{REVIEW} MISS ME NOT by TIFFANY KING

Series: Stand alone
Publisher: Tiffany King
Publication Date: 11/23/12
Format: ebook
Pages: 316
Source: Received from author for review.

They had a pact.
Leave the world behind much as they had lived it.
No one would miss them. No harm, no foul.
Their personal demons would be left behind once and for all.
It was the only thing they could count on.
It was all she had.

Madison Hanson has spent the last four years being a "shadow." Her parents ignore her. The students at her school stopped talking to her years ago, and the majority of her teachers forget she's even there. In her desperate yearning to leave her invisible life behind, Madison makes a pact with her only friend, James Garrison, to end their lives as inconspicuously as they live them. No fuss, no muss. No one would miss her and she would miss no one. Their plan is set, and it's all she can count on. That is, until fellow student, Mitch Peterson, beats them to the punch. Everything Madison believed in is shaken to the core when she watches the aftermath of Mitch's death unfold. By taking his own life, Mitch unwittingly saves hers. What a selfish prick.

She is now left with the daunting task of living. Trying to bury her demons once and for all, and finally trusting someone with her fragile existence.

Living is hell.
Death would have been so much easier.

 

I know what you're probably thinking. "A suicide book? I don't like to read about suicide." Well, much like funerals, nobody actually likes reading about suicide, but it is important nonetheless. And though the story is initially about two teens who have plans to go out together, Miss Me Not isn't about suicide in the way you may think.

Miss Me Not is actually about living. About Madison's decision not to end her life, and with the help of a kind, generous boy, she decides not only to not die, but to really live.

Madison Hanson is not your normal teen. In fact, she can be fairly unlikeable. But Tiffany King did a truly thorough and beautiful job of slowly revealing the events and people who made Madison the way she is...surly, brittle, untouchable. Madison is a girl who did some pretty bad things when she was younger, all to gain her unreachable parents' attention. And as badly as she has been treated because of it, her conscience is the loudest voice of all.

 

"He was the sun, while I was the darkness."

When Madison meets Dean, I could definitely see where the story is headed. But, the road to friendship was smoother than I imagined it would be and I appreciated that. I expected Madison to continually push Dean away, or for him to initially be a real jerk to her. It quickly becomes apparent, though, that Dean is a boy beyond compare, and that Madison really truly wants and needs love. To have the story, without the major bickering and back-and-forth, made the story much better, and allowed the focus to center on Madison's emotional journey rather than the budding relationship.

Miss Me Not was a very, very well-written, heartfelt, thought story. King's writing is practically flawless. And though the story begins in a tragic place, and has many sad moments, it is also hopeful, and uplifting. Miss Me Not is not to be missed.


Favorite Quote:

  "I'm not going to hurt you," he whispered, leaning in close.
  "I know," I said with a slight shake in my voice.
  "You are so beautiful," he said, placing his lips lightly on my cheek. Leaving a trail of light kisses along my cheek and chin, he slowly approached my lips. Everything inside me seemed to quiver.
  "Do you want me to kiss you?" he asked, placing his lips softly at the corner of my mouth.
  I nodded.
  "I need you to say the words, babe. I want you to want this as much as me," he said, pulling back slightly.   (75%)


  "I'm not going to lose you over this," he said, reaching a hand up to stroke my face.
  "You already have," I whispered in a broken voice.
  Anguish filled his face before he crushed his lips to mine. "No, I haven't," he said raggedly against my lips like he was convincing me to change my mind.   (87%)


  The amazing thing about love was that when you didn't have it, the word seemed impossible to use, but when you were surrounded by it, it was as easy to say as breathing.   (98%)



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About the author:
Tiffany King is the author of The Saving Angels Series, Wishing For Someday Soon, Forever Changed, and Unlikely Allies. Writer by day and book fanatic the rest of the time, she is now pursuing her life-long dream of weaving tales for others to enjoy. She has a loving husband and two wonderful kids. (Five, if you count her three spoiled cats). Her addictions include: Her iphone and ipad, chocolate, Diet Coke, chocolate, Harry Potter, chocolate, and her favorite TV shows. Want to know what they are? Just ask. She can always be found on Twitter , Facebook,  Pintrest and her website, or you can always email her.