Book Review: The Opposite of Here by Tara Altebrando

Title: The Opposite of Here
Author: Tara Altebrando
Release Date: June 5th, 2018
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Pages: 256
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Mystery/Thriller

          

There's no hiding on a cruise ship - not even from yourself.

Natalie's parents are taking her and her three best friends on a cruise for her seventeenth birthday. A sail-a-bration, they call it. But it's only been a few short months since Natalie's boyfriend died in a tragic accident, and she wants to be anywhere but here.

Then she meets a guy on the first night and sparks fly. After a moonlit conversation on a secluded deck of the ship, Natalie pops down to her cabin to get her swimsuit so they can go for a dip. But when she returns, he's gone. Something he said makes her think he might have . . . jumped? No, he couldn't have.

But why do her friends think she's crazy for wanting to make sure he's okay? Also, why do they seem to be hiding something from her? And how can she find him when she doesn't even know his name? Most importantly, why is the captain on the intercom announcing the urgent need for a headcount?

I've found myself picking up more thriller/mysteries in the summer time, so when I read the synopsis (which sounds so unique to me!) I immediately put in a request for this one at my library. This was such a good weekend read, it's short and I found it hard to put down since I really wanted to know what was going on. 

I flew through this book because of the plot. I never want to say too much because I find thrillers are more fun when you know little and just dive in and take it page by page. This was really well done in that way. I feel like there was a subplot with the way that Natalie would talk about her past and this area felt to me like it was underdeveloped. Though I do see how it played into the story, I wanted to hear more about it. 

The plot always had me guessing. I didn't know where things were going to go and there were some surprises along the way. It wasn't predictable, but it didn't really seem feasible in some ways. Rather, it felt sort-of over-the-top in parts. It's hard to explain without delving into the plot but I want to emphasis that nothing about this book made me want to stop reading, the drive to find out what happens next was most important. The story was completely unique to me and as a reader of mystery/thrillers, I always appreciate a unique plot. 

This was a good one to read in the summer and especially by the water. It was quick, it was unique and it was one that made me want to just keep reading. If you like mystery/thrillers and this plot sounds intriguing to you, give this one a shot!

Happy Reading from me to you!