Review: Girl on the Verge by Pintip Dunn

In her small Kansas town, at her predominantly white school, Kanchana doesn’t look like anyone else. But at home, her Thai grandmother chides her for being too westernized. Only through the clothing Kan designs in secret can she find a way to fuse both cultures into something distinctly her own.

When her mother agrees to provide a home for a teenage girl named Shelly, Kan sees a chance to prove herself useful. Making Shelly feel comfortable is easy at first—her new friend is eager to please, embraces the family’s Thai traditions, and clearly looks up to Kan. Perhaps too much. Shelly seems to want everything Kanchana has, even the blond, blue-eyed boy she has a crush on. As Kan’s growing discomfort compels her to investigate Shelly’s past, she’s shocked to find how it much intersects with her own—and just how far Shelly will go to belong…

Kindle Edition, 256 pages

Published June 27th 2017 by Kensington 

Genre: Young Adult

Kristine's Thoughts:

** I received an advanced readers copy from Kensington in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!**

I was very much looking forward to reading this book. I previously read The Darkest Lie and thoroughly enjoyed it. From the synopsis it sounded like this one would be sure to follow suit. So you need to understand that it pains me tremendously to write my honest thoughts on Girl on the Verge.

I wanted desperately to like this book but I felt that it fell short of my expectations. The story was so predictable that I had it figured out in a few short pages. I kept reading in the hopes that I was wrong and that the story was going to take a shocking turn but unfortunately it went exactly how I thought it would. On top of that, some of the plot was just not believable. Certain things that occurred would never go unnoticed like they did in the book. Lastly, the whole "love story" aspect of the book was kind of dull and underdeveloped. It was hard to route for a relationship that I just couldn't feel. If I am being completely honest, Kan was probably the only part of the book that I really liked and unfortunately some of the happenings within the pages made it frustrating at times.

Having said all that, I am a little older than the typical YA audience and perhaps I have become a little cynical with time. I have a feeling that young people would enjoy this story a lot more than I did. Although this book was not for me I enjoyed The Darkest Lie enough that I would not hesitate to pick up another book by this author.

About the Author

Pintip is a New York Times bestselling author of YA fiction. She graduated from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B. in English Literature and Language. She received her J.D. at Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the YALE LAW JOURNAL.

Pintip's first novel, FORGET TOMORROW won the RWA RITA® award for Best First Book. Her other novels include THE DARKEST LIE, REMEMBER YESTERDAY, and the novella, BEFORE TOMORROW. She is represented by literary agent Beth Miller of Writers House.

She lives with her husband and children in Maryland.

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