Book Review: Love You To Death by Gina Blaxill
Published: April 13th 2023 by Scholastic
Rating: ★★★★★ (5)
Genre: Young Adult // Thriller, Mystery
Quick Thoughts: I truly felt each spinetingling sentence of realisation, clarity and angsty foreboding moments that Mia went through, rooting for her until the very last page.
About The Book:
A dark, twisty YA thriller exploring obsession, stalking and toxic love that keeps you guessing to the very end!
Someone is obsessed with Mia Hawkins.
She’s felt their gaze on the back of her neck. She’s heard their footsteps, walking home in the dark. She’s glimpsed a shadowy figure and the flash of a camera.
Mia doesn’t know Jade. But Jade knows everything about Mia. In fact, she’s turned herself into Mia’s doppelganger, from her long brown hair to the minute details of her outfits. She’s so convincing that when Jade’s body is found by the cliffs, everyone believes it’s Mia.
But Mia can’t work out why anyone would imitate her – or why they’d end up dead. As life as she knows it is decimated, she is left with no idea who to trust. or if she will be the next one to die.
– A heart-racing YA thriller with hints of You, Single White Female and Hitchock’s Vertigo
– Perfect for fans of Holly Jackson, Karen M. McManus, Cynthia Murphy and Kathleen Glasgow
– Told with Gina Blaxill’s trademark smart, feminist angle and a deftly crafted web of vivid characters
First Thoughts
After I read You Can Trust Me, the first novel that introduced me to Gina’s books, there was no going back. Something about her writing style and way of capturing the essence of a story with a feminist take just really speaks to me. I devoured Good Enough To Eat next, and then along came Love You To Death—I dived in only a day after it arrived!
My Review
Mia Hawkins has a specific sense of style, Mori Girl (which is sort of like an ode to forestry, a bit similar to Cottagecore, but more greenery tones) and that makes her pretty unique. Except, until she isn’t. Enter Jade, a slightly younger girl that seems to be adapting her exact style, even though Mia’s clothes are mostly handmade. At one point, Mia is even sure Jade has stolen something of hers because it was one-of-a-kind. To make matters worse, Mia is being stalked by someone she believes is Jade. Her boyfriend Aaron is understanding and protective at first, but goes distant. Then Jade turns up dead at Mia and Aaron’s usual spot. Thinking her stalker would be gone now that Jade is dead, it throws Mia off course when the mystery isn’t even half over.
Spiralling into disarray when someone is arrested for Jade’s suspicious death, Mia doesn’t know who to turn to. Her best friends Leyla and Oliver are supportive, but feel as though Mia is getting too invested in solving the truth behind the murder. Jade’s new stepbrother—local tough guy, Quin—is more helpful though, despite everyone’s keenness that Mia not get close to him. But underneath his dark image, Mia sees something in him that makes her trust his help. Together, they throw feelers out at possible scenarios, from Mr. Ellison, Mia’s teacher, being behind it all, or maybe Riyad, Leyla’s brother. The nail-biting conclusion comes to a head when Mia realises too late exactly what happened and slowly works out why—but is it too late for her to be saved?
Overall, Love You To Death was everything I wanted and more. It takes a rare book to keep me up reading until two a.m.! I felt myself rallying for Mia, for her to feel safe despite the looming threats over her head. For all the dark things she went through and felt, from believing how she acted or what she wore could make her seen as “asking for it” and what being friendly could be construed as “flirting” with someone. Gina’s novels always have that striking feminist angle that feels haunting, making you think about the book, the words, long after it’s over. I truly felt each spinetingling sentence of realisation, clarity and angsty foreboding moments that Mia went through, rooting for her until the very last page. Gina has outdone herself yet again—an unquestionably five star, must-read novel! (And I’m so glad the cats okay, I cared more about Dotty than anyone else, okay?!?!)
About The Author
Gina Blaxill has an English degree from Cambridge University and now works in schools liaison, helping teenagers puzzle out the mysteries of higher education. Between the ages of 11 and 15 she wrote an epic 36 part story featuring over 1,000 characters – she still remembers most of their names! Her first novel, Pretty Twisted, was published by Macmillan in 2011, her second novel, Forget me Never, was published in 2012 and won the Oldham Brilliant Book Award 2013. Gina’s book, Saving Silence, was published by Macmillan and won the Warwickshire Book Award. Her most recent books are You Can Trust Me, Good Enough To Eat and Love You to Death (Scholastic).
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happy reading!
