Girl on the Verge Paperback – June 27, 2017

For anyone who enjoyed Pintip Dunn's first contemporary thriller, The Darkest Lie, this book is a must-read. Kan is a Thai-American high school girl trying to find her place in an all-white, Midwest town, when her mother brings an orphaned teen into her home to finish high school. Shelly is lost and grief-stricken, and is grateful for any attention Kan gives her. But the friendship takes a turn when Kan starts dating her dream guy and Shelly's fixation on Kan turns darker. And darker. This gripping story will keep contemporary thriller fans on the edge of their seat until the last page.I was so happy to read an advanced copy of this book. I couldn't put it down. It touches on the dark and light within everyone, and delves into a deep dark fear of many. Kan is a wonderful heroine, with so many amazing qualities, you can't help but want her to win, and wow, dream-guy, Ethan, is a hot delight. I won't say any more about them other than LOVED the chemistry. Highly recommend this book!

Pintip Dunn has done it again. Gorgeous writing, compelling story, and insanely accurate feelings about what it means to belong - or not - in small town, rural America. Especially when you look different from everyone else. This book is unexpectedly creepy: the things Shelly does to get close to Kan and fit in with the other high schoolers are downright scary.How I wish I had had a book like this when I was growing up! It's too darn rare to find compelling characters of diverse backgrounds who struggle with all the "normal" high school things like being popular and having a boyfriend, let alone straddling two cultures, one at home and one at school.Kan, let us know how things work out for you, OK? There's so much more to your story that we want to know!

This was a book I was very eager to read and it lived up to my expectations. Perfect for teens and adults who like creepy, but believable stories with family intrigue blended with cultural expectations/limitations.

I feel like this book was written BY a thirteen year old FOR thirteen year old girls. Like a bad soap opera!

This thriller reminds me of a movie from when I was a teenager (many many moons ago) called Single White Female mixed with another (old---sorry) movie, Fatal Attraction.What happens when someone swoops into your world and immediately makes an impression, but then things start to go sideways fast. When Shelly moves in with Kan, she really likes her at first---even feels sorry for her because she's had a rough life. But it soon becomes apparent that Shelly might be just a little too obsessed with Kan. The question is, just how far will she go?What Fed My Addiction:Kan's trouble straddling two worlds.One of my favorite aspects of this book was how Kan struggles to fit in. She is the only Asian girl in her small school and people often make her feel "other" or "exotic," even when they're trying to be nice (it's worse when they're not trying to be nice, of course). But she also doesn't feel like she fits in with her Thai family completely---she's too American for them. As a result, Kan has a hard time finding her way, and her self-esteem is practically non-existent, except when it comes to fashion. Kan's talent as a fashion designer makes her stand out and keeps her from being a character that you merely feel sorry for. I loved her passion for the subject (though it is hard for her traditional grandmother to understand).Kan's friends.I was worried for a little while that Kan's best friend was going to end up basically ditching her at the first sign of trouble, so I was pleasantly surprised when friendship won out in the end! I also appreciated that Kan's friendships were shown to be imperfect, but that didn't mean that they weren't friends. This felt true to life to me.Some (dark) surprises.I was a bit shocked at the dark direction that the book took at the end. It went more toward a true thriller than I was expecting it to and the action and intensity definitely picked WAY up!What Left Me Hungry for More:Some trouble connecting.For some reason, I had a little bit of a hard time connecting to Kan, even though I felt sorry for her and I appreciated her story as a POC character. Because of this, I never completely engaged with the book and it lost me a teensy bit in the middle (I wasn't super invested in the romance, which took place mostly in the middle). Like I said, things picked up in the end, though.Saw the ending coming.This is a me thing, I think. I tend to guess twists and endings, and this was no exception. I figured out the revelation way ahead of time.Some inconsistent details.There were a few details that seemed inconsistent to me. I couldn't quite determine if they were actual plot holes or just things that needed to be clarified (it's hard for me to take off my editor hat sometimes). Kan makes a big deal out of how she doesn't look Thai, so I assumed her dad was American. But then at the end you find out he was Thai too. And the timeline that's revealed at the end of the book didn't make complete sense to me with some things that were mentioned earlier---but I didn't go back and check, so maybe I was wrong? I just felt like I was catching some little holes here and there.This was a quick-read thriller that gave me an afternoon's enjoyment. I recommend it if you're a fan of YA drama that might get a little dark. I give this book 3/5 stars.***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via XPresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

Since the time I had this book in my palm, no regrets, I did not yet know the author's pen, that's done. Which makes me want to read her series Forget tomorrow.It features Kanchana who is not like the others, she is Thai and she is accused of being too westernized. Thanks to the clothes Kan makes for her, she can mix the two cultures. Her mother will take in a teenage girl Shelly who will admire Kan. She will want to copy her, fall in love with the same blond boy, which will push Kan to investigate Shelly.A book read almost in one go, so much so that I hooked on the story so captivating, full of suspense and twists and turns and with endearing characters. Can't wait to start this series of the author everyone is talking about.