Review: Hanging by a Thread by Sophie Littlefield

Hanging by a Thread
The quaint little beach town of Winston, California, may be full of wholesome townsfolk, picturesque beaches, and laid back charm, but Clare Knight is about to uncover something underneath its thriving demeanor. Someone is hiding something, and it’s as gruesome as the townsfolk, and their stately homes, are stunning. Amanda Stavros, fellow classmate and resident of Winston, is gone and there’s no sign of her ever coming back. Everyone says she was taken and murdered, but where’s the evidence? Why isn’t there a single ounce of proof? And why is everyone okay with this, except for Clare?

Luckily—or as it’s been turning out, unluckily—Clare possesses a gift, an ability to see visions from the clothes she works with. And since her clothes come solely from the townsfolk, Clare has become privy to some startling and disturbing memories of these townspeople. Will she uncover who killed Amanda Stavros? Or is she just moving herself up in line to be the next victim of Winston?
When I first saw the synopsis of Hanging by the Thread I knew that I had to read it. I'm a massive fan of mystery books about some kind of psychometry. I knew that I was going to end up comparing this book to Slide and The Body Finder and it didn't quite reach the level of these books. I did enjoy it and I was absorbed into it, but it didn't quite reach the level I had hoped.

My first problem with this book was the romance. Clare and Jack suddenly start making out and that's it, no development, no flirting or even hate to love, it was true insta-love so I really struggled to care about it. I also felt like Clare's other relationships seemed forced and false, even her talks with her mother. Clare just didn't seem real to me at all and so I struggled to connect with her.

I did really like the mystery. I was gripped and thrown by all of the twists and turns in this book, it meant that I never knew what was going to happen and who the real bad guy was. I never suspected who it actually was. The mystery was great.

Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable read that I would recommend to fans of quick books with insta-love, but compared to similar books such as The Body Finder and Slide it may fall short a little.

Overall Rating: B-

Book released September 11th 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review by NetGalley

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