Aangeschoten

Emancipated #2

by M.G. Reyes

Zes tieners die zonder enig ouderlijk toezicht gaan samenwonen in een huis aan Venice Beach... dat is vragen om problemen. Helemaal als blijkt dat iedereen geheimen heeft voor elkaar. Eén van hen wordt beschuldigd van moord, maar het wordt nog erger. Door de komst van een ongenode gast raken ze verstrikt in een complot dat niemand zag aankomen, en de enige kans om dit te overleven is samen optrekken, ondanks het wantrouwen.

In het spannende tweede boek van de Venice Beach-serie komen de
vriendschappen behoorlijk onder druk te staan!

'Het verhaal raast op een cliffhanger af, waardoor lezers reikhalzend
zullen uitkijken naar het volgende boek in deze verontrustende, maar
onweerstaambare serie.' - School Library Journal

'Reyes schrijft mooi bondig en spitsvondig, vooral in de levendige
dialogen.' - Kirkus Reviews

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Ebooks, Realistic Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published May 24, 2016

About the author

M.G. (Maria Guadalupe, aka Lupita) Reyes was born in Mexico City but moved to England as a young child. Before becoming a writer, she worked as a scientist and ran an Internet business.

EMANCIPATED is her first foray into contemporary realist fiction for young adult readers. The idea for the series arose from late-night email discussions with fellow YA author Michael Grant, a fascination with beach life and Californian road trips, and with twisty, crimey stories where Bad Things Happen to Nice People, like FARGO. If you've only read the first book, tighten your seatbelt because the ride is only just getting started.

She also writes adventure novels as M.G. Harris and is the author of the best-selling series about an ancient prophecy of apocalypse, THE JOSHUA FILES, and GEMINI FORCE ONE, a trilogy created with Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson and funded initially via a hugely popular Kickstarter campaign.

Her latest book 'SONATA - a paranormal gothic romance' was published in April 2021.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

I love when a sequel is even better than the first in a series. What I realize now is Emancipated was setting things up for what was to come in Incriminated. Where in Emancipated, the kids were all going through that process, moving into the house on Venice Beach, and dealing with a variety of secrets they each have. In Incriminated, their secrets come to a head leading to much bigger trouble for the whole group. Let’s just say what occurs had me flying through the pages.

This book continues right where the first one left off. It’s been five months since the housemates moved to Venice Beach, all six of them getting emancipated for very different reasons. I sometimes struggle to remember all of what occurred in the previous book, but M.G. Reyes makes sure to remind us of the main developments in an organic way with Grace trying to set things right between all the housemates.

Candace is auditioning for a hot new show. Could it be her big break? Grace is still keeping her death row inmate secret. Can she keep it together with the execution date approaching? Lucy’s old rehab buddy shows up out of the blue. Could she bring more trouble than the housemates need? Maya gets busy with her app, so busy she might be failing on why she was put in the house in the first place. John-Michael is still dealing with the secret he revealed in the first book. And Paolo gets more than he bargained for in his blackmail gone wrong situation continuing from Emancipated.

This is a hard book to review because I don’t want to give away any actual developments from Emancipated. I can say this one is much more fast-paced. Things occur a lot more quickly. Some characters are dealing with the repercussions of revelations in the first book, while others end up implementing themselves in a crime no one wants on their shoulders. This could help explain why the book is titled Incriminated.

There are so many things within this series. It’s a series of secrets, friendship, and murder. This is a book filled with a race against death row, blackmail, a forbidden Hollywood romance, a mystery guest showing up uninvited, and a test of friendship. They all need one another to make it through and keep up with the lies. Will the Tyson Drew mystery ever fully be solved? We’ll find out in the third book out next year.

If you enjoy YA contemporaries filled with drama, secrets, and multiple POVS (there’s 6), this is one worth checking out.

[Irene ➰ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.8/5 ~ I loved it. I’m so happy when sequels are way better than the first ones!!! It’s not perfect but the story is captivating, interesting and kept my attention throughout the book!!! (it’s not my kind of plot and maybe sometimes is unrealistic but I took it for what it was, a book and a story)

[Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daaaamn, wat spannend! Zo benieuwd naar deel 3. I LOVE IT!

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)

“I may have seen who really killed Tyson Drew.”

Well, I get now why this book is called Incriminated, because boy do these kids get themselves into one heck of a criminal mess in this book.

Firstly, again, why only 5 characters on the book cover when there are 6 main characters? Is number 6 hiding on the back again?



Anyway, this book picked up where book 1 left off, but the revelations started coming out really early! Candace finally got a job as an actress, but had a bit of a crush on her co-star, which didn’t go very well for her.

“You’re not here to meddle, you’re here to work.”

Grace’s death-row pen-pal’s identity was revealed! It’s her father! and we got the bad news that he was about to be executed. We also found out why he was in prison though, and it was quite surprising! he’s in prison for murdering the bloke we saw drowning in a flashback in book 1! (Tyson Drew)

“The execution. They set a date.”

Lucy had her rehab buddy turn up, and was also revealed as ‘Charlie’ – the person who witnessed the drowning/murder of Tyson Drew in the flashback in book 1. And also remembered the identity of the killer under hypnosis! It’s Dana Alexander! Will this come back to bite her in the behind though? Yes!

“Did you really think Grace wouldn’t find out?”

Maya had someone interested in an app she was writing, which looked like it could make her a lot of money, and also admitted something to her housemates that she had previously been hiding. That she was spying on them for Dana Alexander!

“Maya’s aunt worked for Dana Alexander. Why had Maya never mentioned this?”

Paolo got himself in trouble in this book with a woman from the club where he worked as a tennis coach, and did something very illegal. he watched her get hit by a car and die, and then left the scene of the crime.

“Paolo knew, with blinding insight, the law would not protect him today.”

John-Michael showed his true colours in this book, and I’m pretty sure they were black. This kid does not have a bright future with the way he behaves, and now it looks like he’s dragging his housemates down with him!

“We need an alibi.”

The storyline in this also got pretty criminal towards the end, and this lot are in a heap of trouble now! How they’ll get out of it I really don’t know!



7 out of 10

[Tapasya]

By the time I was reading this book, I almost forgot about the first one. The author do give us glimpse of the first one but still it gets dull. Very boring (For me).

[Laura Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

So much better then the first book! I was left with so many questions after the first book cause I felt like nothing was really finished, that it was just all build up. And now I understand. This second book tied up all those lose ends from the first book.
Just three months after the first book the six teens are still struggling with old and new problems that all seem to lead back to one person. Will they figure whats the right thing to do or will this mystery person finally get what they want? This book has so many twists that you’ll never see coming, making you to just keeping reading until the very end.
And omg another cliffhanger ending!!! why M.G. Reyes, why, don't make me wait months for figure out whats happening with them

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a free copy of this book from a contest on EpicReads.com*

This book was the perfect follow up to Emancipated. Something I noticed that I loved was that the covers have progressed in terms of light to darkness, much like the mood of the books. The first novel was mainly happy, until it wasn't, something the primarily yellow cover reflects. In this novel, there are a lot of darker points with some happiness, which lends itself to the purple/pink mixture.

[Melissa DeLong-Cox]

No rating because DNF.

Problem #1 - I didn't realize this was the second book, so until I came to mark this as a DNF, I was just under the impression it wasn't going to develop characters. I see now that picking up the first one will likely take care of that problem!

Problem #2 - I don't care at all about these characters about 30% in. I'm not even on the line enough yet to feel like even though I don't care about them, I should still finish the story. Maybe if I correct my first problem and read the first book, I'll want to come back to this but until then, I'm putting this down as a DNF.

[Bella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but I had a lot of trouble getting into it because I couldn't remember what happened in the last book - there's a lot of people, and things happening with each of them, so a lot of details to keep track of. I tried googling a summary of Emancipation, but wasn't getting far. I'll definitely read the next book in the series - but perhaps re-read this one and Emancipated right before it!

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is painfully bad. I must be a glutton for punishment, because I really, honestly tried to read this, but it's so hokey and so bad. The writing is awful, the plot is pathetic and the characters are so unlikeable and so unrealistic. This was obviously written for TV, but who would watch this garbage? As you can see from the declining number of reviews for each subsequent novel, this series is a flop.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in , the story continues with the lives of these teens living the dream of no parents in a Venice beach house , and the story just gets better with more secrets and lies coming out of the closet , forgotten memories bring danger and death , who knows what will happen next .

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started Emancipated I didn't know it was a trilogy, and I don't usually read series, so I'm glad I didn't know. I read this one in two sittings. Now I have to wait until January to find out how it ends. COME ON.

[Lina · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received an ARC of this book in a goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review*

I really liked this book. It was a great read and kept my interest from start to finish.

[Sarah Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome suspense

Full of action and secrets. Everyone is holding cards and I'm excited to see how the next hand (book) wraps up this game.

[Jamie Cadle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, but I thought the first one was better. It was slow at the beginning and it took a long time to speed up.

[Thyrze · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 sterren

[Il confine dei libri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buongiorno Confine,
oggi recensisco per voi il secondo capitolo della serie "Emancipated" di M.G. Reyes, INCRIMINATED - Fuga per la libertà. Per chi non ricordasse, la serie tratta la storia di sei ragazzi che, per diversi motivi, hanno chiesto e ottenuto l'emancipazione dalla loro famiglia. Si ritrovano a vivere in una bella villa a Venice Beach. Tra studio, lavoro e spiaggia, trascorrono le loro giornate da minorenni emancipati, cercando di barcamenarsi tra i problemi di una vita da adulti e facendo di tutto per nascondere i loro segreti. Infatti ognuno di loro nasconde qualcosa e per una strana logica del destino tre di loro sono inconsapevolmente invischiati nella stessa storia. Alla fine del primo capitolo abbiamo lasciato Grace disperata per il padre che si trova nel braccio della morte, accusato ingiustamente per l'uccisione, tanti anni fa, di un attore durante una festa. Sua sorella adottiva Candace, finalmente lanciata nel mondo del cinema tra provini e casting. Lucy, la baby attrice che impersonava Charlie in una sitcom di cui era protagonista anche l'attore ucciso e di cui lei fu testimone inconsciamente. Maya, la più piccola di casa, che si rifiuta di continuare a spiare i suoi coinquilini costretta dalla zia, che lavora per una famosa attrice britannica, Dana Alexander, anche lei attrice di quella disgraziata serie televisiva. John Michael, il ragazzo gay, indagato dalla polizia per l'uccisione del padre malato terminale e Paolo, prodigio del tennis, che cerca di sfuggire dalle grinfie di una donna che lo ricatta sessualmente per un furto di auto ai danni del figlio di lei. Capite bene che la serenità all'interno dello strano nucleo familiare nella villa a Venice Beach è seriamente compromesso. Ognuno lotta coi suoi demoni e non riescono a confidarsi l'uno con l'altro. Solo Grace e John Michael sono a conoscenza delle disgrazie reciproche. Intanto a inasprire ancor di più l'atmosfera casalinga si presenta Ariana, una ragazza che fa parte del passato di Lucy e che sappiamo già, dal primo capitolo, essere stata ingaggiata dalla onnipresente Dana Alexander per tenere d'occhio Lucy.
La vita dei ragazzi si complica ulteriormente e quando a Paolo succede l'impensabile, la storia comincia a prendere strani risvolti che coinvolgeranno tutti e che porteranno a fare luce sul segreto di Lucy, Grace e Maya.Il tutto non escluderà colpi di scena e momenti di alta tensione che coinvolgono totalmente il lettore.
La fine del secondo romanzo vedrà i ragazzi in viaggio, in fuga da quello che gli è successo e da quello che sono stati costretti a fare per mettersi in salvo, ma nell'ultima pagina saremo consapevoli del fatto che non è ancora finita per loro. Quando ho cominciato a leggere questa serie ero incuriosita dall'argomento principale della storia, cioè l'emancipazione di questi ragazzi. I primi capitoli però scorrevano lenti e i troppi punti di vista, sei in tutto quanto i protagonisti, rendevano la lettura confusa. Man mano, invece, mi sono addentrata sempre di più negli avvenimenti e ne sono rimasta coinvolta, tanto che ho aspettato con ansia il secondo volume della serie. Il personaggio che più mi aveva colpita era John Michael, un ragazzo gay costretto dal padre a vivere per strada perché non accettava la sua sessualità e poi costretto nuovamente da questo uomo brutale a togliergli la vita per alleviarlo dalle sofferenze della sua malattia terminale. Bene, in questo secondo volume di John Michael non scopriremo nulla di nuovo riguardo alle indagini che lo coinvolgono, ma lo vedremo praticamente protagonista di ogni azione più intensiva del romanzo. Infatti è lui che prende in mano le redini quando tutto va a rotoli e gli altri ragazzi non sono capaci di scegliere cosa fare. Questo li trasformerà tutti in assassini e complici e creerà delle crepe all'interno del gruppo, ma capiranno che non avevano scelta.
Questa parte della storia mi è piaciuta molto di più di quella scritta nel primo volume. Mi ha tenuta incollata al Kindle in preda all'ansia per questi poveri ragazzi che loro malgrado si ritrovano a vivere situazioni che li lasciano senza una scelta, una via di fuga. Ci sono momenti di alta tensione emotiva che mi hanno fatta imprecare e incoraggiare i protagonisti proprio come faccio quando guardo un film thriller e urlo contro la Tv. Riconosco che è una storia particolare e che non è adatta a tutti i tipi di lettore, ma per chiunque volesse cominciarla posso solo assicurare che ne vale la pena. Alla prossima.
Voto:3,5

