Category Archives: Natalie D Richards

December 3, 2018 · 11:56 pm

Review: What You Hide by Natalie D. Richards

Title: What You Hide by Natalie D. Richards
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Mystery
Length: 384 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Mallory didn’t want to leave home, but it wasn’t safe to stay. So she sleeps at her best friend’s house and spends the rest of her time at the library, doing her online schoolwork and figuring out what comes next. Because she’s not going live in fear like her mother.

Spencer volunteers at the library. Sure, it’s community service for a stunt he pulled, but he likes the work. And it’s the perfect escape from his parents’ pressure to excel at school, at ice hockey, at everything. Especially after he meets Mallory.

Then there is a tragic death at the library. Suddenly, what was once a sanctuary turns sinister. Ghostly footprints, strange scratching sounds, scrawled messages on bulletin boards and walls… Mallory and Spencer don’t know who or what is responsible, but one thing is for sure:

They are not as alone—or as safe—as they thought.

Review:

What You Hide by Natalie D. Richards is a poignant young adult novel which also includes a slight mystery element.

Sixteen year old Mallory Halston has been trying to get her pregnant mother to leave her overbearing stepfather Charlie. After her latest effort fails, Mallory knows she cannot remain at home when Charlie issues a menacing threat. Determined to be stronger than her mother, Mallory enrolls in an online school in order to continue her education. She winds up spending most of her free time in a local library where she meets Spencer Keller.  She is uneasy about their growing friendship and she stubbornly tries to resist his efforts to help her once he realizes she has been staying overnight in the library.

Mallory is fearful for her and her mother’s safety because of Charlie’s controlling behavior.  Mallory is shocked at the changes in her mother but her efforts to help her have been fruitless. In spite of the challenges of her current homelessness, Mallory knows she has made the right decision to strike out on her own.  However, she is aware that her current living arrangements are unsustainable for long term but she is struggling with finding a solution. Will Mallory be forced to return to the dysfunctional life she left behind?

Spencer’s life is the complete opposite of Mallory’s. He is from a wealthy family and he leads a rather privileged life.  Despite the advantages his parents provide him, he is struggling under the weight of his family’s expectations for his future. Spencer is resisting his family’s pressure to make plans for college due to reasons he finds difficult to articulate. His problems pale in comparison to Mallory’s issues yet she is quick to assure him that his troubles are just as valid as hers. Will helping Mallory provide Spencer with a clearer picture of what he wants to do with his life?

A mystery at the library is welcome, albeit frightening, distraction for Mallory and Spencer. After a young woman dies inside the library, mysterious footprints, heartbreaking notes and woeful crying begin occurring with alarming frequency. Although Mallory has stayed overnight at the library on numerous occasions, she has yet to locate the person responsible for these eerie happenings. Can Mallory and Spencer solve the mystery of who is responsible for these unsettling events?

Written in first person and alternating between Spencer’s and Mallory’s points of view,  What You Hide  is an engaging young adult novel that touches on relevant social issues. Mallory is a strong young woman who is wise beyond her years. Spencer is a charming, likable teenager who, despite his wealthy background, is struggling with some of the same issues as other kids his age.  The romance between Mallory and Spencer is low-key and unfolds naturally from their budding friendship. The mystery aspect is subtle and adds another layer to the multi-dimensional storyline.  Natalie D. Richards brings the novel to an imperfect conclusion that is realistic.  I highly recommend this heartfelt young adult novel to readers of all ages.

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Filed under Contemporary, Mystery, Natalie D Richards, Rated B, Review, Sourcebooks Fire, What You Hide, Young Adult

October 9, 2017 · 11:55 pm

Review: We All Fall Down by Natalie D. Richards

Title: We All Fall Down by Natalie D. Richards
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: C

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

A new romantic thriller—with a dash of horror—from the author of One Was Lost and Six Months Later

Theo’s always been impulsive. But telling Paige how he feels? He’s obsessed over that decision. And it’s time. Tonight. At the party on the riverbank, under the old walking bridge, site of so many tales of love and death.

Paige has had a crush on Theo since they first met, but she knows her feelings are one-sided. She’s trying to move on, to flirt. A party at the river is just what she needs. Except a fight breaks out, and when Paige tries to intervene—Theo’s fist lands in her face.

All Theo and Paige want to do is forget that fateful night. But strange events keep drawing them back to the bridge. Someone, something is determined to make them remember…and pay for what they each did.

Review:

We All Fall Down by Natalie D. Richards is a suspenseful young adult novel with a few supernatural elements.

