For the month of March I chose to read the mystery thriller, You Will Be Mine written by Natasha Preston. You Will Be Mine is a 304 page murder mystery type thriller book that takes place at a college university in England. Here we see our main character, Lylah, living with her five best friends (who are all also college students): Chace, Sonny, Isaac, Sienna, and Charlotte. It’s the month of Valentine’s Day, and instead of Valentine’s Day being remebered as a day of love for Lylah, on this day Lylah’s world flipped upside down. This happened when she experienced two major losses in her family two years prior on the special day. Although, Lylah gets distracted from the memories of this tragic month when anonymously creepy notes are sent to their house targeting Lylah’s friends one by one, and brutally murdering each target. Police are trying to just catch even a small break in the case that could possibly lead to the killer being found, but the killer just seems too good at hiding somehow. Could the killer possibly be someone that Lylah had rejected on Valentine’s Day the year prior, her over-protective brother, could it be someone who didn’t like one of them for whatever reason, or could it be a total stranger? Though with the evidence that the police do have, it seems that Lylah is the main reason for all of this. Meaning it is now up to Lylah to end this, will she be able to catch the killer before they kill everyone that she loves?!
I totally recommend this book because it’s a good ole’ fashion murder mystery that will keep you thrilled and on your toes. The characters are relatable and likable, the book forces you to use your imagination on how the ending may turn out to be/who the killer is, the chapters are pretty short, there is newley formed relationships, crushes, betrayal, friendship, survival, mystery, murder, and just basically the most thrilling murder mystery book you have ever read. With so many plot twists, misdirects, cliffhangers, a huge plot twist at the end that will leave you speechless, and (as the author usually likes to do) the book ends on a massive cliffhanger.
My favorite character is Lylah because she is strong, relatable, and caring. Evidence in the book that shows that Lylah is relatable is, “I haven’t had a full panic attack in over a year. I thought I was past this. I thought I was mentally strong enough to calm myself down before I had an attack. My hands find each other, and I grip them together, trying to stop my hands from shaking. Why can’t I stay better? I have to be strong. There is no time for me to fall apart here. (Page. 224).” I believe this shows Lylah being relatable because so many people, that have gone through some majorly tragic life events like she has, have gone through the same thing, have experienced the same mental state that she portrays through the book, and could relate to the actions she takes because of it. This could help readers (that have gone through similar experiences) relate to someone, and find comfort in that relatability, which could make the book way more enjoyable for them.
The quote that caught my eye was, “I’m tired of being scared and feeling weak. I’m ready to face him. I’m ready to fight.” (Page. 213). This was a powerful quote that stood out to me because it shows Lyla’s character development and mental development. I say this because before these events she was struggling with independency issues/being too dependent on others. Especially when she lost two major people in her life two years prior, she was very dependent on her older brother, and felt like she couldn’t breathe when he even left the house (in fear of him never returning). For that reason, it is a big deal that she has now overcome that, and is ready to face her fears head on by herself. Also this quote shows that Lylah understands the killers ways/choices by realizing that the killer isn’t gonna stop until they kill everyone that Lylah loves unless she does something about it.
