themselves and the search result of her name is an empty site. Elle doesn't find anything. Weird.
And then everything starts to get messy until you know the whole, shocking and unexpected truth of Elle's past and life, the feeling that she's been followed her almost entire life, Brian and the obsession of her father of moving out.
The main character, Elle, was like a Nancy Drew 2.0. She wanted to know everything, however she's a little bit demure. Despite this, she's also brave and although she's afraid she stills act like a not insane person (I would be totally the opposite in her situation). Brian, on the other hand, is confusing and mysterious. You have a lot of whys going on through your head while reading the book, but you know, deep down, that he's not the enemy. Or at least you hope so, because he's beyond cute and surprisingly amazing once he lets Elle enter his world a little bit. And what's the best of it? He's determined to keep Elle safe and would do anything to protect her (*double sigh*). And I have to talk about Pixie, Elle's roommate, she's just amazing and a great, great friend. I really liked her and would miss her If she wasn't in the story.
The romance and the mystery were perfect and I really felt like I was inside the story. So much that I had a hard time sleeping tonight... Yeah, double checked my wardrobe (Just in case!).
However, the story, at first, was kind of slow. I understand that you need to know everything before make the reader addicted to the story, but I had a hard time concentrating at the beginning. Although when the story gets pretty intense, you cannot stop reading and that's what I really liked.
So the final decision about this book, Book Addicts, is that you need to give it a try If you like romantic stories with a little bit of mystery, suspense and creepiness in it and a dose of sweet YA. And because we truly enjoyed it, we are giving this book four gorjuss dolls and recommend you to read Deceived and, after that, double check your closet and doors... Don't want to feel like anything's following/watching you.

[Cyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

GENRE: YA Contemporary
THEME: Mystery, Romance, and Thriller
RECEIVED: Tour
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/

REVIEW:
I’m always on the look out for something new, with Deceived I got a mystery thriller that had me guessing until the very end. There were so many twists that started connecting the dots from the characters young age to the present. Lindsey crafted a great amount of suspense, adding in touches of humor, romance and characters that were easy to connect too.

Deceived follows Elle a senior and new student Francine Frances boarding school. All her life she has moved town to town because of her dad’s job, now she finally found a school and friends she likes. But she is still having her night terrors, she feels she’s being watched and a ribbon reminding her of her past is randomly left in her locker. Not only that, but the boy Bryan she met one day at a flea market suddenly shows up at her school and is everywhere she is. Elle soon discovers she in danger, her life has had many secrets and Bryan is apart of it.

Elle hasn’t had it easy, moving from one town to the next doesn’t really leave time to make friends or have a place to call home. Once she starts at her new boarding school, she easily connects with her wild roommate Pixie and the boy she crushed on at a random flea market is now at her school. But she has always been cautious, paranoid and then some. Having her father making it even harder since he is always concerned about her safety, even though he’s always away for work. What was great about Elle is that she was determined to get to the bottom of all the coincidence that start happening. She is also extremely brave for someone who knows there is danger out there and she still heads out by herself. I did however feel that was kind of carless of her that she wanders around a lot alone. Her relationship with her best friend pixie was fun and added some humor to the more serious tones. Overall her family past connect to the danger is key to the plot and the readers get to kind of solve the mystery with Elle.

Bryan is probably one of the biggest mysterious until about a little less than half way through. The readers will be shocked by his secrets and I actually loved the idea behind his character. He’s an overall great guy, who just followed his heart and also takes his job very seriously. I adored his entire family and loved the warmth and liveliness that they brought to Elle when they meet her. The only thing that I didn’t really agree on was the insta-love, I wished there was more of a growth or at least a more subtle approach to how they connected. But nonetheless I loved their bond, their adorable scenes, and the protective nature he has with Elle.

