Twittercide [twit-er-sahyd]: the killing of one human being by another while the victim is in the act of tweeting.
Call me crazy, but I figured writing for the Herbert Hoover High Homepage would be a pretty sweet gig. Pad the resume for college applications, get a first look at the gossip column, spend some time ogling the paper's brooding bad-boy editor, Chase Erikson. But on my first big story, things went...a little south. What should have been a normal interview with Sydney Sanders turned into me discovering the Homecoming Queen-hopeful dead in her pool. Electrocuted while Tweeting. Now, in addition to developing a reputation as HHH's resident body finder, I'm stuck trying to prove that Sydney's death wasn't suicide.
I'm starting to long for the days when my biggest worry was whether the cafeteria was serving pizza sticks or Tuesday Tacos... ~From GoodReads
Last fall, I read and fell in love with DEADLY COOL. Author Gemma Halliday delivered a story with a funny, but completely sincere heroine, an awesome best friend/sidekick in Sam, a hot and mysterious semi-love interest in Chase, and an intriguing mystery. To say I had high hopes for SOCIAL SUICIDE would be an understatement. I've been bouncing to read this one for months, but made myself hold out until closer to the release. SOCIAL SUICIDE was totally worth the wait.
Once again, teen super-sleuth (and I'll admit, busybody) Hartley Featherstone has found herself in the middle of a high school murder mystery. What is going on in San Jose, y'all? First a girl dies by iPod cord strangulation, now another dies by Twittercide?! That's right, Twittercide. I think Halliday has an acute sense for what will draw readers in. When I read the word "twittercide", I knew this book would be the LOL-fest that DEADLY COOL was.
The fact that I still love Hartley despite the fact she does the exact opposite of the smart thing in almost every situation is a testament to her endearing qualities. Hartley is an everygirl. Smart, sincere and brave to a fault, Hartley is willing to do whatever it takes, even dressing like a chicken, to find justice for these poor girls who keep getting offed by technology.
As for the secondary characters, I loved them even more in SOCIAL SUICIDE. Hartley's mom is still a riot, rocking out to Aerosmith in the school parking lot and forcing her to eat things like "texturized vegetable protein balls". Blech. Sam is her awesome self, maybe even more so in this book. She's now choosing clothes for her boyfriend Kyle, obsessed with her GPA and has gone from using "effing" in place of swearing to "fluffing". Too cute! And Chase. Chase is still cool, slightly broody, has that crooked smile, and is always gently nudging Hartley to her limits. I really, really love this character. I may have even put hearts around his name while taking notes. (I totally did.)
The only flaw I found with the story is it's predictability. Having read DEADLY COOL, I could predict almost everything in the plot. I would have liked a bit more of a brain tease, but I still had a great time and enjoyed the story for what it was. And honestly, it's so much fun that I don't mind. If it's not broke, don't fix it.
SOCIAL SUICIDE is a great addition to the DEADLY COOL series. It's a fast paced, light-hearted adventure that's sure to give you a smile on every page. And, I have to say, these books would make a great tv series or movies. I can't wait to see what Halliday serves up next.
Favorite Quote:
(So many great quotes. This is just one of many.)
"This first thing I did was run. Okay, actually, the first thing I did was scream, lose my balance, flail my arms in the air like some kind of uncoordinated bird, then slide down the side of the tree and land on my butt.
Then I ran." (pg. 31, ARC)
Paperback, 272 pages
Expected publication: April 24th 2012 by HarperTeen
You can preorder Social Suicide at:
