Dead Fine by Emma Smith book review
A bloodthirsty mystery with an important message included in the story
YA Contemporary Mystery
First Book in a Trilogy
Kindle Read
307 Pages
4.5 Stars
Would I Recommend This Book? I would recommend all of Emma’s book but this is definitely one of the ones I would recommend the most
“And although I still love him now, and probably always will, it was in that very moment I think I began to… stop.”
Review -
I’m not someone who reads loads of mysteries and thrillers however I am always up for reading an Emma Smith mystery and Dead Fine has easily become one of my favourite books by Emma.
Dead Fine follows Lilz who has been with her boyfriend Owen for years and will do anything for him because of how much she loves him, even helping him to cover up a murder she had nothing to do with. However the summer afterward leads to her trust in her boyfriend being tested and Lilz is unsure as to whether she really does know Owen.
There were some parts of this book that i didn’t love and didn’t enjoy reading as it’s just not the type of books that I enjoy, including some of the bloodthirsty elements that came with the murder however this did not outweigh the bits I loved.
The mystery and murder story was well-developed and I really liked that. It kept me engaged and I wanted to keep reading to find out what had actually gone down and the consequences of those events.
My favourite part of this book though came from the narrative and the way Lilz told the story, showing what had happened and how in many ways the negative things that had happened and that this was a negative situation.
Lilz ended up in a really toxic relationship post murder and some of my favourite things in contemporary YA books is exploring these situations and how they are negative, showing that to teenagers. I felt that the combination of seeing the relationship develop and Lilz’s narrative really showed this well, making me excited to recommend this book and encourage more teens to read it. I do think that combining it with the murder also makes it a book that teens are more likely to pick up.
As like all Emma’s characters the characters in Dead Fine were well developed characters that felt relatable, and like they could be found in a British high school. I didn’t necessarily love them, however I did find them real and relatable. I also liked seeing the development and loss of different friendships which was another thing that made me love the book, and sharing an important message.
I am so glad that I have finally read this book and it is easily one of my top Emma Smith books. This is a book I am excited to recommend to all sorts of readers, and read Dead Loud once it is released at the end of the summer. This book is full of all sorts of things making me love it and think that all sorts of readers will feel similar to me after reading it.