[Freakajules · Rating 4 out of 5]

Der erste Teil der "Little Secrets" Reihe hatte mich leider ein wenig ernüchtert zurückgelassen, aber ich habe dennoch etwas in der Geschichte gesehen, weswegen ich auch den zweiten Band "Schuldige Freunde" unbedingt lesen wollte. Mich hat es sehr interessiert, was die Autorin mit den Enthüllungen aus dem ersten Band macht, wie sie Candace, Grace, John-Michael, Lucy, Paolo und Maya in Bedrängnis bringt und welchen furchtbaren Erlebnisse noch auf die mündigen Jugendlichen warten. Nachdem der erste Band ja eher ein Charakter-Einführungsband war, habe ich beim zweiten Teil auf eine bessere und überzeugendere Handlung gesetzt – und ich wurde positiv überrascht.

Denn mir hat die Handlung wesentlich besser gefallen, weil sie dynamischer aufgebaut war und die Figuren gerade am Ende sehr an ihre Grenzen bringt. Ich würde mich nicht wagen, die Geschehnisse mit "Pretty Little Liars" zu vergleichen, aber Züge dessen hat das Buch schon. Auch bei den Liars habe ich manchmal den Kopf geschüttelt und mich gefragt, was zur Hölle die da eigentlich tun (und das obwohl die Liars später erwachsen waren). Außerdem ist es auch dort so: Einer tut was schreckliches und alle stecken mit drin. Gerade in diesen Momenten merkt man sehr deutlich, dass sie Kinder sind, fatale falsche Entscheidungen treffen und sich unter Druck setzen lassen und dementsprechend abstruse irrationale und unlogische Lösungen finden. Allerdings sind die sechs Charaktere zwar mündig, aber immer noch Kinder. Vollkommen überforderte Kinder, die ich gerne beschützt hätte und denen ich gerne meinen Rat gegeben hätte. Denn den hätten sie auch bitter nötig gehabt.

Die Figuren in "Schuldige Freunde" fand ich weiterhin gut. Nicht alle Gedanken und Handlungen sind nachvollziehbar, aber das hatte ich ehrlich gesagt auch nicht erwartet. Aufgefallen ist mir allerdings dieses Mal, dass meine Sympathie für die verschiedenen Charaktere während des Buches geschwankt hat. Mal hat mich Candace genervt, mal fand ich sie gut; ähnlich ging es mir mit fast allen Charakteren (außer John-Michael, denn er hat sich zu meinem Lieblingscharakter entwickelt). Die verschiedenen Erzählperspektiven ermöglichen es dem Leser auf jeden Fall, die Situation aus unterschiedlichen Sichtweisen zu erfahren, was mir sehr gefallen hat. Sechs unterschiedliche Perspektiven können mitunter schon mal anstrengend sein, allerdings fand ich es trotzdem richtig und gut gewählt – vor allem, da man die Charaktere ja nun mittlerweile kennt und auch besser voneinander unterscheiden kann.

Der Schreibstil der Autorin hat mir bei beiden Büchern gut gefallen. Manchmal schreibt M.G. Reyes ein wenig langatmig und zu ausschweifend, allerdings haben mir die temporeichen und dynamischen Passagen ausgesprochen gut gefallen und mich auch gut unterhalten. Ich bin auf jeden Fall auf den Abschlussband gespannt und hoffe, dass dieser bald in Deutschland erscheint.

Fazit
"Schuldige Freunde" hat mir um einiges besser gefallen, als der erste Band "Lügen unter Freunden", da die Autorin es geschafft hat, eine spannende und mitreißende Handlung zu schreiben und sich – im Vergleich zum ersten Band – zu steigern. Ich freue mich sehr auf den dritten Teil.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

