Review: The Girl Who Was Supposed To Die by April Henry

Title: The Girl Who Was Supposed To Die
Author: April Henry
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.

Publication date: June 11, 2013

Genre(s): Young Adult (Thriller/Mystery)

Source: Publisher (Raincoast)

Format: eARC

Pages: 224

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“Take her out back and finish her off.”

She doesn’t know who she is. She doesn’t know where she is, or why. All she knows when she comes to in a ransacked cabin is that there are two men arguing over whether or not to kill her.

And that she must run.

In her riveting style, April Henry crafts a nail-biting thriller involving murder, identity theft, and biological warfare. Follow Cady and Ty (her accidental savior turned companion), as they race against the clock to stay alive.

As soon as I read the synopsis for The Girl Who Was Supposed To Die, I HAD to get my hands on a copy ASAP. However I was still cautious in limiting my expectations because I was burnt way too many times by thriller books. Also I wasn't the biggest fan of April Henry's previous book. However I am happy to inform you guys that this book was so freaking amazing. I couldn't put it down and finished it in one sitting. April Henry was able to capture me from the first page and only released me on the last page. 

The novel starts with the main protagonist, Cady, coming to (she didn't feel like using the word "wake" is correct in her circumstances) on the floor of a cabin, all bruised and bloodied and hears someone say "Take her out back and finish her off". The kicker is that Cady doesn't remember anything. Not her name, her life, memories and past. So imagine how freaked out she is, and I was, when she realizes this, during her dire situation. However Cady, I have to admit, was hardcore. She was fierce and while she had the usual doubts and fear, anyone would be in her situation, it still didn't overshadow her logic and judgement and I love that her intuition and gut feeling was always right and she followed it. What made this novel such a thrill is that we were in the same level as Cady, we know nothing about her world. Also, the need to know why two men tortured her and wanted to kill her made me read and flip the pages faster. 

If you guys are looking for a romance, then this book isn't for you.This book doesn't need romance to keep us interested. Heck, I always say I love it when books have a little bit of romance, even if it isn't prominent, but for this book, I guess there is the potential for a romance with the guy Cady meets, who ends up helping her. But that isn't the priority here; we aren't that shallow right? I was glad that Cady could find someone who was willing to help her. Ty, was such a nice guy, I never once doubted that he didn't have Cady's best interest. Concerning why Cady was kidnapped to begin with, I would rather not say, but the story wraps up wonderfully by the end when you finally find the reason. April Henry did an amazing job in this novel and while I would have given it 5 stars, a sentence in the novel left a bitter taste in my mouth. Linking terrorists to people of strong faith, which isn't always the case, just a stereotype. So while I enjoyed this novel a ton, I just couldn't love it unconditionally for that one sentence. 

All in all, The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die will appeal to all thriller and mystery fans. With a cover and synopsis like this, who wouldn't want to read it? especially since it is only about 230 pages, making it a very fast read. I will definitely be on the lookout for more books by Henry.

Other books by April Henry:

The Night She Disappeared