Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Mystery, Romance
Release Date: November 10, 2015
Summary: Stella Gordon is not her real name. Thunder Basin, Nebraska, is not her real home. This is not her real life. After witnessing a lethal crime, Stella Gordon is sent to the middle of nowhere for her own safety before she testifies against the man she saw kill her mother’s drug dealer. But Stella was about to start her senior year with the boyfriend she loves. How can she be pulled away from the only life she knows and expected to start a new one in Nebraska? Stella chafes at her protection and is rude to everyone she meets. She’s not planning on staying long, so why be friendly? Then she meets Chet Falconer and it becomes harder to keep her guard up, even as her guilt about having to lie to him grows. As Stella starts to feel safer, the real threat to her life increases—because her enemies are actually closer than she thinks…
Review: This was such a great read! It's been quite a while since I've actually sat down and just read a book all the way through, so this novel was a happy surprise!
I had a tad bit of a difficult time with our main character, Stella Gordon, because I couldn't quite relate to her back story. Although, as the plot developed, I did soften up to her. I really enjoyed how sassy (?) of a person she was. Stella was incredibly sarcastic, and had an attitude problem (that made for quite a few comedic scenes between her and her 'foster mother', ex-cop, Carmina). I couldn't help but laugh during the beginning stages of the novel because of the overall situation Stella just happened into.
Chet (love the name by the way) was a great character! Not only was he ideally handsome and gentlemanly, but he had a rough back ground which made him seem more . . . not quite sure if 'real' is the best word for it, but I'll stick with that. He was able to help Stella open up and, I feel, learn more about herself that she had previously.
One of the main things I had a problem with was Stella's boyfriend . . . like, wth happened with that whole thing . . . something was suggested, but I can't recall anything actually being stated on the subject. Also, the whole deal with Stella's mom . . . yeah, that was kind of messed up. But it made the plot line more intriguing.
Overall, this was a solid 3.5 star, but I raised it to a 4 to keep things more simple. I'll probably end up reading this one again. Loved the overall mystery and romance! If you're a fan of Fitzpatrick's work, you'll, most likely, enjoy this one!