Overall I think this story rocked, the mystery was so suspenseful and how the danger was connect to Elle and her family, as well as Bryan. I don’t want to give too much away but I will say the villain is uber creepy and so well written it gave me chills. There are lot of surprises, and some pieces I felt happened a little fast and would have been better if explain in a bit more detail. Elle discovers she’s been deceived, which of course is a great title, eh? In the mix of it all she has to leave a lot behind to learn more about the danger she should be trying to get away from. I will definitely be looking out for more work from Lindsey, she brought to life a mystery that unfolded through a bunch of secrets within secrets that all came together in the end nicely.

RECOMMENDATION:
This is a young adult novel that will have you on the edge of your seat and make you take a second look over your shoulders. Fans of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl and Kelly Armstrong’s Omens will enjoy Deceived by Julie Anne Lindsey.

[Kassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deceived by Julie Anne Lindsey was a nice break from all the New Adult novels I've been reading- I am a little obsessed with the New Adult genre :). Once I started reading Deceived I realized how much I missed the Young Adult Genre. Deceived is a refreshing read from the Young Adult books I've read in the past. I loved the mystery, suspense, lies, twists, and the relationship between Elle and Brian.

I loved Elle's character :D! Elle is seventeen years old and has lived a very lonely life. Her father has always been moving them around from place to place, and hiring a nanny to take care of her while he is out of state working. Elle has never been open with anyone when it comes to what she is feeling and experiencing with her recurring nightmare. When her father enrolls her at Francine Frances, she believes that her nightmare will become less frequent and she can have a normal life. But her nightmares become more frequent, her sleeplessness worsens, and her paranoia increases. I felt every single emotion Elle's character goes through in Deceived, and I felt like I was right next to her experiencing all of the situations she encounters in the story.

Brian, Brian, Brian! I didn't know what to think of this guy. There is a lot of mystery surrounding Brain's character, that I seriously thought the worse things about him. From the beginning of the story, Elle describes him as being the nicest guy she has ever met and she felt an instant attraction towards him. But once he appears at her school on the first day of class, he is a complete different person. My instant thoughts about his character were jerk, mysterious, who is this guy, and does Elle even like him? Trust me when I tell you that Brian is a very mysterious guy, because we don't know anything about him. As the story develops we find out who he really is, and why exactly he is enrolled at Francine Frances. I loved the whole mystery and twists Julie Anne Lindsey throws our way with Brian's character.

The story as a whole was just phenomenal! I was a goner from the very first page of this book. Once I started reading Deceived I was unable to put it down. I just wanted to keep reading, because the mystery and suspense kept me turning the pages. As I said before there is a lot of mystery, suspense, and if you love crime books then you are going to love Deceived. I am a huge fan of crime shows- love watching the I.D. channel- so when I was reading Deceived I felt like I was watching one of these shows. That's how good Julie Anne Lindsey integrated crime into her story along with the mystery and suspense. But there is also a little romance in the book, which I just loved. The twists Julie Anne Lindsey added to the story were unexpected, and I was left with my mouth gaping with each little twist. There are a few things that were a little predictable, but only a few.

Julie Anne Lindsey will leave you wanting more. I really hope Julie Anne Lindsey decides to write a second book with the same characters in her Deceived novel. Why did you have to end the book like that Julie! This is going on my favorite reads list and on my re-read books list :D! Julie Anne Lindsey I have become a fan of your writing!

[A Book Vacation · Rating 3 out of 5]

To see my full review:

http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...

While the overall archetypes of a story set in a boarding school haven’t really changed in this novel, with the brooding yet protective hero, the shy and needy heroine, the distant parent, and the lackluster staff, Lindsey still adds her own twist to an age old story, bringing in a serial killer with a vendetta, the secret police, and pure, nice, caring friends for our heroine, Elle.

I won’t lie, it’s hard not to compare Lindsey’s novels with the vast majority that have been written using the same setting. If you read the synopsis, you might just think it’s going to be like all the others out there, but in truth, it’s really not. In the beginning, yes, I very much thought that this novel was just like others I’ve read. However, like I said previously, Lindsey adds in her own elements that help give the story a kick, like the fact that there really aren’t any “mean girls/boys” on campus. That was an added relief. In fact, our heroine, Elle, though shy, has great friends that rally around her and try to include her in everything, which was an awesome change from some of the books I’ve previously read where the hero/heroine is hated by the “fabulous” rich students all around him/her.