One thing I can say for sure, is that this book is a lot better than the first. I remember I had been a little bit confused when I read the first book, mostly because I felt like there were moments that didn't make much sense, but now after having read the second book I've been able to understand the previous book a LOT more. (Pretty much the first book was setting up the story for this book.) And one thing I know for sure is that I am VERY happy that the author finally clarified who Charlie was. (In the first book I didn't have a clue who she was and hadn't been sure if Charlie was a guy or girl.) But now I've come to understand that Charlie was the character LUCY portrayed when she'd been working on Jelly and Pie as a child actor. And I was certainly biting my nails during the scenes where Paolo killed Dana Alexander's hitman and when the other guys had to help him cover up the murder. (I'd also got nervous when the second hitman showed up.) But it's a good thing they were able to take care of him too. But now that HE'S also dead they now have to find a way to stay out of Dana's radar. (Oh, but that white car that showed up at the end of the book that Maya had noticed and recognized sent chills down my spine.) Since she's so afraid of it, chances are she recognizes it. But whose is it? Man, this book has exceeded all of my expectations, and I certainly can't wait to read Vindicated and see how it all ends!

[Jennifer Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was stalled finishing this book sooner because everyone in the house got sick at once. That being said it was very easy to pick back up! This is a perfect sequel, i can feel the story ramping up for a mind blowing final book. Huge secrets are unveiled in this book, but not all the roommates get filled in at the same time. It causes some problems, but eventually they all (almost all) dish their secrets and they have each other’s back. Something insane happens at the end that changes everything and now the roommates are fleeing. Looking forward to starting the last book

[Viola Sung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jumps straight into the action, thanks to the build-up from the first book. Quite an enjoyable read, except for the abrupt ending. Well-plotted, despite the whole book feeling like the middle part of a long story (isn't it?) If so, still looking forward to the next book in the series. Some of the characters are starting to grow on me, though it took two books for them to. Is that due to the shifting perspectives?

[Brooke Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was entertaining. I say this instead of saying a really liked it because it was not what I expected.
The story itself was gripping and kept me reading and wondering to the very end.
The six teens have become more connected and commutes to each other.

If you enjoyed the this first book, this one was better. The story gained depth, gave you answers and left some still unanswered questions.

Can’t wait to see how it all wraps up in book 3.

[Sara Pensieri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Speravo che il secondo libro fosse migliore del precedente e invece non è stato così..tutta la storia risulta troppo forzata e veramente surreale..praticamente questi 6 ragazzi in sei mesi hanno più imprevisti che Frodo in tutta la trilogia..decisamente poco credibile!!

[Books & Dreams (Monisha) · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a four star book for me but I down graded my rating because I didn't like what happend after twothird-ish of the book. Besides that it's a good sequel of the first book of the Emancipated series.

[Mariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy where this book went compared to the first one; I liked all of the action and uncertainty. The character dynamics were much better in this book and I got a better feel for their personalities. I would love to see this as a tv show! I can’t wait to read the third!

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this book better than the first one! The pace was faster and I enjoyed the events that happened in the book. I feel this book gave me a lot more detail not only about the last book but for me too.

[New Adult e dintorni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Questo secondo capitolo della serie è davvero mozzafiato, ricco di avvenimenti, fatti sconvolgenti che porteranno i ragazzi a sviluppare un legame che non si potrà mai sciogliere, anche se un giorno le loro vite prenderanno strade differenti. Ora i sei protagonisti sono complici di atti che li hanno portati a crescere in fretta e dimenticare la leggerezza tipica della loro età. Sempre insieme, per aiutarsi, proteggersi, sostenersi, salvarsi.

Il libro, come il precedente è diviso in brevi capitoli, ognuno dedicato a un protagonista e raccontato in terza persona.
Nella prima metà del libro succede un fatto importante che vede coinvolto Paolo, il bel tennista playboy, mentre gli altri sono impegnati a dipanare i segreti che già ci avevano incuriosito nel primo libro della serie.
Per alcuni capitoli ci illudiamo che la storia abbia quasi preso una piega romantica, perchè Maya e Candance incontrano due ragazzi che le fanno palpitare il cuore e John-Michael ha trovato un bel musicista che lo abborda; per Grace le cose sembrano risolversi, i misteri si svelano, si tirano le somme, finalmente tutto comincia a girare per il verso giusto, ma la sensazione di poter tirare il fiato dura un attimo, fino al momento in cui tutto precipita.

PER CONTINUARE A LEGGERE CLICCA QUI:http://newadultedintorni.blogspot.it/...

[Lexy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. Still have so many questions. Left me on edge. Truths are told. Can't wait till the third book.

[nope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wird noch geschrieben, sind aber nur 2,5 Sterne.

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
I liked this book a lot more than the first. this one was action packed and had some character development. the story progressed at a reasonable pace and it kept me entertained.