Review: New Girl by Paige Harbison - Juhina

Title: New Girl

Author: Paige Harbison
Publication date: January 31st, 2012
Publisher: HarlequinTeen

Genre(s): Young Adult (Contemporary)
Challenges: SARC, YA Contemporary, A-Z Title

Source: NetGalley
Format: Ebook

Pages: 304

Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderly Academy, that’s who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed—because of her.

Becca Normandy—that’s the name on everyone’s lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy. And everyone stares at me like it’s my fault.

Except for Max Holloway—the boy whose name shouldn’t be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca’s boyfriend but she’s gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca’s life was so much better than mine could ever be.

And maybe she’s still out there, waiting to take it back.  

New girl was such an unexpected surprise for me! The cover pulled me in but the synopsis was meh. HOWEVER, from the first page I got sucked in. I loved the mystery and secrets behind the story.  

We start off with the protagonist being shipped off to boarding school for her senior year of high school While this might have been her dream back when she was a kid and fascinated with Hogwarts, all she wanted now was to spend her last year with her friends and family. To make things worse, the slot that opened up for her was perviously taken by a girl that just went missing. So she starts her school year with the label "New Girl" and having to deal with being constantly overshadowed by Becca, the missing girl, wherever she went.  

I honestly felt sorry for her, why did she have to be blamed for replacing Becca's place? she's never even met the girl but people still whispered about her constantly and called her a "wannabe Becca". At the same time I felt frustrated. Why couldn't she stand up for herself? she just let them treat her like dirt and never did anything about it.  

The unraveling of the mystery was exciting, it kept me hooked and it basically set the tone for the book, which was dark and mysterious throughout. Even the crush and then the relationship our protagonist had with max, who is Becca's ex-boyfriend, was complicated and had a heavy and mysterious aura that kept me on the edge of my seat. Whether it was from the characters, or just the way the protagonist describes the surroundings, it was an all around creepy, mysterious, and addicting read. I loved it! 

Love it!!