On top of that, the school isn’t exactly strict, and the students are able to move about more freely, going into town, owning cars, and interacting with the real world, which isn’t something I often see in novels dealing with boarding school. It actually made the characters seem more like college students with this added freedom, and I liked this aspect a lot, though sometimes it was confusing to me because I’m still trying to figure out the living arrangements. The girls seemed to have their own apartment, complete with a kitchen, and they bought their own groceries, so that was a little weird for me, but not a deal breaker by any means.

The addition of a serial killer running around added a sense of fear to the entire novel as well. Though, on occasion, I wanted to smack Elle upside the head because she doesn’t seem very street smart. If I woke up every morning and there were tons of cigarette butts all over my doormat every day, I’d be worried of a stalker AND I’d tell authorities. It wouldn’t be something I just chalk up to chance. Likewise, I feel like most people recognize a cigarette’s glow in the evening, so it surprised me that Elle didn’t recognize what it was when she saw it stalking her, but… then again, she is really naive, so… it happens.

I figured out much of the plot before the constant reveals and revelations of the characters’ roles, but the one aspect I couldn’t figure out for a while was the “why” behind the serial killer’s choice. But, once that was explained, everything fit nicely into place, and the end definitely left me with a pounding heart for multiple reasons. Overall, this is a decent read with a twist, and if you’ve enjoyed any of the novels you’ve previously read set in boarding schools, then I suggest you give this one a try.

[Theresa Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elle's father is a single dad, working in corporate insurance, and is constantly traveling for work. Elle gets moved to another boarding school for her senior year. She expects her night terrors might stop with the change and is disgusted when the night terrors continue. If that were not enough, Elle thinks she's going crazy. She believes she's being followed. She finds a black ribbon, a signature hair decoration of her deceased mother, in her locker. Not only has she seen someone in the shadows who appears to smoke, she finds cigarette butts piling up on her doormat. Elle meets Bryan at a flea market prior to the start of school and then finds out he's a new student at her school. And even though they enjoyed each other's company at the flea market, he acts like he doesn't know her at school. So is Elle crazy? Why is Bryan such a mystery and why does Elle's father keep relocating himself and her?

Julie Anne Lindsay has put together a true mystery. At the beginning, I thought this whole story would lead to an ending where Elle is in some hospital somewhere restrained to a bed and hallucinating. When the story began to get its momentum and pick up speed, there was no putting the book down. Once you're on this ride, you must know who Bryan really is, you must know why Elle's father keeps moving and you absolutely, positively need to know if Elle is being stalked or if she's just paranoid.

I give it 5+ stars. Deceived is chilling, suspenseful and a real nail biter. Not everyone is a suspect but there are well placed red herrings and there are just enough. Some mysteries go on forever chapter by chapter where everybody is a suspect and there's a red herring at every turn. Julie Ann Lindsay was careful and deliberate with her choices in Deceived.

I like that there IS a love story intertwined with the mystery. But it's balanced out well without the love story overpowering the mystery or vice versa. The mystery is fast paced and intriguing. The love story goes the opposite and is told slowly while the foundation is built. The blend is highly favorable for me since I love mystery books and I enjoy a good love story. To read both and have them moving at the right pacing is a HUGE plus for the story but also for the reader.

Another character in the book, Elle's roommate Pixie, is also in this book and I would call her a major character. However, at a certain point, I wondered why she was in the book. Her character is concluded before the book ends. I figured it was probably necessary for Elle to have a roommate to play opposite Elle's quieter demeanor and to relay to the reader that there was at least one other person in the book who saw the cigarette butts. She seems to be the buffer that makes you think that Elle might not be crazy. Pixie is also the one character that is completely on Elle's side without any questions asked.

