Review: Who R You Really? by Margo Kelly

Title: Who R U Really?

Author:  Margo Kelly 
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publishing Date:  August 1st, 2014

Pages:  240 Pages
Genre:  YA Thriller Suspense

Series:  Stand Alone
Source:  Audio

 

Thea's overprotective parents are driving her insane. They invade her privacy, ask too many questions, and restrict her online time so severely that Thea feels she has no life at all. When she discovers a new role-playing game online, Thea breaks the rules by staying up late to play. She's living a double life: on one hand, the obedient daughter; on the other, a girl slipping deeper into darkness. In the world of the game, Thea falls under the spell of Kit, an older boy whose smarts and savvy can't defeat his loneliness and near-suicidal despair. As Kit draws soft-hearted Thea into his drama, she creates a full plate of cover stories for her parents and then even her friends.
Soon, Thea is all alone in the dark world with Kit, who worries her more and more, but also seems to be the only person who really "gets" her. Is he frightening, the way he seems sometimes, or only terribly sad? Should Thea fear Kit, or pity him? And now, Kit wants to come out of the screen and bring Thea into his real-life world. As much as she suspects that this is wrong, Thea is powerless to resist Kit's allure, and hurtles toward the same dark fate her parents feared most. Ripped from a true-life story of Internet stalking, Who R U Really? will excite you and scare you, as Thea's life spins out of control.

I found this book on my TBR. I am not sure how long it's been there and I don't remember adding this book. But I found it one day and it fit a challenge, so I decided to read it. It was a very good read. There were some things that kept it from being the greatest, but it really was a great creepy suspenseful read. Exactly what I was hoping for. 

Thea is 14 years of age. She has had some trouble at school, but nothing really big. She has a best friend, a good family, and she is a pretty smart girl. She has a lot going for her. That is until she starts playing an online game and meets a stranger. His name is Kit. Thea starts to spend a lot of time online with Kit and eventually they start a relationship. Nothing is as it seems. Thea and her family come to find out he has lied about everything and now Thea may be in danger. 

I have so many thoughts about this book. I just want to say as out there as this story seems, it happens.  I know from personal experience what a trap online games are for young kids. Predators are out there. I am not saying that there should be no internet, social media, or online games. I just think adults need to pay close attention to what the young teens are doing. This book was realistic. So realistic that I can say it was downright creepy. 

So that being said... real stuff aside, I want to talk about how much I enjoyed this book. This book was so creepy. There were moments I was literally holding my breath and chills were running down my spine. The writer really knew how to get into the mind and make ordinary things just scary as hell.  Things that wouldn't seem like they would come off as creepy but still crept in and made my skin crawl. The writing was done really well. I will say sometimes it felt a little juvenile but it is about a 14-year girl. 

And about that 14-year girl. Thea was an interesting character. There were times I felt so bad for her and other times I just wanted to slap her. She was making really bad choices, lying, hiding things, separating from her friends and from real life. I wanted to roll my eyes and just yell "REALLY" but then I remember yup she is 14 years old. I can say that she really and truly felt like a 14-year girl. Most books in YA I feel they make them sound too young or too old for what actual teenagers would be like. This author hit the age and the situations right on. 

The ending is the only issue I had. The only issue I had with the ending, I felt it was a little bit rushed and BAM there it is and there it went. The build-up to the end was so magnificent that I wished the climax would have been drawn out just a tad bit more, just a bit more suspenseful. It wasn't horrible, it made sense and it wrapped everything up. I did have it figured out early on. At least I had my suspicions and they turned out spot on. It just happened so fast. I felt a little whiplashed and I just wished it had been a tad bit more. 

If it wasn't for the ending being rushed, this would have been a 5 star read for me. It had what it needed for the purpose of chilling and thrilling, it told a good story, the characters were true to form in age and situations. The writing was smooth and the pacing was really perfect. So great read. 

I really really really enjoyed this read. 

Margo Kelly loves to be scared … when she’s reading a good book, watching a good movie, or suffering from the hiccups. She enjoys writing mysteries and thrillers for young adults and hopes her stories give readers the goose bumps or the itchies or the desire to rethink everyday things. Margo is a native of the Northwest and currently resides in Idaho. Her award-winning debut, Who R U Really?, and her second novel, Unlocked, are both available through Simon Pulse (an imprint of Simon & Schuster). Margo welcomes opportunities to speak to youth groups, library groups, and book clubs. For more information visit: www.margokelly.net