Customer Reviews

Kiss Me Kill Me (Scarlett Wakefield Series)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book starts out with Scarlett making two wishes: one, to grow breasts, and the other to kiss Dan McAndrew. It's not too long before both her wishes come true, but the second wish leads to something completely unexpected: Dan McAndrew dies in the middle of their kiss.

Just the cover and title was enough to draw me to this book, but the unique and interesting plotline was what really got me interested. How does something like that happen? How can you be kissing someone and just have them die?

This book fell a little short of what I'd hoped it would be. The whole circumstances that brought Scarlett and Dan together in the first place could have easily been taken out of ten million other YA books, and towards the middle the book dragged on. The beginning was exciting, and the end was exciting, but I think it took too long for the story to develop, and the end didn't tie up any loose ends at all. It only confirmed our suspicions of what we could have easily guessed halfway through.

Overall, this book could have been better, but the original plot and descriptive writing kept me from tossing it aside as soon as I finished. I'm not eagerly anticipating the sequel, but I do want to know what will happen, so I plan on reading it when it's released. I just hope that the sequel is a bit better.

This was a good book. It held my attention and I read it in a few hours

Kiss Me, Kill Me was a very interesting book, However, the conclusion was far from satisfactory. The entire book dedicated itself to uncovering a mystery, but at the books end, we are left with only bits and pieces. The only real way to be able to understand this book would to have a sequel.

Scarlett Wakefield has two wishes at the beginning of the year: 1) a larger bust size (okay, so that's really TWO wishes right there...) and 2) to have Dan McAndrew notice her. But Scarlett is so far removed from the cool crowd that she'll never run into Dan. At least her first wish has happened. But Scarlett needs to learn to be careful what you wish for. Scarlett does gymnastics, and a large chest isn't conducive to flipping and flying through the air without everything bouncing around. If one of her wishes came true (and okay, the one wish counts as two, doesn't it?), then maybe her other one will happen as well.

One day after gymnastic practice, waiting in front of St. Tabby's, the all-girl school she attends, Nadia, one of the "It" girls, crosses the street and invites Scarlett to join her and the other popular girls hanging out at the fountain. Nadia was sent across the street by the leader, Plum. Without thinking of the consequences or her friends' feelings, Scarlett crosses the street. Had she stopped and thought about the outcome, maybe she would've turned back around and stayed on the bench with Luce and Allison.

But once Dan joins the gang at the fountain and comes straight over to Scarlett, all regrets are gone. She is beside herself with the attentions from Dan. Scarlett is even more shocked when Nadia, upon Plum's subtle nod, invites Scarlett to one of her infamous weekend parties. Nadia's parents are seldom home and she lives in a lush penthouse apartment.

Scarlett goes to the party, and that night, her entire world changes. Dan shows interest in her, but little does Scarlett know that Dan belongs to Plum. Dan escorts Scarlett onto the gardened terrace and the two immediate click. After some conversation, Scarlett finds herself receiving her first real, perfect kiss. Only to have Dan stop, clutch his throat, and frantically try to pull something from his pant pocket. Scarlett searches, but there's nothing there, and Dan suffocates right in front of Scarlett.

Of course, Scarlett can't return to St. Tabby's. So instead, it's off to Wakefield, the school her grandmother founded out in the middle of nowhere. At least she's far removed from everyone that knows what happened to Dan. Scarlett believes she can start over at Wakefield. But then an anonymous note appears in her desk telling her they know it wasn't her fault. With the help of her new friend, Taylor, they set out to solve the mystery of why and how Dan really died.

What a fascinating story! Ms. Henderson writes a wonderful story of a girl caught up in the desire to be part of the in crowd and having it going terribly wrong. The reader will keep wondering how Dan died and what Scarlett will do about it in the end. The mystery will keep you guessing until the final chapter. And the way Ms. Henderson crafts the story leaves it wide open for a sequel for Scarlett.

Reviewed by: Jaglvr

This book was a fantastic thrill from the beginning. Scarlett thought she had a pretty mediocre existence with her gymnastics and her friends until she is befriended by the elite squad of the princess of school and her court.

Scarlett goes against her better judgment to take this opportunity to run with the "in" crowd. During this wild party she is singled out by the one and only Dan McAndrew, the only guy she was crushing on at school. They go to spend some quality alone time on the balcony and the most bizarre and terrifying experience in her life happens.

Scarlett `s feelings are in overdrive as she and Dan have their first kiss. But right after, he dies. She is convinced that she is the cause and she is poison. The elite group will not let her off the hook for Dan's death either, forcing her to change schools.

During this transition, she is afraid that someone will find out her secret and expose her in her new school. Scarlett becomes friends with another unruly student and they team up to find out what really happened to Dan. She also finds a new fascination with the lawn boy but is afraid to initiate anything with him because she could be a hazard to his health.

Can Scarlett uncover the truth and find the real reason that Dan is no longer alive? Read this book and you will be right there step for step helping her uncover the truth.

Recommended for YA Contemporary lovers.

While I am not a fan of the marketing angle taken from this book (Really? A book called "Kiss Me, Kill Me" with a trashy romance novel cover?), I will concede that it wasn't the story I expected. I thought it would be mindless trashy romance, and for that reason, it took me a while to get into the story. I was thankfully proven wrong. Kiss Me, Kill Me is much more an action/mystery novel than a romance novel, sort of Ally Carter with a regrettable little bit of Gossip Girl mixed in. Some of the storytelling was a little bit shaky, not too compelling, focusing a little more on the life of a rich socialite than anything else, but overall, I was pleasantly surprised. I was, yet again, disappointed to see that the story was stretched out to fit a series, but like Ally Carter said at LitDay, if a series is going to be stretched out, romance cannot be the driving force, and I'm glad Lauren Henderson took that route in her storytelling. I won't be looking for the sequel, but I also won't say I regret reading the book. It's not something you're going to sit down to read when you're looking for deep content, but as far as fluff reads go, not too bad.

