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The Stranger
From the first moment she sees him in class, Nicoletta is drawn to Jethro, fascinated by his dark, mysterious face. She is attracted yet repelled, interested but afraid. Nicoletta becomes obsessed, unable to think of anything but this strange boy.
But she knows so little about him.
Until she follows him to a deserted cave on the edge of town ... and learns the truth.
Jethro is not like the others. No, not at all.
He has a terrifying secret. A secret no one must ever find out.
But she knows so little about him.
Until she follows him to a deserted cave on the edge of town ... and learns the truth.
Jethro is not like the others. No, not at all.
He has a terrifying secret. A secret no one must ever find out.
198 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1993
39 people are currently reading
1034 people want to read
About the author
Caroline B. Cooney
129 books1,767 followersCaroline Cooney knew in sixth grade that she wanted to be a writer when "the best teacher I ever had in my life" made writing her main focus. "He used to rip off covers from The New Yorker and pass them around and make us write a short story on whichever cover we got. I started writing then and never stopped!"
When her children were young, Caroline started writing books for young people -- with remarkable results. She began to sell stories to Seventeen magazine and soon after began writing books. Suspense novels are her favorites to read and write. "In a suspense novel, you can count on action."
To keep her stories realistic, Caroline visits many schools outside of her area, learning more about teenagers all the time. She often organizes what she calls a "plotting game," in which students work together to create plots for stories. Caroline lives in Westbrook, Connecticut and when she's not writing she volunteers at a hospital, plays piano for the school musicals and daydreams!
- Scholastic.com
When her children were young, Caroline started writing books for young people -- with remarkable results. She began to sell stories to Seventeen magazine and soon after began writing books. Suspense novels are her favorites to read and write. "In a suspense novel, you can count on action."
To keep her stories realistic, Caroline visits many schools outside of her area, learning more about teenagers all the time. She often organizes what she calls a "plotting game," in which students work together to create plots for stories. Caroline lives in Westbrook, Connecticut and when she's not writing she volunteers at a hospital, plays piano for the school musicals and daydreams!
- Scholastic.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
August 17, 2021
4.5 Stars ⭐️
I loved this one but damn if it wasn’t sad.
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
I loved this one but damn if it wasn’t sad.
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
March 2, 2011
I read this book for the first time in like 1997. I loved it at the time, but didn't reread it because it was too sad for me.
Last month I just remembered this story and the strong emotional response I had to reading it. I thought I might've been overreacting to the book because I was like 8, lol. I wanted to find it and see whether my fond memory of the book was deserved or too enthusiastic.
After reading this again, as a grown-ass woman, I think I enjoyed it even more than I did the first time! Even if you've read it before, read it slower and I dare you not to cry. I was crying through the second half, equally from sadness and from the beauty.
I'm only remotely ashamed that this convoluted dramatic YA romance is one of my favorite books of all time. For all of you cerebral types, I think it's worth it to overlook the juvenile, self-indulgent writing and allow yourself to sympathize with the lonely characters in this sad, lovely plot. It is rife with whimsical metaphors and is sometimes shallow, but once you've come to peace with the style (and remember who it was written for), it's a really enjoyable, romantic story.
I would recommend this story to anyone who loves a twist in their romance. I don't like tidy, cheeseball romances nor angsty, hopeless romances...this story falls somewhere between those two, and was truly a jackpot, an unforgettable story for me.
Last month I just remembered this story and the strong emotional response I had to reading it. I thought I might've been overreacting to the book because I was like 8, lol. I wanted to find it and see whether my fond memory of the book was deserved or too enthusiastic.
After reading this again, as a grown-ass woman, I think I enjoyed it even more than I did the first time! Even if you've read it before, read it slower and I dare you not to cry. I was crying through the second half, equally from sadness and from the beauty.
I'm only remotely ashamed that this convoluted dramatic YA romance is one of my favorite books of all time. For all of you cerebral types, I think it's worth it to overlook the juvenile, self-indulgent writing and allow yourself to sympathize with the lonely characters in this sad, lovely plot. It is rife with whimsical metaphors and is sometimes shallow, but once you've come to peace with the style (and remember who it was written for), it's a really enjoyable, romantic story.
I would recommend this story to anyone who loves a twist in their romance. I don't like tidy, cheeseball romances nor angsty, hopeless romances...this story falls somewhere between those two, and was truly a jackpot, an unforgettable story for me.
February 28, 2014
This book is about a girl who falls instantly in love with a dude who happens to be a rock. A literal rock. And yet it's still a better love story than Twilight.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 7, 2021
From the moment Nicoletta first sets eyes on Jethro she is instantly drawn to him, but this strange new student is no ordinary boy.
I couldn’t recall reading this one before, it’s quite different to most of the other Point Horrors as it has more of a supernatural fantasy element.
I can definitely see why people would compare it to Twilight - I think I would have remembered this one.
I felt that Nicoletta was one of the better Point Horror heroines, the romantic elements just felt too out of step with other books in the series so it didn’t full grab my attention but it was still an enjoyable read.
I couldn’t recall reading this one before, it’s quite different to most of the other Point Horrors as it has more of a supernatural fantasy element.
I can definitely see why people would compare it to Twilight - I think I would have remembered this one.
I felt that Nicoletta was one of the better Point Horror heroines, the romantic elements just felt too out of step with other books in the series so it didn’t full grab my attention but it was still an enjoyable read.
September 5, 2020
The writing was really great, but I didn't enjoy this much. All the drama stemmed from the heroine's dumb decision. Plus she and the love interest barely spoke. Meh.
January 18, 2010
Talking? thought Nicoletta. I am trying to be heard through hundreds of years of abandonment, and through thousands of tons of rock. I am screaming! I am screaming for the soul of a boy who loved me.This may, in fact, be my favorite book ever. But it's the one I can't admit to people when they ask what my favorite book is, because it's so gushy and juvenile and embarrassing. Love it all the same, in all its ridiculous angsty teenage glory. (And you can really tell, 'cause my copy is falling apart.) Fantastic.
January 16, 2024
"Love always has a point. Even if it stays within. Or is hidden. Or is helpless."
