ROSEBUSH by Michele Jaffe

A dark, sexy psychological thriller from a fantastic new voice in YA fiction.

Jane is found, near death, in a rosebush - a victim of hit and run. But as she s convalescing she realizes that her friends stories and her memories of what happened that night aren t adding up.

And now the only thing she does know is that one of her friends isn t so friendly.

One of them tried to kill her.

Sometimes the truth is a very thorny thing...

When I received an ARC for this book, I have to admit that I was intrigued. I mean, how could I not want to know what happens to this poor girl who ends up left for dead in a rosebush? Of course I wanted to know what happened, and get to know this character...

Jane Freeman is just like every other popular teenage girl in high school. She has two very close friends--Kate and Langley--a gorgeous boyfriend--David--as well a friend who shares her interest in photography--Scott. She loves taking pictures and going out with her friends, but not all is as rosy as it appears on the outside. Especially not when she wakes up in the hospital after being run down by a car and left for dead.

She can't move or remember anything about the party she attended, or how she ended up in the rosebush. 
 

Whoever did this to her is still taunting her, and is very determined to make sure that she winds up dead, or at least insane with paranoia. Mostly by playing psychological games that wind up making her come across nuts to her family, friends, and the doctors.

 

Yet, as the layers start peeling back and Jane finds herself suspecting every single one of her friends, the story delves into a past riddled with complicated friendships, sadness and uncertainty. As she slowly realises just how high the price for popularity is, her relationship with her mother deteriorates further.

 

If only she could remember what happened that night... but soon she realises that there's a reason she can't remember anything. The truth is too horrible to admit to anyone, let alone herself.

Rosebush is an excellent, and very clever book. As soon as I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. And when I did, I kept thinking about it, my fingers itching to get back to it. Every time something new was revealed from Jane's past, I started to formulate who might be responsible for her attempted murder, but every time I got it wrong, lol. This book is so full of twists and turns, and red herrings. An awesome way to make you certain you know exactly what's going on, but you wind up just as confused about everything as Jane.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers that'll keep you guessing, you'll love this one. I know I did!

Rosebush, March 2011, ISBN 9781907410383, Atom Paperback

M&SRC books read: 4/12