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Scream #4
The Dead Girl
MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL
WHO'S THE DEADEST ONE OF ALL?
It was amazing the way Julie Forrester resembled her cousin Vicki. She could have practically passed for her twin.
Too bad Vicky isn't alive anymore.
But even though she's dead and buried, Vicky is still a part of Julie's new life in Colorado. Everywhere Julie goes, she's mistaken for her dead cousin. And late at ni ght, she has dreams of Vicky reaching out from beyond the grave... trying to come back...
Now, with each passing day, Julie fears she's losing her own identity and becoming someone else.
Someone dead.
WHO'S THE DEADEST ONE OF ALL?
It was amazing the way Julie Forrester resembled her cousin Vicki. She could have practically passed for her twin.
Too bad Vicky isn't alive anymore.
But even though she's dead and buried, Vicky is still a part of Julie's new life in Colorado. Everywhere Julie goes, she's mistaken for her dead cousin. And late at ni ght, she has dreams of Vicky reaching out from beyond the grave... trying to come back...
Now, with each passing day, Julie fears she's losing her own identity and becoming someone else.
Someone dead.
- GenresHorrorYoung Adult
224 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1993
2 people are currently reading
312 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 30, 2023
This is the only book from the Scream series that I have been able to find besides the other Jo Gibson entry of The Crush.
This is a very good book!
I couldn't wait to finish it! There were twists and turns that I did not see coming and this book was supposed to be written for teens? Really?
With some of the Christopher Pike I've read I'm not really surprised but out of all the Jo Gibson books I have read, this and The Crush (as well as its sequel) are far more than teen slashers.
The Dead Girl is like something Gothic dragged into the 1990s.
Julie Forrester has lived all over the world with her parents because of her father's job but their tragic deaths in a plane crash now have Julie heading back to The United States of America.
She'll be staying with her maternal Aunt Caroline and her husband Bob Hudson outside of Denver in their lodge for her last year of school before heading off to college.
Julie waits at the airport for her aunt and uncle to pick her up and meets a nice young man named Ross Connors at the coffee shop. He works at Saddlespeak Lodge, where her relatives live, and they have a pleasant conversation.
He wasn't sent to pick Julie up but was out delivering brochures for the lodge but they are soon joined by fellow employees and Julie's future classmates, Donna Kirby and her brother Paul. Ross has been out of high school a few years and saving up money for college by working for the Hudson family.
Donna nearly freaks out because Julie looks almost identical to her cousin Vicki. It is easy to freak people out when you look like a dead girl.
Julie's cousin died in a car accident and twins run in the family. Julie's late mother and her Aunt Caroline were identical twin sisters.
The likeness soon doesn't seem to bother Donna or Ross but her brother Paul doesn't seem thrilled and he seems slightly distant, almost angry. Julie soon learns from Donna that her brother use to date Vicki and they did not have a very good break-up.
Not long after the night Vicki dumped Paul...she died in her car accident. Except Julie's mother didn't tell her the truth about her cousin. Vicki crashed the car in an act of suicide.
Julie tries not to upset her aunt and uncle with her resemblance to their dead daughter but when you move into your dead cousin's old room and are allowed the use of her old skis, clothes and jewelry it is kind of hard to not bring up painful memories.
Julie meets other members of the staff and learns that Vicki left a trail of broken hearts and was a very friendly girl. The total opposite of Julie who has been in an all girl boarding school in Switzerland and never been on a date.
Julie can't imagine why a vivacious girl like her cousin would want to kill herself but soon it is quite clear...Vicki didn't take her own life.
Julie starts having dreams where she can see through Vicki's eyes of the night she died. Then there are the noises, the face looking in the window and then the calls.
Someone is now stalking Julie and confusing her with Vicki. Having the face of a dead girl, being tormented by someone who believes her cousin had to be punished for her wicked ways with the boys...Julie becomes entangled in a terrifying web of secrets, lies and there may be no escape.
We get a lot of male red herrings in this one and not really a lot of female characters except for Julie, Donna and her Aunt Caroline. Besides Ross and Paul, there is a guy named Ryan and his equally smarmy dad, Richard. I truly believe it when he tells people to call him Dick.