Overall, a chilling, thrilling and suspenseful read. A must read!

(I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for a fair, honest review)

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I've always been a big fan of the "whodunit" kind of mysteries. I like the suspense of not knowing everything that's going on. Of not being quite sure who the good guys and the bad guys are. Any book that can wrap that kind of suspense up with the romance that I really need to keep me sucked it is definitely one that I want to read. Deceived has all those elements, so naturally, I was excited.

Elle doesn't have all her memories from when she was a child, but she knows something scary must've happened because of her dreams. And, now she is away at school with the opportunity to finally shake her fears, except they seem to have followed her. Signs that she's being watched are all over. But, who's doing the watching? No doubt Brian is, but there's something different about him. His presence actually makes her feel safer, and she may need his protection if the real watcher has his or her way.

I loved not knowing what was going on. I love to be surprised. Deceived surprised me, and that's hard to do these days. The mystery in Deceived was a really good one. There were plenty of twists and turns wrapped up in a little bit of cloak and dagger and sealed with a kiss.

The romance was a sweet one, albeit a tad unbelievable. Brian has his own secrets that come out relatively quickly, so thank goodness we don't have to wait until the end for that. He's a bit older than Elle, but the age difference never bothered me. I was never overly aware of it. I think Brian was my favorite character. He was aloof and slightly creepy in the beginning, and then brave and strong when he needed to be. He was the perfect compliment to Elle.

Elle was the weaker character, I thought. She was very fearful and timid. I prefer my female characters to be strong and bold. Elle was mousy almost to the point of ridiculousness. Sometimes I just wanted to shake her and tell her to man up. She did have her moments, including a big one, where she does reach deep down to find the strength the situation calls for, so I did appreciate that.

Many times, I felt like some of the things that were going on were just not plausible. I can't say too much without giving major plot points away. But, there are definitely some events and some plot elements that seemed a little far fetched. I feel like stories should be seamless - they should reflect real life and I should feel like I could take a trip to where the story is happening and really find the characters there. I didn't feel that way with Deceived.

Overall though, Deceived was a really good book. I remained engaged and interested. I really wanted to find out which of the possible baddies was the real one. And I wanted to find out if Elle and Brian found a way to be together. The suspense was killing me - and that's a good thing.

Check out my full review at http://kristasdustjacket.blogspot.com...

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this review and others @

I received an ARC of Deceived in an exchange for a fair and honest review.

At the beginning of Deceived, I wasn't sure where the book was going. Elle (Gabriella) the MC, is starting as a senior at a new boarding school. She is often preoccupied by the fact that she can’t sleep for more than a few hours at a time because of haunting nightmares about a mysterious entity that hunts her and a ‘loved one.’

Too be honest, at the beginning I probably liked Pixie, a supporting character, more than Elle. While Elle spends much of her time revealing her inability to sleep at night and the fact that her father is always on the move, Pixie lives life with a good attitude.

Very quickly it becomes evident that two love interests are possible for Elle - the elusive 'Brian' who she meets at a flea market and an all-American lacrosse player 'Davis' who makes his interest in her obvious from the beginning.

I feel that the book really caught my attention when Elle begins to make realizations about Brian. Rather than a day-in and day-out recount of events, Elle’s life becomes more tangled and confusing. Only when I realized who Brian truly was, did I make the connection with Elle’s family.

I don’t want to give anything away in this book, but it is important for a reader to understand that it is worth reading beyond the introduction.

Elle makes a realization about Brian, her family, and the person who haunts her dreams midway through the novel. From this point forth, there is a lot more action and suspense, culminating in one big battle towards the end. As the situations became more dangerous, I found myself absorbed in the novel.

There are also some romantic nuances that take place between Elle and Brian. From the first page I felt that Davis really didn’t have much of a chance. Anyone who has read Twilight should know that in YA novels, the dangerous/mysterious guy always gets the girl. The romantic aspects of the novel were fairly subtle however. The suspenseful aspects of the novel really took center stage as the book developed.