Love can make us do crazy, silly things. I thought moving across the country for love was weird but Nicoletta has me beat. I’m flabbergasted at what she does to fill her heart with pure love.
Cooney is wild for this one. Usually, her books are weird but very campy. While this one contained all the girl drama, it was also her strangest release. Very enjoyable and has me wanting to read the rest of her books.
Love can make us do crazy, silly things. I thought moving across the country for love was weird but Nicoletta has me beat. I’m flabbergasted at what she does to fill her heart with pure love.
Cooney is wild for this one. Usually, her books are weird but very campy. While this one contained all the girl drama, it was also her strangest release. Very enjoyable and has me wanting to read the rest of her books.
February 22, 2024
Ridiculous but some of it near the end was getting to me ok. Why CAN'T love be enough??? crying over this smelly cave monster boy
June 18, 2025
Unusual, unsettling, & bittersweet folk horror YA
June 17, 2017
Picked this book up many moons ago. It was the first book I ever read without a happy ending, and it had a profound effect upon me, and still influences me. Because it occupies such a holy grail place in my mind, I'm not sure whether it's objectively good or bad. It's kind of a light summer read. Bit spooky, probably meant for pre-teens.
Something odd about this book is its similarity to Twilight. I read this book long before ever reading Twilight; it's much older. And the first time I read Twilight, it reminded me so much of this book. There's a couple detailed similarities which are so strange, and I've always wondered if Stephenie Meyer read this book and copied it. Other reviewers dismiss it as being too Twilight like without realizing this book was first.
The story: Girl is a singer, girl gets kicked out of the choir group she belongs to so she has to take a different elective, girl takes art class, girl notices dark mysterious boy in her art class, and there's something a bit ~strange~ about him. That's all I'll say. As teen books go when it comes to the reason that they give for the boy being "dark" (like, in Twilight, that he's a vampire), this book's reasoning is pretty original - at the least, I've never read something similar. Reminds me of horror stories I would hear in my childhood... so this book feels a little bit otherworldly, to me. Its originality makes it seem almost like the book itself is haunted - no one dares to copy its story (S. Meyer may have copied details, but not this). But maybe I'm wrong and there are tons of stories like it, and I've just never come across them. Would certainly love to know.
Something odd about this book is its similarity to Twilight. I read this book long before ever reading Twilight; it's much older. And the first time I read Twilight, it reminded me so much of this book. There's a couple detailed similarities which are so strange, and I've always wondered if Stephenie Meyer read this book and copied it. Other reviewers dismiss it as being too Twilight like without realizing this book was first.
The story: Girl is a singer, girl gets kicked out of the choir group she belongs to so she has to take a different elective, girl takes art class, girl notices dark mysterious boy in her art class, and there's something a bit ~strange~ about him. That's all I'll say. As teen books go when it comes to the reason that they give for the boy being "dark" (like, in Twilight, that he's a vampire), this book's reasoning is pretty original - at the least, I've never read something similar. Reminds me of horror stories I would hear in my childhood... so this book feels a little bit otherworldly, to me. Its originality makes it seem almost like the book itself is haunted - no one dares to copy its story (S. Meyer may have copied details, but not this). But maybe I'm wrong and there are tons of stories like it, and I've just never come across them. Would certainly love to know.
January 13, 2020
Mmmm. This wasn’t for me. A podcast I listen to said they were gonna read this so I decided to check it out. I didn’t want to know anything going in so I went in knowing absolutely nothing. I assumed Anne-Louise was the eponymous “stranger” and that she was going to be a killer or something. I was wrong. Very wrong. Paranormal romance isn’t really my stomping ground which is a major reason I didn’t like this. But I want to dive into the reasons I disliked it:
1. Insta-Love. How did Nicoletta fall in love with Jethro so quickly?! He doesn’t sound that remarkable.
2. The romance was incredibly boring. It was mainly, “I love Jethro. Christo loves me. Jethro wants to be left alone but still is into me”. And there wasn’t much else.
3. WHAT DID ANNE-LOUSIE DO TO DESERVE THIS? Her entire existence in the book is so miserable and she was barely there.
4. Nicoletta as a whole was just a very aggravating character. Her jealousy, obsession, anger, and selfishness just really rubbed me the wrong way. Usually I love when authors make hateable main characters. It makes them more fun to read, in my opinion. But Nicoletta was another level.
I will say the writing was absolutely beautiful and I throughly enjoyed it. The plot was not my favorite though. Thank goodness I got this on Kindle Unlimited.
Two stars for beautiful writing.
1. Insta-Love. How did Nicoletta fall in love with Jethro so quickly?! He doesn’t sound that remarkable.
2. The romance was incredibly boring. It was mainly, “I love Jethro. Christo loves me. Jethro wants to be left alone but still is into me”. And there wasn’t much else.
3. WHAT DID ANNE-LOUSIE DO TO DESERVE THIS? Her entire existence in the book is so miserable and she was barely there.
4. Nicoletta as a whole was just a very aggravating character. Her jealousy, obsession, anger, and selfishness just really rubbed me the wrong way. Usually I love when authors make hateable main characters. It makes them more fun to read, in my opinion. But Nicoletta was another level.
I will say the writing was absolutely beautiful and I throughly enjoyed it. The plot was not my favorite though. Thank goodness I got this on Kindle Unlimited.
Two stars for beautiful writing.
October 3, 2018
When I picked this up off my shelves I remembered nothing about it. But I rated it 4 stars...Hmm that didn't feel right so I took it up again. This is a mild paranormal-style mystery. At first I though a more horrific aspect but not really. I expected one thing with Jethro based on the cover and description and instead I felt so bad for him. Crappiest living situation ever! I do love a good curse novel and I think that is why I rated high. And if I was still in middle/high school I would likely get a lot of fun out of it. But as an adult, I was a bit bored. The characters weren't very dynamic for what I like in a YA. Still I enjoyed but must lower my rating some
October 30, 2021
On the one hand this is the greatest YA novel ever written. On the other hand some of the writing (dialogue especially) is pretty bad. On the third hand that grows from the center of my chest and is made from horrible, dripping stone and rot, you should read this if you are even a little susceptible to extremely tragic teens and some gruesome existential/body horror for flavor. This is twilight for the very mentally ill
January 10, 2020
Such lyrical, achy prose for YA horror. Cooney was a gift. I wish I'd read more of her as a preteen.
