Copycat

I enjoyed the book, the story itself was intriguing and kept me reading, but... the English major in me noticed all of the grammar and punctuation mistakes and the few typos here and there. Despite that, it was a really good read and I will continue to read her books.

Copycat is a story that had an interesting concept but didn't live up to it, while relying on old tropes. The story begins when Addison gets an email from her favorite mystery author, writer of a series she is a bonafide super-fan of, regarding making some promotional posts about his next book. Innocent enough, right? That is, until she realizes a classmate gets murdered in the exact way the excerpt she was sent. After that, she starts to worry that life is starting to imitate art, but (a) no one takes her seriously, and (b) the police are pretty much incompetent.The 'mystery' of the identity of the killer was pretty easy, and the only surprise was that I was thinking it would NOT go down that route. The motive was also pretty flimsy and it felt like an effort wasted on the part of the reader to try to solve the mystery. I haven't been able to put a finger on what exactly made this book mediocre for me, so I'll probably be nitpicking after this:- Earlier on in the novel, she is told by the 'author' that he found her through her fanfic. Knowing the book community and how authors are adamant about not reading fanfic because of copyright and plagiarism claims, that should have sent the warning bells ringing in her head.- There is no mention of any DNA evidence throughout the book, even though there was a struggle, and the fact that the 'killer' didn't exactly seem the kind of people who would be careful about it.- The police have only one suspect and we don't even know what or why he is let off the hook (like, did he have an alibi?). Addison provides clues to them yet they don't really act on it much until the end.- The motive and Addison's hatred for her dad did not make much sense in the context.The voice of Addison might also feel like it is trying to sound teen-like but juuuust falling shy of nailing it. Additionally, while I liked the flashbacks, I think as a mystery, it would have made more interesting by not indicating first that it was a flashback or dream. And honestly, it going the psychological route would have added to the tension, but we get an easy mystery, with barely any red herrings (at one point, Addison is like - he is an adult so it could be him) and not much excitement. Sure, it was fast-paced, but speed alone couldn't build the urgency or the high stakes that a story like this deserves.Overall, it is a good mystery, but if you a regular reader like me, or one who likes to solve the mysteries while reading, it might not be that enjoyable.

I received an eARC from NetGalley for a honest review.Our main character, Addison or Addie, is a certified bookworm. She runs a blog dedicated to the Gap Lake book series written by R.J. Rosen (Think the Fear Street series by R.L. Stine). She even write Gap Lake fan fiction in the school newspaper. While working on her blog, Addie receives an email from Mr. Rosen praising her blog and asking for help in the promotion and launch of the next book in the series. Of course, she and her friends are ecstatic and Rosen sends her a snippet of the upcoming book. But soon after she reads the snippet, she and her best friend Maya find a classmate murdered in the same way described in the snippet. And things go downhill from there.Pros:1. This book is reminiscent, at least to me, of the Fear Street series by R.L. Stine. I absolutely loved that series as a kid and I'm enjoying the relaunch as an young adult librarian!2. The book was fast paced. The book is about 288 pages in Kindle form, so it a relatively quick read. The story moves along quickly, with a few lags here and there but not enough to halt the story3. I did not see the ending coming. I was expecting only one killer but he was one of the killers.4. Addie's and Maya's friendship was welcomed comedic relief and relatable.Cons:1. Not enough of the police procedural. Out of the 288 pages, I think less than 10 pages covered any conversation between cops and witnesses. I know the focus is Addison, but I was hoping for a little more interact with her and the officers investigating the murder.2. Addison's naivete was a bit annoying in the beginning but becomes a bit endearing once her character develops. Her anger with her father was understandable but it didn't seem like she tried to meet him halfway. He lost a wife just like she lost a mother and he had to deal with that the same as she. Granted he didn't handle it in the best way, but he did get sober and was trying to make it work between them,3. The ending was wrapped up too quickly and neatly. The killers' motives were cliched and one killer's motive was not explained enough.Overall, I did like the book and will be reading more from this author.

Arrived in no time and got stuck into this really enjoyable thriller. Hannah Jayne has the ability to create engaging and relatable characters whilst also placing them in an enjoyable, creepy plot that gets you turning the pages till the end. The characters of Addie and Maya added a lighthearted and genuine dynamic to a creepy and thrilling read

My 14 year old daughter absolutely loves this authors books. She has read all of her books and can’t put them down!. She had this book read in 2 days. She says great twists and turns in it. Well Happy!