The reveals are mind blowing and the ending is bittersweet but more along the sweet line where you aren't left depressed but hopeful even if some pretty heavy handed stuff is discussed.
A page turner I couldn't put down and hated to see it end. If you haven't read The Dead Girl by Jo Gibson, I highly recommend it.
This is a very good book!
I couldn't wait to finish it! There were twists and turns that I did not see coming and this book was supposed to be written for teens? Really?
With some of the Christopher Pike I've read I'm not really surprised but out of all the Jo Gibson books I have read, this and The Crush (as well as its sequel) are far more than teen slashers.
The Dead Girl is like something Gothic dragged into the 1990s.
Julie Forrester has lived all over the world with her parents because of her father's job but their tragic deaths in a plane crash now have Julie heading back to The United States of America.
She'll be staying with her maternal Aunt Caroline and her husband Bob Hudson outside of Denver in their lodge for her last year of school before heading off to college.
Julie waits at the airport for her aunt and uncle to pick her up and meets a nice young man named Ross Connors at the coffee shop. He works at Saddlespeak Lodge, where her relatives live, and they have a pleasant conversation.
He wasn't sent to pick Julie up but was out delivering brochures for the lodge but they are soon joined by fellow employees and Julie's future classmates, Donna Kirby and her brother Paul. Ross has been out of high school a few years and saving up money for college by working for the Hudson family.
Donna nearly freaks out because Julie looks almost identical to her cousin Vicki. It is easy to freak people out when you look like a dead girl.
Julie's cousin died in a car accident and twins run in the family. Julie's late mother and her Aunt Caroline were identical twin sisters.
The likeness soon doesn't seem to bother Donna or Ross but her brother Paul doesn't seem thrilled and he seems slightly distant, almost angry. Julie soon learns from Donna that her brother use to date Vicki and they did not have a very good break-up.
Not long after the night Vicki dumped Paul...she died in her car accident. Except Julie's mother didn't tell her the truth about her cousin. Vicki crashed the car in an act of suicide.
Julie tries not to upset her aunt and uncle with her resemblance to their dead daughter but when you move into your dead cousin's old room and are allowed the use of her old skis, clothes and jewelry it is kind of hard to not bring up painful memories.
Julie meets other members of the staff and learns that Vicki left a trail of broken hearts and was a very friendly girl. The total opposite of Julie who has been in an all girl boarding school in Switzerland and never been on a date.
Julie can't imagine why a vivacious girl like her cousin would want to kill herself but soon it is quite clear...Vicki didn't take her own life.
Julie starts having dreams where she can see through Vicki's eyes of the night she died. Then there are the noises, the face looking in the window and then the calls.
Someone is now stalking Julie and confusing her with Vicki. Having the face of a dead girl, being tormented by someone who believes her cousin had to be punished for her wicked ways with the boys...Julie becomes entangled in a terrifying web of secrets, lies and there may be no escape.
We get a lot of male red herrings in this one and not really a lot of female characters except for Julie, Donna and her Aunt Caroline. Besides Ross and Paul, there is a guy named Ryan and his equally smarmy dad, Richard. I truly believe it when he tells people to call him Dick.
The reveals are mind blowing and the ending is bittersweet but more along the sweet line where you aren't left depressed but hopeful even if some pretty heavy handed stuff is discussed.
A page turner I couldn't put down and hated to see it end. If you haven't read The Dead Girl by Jo Gibson, I highly recommend it.
October 23, 2013
Julie just moved to Colorado. Everyone keeps mistaking her with her dead cousin Vicki. She feels she is losing her own identity and is being possessed by her dead cousin.
The books is ok and ends with an unexpected end. The author does a good job in descriptions and creating suspense. You can easily visualize the situation or the place. Not badly written. A lot of suspense.
The books is ok and ends with an unexpected end. The author does a good job in descriptions and creating suspense. You can easily visualize the situation or the place. Not badly written. A lot of suspense.