September 15, 2021
I love the writing, but it all got a little bit... cave?
October 13, 2022
I find Caroline B. Cooney to be one of the more interesting Point Horror authors. Cooney's flowery writing style doesn't always work for me, but I appreciate that she will typically dip into the more supernatural side of things. Often this combination works, like in
The Cheerleader
,
Freeze Tag
,
The Vampire's Promise
, and, to a slightly lesser extent,
The Perfume
, but when it doesn't work, it really doesn't work, like in
The Return of the Vampire
. Thankfully, The Stranger strikes a good balance.
Sure, there are some lines in here that are just a touch too flowery or melodramatic for me, which did pull me out of the story, but for the most part this is actually a pretty interesting read. There's a Gothic horror tone to this which I appreciated, and Cooney is typically pretty dependable when it comes to delivering teen angst. In The Stranger we tackle themes such as belonging and unrequited love, all through the lens of a teenage female protagonist who is actually pretty enjoyable to follow.
Cooney excels at evoking a chilly wintery atmosphere. I thought the supernatural elements here were handled pretty well, giving just enough information to keep an air of mystery, and cannily avoiding over-explaining. I can't say I was a fan of the ending, and admittedly there isn't a huge amount that really happens in this book, but I still found it an entertaining enough read.
3/5
Point Horror Ranked
1) The Girlfriend - 4/5
2) The Dead Game - 4/5
3) Trick or Treat - 3.5/5
4) Cape Fear - 3.5/5
5) Nightmare Hall - The Silent Scream - 3.5/5
6) Fatal Secrets - 3.5/5
7) Teacher's Pet - 3.5/5
8) The Baby-Sitter II - 3.5/5
9) The Cheerleader - 3.5/5
10) The Hitchhiker - 3.5/5
11) April Fools - 3.5/5
12) My Secret Admirer - 3.5/5
13) The Lifeguard - 3.5/5
14) Freeze Tag - 3/5
15) Thirteen Tales of Horror - 3/5
16) The Accident - 3/5
17) The Vampire's Promise - 3/5
18) Funhouse - 3/5
19) The Stranger - 3/5
20) Nightmare Hall - Deadly Attraction - 3/5
21) The Window - 3/5
22) Nightmare Hall - Guilty - 3/5
23) The Invitation - 2.5/5
24) Nightmare Hall - The Wish 2.5/5
25) Help Wanted - 2.5/5
26) The Perfume - 2.5/5
27) The Train - 2.5/5
28) The Waitress - 2.5/5
29) The Snowman - 2.5/5
30) Nightmare Hall - The Roommate - 2.5/5
31) Beach House - 2.5/5
32) The Mall - 2.5/5
33) The Boyfriend - 2/5
34) The Fever - 2/5
35) The Cemetery - 2/5
36) Mother's Helper - 2/5
37) The Baby-Sitter III - 2/5
38) The Phantom - 2/5
39) The Dead Girlfriend - 2/5
40) The Baby-Sitter - 1.5/5
41) Hit and Run - 1.5/5
42) The Return of the Vampire - 1/5
43) Beach Party - 1/5
Sure, there are some lines in here that are just a touch too flowery or melodramatic for me, which did pull me out of the story, but for the most part this is actually a pretty interesting read. There's a Gothic horror tone to this which I appreciated, and Cooney is typically pretty dependable when it comes to delivering teen angst. In The Stranger we tackle themes such as belonging and unrequited love, all through the lens of a teenage female protagonist who is actually pretty enjoyable to follow.
Cooney excels at evoking a chilly wintery atmosphere. I thought the supernatural elements here were handled pretty well, giving just enough information to keep an air of mystery, and cannily avoiding over-explaining. I can't say I was a fan of the ending, and admittedly there isn't a huge amount that really happens in this book, but I still found it an entertaining enough read.
3/5
Point Horror Ranked
1) The Girlfriend - 4/5
2) The Dead Game - 4/5
3) Trick or Treat - 3.5/5
4) Cape Fear - 3.5/5
5) Nightmare Hall - The Silent Scream - 3.5/5
6) Fatal Secrets - 3.5/5
7) Teacher's Pet - 3.5/5
8) The Baby-Sitter II - 3.5/5
9) The Cheerleader - 3.5/5
10) The Hitchhiker - 3.5/5
11) April Fools - 3.5/5
12) My Secret Admirer - 3.5/5
13) The Lifeguard - 3.5/5
14) Freeze Tag - 3/5
15) Thirteen Tales of Horror - 3/5
16) The Accident - 3/5
17) The Vampire's Promise - 3/5
18) Funhouse - 3/5
19) The Stranger - 3/5
20) Nightmare Hall - Deadly Attraction - 3/5
21) The Window - 3/5
22) Nightmare Hall - Guilty - 3/5
23) The Invitation - 2.5/5
24) Nightmare Hall - The Wish 2.5/5
25) Help Wanted - 2.5/5
26) The Perfume - 2.5/5
27) The Train - 2.5/5
28) The Waitress - 2.5/5
29) The Snowman - 2.5/5
30) Nightmare Hall - The Roommate - 2.5/5
31) Beach House - 2.5/5
32) The Mall - 2.5/5
33) The Boyfriend - 2/5
34) The Fever - 2/5
35) The Cemetery - 2/5
36) Mother's Helper - 2/5
37) The Baby-Sitter III - 2/5
38) The Phantom - 2/5
39) The Dead Girlfriend - 2/5
40) The Baby-Sitter - 1.5/5
41) Hit and Run - 1.5/5
42) The Return of the Vampire - 1/5
43) Beach Party - 1/5
March 5, 2021
The stranger by Caroline B. Cooney is filled with young, teenage love. When Nicoletta is let go by her music teacher she fears that her life is over. So she takes Art appreciation and notices a mysterious boy she has never seen before in class. But he is not like other guys, withdrawn, mysterious. She decides to follow him one day and makes discoveries that change her life forever.
I usually don't like romance. I'm not quite sure why. Subtle romance rather than full blown out there is okay. This is the first point horror that I have actually read where it features heavily. So I give it 3 stars.
I usually don't like romance. I'm not quite sure why. Subtle romance rather than full blown out there is okay. This is the first point horror that I have actually read where it features heavily. So I give it 3 stars.
February 29, 2020
What fresh hell is this? Sweet baby Jesus, I don't even know where to start. A young girl falls in love with a piece of a cave. I guess this is what people read before the Strange Addictions show on TLC.
July 31, 2025
One of strangest point horrors. Not really horror at all, but probably a monster romance awakening for a lot of teens. Suffers a little from Cooneys excessively flowery prose, but still original enough to be interesting.
October 17, 2016
Review originally posted on Tsundokuholic.
Pre-Reread Thoughts
You’re probably asking yourself why, after despising every book of hers I’ve re-read, I’m doing ANOTHER Caroline B. Cooney re-read. It’s because I’m desperate to find one gem I will still love as an adult from the author I loved as a kid.
I don’t recall too much about this one…I think a girl falls in love with a weird new boy, The Stranger, at school and it turns out he’s supernatural. I know, totally Twilight. Really praying the girl in this one isn’t The Worst like Annie in the Time Traveler Quartet and everyone in Twins. I loved the romance in this and if I remember correctly, it made me cry a lot. Bring on the tears!
Childhood Rating: 5 out of 5 non-Edward Cullen supernatural boyfriends
Post-Reread Thoughts
Nicoletta Storms received the blow of her life. She’s been kicked off the Madrigal Singers to make way for a new girl, Anne Marie. Nicoletta and all of her friends are beside themselves at this new development because the Madrigal Singers are best friends and do everything together. Nicoletta decides to take Art Appreciation in place of Madrigals and notices a mysterious boy she’s never seen before. After school, she learns her friends’ allegiance to her has shifted since they discovered Anne Marie’s amazing voice. Distraught at her social circle’s quick about-face, Nicoletta follows Mysterious Boy when she sees him walking home. As he turns down a dead end, he notices he’s being followed. Nicoletta introduces herself and tells him how she lost all her friends, as if this is pertinent information when introducing yourself to a stranger. He offers to listen to her story while he walks her back down the street and introduces himself as Jethro. Jethro’s reserved demeanor intrigues Nicoletta and she invites him to have lunch with her at school the next day.
Nicoletta’s attraction to Jethro makes her think twice when Christo, the hot male member of the Madrigals, asks her to an upcoming dance. In her crazy obsessive heart she wants to be with Jethro despite only knowing him for roughly 23 hours, but she accepts the dance invitation because Christo is ~*~*ChRiStO**~*~ . This backfires during lunch when Jethro, about to sit with Nicoletta, turns and leaves as Christo pulls her away. Jethro doesn’t show up to Art Appreciation afterwards. Worried about his disappearance, Nicoletta heads to the dead end where Jethro told her he takes a shortcut home from school. At the end of the street is a wooded patch of rocky land. A footpath brings her down to an area with lakes and then stops dead. The calm silence becomes disconcerting as Nicoletta feels like she’s being watched, and stumbles upon a cave in her nervousness. When she walks into the cave, she feels the earth start to move, almost as if it’s trying to pull her deeper into the cave. She screams for Jethro in her panicked state only to be rescued by a creature made of sand and leaves who asks her to promise that she’ll never return to the cave.
Despite her promise, Nicoletta can’t stop thinking about the cave and how much she wants to return. Jethro is still on her mind as well, and she’s happy to see him back in class. She walks back to the dead end with him after school, telling him the story of her supernatural experience in the woods. Jethro repeats the sand monster’s advice to avoid the cave. As Jethro and Nicoletta are having a touching, romantic moment until Christo swings by and ruins it. Nicoletta introduces the boys and Christo later notices he has sand on his hand from shaking hands with Jethro…DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNN.
In spite of the warnings, Nicoletta continues stupidly traipse about the woods looking for Jethro and the creature. She’s drawn to quiet, sensitive Jethro who’s always shocked by Nicoletta’s feelings for him, and starts to pull away from popular, outgoing Christo. The more she gets to know Jethro, the more she sees his connection to the cave creature. In the end, Nicoletta has a much more difficult choice to make than choosing between the two boys.
The Stranger is a typical Cooney romance. A girl with a frilly name falls instantly in love with a mysterious boy. For some reason, I really liked this book despite the trite plot and unrealistic love story. Something about Nicoletta becoming interested in an unconventional guy gives me a soft spot for this story. Jethro is shy, sweet, protective, and earnest. He’s astounded by Nicoletta’s interest in him and is desperate to keep her safe. The love he has for her is pure, and the same is true of Nicoletta’s love for Jethro. Christo, who she’s always had a crush on, has asked her out at a time when she’s at her lowest, but she’s still pulled towards Jethro. I love stories like that, no matter how childish and wish-fulfilling they might be. These stories reiterate the importance of looking beyond a person’s exterior to see the value in their personality. Sometimes the monster isn’t the supernatural creature made out of cave goo, sometimes it’s the boy or girl next door.
Adulthood Rating: 4 out of 5 romantic cave monsters
Pre-Reread Thoughts
You’re probably asking yourself why, after despising every book of hers I’ve re-read, I’m doing ANOTHER Caroline B. Cooney re-read. It’s because I’m desperate to find one gem I will still love as an adult from the author I loved as a kid.
I don’t recall too much about this one…I think a girl falls in love with a weird new boy, The Stranger, at school and it turns out he’s supernatural. I know, totally Twilight. Really praying the girl in this one isn’t The Worst like Annie in the Time Traveler Quartet and everyone in Twins. I loved the romance in this and if I remember correctly, it made me cry a lot. Bring on the tears!
Childhood Rating: 5 out of 5 non-Edward Cullen supernatural boyfriends
Post-Reread Thoughts
Nicoletta Storms received the blow of her life. She’s been kicked off the Madrigal Singers to make way for a new girl, Anne Marie. Nicoletta and all of her friends are beside themselves at this new development because the Madrigal Singers are best friends and do everything together. Nicoletta decides to take Art Appreciation in place of Madrigals and notices a mysterious boy she’s never seen before. After school, she learns her friends’ allegiance to her has shifted since they discovered Anne Marie’s amazing voice. Distraught at her social circle’s quick about-face, Nicoletta follows Mysterious Boy when she sees him walking home. As he turns down a dead end, he notices he’s being followed. Nicoletta introduces herself and tells him how she lost all her friends, as if this is pertinent information when introducing yourself to a stranger. He offers to listen to her story while he walks her back down the street and introduces himself as Jethro. Jethro’s reserved demeanor intrigues Nicoletta and she invites him to have lunch with her at school the next day.
Nicoletta’s attraction to Jethro makes her think twice when Christo, the hot male member of the Madrigals, asks her to an upcoming dance. In her crazy obsessive heart she wants to be with Jethro despite only knowing him for roughly 23 hours, but she accepts the dance invitation because Christo is ~*~*ChRiStO**~*~ . This backfires during lunch when Jethro, about to sit with Nicoletta, turns and leaves as Christo pulls her away. Jethro doesn’t show up to Art Appreciation afterwards. Worried about his disappearance, Nicoletta heads to the dead end where Jethro told her he takes a shortcut home from school. At the end of the street is a wooded patch of rocky land. A footpath brings her down to an area with lakes and then stops dead. The calm silence becomes disconcerting as Nicoletta feels like she’s being watched, and stumbles upon a cave in her nervousness. When she walks into the cave, she feels the earth start to move, almost as if it’s trying to pull her deeper into the cave. She screams for Jethro in her panicked state only to be rescued by a creature made of sand and leaves who asks her to promise that she’ll never return to the cave.
Despite her promise, Nicoletta can’t stop thinking about the cave and how much she wants to return. Jethro is still on her mind as well, and she’s happy to see him back in class. She walks back to the dead end with him after school, telling him the story of her supernatural experience in the woods. Jethro repeats the sand monster’s advice to avoid the cave. As Jethro and Nicoletta are having a touching, romantic moment until Christo swings by and ruins it. Nicoletta introduces the boys and Christo later notices he has sand on his hand from shaking hands with Jethro…DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNN.
In spite of the warnings, Nicoletta continues stupidly traipse about the woods looking for Jethro and the creature. She’s drawn to quiet, sensitive Jethro who’s always shocked by Nicoletta’s feelings for him, and starts to pull away from popular, outgoing Christo. The more she gets to know Jethro, the more she sees his connection to the cave creature. In the end, Nicoletta has a much more difficult choice to make than choosing between the two boys.
The Stranger is a typical Cooney romance. A girl with a frilly name falls instantly in love with a mysterious boy. For some reason, I really liked this book despite the trite plot and unrealistic love story. Something about Nicoletta becoming interested in an unconventional guy gives me a soft spot for this story. Jethro is shy, sweet, protective, and earnest. He’s astounded by Nicoletta’s interest in him and is desperate to keep her safe. The love he has for her is pure, and the same is true of Nicoletta’s love for Jethro. Christo, who she’s always had a crush on, has asked her out at a time when she’s at her lowest, but she’s still pulled towards Jethro. I love stories like that, no matter how childish and wish-fulfilling they might be. These stories reiterate the importance of looking beyond a person’s exterior to see the value in their personality. Sometimes the monster isn’t the supernatural creature made out of cave goo, sometimes it’s the boy or girl next door.
Adulthood Rating: 4 out of 5 romantic cave monsters
November 4, 2022
This was beautifully written. Very atmospheric and poetic.
November 18, 2022
I still stand by my rating.
The cover alone merits five stars but I have no idea why this is even a "Point Horror". It has some thrills but it is more romance than anything.
It's probably why I like it. Cooney sometimes handles horror a little wobbly I guess would be the word but human emotions she aces flawlessly.
Nicoletta Storms is part of the high school choir group, The Madrigals. She's star soprano with blonde curls and all of her friends are part of the group. It's pretty much her life.
Then the director, Ms. Quincy, informs Nicoletta that she can't have two sopranos and new girl Anne-Louise has a better voice performance wise and has had longer training.
At first her friends are incensed and outraged, saying they'll have the teacher bringing her back in no time.
End of the day...they've heard Anne-Louise sing and you can just imagine how their opinions have changed.
Nicoletta doesn't feel special anymore and she's had to take Art Appreciation to fill in her class schedule. The class is boring all but for one thing.
The handsome, quiet boy who sits beside her. His dark hair and eyes are beautiful as if he were a sculpture to give them inspiration in this dreary class.
Feeling abandoned, Nicoletta sees the boy leaving school and heading towards the woods.
She follows him and soon they strike up a conversation but a very short one. In that brief moment, Nicoletta spills her heart out to him, learns his name is Jethro, invites him to lunch and when he touches her cheek, his cold touch scares her away.
Her parents and little sister think Nicoletta's reaction may have broke Jethro's heart so the next day she dresses in black and wonders if he'll even meet her for lunch.
First class of the morning, Nicoletta is asked out on a date...but not by Jethro. His name is Christopher "Christo" Hannon, male member of the Madrigals and a star on the football team.
Nicoletta accepts but her mind is preoccupied with Jethro, thinking he won't show but...he does.
Too bad Christo thinks just because Nicoletta said yes to a date he's her property now because he grabs her arm and makes her sit with him and their friends. Nicoletta watches Jethro walk away and he cuts the art class later in the day.
Nicoletta goes back to the wooded path and is determined to find Jethro. She goes deeper into the woods and past lakes and comes to a cave. Deeper into the cave, Nicoletta stumbles upon a creature of rock and sand, dead branches emitting an awful stench of slime and mold made of the oozing earth inside.
It leads her safely back to the entrance of the cave, its beauty of smooth and shining surfaces an obvious lure, and the thing sadly begs her:
"Do not come back."