By the last page, I left the book feeling satisfied with the outcome. There really isn’t a way for a sequel to take place, unless it is taken in a completely different direction. I think it is safe to say that this will probably be a stand-alone novel.

Finally, I give this book 3/5 stars because it is well written and original, but perhaps at times I felt that there were many unrealistic aspects of the novel as well.

[Stacy Sabala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review- Deceived by Julie Anne Lindsey

Gabriella is attending a new school her senior year. It is a boarding school in Ohio. Her father is always traveling for work, so being in another new place is nothing new for her.
Her roommate Pixie is her opposite. She is outgoing and an artist. She gave Gabriella the nickname Elle and has taken her under her wing. On one outing with Pixie to a flea market in a neighboring town, Elle met Brian. He bought them coffee and spent the afternoon with them touring the flea market. Elle was smitten with just one afternoon.
Once school starts, Elle is surprised to have Brian in almost all of her classes. He is also acting like they have never met. She is shocked at his behavior and angry. He talks to her when they are alone but acts like a jerk when they are not. She knows something is odd but reasons it away telling herself it is in her imagination.
Then, when she is out and about she starts noticing a man who smokes seems to be following her. There have been rumors of a serial killer in the area. Elle fears her nightmares are leaking into her days. She becomes more confused when she learns there is more to Brian than she thought.
Brian becomes the only one who can protect her from the man stalking her. They send Pixie to safety and Elle is taken to another safer location. Her past nightmares were coming true and as Brian tries to keep her safe, she learns she is much stronger than she thinks.
I absolutely loved this book. Elle was a bit weaker than I liked in a main female character but the story needed her to be confused and questioning herself. She was much stronger than she thought in the long run. I really adored the Brian/Nicholas character. He tried to do the right thing and keep protocol, but was unable to stay away and keep Elle at arms length. He was her protector and took care of her even when she didn’t know he was doing it.
The storyline was awesome. The serial killer chasing her all her life without her knowing was a page turner. The reader learned about everything as Elle did in the story. It made the story exciting and the reader was left guessing what would happen next. I could not put it down.
What she had to go through in the end was shocking and crazy. It showed the strength in her character and her determination. The author had me hooked from the beginning and the forbidden relationship between Elle and Nicholas made everything sweeter. I give it a 5 out of 5.

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

** spoiler alert ** For more reviews visit: http://livinginabookworld.blogspot.gr

The story

Gabriella Smith was accustomed to moving all over the country with her dad.His job as a corporate insurance agent demanded their relocation every once in a while so when her dad decided to send her to a private school,she thought that it would be good to stay in one place and finish high school.What she didn't know was that there is a serial killer,called The Reaper,the FBI has been chasing for more than fourteen years on campus watching,observing and selecting his next victim.

The characters

Elle grew up without a mother.She lost her in a tragic car accident when she was six.Since then it's been just her and her father.For the past twelve years,she's been having the same nightmare,a mystery man chasing her with the intention of torturing and killing her.As a result,she hasn't slept for more than a couple of hours for years.She became coffee addicted and started taking caffeine pills.

From the moment she stepped foot on her new private school,she constantly has this feeling that someone is watching her every move.She finds cigarette butts on her welcome mat every morning, sees dark shadows and cars following her and finds out that some of her things are either missing or relocated.She believes that she is the killer's next target and she might be right..

But that's not all.During her first week,she and her best friend,Pixie, drove out of town to a flea marker where she met and spent the day talking to a H-O-T guy named Brian.She thought she'd never see him again.Well,she was wrong because one day during classes,there he is,posing as the new transfer.Thing is,he acts like he's never seen Gabriella before but he's everywhere Elle is.

Brian has his own secrets.He knows that he's so close to finding who The Reaper is after all these years.But he jeopardizes everything when he falls for Gabriella.He knows he can't leave her but what if something happened to her just because he got distracted?He will make sure that never happens..

