Review: Accomplice by Eireann Corrigan

Title: Accomplice
Author: Eireann Corrigan
Pages: 296
Published: Hardcover, Scholastic Press 2010

From Goodreads:

They've gotten good grades - but that's not good enough. They've spent hours on community service - but that's not good enough. Finn and Chloe's advisor says that colleges have enough kids with good grades and perfect attendance, so Chloe decides they'll have to attract attention another way. She and Finn will stage Chloe's disappearance, and then, when CNN is on their doorstep and the nation is riveted, Finn will find and save her. It seems like the perfect plan - until things start to go wrong. Very wrong.

My Review:

Much better than I originally thought it would be. I guess this means I should stop assuming things about books before I read them.

Accomplice was good, and intense. I couldn't set the book down once I started it, so that means I was up reading till about one in the morning. Thank goodness school hasn't started yet or else I'd be dead.

What made Accomplice such a great read was basically it's story. Personally, I've never read a book where two girls planned their own kidnapping to get famous, and then get into good colleges. It helped that it was just filled with good and interesting characters.

In a way, I almost seemed to connect with the book. Being a junior in high school like the characters, the idea of college is kind of stressing me out. And that essay I'm supposed to write is even more stressful. To write about something you're really good at/or compassionate about but haven't mentioned it in your transcript is how my college counselor put it.

But it would have never occurred to me to plan my own kidnapping.

Let's talk about the characters:

Finn. At first, I thought she was a girl. Then I found out her name was Finley, and went by Finn so then I thought she was a he due to the name (another assumption) and then I just settled with Finn being a girl because of the way she spoke, the friends she hung out with.

I felt like Eireann Corrigan wrote this character well. Constantly, Finn was having internal struggles about doing what was right and her loyalty to her best friend. She went from being sort of naive to truthfully understand of situations.

She wasn't perfect. She didn't lead the student body, didn't have a boyfriend, didn't have boys secretly fawning for her. She was just Finn, just a country girl and I liked that. I liked how Finn felt invisible, the one cut out from the frame. It made her more realistic.

I just wish she had more guts to say no. I honestly do. But then, I guess the book wouldn't have turned out the way it did.

Chloe. Oh Chloe. She was a special character. I figure her as being slightly insane. Honestly though, I didn't really like her that much. She had this obsessive personality and I secretly think she was just doing anything possible to get out of the country.

Dean. I loved Dean! He was my all time favorite character! I hated how they were mean to him. Stuttering Dean. Stupid children, calling people names. This guy had real dreams and honestly he was such a good guy. I wish things had turned out better for him.

I categorize this book as realistic-fiction, because it goes through the story, then it goes through the afterwards and it reminds you that stories don't always have HEAs (Happily-Ever-After).

Overall:

Did I fall in love with this book? Honestly I didn't fall in love with it, but I really liked it. Definitely going on my wish list.

Would I recommend it: Hell yeah!

Rating: 4/5 stars

Karina