We’re so excited to be a part of the tour for A LINE IN THE DARK by Melinda Lo, but before we share our thoughts, we want to tell you about the book!
A Line in the Dark by Malinda Lo (Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads)Published by Penguin on October 17th 2017
Genres: Art, LGBT, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 288
Format: ARC
The line between best friend and something more is a line always crossed in the dark.
Jess Wong is Angie Redmond’s best friend. And that’s the most important thing, even if Angie can’t see how Jess truly feels. Being the girl no one quite notices is OK with Jess anyway. While nobody notices her, she’s free to watch everyone else. But when Angie begins to fall for Margot Adams, a girl from the nearby boarding school, Jess can see it coming a mile away. Suddenly her powers of observation are more curse than gift.
As Angie drags Jess further into Margot’s circle, Jess discovers more than her friend’s growing crush. Secrets and cruelty lie just beneath the carefree surface of this world of wealth and privilege, and when they come out, Jess knows Angie won’t be able to handle the consequences.
When the inevitable darkness finally descends, Angie will need her best friend.
“It doesn’t even matter that she probably doesn’t understand how much she means to me. It’s purer this way. She can take whatever she wants from me, whenever she wants it, because I’m her best friend.”
A Line in the Dark is a story of love, loyalty, and murder.
I have to start by saying I absolutely love the cover of A Line in the Dark by Malinda Lo. I immediately wanted to read this based on the cover alone. Once I read the summary though I was even more intrigued.
Once I dove into this book I didn’t really want to put it down. It was definitely a quick read and I found myself pulled into this story that revolves around friendship, relationships, and a bit of a mystery. I have to admit; the first half went well but I wasn’t a fan of the POV shift in part two. It felt off and I’m not sure what the intent was.
Jess is the main character whose point of view we start in and she is one of those characters I couldn’t help sympathizing with. It is obvious she has feelings for her best friend Angie but Angie is either completely clueless or does a fantastic job of not noticing. There were things I liked about Jess but there were things that really bothered me. She was definitely loyal and cared about Angie but she let Angie get away with a lot because of her feelings for her. I can honestly say I don’t think I would have put up with half of what she did without calling Angie out.
Clearly you can see I am not a huge fan of Angie. I think it’s because I don’t really believe that she had no idea about Jess’ feelings and when she starts to have her relationship with Margot she doesn’t even think about Jess. As best friends, Jess and Angie spend a lot of time together and when Margot enters their world, things change quickly and not necessarily for the best.
Margot is Angie’s new girlfriend and she, along with her best friend Ryan, go to the local boarding school. There is a secret that Ryan and Angie have and as the story moves forward, this secret becomes a catalyst to what happens in part two of this book. When things between these characters take a turn, we begin to learn a lot more about all of them and what happened that night.
You might be saying…Erin, why are you being so vague? Well, I can’t say too much because I don’t want to give anything away. There are some twists in this story and I have to say, I didn’t really see what happened in the epilogue coming so that was great. If you are looking for a book that has an interesting story and diverse characters, definitely check this one out.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Giveaway!
About Malinda Lo
Malinda Lo is the author of several young adult novels, including the forthcoming A Line in the Dark (Dutton, Oct. 17, 2017). Her novel Ash, a lesbian retelling of Cinderella, was a finalist for the William C. Morris YA Debut Award, the Andre Norton Award for YA Science Fiction and Fantasy, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, and was a Kirkus Best Book for Children and Teens. She has been a three-time finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. Malinda’s nonfiction has been published by The New York Times Book Review, NPR, The Huffington Post, The Toast, The Horn Book, and AfterEllen. She lives in Massachusetts with her partner and their dog.
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