It's very hard not to easily spoil this book but any smart person can figure out that the creature is Jethro. Ultimately, he is a young man cursed by darkness and from another time. There is true evil in the cave and Jethro wants to keep Nicoletta from suffering his fate. She ultimately wants to save the boy she loves.
It's a very Swamp Thing meets 1987 Beauty And The Beast with some Outer Limits thrown in.
In the sense that it doesn't work out. You know that for why else would it be a Point Horror/Thriller instead of a Point Romance?
Would make a great movie but probably be ruined by bad CGI or meddling to make it more "horror"
so as a book it's perfect the way it is.
If you haven't read The Stranger, you should. It's probably my favorite Caroline B. Cooney book of all time.
The cover alone merits five stars but I have no idea why this is even a "Point Horror". It has some thrills but it is more romance than anything.
It's probably why I like it. Cooney sometimes handles horror a little wobbly I guess would be the word but human emotions she aces flawlessly.
Nicoletta Storms is part of the high school choir group, The Madrigals. She's star soprano with blonde curls and all of her friends are part of the group. It's pretty much her life.
Then the director, Ms. Quincy, informs Nicoletta that she can't have two sopranos and new girl Anne-Louise has a better voice performance wise and has had longer training.
At first her friends are incensed and outraged, saying they'll have the teacher bringing her back in no time.
End of the day...they've heard Anne-Louise sing and you can just imagine how their opinions have changed.
Nicoletta doesn't feel special anymore and she's had to take Art Appreciation to fill in her class schedule. The class is boring all but for one thing.
The handsome, quiet boy who sits beside her. His dark hair and eyes are beautiful as if he were a sculpture to give them inspiration in this dreary class.
Feeling abandoned, Nicoletta sees the boy leaving school and heading towards the woods.
She follows him and soon they strike up a conversation but a very short one. In that brief moment, Nicoletta spills her heart out to him, learns his name is Jethro, invites him to lunch and when he touches her cheek, his cold touch scares her away.
Her parents and little sister think Nicoletta's reaction may have broke Jethro's heart so the next day she dresses in black and wonders if he'll even meet her for lunch.
First class of the morning, Nicoletta is asked out on a date...but not by Jethro. His name is Christopher "Christo" Hannon, male member of the Madrigals and a star on the football team.
Nicoletta accepts but her mind is preoccupied with Jethro, thinking he won't show but...he does.
Too bad Christo thinks just because Nicoletta said yes to a date he's her property now because he grabs her arm and makes her sit with him and their friends. Nicoletta watches Jethro walk away and he cuts the art class later in the day.
Nicoletta goes back to the wooded path and is determined to find Jethro. She goes deeper into the woods and past lakes and comes to a cave. Deeper into the cave, Nicoletta stumbles upon a creature of rock and sand, dead branches emitting an awful stench of slime and mold made of the oozing earth inside.
It leads her safely back to the entrance of the cave, its beauty of smooth and shining surfaces an obvious lure, and the thing sadly begs her:
"Do not come back."
It's very hard not to easily spoil this book but any smart person can figure out that the creature is Jethro. Ultimately, he is a young man cursed by darkness and from another time. There is true evil in the cave and Jethro wants to keep Nicoletta from suffering his fate. She ultimately wants to save the boy she loves.
It's a very Swamp Thing meets 1987 Beauty And The Beast with some Outer Limits thrown in.
In the sense that it doesn't work out. You know that for why else would it be a Point Horror/Thriller instead of a Point Romance?
Would make a great movie but probably be ruined by bad CGI or meddling to make it more "horror"
so as a book it's perfect the way it is.
If you haven't read The Stranger, you should. It's probably my favorite Caroline B. Cooney book of all time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 22, 2020
The Stranger is about Nicoletta who falls for a mysterious boy called Jethro who turns out to be quite unlike all the other boys at school.
I really enjoyed the set-up to this story, Nicoletta's character and her situation. The story does develop into something a bit more fairy-tale that I generally like but it was still quite an enjoyable read. Cooney's writing is always unique and interesting.
I really enjoyed the set-up to this story, Nicoletta's character and her situation. The story does develop into something a bit more fairy-tale that I generally like but it was still quite an enjoyable read. Cooney's writing is always unique and interesting.
September 4, 2013
The main reason I didn't like this book is because it kind of reminded me of Twilight. There are no vampires or werewolves though, just a boy who is cursed into being a... Well, I'm not really sure what he is. Anyway, the instantly obsessive feelings that Nicolette has for Jethro, are very like Bella's feelings toward Edward. Also, there is a love triangle, but that didn't bother me at all.
The blurb led me to believe I was picking up a light YA horror with some romance, when really it is strictly a YA romance. I'm not sure whether it qualifies as paranormal or not, though. I don't like books where the romance is the main plot, which the secondary reason I didn't like this book.
The writing isn't bad at all. The two best friends almost seem like they could be the same girl, but the rest of the characters, even the minor ones, are fully fleshed out individuals. And there are some truly wonderfully described scenes that really pulled me into the story.
If you liked Twilight you might want to give this one a try.
The blurb led me to believe I was picking up a light YA horror with some romance, when really it is strictly a YA romance. I'm not sure whether it qualifies as paranormal or not, though. I don't like books where the romance is the main plot, which the secondary reason I didn't like this book.
The writing isn't bad at all. The two best friends almost seem like they could be the same girl, but the rest of the characters, even the minor ones, are fully fleshed out individuals. And there are some truly wonderfully described scenes that really pulled me into the story.
If you liked Twilight you might want to give this one a try.
Read
June 8, 2019
So. We Have:
- An Angsty Teen Girl Who Recently Went Through A Major Life Change
- A Mysterious & Handsome Boy With A Tragic Past Who Appears to be Hiding Something (whom the Angsty Girl is both attracted to and repelled by)
- A Normal, Boy-Next-Door Type Who Likes Angsty Girl Despite Her Attraction to Dark Scary Boy
OH. MY. EFFING. GOD. !!!!!
This book is freaking TWILIGHT!!!!
