by April Genevieve Tucholke
Release date: March 22nd, 2016
Published by: Dial Books (Penguin Random House)
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Format: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook
Format read: ARC acquired from a book blogger friend.
SUMMARY
Every story needs a hero.
Every story needs a villain.
Every story needs a secret.
Wink is the odd, mysterious neighbor girl, wild red hair, and freckles.
Poppy is the blond bully and the beautiful, manipulative high school queen bee.
Midnight is the sweet, uncertain boy caught between them.
Wink. Poppy. Midnight.
Two girls.
One boy.
Three voices that burst onto the page in short, sharp, bewitching chapters, and spiral swiftly and inexorably toward something terrible or tricky or tremendous.
What really happened?
Someone knows.
Someone is lying.
MY REVIEW
*An ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) was acquired from a book blogger friend for free to read and review. All thoughts here are my very own.
This book has my brain all jumbled up! It was whimsical, addicting and... everything that you would want in a book that will leave you feeling overwhelmed and confused in such a good way... I'm advising you now, when you pick up this book, be prepared to be sucked in until the end. This is not a book that you could/should read in spurts or while reading other books. This book will demand your undivided attention and you should not go against it!
Wink, Poppy and Midnight are our three main characters and the story is told from all of their point-of-views... there is a love triangle here, BUT, it is not like anything you have probably read before. Their story is so complicated and full of unexpected twists and turns, revelations and more. No one who is who you think they are and then they are and then they're not again. Their story is full of manipulation, and puzzling thoughts... they're not here to make friends with you, to get you to connect with them and sympathize; they're here to tell a story, their story.
Wink is the new girl next door who believes in fairytales and feels that life should be lived like one, and feels that Midnight is the hero to her story.
Poppy is purposely the villain. She admittedly has a black heart and enjoys playing with peoples emotions and their lives. And will do anything to claim what is hers and put people in their rightful place. Midnight is hers and she will play along, or until she grows bored.
And, Midnight. Midnight is our lost boy who is in love with two girls who may be exactly who he thinks they are and also knows that he doesn't. He's torn between the two, but he also has his own story to tell.
THE WRITING! Oh, my goodness - the writing is AMAZING! It is flawless and lyrical; some passages are so captivating and realistic. For me, while reading, I felt like I was there seeing everything first hand, smelling the strawberries and barn, feeling the sheets and the grass between my toes, seeing the dust and cobwebs. It is quite eerie the way the magic of Tucholke's writing had on me.
I highly recommend this book to those who want a quick read to fall into for a while and get lost in, to then take some time to find a way to climb out of. For those who love honest complex characters, mysteries and a mind-boggling experience.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR - April Genevieve Tucholke
April Genevieve Tucholke is the author of BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA, BETWEEN THE SPARK AND THE BURN, and WINK POPPY MIDNIGHT.
She also curated the horror anthology SLASHER GIRLS & MONSTER BOYS.
She has received five starred reviews and her novels have been chosen for the Junior Library Guild, Kids' Indie Next picks, and YALSA Teens Top Ten.
When she's not writing, April likes walking in the woods with her two cheerful dogs, exploring abandoned houses, and drinking expensive coffee.
She has lived in many places around the world and currently resides in Oregon with her husband.