Rating: 3.5/5

Kiss Me Kill Me has a way of sucking you into its shocking storyline right off the bat. It starts off with a `be careful what you wish for' type of introduction, which I found funny and a good way to get the reader interested. I kept all interest in the story and suddenly I had about 5 pages left and I was thinking how they could possibly wrap it up in a couple of pages. Well I was left hanging and not a good hanging, it was sort of a boring ending. Not at all what you would have expected from previous chapters.

Scarlett Wakefield was easy to relate to. She has her flaws, just like everyone else, and she's not afraid to admit them, but she also wishes they were gone. She has a huge crush on Dan McAndrews and then she finally gets a chance to talk to him when Plum and Nadia, the school's queen bees, invite her to hang out with them and Scarlett ditches her best friends for popularity. So far what she's wished for has come true and she's wondering if kissing Dan will too.

Scarlett tries so hard to fit in, but she felt like she stuck out like a sore thumb and to make it worse, Dan dies after kissing her. She thinks she's done something awful and Plum won't let her off the hook. She's expelled from her old school, St. Tabby's, and transfers to her grandmother's private school Wakefield Hall. Scarlett has no friends, which is good because no one will know her secret. Only she gets a note that throws everything off and now she's on a hunt to find out who left it and how they know.

I really loved the light adventure in the book, but I was really let down by the end. I would have liked to see more than just the `note dilemma' get wrapped up. I was a bit upset after finishing, because it was almost as if pages were missing. But, with that said, I will definitely be reading the next in the series, Kisses and Lies. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a decent quick read!

Scarlett get invited to the Queen Bee's party. The guest list includes only the poshest kids in the area. Dan McAndrew is there to, and Scarlett is crushing on him something fierce. When he asks her out onto the terrace, there is no way she could refuse. Then there was this kiss. The kiss was magical, beautiful and Scarlett's first. Then something went horribly wrong, and she held Dan while he died. Now, harassed by her peers and the newspaper about delivering the kiss of death, Scarlett transfers to the school her grandmother runs. Scarlett is relieved knowing that people at Wakefield Hall won't know about her past. She's trying to forget what happened when she gets an anonymous note that proclaims her innocence and causes Scarlett to set of to find the truth of what really happened that night.

So when I picked this up this time and many others, I had no idea it was set in England. Had I known this I would have devoured it much earlier on. I have a weakness for British and Asian books. I just love those cultures and reading about them is rarely disappointing. Now onto the book itself which was amazing. Lauren Henderson crafted a story with the perfect blend of mystery and everyday life. The mystery doesn't seem to fantastical, and I really appreciate that. Scarlett is a good character with her share of faults, but she openly recognizes her faults and tries to improve. The mysterious death is really perfect, no one could discover what caused Dan to die, so this starts of the series quite nicely. I am so eager to read the next two books that are already out, and I can't believe I didn't grab them for the weekend too. I love all the espionage in this first book and am glad that it doesn't always go smoothly for Scarlett, despite her preparations. This is a wholly realistic murder mystery and is just really amazing. I also love that they are in a private school, it give it that extra little suspense, because they can't just go off whenever they feel like it. If you get a chance, make sure you pick up this book it is so good.

First Line:
"On January 1, I made two wishes."

Favorite Line:
"In the mirror, I see Sophia Von und Zu Unpronounceable, perching on the arm of a sofa, throwing back her head, letting her long blond hair dangle down her back, and braying with laughter at some boy's joke."

Also reviewed on my blog, the Vintage Bookworm. ([...])

I feel horrible for saying this, but Kiss Me, Kill Me didn't live up to the expectations I had before I read it. I have been wanting to read this for a while, but never really got around to it until now. I've heard a lot of mixed reviews on it, most of them being good. I'm not saying I didn't like it, because I did like it. But I didn't love it.

It seems like the story went on, but like nothing much really happened. I liked the story enough to keep reading it, but I often found myself reading a whole page and not being able to remember what I read. I was so easily distracted while reading it. I was never able to be so into the book that I was sucked in and felt like I was really there.

I liked the suspense. I guess by the cover I suspected this to be a fluffy book, just a piece of chick lit. But it wasn't! I was so surprised by what happened at the beginning of the book with Dan, even though I kind of knew something would happen to him by the cover, but was never sure when it would happen and how.

Death by food allergy, wow. Lame! What a way to die!

I liked that the setting is in London, it was different and I absolutely love England. It's one of the places I dream of visiting one day.

Scarlett really annoyed me at times. She was always blaming herself, which wasn't really her fault. I can understand blaming yourself, but she just did it in an annoying way. One minute she would be blaming herself, but then daydreaming about the hot gardener, Jason, the next.

Some stuff added into the story was pointless. I'm not sure why it was added in, it wasn't something that was crucial to the storyline or anything.

Overall, I liked this book enough to continue reading the series, but not enough to call it one of my favorites. Hopefully the next book will be a lot better and hold a lot more mystery within its pages than the first book did.

This was a really well written novel with a very intriguing mystery. Scarlett's voice was unique to me and I enjoyed her upbeat asides about fashion, makeup, and trying to fit in. Her insights into those around her, including the people she hates but wishes she could be friends with, and herself, were brilliant without being too adult.

I think Lauren Henderson did a very good job getting the reader from point A (St. Tabby's & Kiss of Death Girl) to point B (Wakefield Hall & a better understanding of what happened to Dan). She resolved just enough to make the book satisfying, leaving just enough loose ends to get me in the car on the way to the library for the second book in the series!