So. We Have Nicoletta. or Nikki. It's the start of a new school year and Nikki's life is falling apart. She was recently booted from her uber-exclusive madrigal group because a better singer came along and Nikki was, apparently, the weakest link. Oh man... I don't know about you, but I hate it when that happens!! Anyway, Nikki is having all kinds of feelings when she notices there's a new boy in town. Edward...OOPS, I mean Jethro is the sort of boy parents dread their daughters bringing home: Dark, mysterious...kind of creepy in a potential stalkery-watch-you-sleep sort of way. OK, really creepy. Bella...f*ck! I mean, Nikki falls into insta-love with him even before they have their first conversation. I think I need to mention that her friends don't get a good vibe from the dude. Even Edwa-...JETHRO tries to tell this girl she needs to stay away.
But.
She.
CAN'T!!!
Of course, in the end, Jethro can't stay away from our girl either.
Wanting the chance to talk to her new crush/obsession, Nikki follows Jethro after school, hoping to discover where he lives. He leads her down a dead end street and then walks off into the creepy woods behind the Dead End sign. Now to me, this is all kinds of stupid. Guy sets off red flags to all your friends, even tells you HIMSELF he wouldn't be good for you, and starts to go off into the dark and scary woods to do who knows what (sacrifice small animals to the beast? visit the bones of his previous victims?)... You don't effing follow the dude!!! You don't!! Anyone with the smallest shred of common sense would know this. Even Bella is (somewhat) smarter than that, although not by much. Anyway, Nikki catches up with Jethro and tries to talk to him. She gets all emo about her bad day and he listens...then tells her to go away and never go into the woods. Red Flag? I think so. But Nikki is dumb and doesn't listen. But more on that later.
Back at school, Uber Hottie Christo (what IS it with the author and names ending in "o"? makes all the male characters sound like Good Ol Boys), who has always liked Nikki, asks her to the Big Dance. She accepts...reluctantly...but still has hopes that maybe, just maybe Jethro will ask her as well. Nevermind that she just said she'd go with Christo. In my day, this would be considered super skanky and get all sorts of rumors going about what sort of girl Nikki really is, but in the world of paranormal YA (and this IS paranormal YA), it's normal for a girl to pursue two boys at the same time. Especially when one is a nice clean-cut boy and the other is a creeptastic boy.
Jethro isn't in class, so Nikki (being dumb) decides to go find him. But she doesn't go to the Mall or any other hangout where normal people go when they skip. She goes right to the dead end sign...and then goes into the creepy woods. Yup, the very same woods Jethro told her to stay the hell away from. Nikki follows a path until she gets to a lake and a dark and scary cave. She has a creepy feeling someone is watching her and its eerily quiet. One might say TOO quiet. Thinking Jethro might be inside the cave, she goes inside. Why she thought this, I have no clue. I'm past the point of following her reasoning. Honestly, this chick has absolutely no sense at all!! Inside the cave, she feels something trying to pull her down. She screams and is rescued by a creature that seems to be made of the cave itself. The creature tells her to get the hell out and never return. This is the second time someone/something said this to her about these woods.
Now if something like that happened to ME, I would not only not go into those specific woods. I would completely shun anything and everything to do with all things nature. In fact, I would probably never leave my house again. But not our girl Nikki. She is either very, very brave or very, very stupid (I vote for stupid), because SHE KEEPS GOING BACK!!! In fact, she becomes obsessed with the cave and the cave monster and returns there often with hopes of seeing it. She even brings Christo there after the Big Dance. Of course he thinks she's bonkers.
We eventually learn that Jethro and the Cave Monster are one in the same (tell me you didn't see this one coming). But he can only have his human form certain days and times. Much like Edward doesn't come to school when its sunny. Does this repel our girl? Nope. She only loves him more. Perhaps she watched Beauty and the Beast one too many times as a child and is trying to live out some sick fantasy where True Love can Save The Beast. We learn that decades earlier Jethro fell victim to the Curse of the Cave. Since then, he's been doomed to be part of the cave for the rest of eternity...preventing other hapless morons from dumbly wandering inside. Of course, if the cave gets a new victim to take his place, Jethro would be free. Somehow I think the overall human gene pool would have been improved had the caved claimed Nikki. Instead, Jethro saves her life. The end is overly melodramatic and overly tragic and there are many feels from both 'lovers' (I hate to use that term when nothing happened between them). As for me, I was rolling my eyes, wishing I had some wine to go with all the cheeze. Or at the very least some crackers.
Now I ask you this: If Jethro didn't want anyone to go near the cave, why did he leave in the first place? Why did he go to school and prey on the Angsty Girl? Because it seems to me he WANTED to find another victim for the cave. But nothing about this story makes any sense.
- An Angsty Teen Girl Who Recently Went Through A Major Life Change
- A Mysterious & Handsome Boy With A Tragic Past Who Appears to be Hiding Something (whom the Angsty Girl is both attracted to and repelled by)
- A Normal, Boy-Next-Door Type Who Likes Angsty Girl Despite Her Attraction to Dark Scary Boy
OH. MY. EFFING. GOD. !!!!!
This book is freaking TWILIGHT!!!!
So. We Have Nicoletta. or Nikki. It's the start of a new school year and Nikki's life is falling apart. She was recently booted from her uber-exclusive madrigal group because a better singer came along and Nikki was, apparently, the weakest link. Oh man... I don't know about you, but I hate it when that happens!! Anyway, Nikki is having all kinds of feelings when she notices there's a new boy in town. Edward...OOPS, I mean Jethro is the sort of boy parents dread their daughters bringing home: Dark, mysterious...kind of creepy in a potential stalkery-watch-you-sleep sort of way. OK, really creepy. Bella...f*ck! I mean, Nikki falls into insta-love with him even before they have their first conversation. I think I need to mention that her friends don't get a good vibe from the dude. Even Edwa-...JETHRO tries to tell this girl she needs to stay away.
But.
She.
CAN'T!!!
Of course, in the end, Jethro can't stay away from our girl either.