July 15, 2015
Actual rating - 2.5
This was another boring read unfortunately. The story lost my interest very early on, and couldn't get it back.
Glad I've finished the bind up!
This was another boring read unfortunately. The story lost my interest very early on, and couldn't get it back.
Glad I've finished the bind up!
April 22, 2018
The Dead Girl
4/5 stars
This was fun and addicting. The editor was obviously out on vacation though considering the excessive amount of typos that made it into the final cut.
Plot:
Basically a girl who goes to live with her aunt and uncle and happens to be a dead ringer for her cousin Vicky who recently passed away in a car accident.
I had never really read a YA mystery thriller before and always heard them talked down, so I was surprised by how much fun this one ended up being.
It was written twenty years ago (it's as old as I am) and so some things reflect that time such as how sexist it could be at times.
The characters-
Julie:
was an okay lead protagonist. I mean, she made some questionable decisions throughout and could be slightly annoying at times, but she wasn't too bad.
Vicky-
The glimpses we get of her were actually mad interesting and I ended up liking the type of character that I usually don't.
Donna-
She didn't get to much page time but she was very endearing when we did get to see her. I need me a friend like her lol.
Paul and Ross-
The only tolerable male characters in this entire book. They were actual sweethearts.
Overall:
It was addictive and a really fun mystery that keeps you guessing. I just am not sure how memorable this book will end up being tone over time.
4/5 stars
This was fun and addicting. The editor was obviously out on vacation though considering the excessive amount of typos that made it into the final cut.
Plot:
Basically a girl who goes to live with her aunt and uncle and happens to be a dead ringer for her cousin Vicky who recently passed away in a car accident.
I had never really read a YA mystery thriller before and always heard them talked down, so I was surprised by how much fun this one ended up being.
It was written twenty years ago (it's as old as I am) and so some things reflect that time such as how sexist it could be at times.
The characters-
Julie:
was an okay lead protagonist. I mean, she made some questionable decisions throughout and could be slightly annoying at times, but she wasn't too bad.
Vicky-
The glimpses we get of her were actually mad interesting and I ended up liking the type of character that I usually don't.
Donna-
She didn't get to much page time but she was very endearing when we did get to see her. I need me a friend like her lol.
Paul and Ross-
The only tolerable male characters in this entire book. They were actual sweethearts.
Overall:
It was addictive and a really fun mystery that keeps you guessing. I just am not sure how memorable this book will end up being tone over time.
July 12, 2025
I’d probably give this 3.5 stars if I’m being honest. It’s not horror at all. This book is really a murder mystery. Julie is moving to a lodge in Colorado after her parents died, to live with her aunt and uncle. They too are dealing with a death, their daughter Vicki, who just happens to look identical to Julie. This is so common in ya horror but I don’t know anyone who has an identical looking family member lol. The book deals with Julie trying to figure out what happened to Vicki. Was it suicide like everyone believes? Or could it be murder? It starts with a note found in an old jacket that told Vicki to meet her the night she died and it was signed R. And of course all the men in her life have a name that starts with an R. Who could it be? The story was good although drawn out, so much filler. And of course some of the suspects are dropped, with two of the five “R” men being real suspects. Until Spoilers it’s something totally different in the last 25-30 pages. So for a Scream book did it make me scream? No not at all lol.
February 26, 2021
This book was a little slow to start but it got interesting towards the end. I enjoyed the brain tumor linked to psychosis twist for the uncle that was very well done.
I would recommend this book to read.
I would recommend this book to read.
June 13, 2025
These books are SO much fun.
March 21, 2016
An okay horror book. There were enough scenes that made the book diverting to read but the plot was unoriginal. At least, there were plenty of descriptions that were helpful for me to visualize the setting which I like. The twist is pretty solid as I definitely didn't see that coming but nothing too groundbreaking. Julie is mostly bland and her only character is mostly her sad backstory but that rarely comes up.
It's a good pick up horror book and it did its job well.
It's a good pick up horror book and it did its job well.
July 21, 2016
I was given an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This book cover is on my Pinterest board and my blog, Michelle Dragalin’s Journey.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews