Review: Read if You Dare
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 16, 2013
What I really like about Sonya Dodd's books are her unique plots, the unexpected twists and turns, and complexity of characters - all of that makes them engaging, realistic and lets them stand out from many formulaic books out there (including formulaic books written by some famous writers).  If you just look at the sample pages, you will be drawn into this story by the very first scene in the prologue. As I read it, I wondered what happened to Marie and if there was foul play involved.As the story continues, we meet Lily who seems to be an ordinary young woman going about her life, concerned with easy-to-relate-to issues: relationship problems, her friendship with Trish, and dealing with a boss who turns out not to be as gentlemanly as she imagined him to be. This setup helps draw the readers in and makes Lily's character very appealing. But beyond this faade of normalcy, there is a darker problem that worries her. She has lost touch with her brother Simon and feels a mixture of sadness and guilt about that lost family connection.And then, things really get exciting. A tragedy in the family leads to a complicated inheritance problem, doubts about a family member's identity, a frightening blackmail scheme, and dangerous involvement with Mexican drug lords that Lily has no control over.The book is beautifully written, with just the right balance of dialogue, actions, descriptions, and reflections. Another aspect of the book that I enjoyed is that it presents the story from two different perspectives: Lily's and Simon's, and that's engaging and thought-provoking, making the readers delve deeper into the underlying psychological issues. A great read. Definitely recommended.