Theo Quinn and Paige Vinton-Young are best friends who rely heavily on each other to help deal with their respective mental health issues. Theo is struggling with a fairly severe problem with ADHD and he has gone through a host of medications to try to help manage his disorder. Paige has been plagued with rather intense anxiety from a young age.  Just as Paige is ready to move on from her unrequited crush for Theo, he realizes he has feelings for her.  Attending a party together one night, Theo jealously lashes out at the guy she is interested in and when Paige attempts to stop him, things go horribly wrong.  Six months later, they are estranged but when both of them begin experiencing eerie occurrences that are connected to that fateful night, will Paige and Theo reunite in order to discover the truth about what is happening to them?

Paige’s parents are extremely overprotective and due to their strong influence over her after the events with Theo, she cannot trust her instincts about him.  Trying to respect their wishes, she has cut Theo completely out of her life.  When she begins finding objects associated with the night things went so drastically wrong between them, Paige wants to give Theo the benefit of the doubt, but she is having difficulty deciding whether to trust Theo or listen to her parents.

Theo is spending the summer with his uncle Denny who understands all too well some of the problems his nephew is going through. Theo is committed to adhering to his new medication regimen and when he begins experiencing unexplained phenomena, he cannot figure out whether it is side effects from the meds or something more sinister. He accidentally runs into Paige one day which sets the stage for a possible reunion, but Paige’s trust issues remain a source of conflict between them.

We All Fall Down by Natalie D. Richards is a rather slow moving novel with likable characters that seem defined by their respective mental health issues. The storyline is initially intriguing but it becomes a little repetitive as Theo tries to make sense of what is happening to him. Paige’s parents’ interference in her life is also extremely exasperating due to their lack of faith in her ability to manage her anxiety and day to day life. The supernatural element falls a little flat as does the explanation for Paige’s discoveries.   The conclusion is a little rushed but all of the loose ends are nicely tied up.

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Filed under Contemporary, Mystery, Natalie D Richards, Rated C, Review, Sourcebooks Fire, Suspense, We All Fall Down, Young Adult

October 2, 2016 · 11:58 pm

Review: One Was Lost by Natalie D. Richards

Title: One Was Lost by Natalie D. Richards
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

For fans of In a Dark, Dark Wood and Survive the Night comes a pulse-pounding, psychological thriller from the author of Six Months Later.

Damaged, Deceptive, Dangerous, Darling. When a group of teens wake up in the woods, these words are inked onto their skin. Are they labels? A warning? They must find the truth before a killer finds them.

While on a mandatory senior field trip, a flash flood cuts off Sera and three classmates from their group with no way to call for help. But they’re not as alone as they thought…

Review:

In One Was Lost by Natalie D. Richards, a school sponsored camping trip turns deadly for the five teenagers and the two teachers accompanying them.

Plagued by endless rain, the senior camping trip soon takes a dark turn when Sera, Lucas, Jude, Emily and their teacher, Mr. Walker, are separated from Hayley, Madison and the other teacher chaperoning them, Ms. Brighton by flash flood.  Planning to meet up the following day, the two groups set up camp and turn in for the night, but when Sera’s group wakes up the next day, they are horrified to learn they’ve been drugged and their camp, along with all of their provisions, has been destroyed.  Even more chilling are the words inked on each of the teens’ wrists: deceptive, dangerous, damaged and innocently enough, darling.  After finding Mr. Walker too drugged to wake up, they attempt to check on Hayley, Madison and Ms. Brighton but they are unable to cross the still  flooded river.  Climbing to higher ground, Lucas and Sera make a grisly discovery that convinces them the three have met a gruesome, and deadly, fate.  The seeds of distrust between the classmates are soon sown, but in order to survive their frightening ordeal, the four teens must pull together if they are going to escape from the deranged stalker who continues to taunt them while leading them into danger.

Initially, Sera’s biggest problem with the camping trip (other than the miserable weather and plentiful bugs) is keeping her distance from Lucas.  She and Lucas  were involved the previous summer until she inexplicably broke things off and began going to great lengths to avoid him. Sera bristles with hostility and their exchanges are rather acrimonious until they are forced to work together to try to save themselves and their classmates.  Underlying their interactions is a simmering attraction that flares up at very inopportune moments during their attempts to flee from their attacker.  (Seriously, if you’re in fight or flight mode trying to evade a deranged killer, it seems somewhat ridiculous and highly implausible that you would even think, let alone actually act, on the impulse to flirt, kiss and moon over one another.  Subtracted half a star for this unrealistic attempt to add in a romance.)