Verdict

Deceived is one of the best YA Thriller/Mystery books I've read!It is a fast-paced,action packed novel with buried secrets,fatal lies,a forbidden romance and so many twists and turns that make it quite hard to put this book down.

Rating: 4.5 stars!!

[Kimber Wheaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Deceived is a contemporary mystery/romantic suspense that follows main character Elle as she learns the truth about her life. The creepiness starts right away, drawing the reader into the mystery surrounding Elle and her new boarding school. This is one of those books that's hard to put down as each page draws the reader further into the mystery.

Elle is a high school senior that forgoes sleep to avoid a recurring nightmare. The faceless monster in her dream is so emotionally traumatic, Elle drowns herself in caffeine in an attempt to live without much sleep. As strange things start occurring around her new school, the reader knows there's something wrong, even as Elle tries to pass it off as mental demons. When Elle finally starts to uncover the mystery of her past, she realizes she isn't crazy. Her demons are real, and they're after her.

Brian/Nicholas Austin is Elle's romantic interest. She falls in lust at first sight with the handsome male. He has secrets of his own that he's not allowed to reveal. Though he tries to keep Elle at arms length, he's far too attracted to her to ignore his feelings. He will do everything in his power to protect her. His hot and cold behavior drives poor Elle absolutely crazy. Nicholas is caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to Elle. He can't reveal his secrets, but he might lose her if he doesn't. Elle and Nicholas make a great couple. Watching Nicholas trying to ignore his feelings for Elle is hilarious.

I enjoyed the suspense, though I wish it had unfolded a bit faster. There was a bit of a lull to start, but around the halfway point, everything flowed much quicker. I loved secondary character Pixie, she's so energetic and sweet. Most of the other secondary characters really took a backseat to our main characters, Elle and Nicholas. It's pretty clear early on what's happening, and sometimes I was perturbed with Elle since she always seemed one step behind where I though she should be.

I like the way Julie Anne Lindsey ended the story. That entire sequence, including the interaction between Elle and the antagonist, was interesting. I recommend Deceived to everyone high school and up that enjoys an intriguing romantic suspense. The antagonist gives 'obsession' a whole new meaning.

[Lelia Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young adult fiction is largely focused on the dystopian and fantasy genres these days so I’m always glad to find a novel rooted in mystery. Deceived falls into that category quite nicely and hits a lot of my hot spots.

The whole point of a mystery is to present the reader and the protagonist with a situation filled with questions and then the reader follows the protagonist through solving the puzzle(s), sometimes leaping ahead by figuring it out first, either by the author’s design or because the clues are somewhat obvious. In this case, I did have a pretty good idea early on—and my guess turned out to be correct—but that didn’t diminish my enjoyment of Elle’s journey at all.

Elle is a character with some depth and I felt her need for stability after a lifetime of constant moves but, of course, any reader would know that her thinking she’s finally come to a place to call “home” is merely a lead-in to her learning a great deal more than she could ever have foreseen. Yes, she makes some choices that are naive and ill-considered but she is, after all, a teenager who has been protected all her life by her father so we shouldn’t expect her to be all-seeing, all-knowing and totally mature. Elle behaves pretty much as I would have expected my own teens to behave in a similar scenario.

The one thing that absolutely did not work for me was the romance. I hate so-called “insta-love” because it’s trite, makes no sense and almost always casts the girl in a bad light for being so idiotic. People say boys are ruled by their hormones but I really think girls put boys to shame when it comes to losing all sensibility over the opposite sex. That failure of good sense becomes even more important when Elle realizes she may be in the cross-hairs of a serial killer known as the Reaper and she will be even more surprised at some of the secrets that come to light.

When push comes to shove, Elle’s intelligence kicks in when she needs it most and she becomes the strong-minded girl I like to see in a novel of suspense. Despite an occasional plot hole and my irritation about the romance, I enjoyed Deceived and I’m looking forward to trying some of Ms. Lindsey’s other titles.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, September 2013.