Wanting the chance to talk to her new crush/obsession, Nikki follows Jethro after school, hoping to discover where he lives. He leads her down a dead end street and then walks off into the creepy woods behind the Dead End sign. Now to me, this is all kinds of stupid. Guy sets off red flags to all your friends, even tells you HIMSELF he wouldn't be good for you, and starts to go off into the dark and scary woods to do who knows what (sacrifice small animals to the beast? visit the bones of his previous victims?)... You don't effing follow the dude!!! You don't!! Anyone with the smallest shred of common sense would know this. Even Bella is (somewhat) smarter than that, although not by much. Anyway, Nikki catches up with Jethro and tries to talk to him. She gets all emo about her bad day and he listens...then tells her to go away and never go into the woods. Red Flag? I think so. But Nikki is dumb and doesn't listen. But more on that later.
Back at school, Uber Hottie Christo (what IS it with the author and names ending in "o"? makes all the male characters sound like Good Ol Boys), who has always liked Nikki, asks her to the Big Dance. She accepts...reluctantly...but still has hopes that maybe, just maybe Jethro will ask her as well. Nevermind that she just said she'd go with Christo. In my day, this would be considered super skanky and get all sorts of rumors going about what sort of girl Nikki really is, but in the world of paranormal YA (and this IS paranormal YA), it's normal for a girl to pursue two boys at the same time. Especially when one is a nice clean-cut boy and the other is a creeptastic boy.
Jethro isn't in class, so Nikki (being dumb) decides to go find him. But she doesn't go to the Mall or any other hangout where normal people go when they skip. She goes right to the dead end sign...and then goes into the creepy woods. Yup, the very same woods Jethro told her to stay the hell away from. Nikki follows a path until she gets to a lake and a dark and scary cave. She has a creepy feeling someone is watching her and its eerily quiet. One might say TOO quiet. Thinking Jethro might be inside the cave, she goes inside. Why she thought this, I have no clue. I'm past the point of following her reasoning. Honestly, this chick has absolutely no sense at all!! Inside the cave, she feels something trying to pull her down. She screams and is rescued by a creature that seems to be made of the cave itself. The creature tells her to get the hell out and never return. This is the second time someone/something said this to her about these woods.
Now if something like that happened to ME, I would not only not go into those specific woods. I would completely shun anything and everything to do with all things nature. In fact, I would probably never leave my house again. But not our girl Nikki. She is either very, very brave or very, very stupid (I vote for stupid), because SHE KEEPS GOING BACK!!! In fact, she becomes obsessed with the cave and the cave monster and returns there often with hopes of seeing it. She even brings Christo there after the Big Dance. Of course he thinks she's bonkers.
We eventually learn that Jethro and the Cave Monster are one in the same (tell me you didn't see this one coming). But he can only have his human form certain days and times. Much like Edward doesn't come to school when its sunny. Does this repel our girl? Nope. She only loves him more. Perhaps she watched Beauty and the Beast one too many times as a child and is trying to live out some sick fantasy where True Love can Save The Beast. We learn that decades earlier Jethro fell victim to the Curse of the Cave. Since then, he's been doomed to be part of the cave for the rest of eternity...preventing other hapless morons from dumbly wandering inside. Of course, if the cave gets a new victim to take his place, Jethro would be free. Somehow I think the overall human gene pool would have been improved had the caved claimed Nikki. Instead, Jethro saves her life. The end is overly melodramatic and overly tragic and there are many feels from both 'lovers' (I hate to use that term when nothing happened between them). As for me, I was rolling my eyes, wishing I had some wine to go with all the cheeze. Or at the very least some crackers.
Now I ask you this: If Jethro didn't want anyone to go near the cave, why did he leave in the first place? Why did he go to school and prey on the Angsty Girl? Because it seems to me he WANTED to find another victim for the cave. But nothing about this story makes any sense.
August 18, 2018
It’s weird, when I was a teenager I absolutely loved this book, I think I was in awe of their love. I couldn’t wait to reread it. But now... I thought Nicoletta was a selfish brat. I actually wanted to slap her because of it. She caused everything that happened. She was selfish with Christo and especially Jethro. Screaming in hospital fgs! Honestly, what a stupid girl! If she had just told Christo she wasn’t interested in him, she would have been free to see Jethro without worrying about him being discovered. Which is what happened. It was pointless, because she only thought about herself. She did not deserve their love. I know it’s just a book, but she infuriated me with her no self control.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2015
Sheesh, this was bad. It was like an even worse version of Twilight, and that's saying something. Characters have no depth and the story/curse wasn't even very interesting. In the meantime, you're stuck reading about teenage "love" between a girl and a "monster" she just laid eyes on. I honestly couldn't care less what happened to any of them by the end of the book. Too bad because I like thriller and horror and young adult fiction too, but this was a bad combination of all of them.
January 26, 2019
I love CBC; she is perhaps my favourite Point Horror author, and the central conceit of this—girl falls in love with rock—is as enjoyably nuts as the rest of her plots. But there's no real story and the book itself was quite boring. I'm sorry, CBC. Forgive me!
I read this for our podcast Teenage Scream, which dissects the best (and worst) of 90s Teen Horror.
https://soundcloud.com/teenagescream
I read this for our podcast Teenage Scream, which dissects the best (and worst) of 90s Teen Horror.
https://soundcloud.com/teenagescream
January 8, 2022
the cover, ,this cover was promising a lot...
Alas, it was disappointing, I hated the female protagonist, hated the narrating, it was too shallow for my liking ,and this is the first time I think I call a novel shallow, the general idea was not bad but the execution WAS indeed an EXECUTION ....not a good start for the new year reading.
Alas, it was disappointing, I hated the female protagonist, hated the narrating, it was too shallow for my liking ,and this is the first time I think I call a novel shallow, the general idea was not bad but the execution WAS indeed an EXECUTION ....not a good start for the new year reading.
November 24, 2021
i cant even begin to express how dumb this is.
nikki saw jethro once and then she fell madly in love with him.
jethro was fine but he barely spoke.
the chemestry was not there and every time nikki said the she loved jethro i cringed. wtf is this.
and dont even get me started on that open ending.
nikki saw jethro once and then she fell madly in love with him.
jethro was fine but he barely spoke.
the chemestry was not there and every time nikki said the she loved jethro i cringed. wtf is this.
and dont even get me started on that open ending.
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