A newcomer to town, Lucas started off on the wrong foot during a soccer match and he now has a reputation as the school’s resident bad boy.  He is constantly in trouble for fighting but this only adds to his appeal for his female classmates.  Working with Lucas on a project for a school play, Sera discovered his softer side as they spent time together outside of school hours.  Their flirtation culminated in a relationship of sorts, but Sera pulled back without explanation due to her unresolved issues from her parents’ divorce.  As the situation in the woods becomes more ominous, can they set aside their differences and work together to try to save themselves along with Jude and Emily?

Despite being classmates, neither Lucas nor Sera knows Jude or Emily very well.  Although Sera and Emily share a tent during the trip, they do not exchange confidences and Emily keeps mostly to herself.  Jude is well-known for his musical talent, but he is a rather enigmatic figure.  He and Emily gravitate toward one another due to their suspicions of the other members in their group.  Will they be able put aside their mistrust long enough to help Sera and Lucas find their way out of the increasingly dangerous situation?

With plenty of suspense, a sense of urgency and shifting allegiances, One Was Lost is a fast-paced and compelling young adult mystery.  The isolated setting is extremely creepy and the sinister events ratchet up the tension as the teens try to figure out who is targeting them and why.  Despite having a fairly good idea about who is behind the attack, Natalie D. Richards throws in just enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing both the perpetrator’s identity and the motive for the nefarious scheme.  With pulse-pounding action and an adrenaline filled final showdown, the novel comes to dramatic and mostly satisfying conclusion.

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Filed under Contemporary, Mystery, Natalie D Richards, One Was Lost, Rated B, Review, Sourcebooks Fire, Suspense, Young Adult

October 5, 2015 · 11:57 pm

Review: My Secret to Tell by Natalie D. Richards

my secretTitle: My Secret to Tell by Natalie D. Richards
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Mystery/Suspense, Romance
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

His smile is a crime.

Emerson May is “the good girl.” She’s the perfect daughter, the caring friend, the animal shelter volunteer. But when her best friend’s brother breaks into her room, his hands covered in blood, she doesn’t scream or call the cops. Because when Deacon smiles at her, Emmie doesn’t want to be good…

The whole town believes notorious troublemaker Deacon is guilty of assaulting his father. Only Emmie knows a secret that could set him free. But if she follows her heart, she could be trusting a killer…

You can’t always trust the boy next door.

Review:

My Secret to Tell by Natalie D. Richards is a very intriguing young adult mystery. With just a hint of romance, this suspense-laden novel is sure to be a hit with teen readers.

Emerson “Emmie” May is a good girl who does everything right but even she is feeling the strain of her parents’ expectations for her future. Ever since her older brother Landon crashed and burned during his first year of college, all of her parents’ dreams are resting on her shoulders. However, even her fear of disappointing them cannot withstand her loyalty to the Westfield family and despite their pleas to stay away from them after their father is brutally attacked, Emmie cannot abandon her friend Chelsea and her brother (and Emmie’s secret crush), Deacon.

Emmie and Chelsea have been best friends for years and the two share everything. So when Chelsea’s father is assaulted in their home, Emmie is the first person she calls. Emmie is shocked to learn that Deacon is the prime suspect in the attack due to their tempestuous relationship. But when she returns home to find him waiting in her bathroom covered in blood, Emmie does what she does best: she cleans him up and offers her support. However, even she begins to doubt his innocence in the days after the attack once Deacon goes into hiding. Although Emmie remains unsure of his guilt, one thing is absolutely certain: both Chelsea and Deacon are keeping secrets from her. But do these secrets have anything to do with the attack on their father?

Emmie and Deacon are well-developed, multi-faceted characters. Emmie is caught between her loyalty to her friends and her need to please her parents (which is something teens will definitely relate to). The issues she is dealing with are pretty straight forward but it is only a matter of time before she has to decide whether to follow her heart regardless of her parents’ expectations.

On the surface, Deacon certainly seems troubled but he is also a caring and compassionate young man. He has had a few scrapes here and there but there is no denying his relationship with his father is deeply troubled. Although the police have good reason to suspect he has something to do with his father’s assault, it soon becomes obvious the police have focused exclusively on him. Deacon is not just avoiding the police; he is conducting an investigation of his own. He uncovers some puzzling clues, but, to his frustration, this new information does little to help him figure out the identity of his father’s attacker.

My Secret to Tell is a clever whodunit with a fabulous cast of characters and an alluring romance that will appeal to teens. The mystery element is interesting and full of unexpected twists and turns. The motive for the crime remains elusive and Natalie B. Richards skillfully utilizes numerous red herrings to keep readers guessing the perpetrator’s identity right up until the novel’s rather dramatic and pulse pounding conclusion.

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Filed under Contemporary, My Secret to Tell, Mystery, Natalie D Richards, Rated B, Review, Romance, Sourcebooks Fire, Suspense