Began reading: 18.1.2016
Completed reading: 23.1.2016
Overall rating: 4 stars
I crawl around the blood. Uncurling his fingers, I pull out a three-inch figurine. She's in a sparkly blue dress, her hair is shorn in a pixie cut. Her expression is mischievous, but what shakes me to my core is the feeling of long, thin ridges pushing out of her back. I turn the figurine over: delicate, translucent wings.
The blue fairy.
Staying out of trouble isn't possible for Julep Dupree. Running cons holds her guilty conscience at bay, but unfortunately, someone wants Julep to pay for her mistakes... with her life.
Against her better judgment, Julep takes a shady case that requires her to infiltrate a secretive organisation, one that may be connected to her long-gone mother and the enigmatic figure called the blue fairy. But there's not much time to worry about right and wrong - or to save your falling heart - when there's a contract on your head.
Murders, heists, secrets and lies, hit men and hidden identities... If Julep doesn't watch her back, it's her funeral. No lie.
The blue fairy.
Staying out of trouble isn't possible for Julep Dupree. Running cons holds her guilty conscience at bay, but unfortunately, someone wants Julep to pay for her mistakes... with her life.
Against her better judgment, Julep takes a shady case that requires her to infiltrate a secretive organisation, one that may be connected to her long-gone mother and the enigmatic figure called the blue fairy. But there's not much time to worry about right and wrong - or to save your falling heart - when there's a contract on your head.
Murders, heists, secrets and lies, hit men and hidden identities... If Julep doesn't watch her back, it's her funeral. No lie.
Trust Me, I’m Trouble by Mary Elizabeth Summer is a contemporary young adult novel that incorporates mystery, thriller and romance to create an action-packed sequel to Trust Me, I’m Lying. I was excited to read this book when I purchased it, and overall, I thought that this novel was slightly better than the first.
First of all, the book was well-written, as there were no spelling or grammatical errors. Also, situations were described in great detail. However, the same could not be said for the characters’ descriptions. I found this an issue in the first book too, and I hope that this issue could be fixed when the next book is released. As usual, I found some quotes that I really liked. They include:
Ghosts don’t haunt people. Guilt does (p. 4).
Normal is not a thing I’m ever going to be, no matter how hard I try to convince myself otherwise (p. 101).
‘No one gives you a leg up in this world. The only advantage is the one you take when no one else is looking’ (p. 318).
…bad things only get worse when you hide from them (p. 334).
Character development was one the highlights in this novel. Many of the characters experienced growth, which was great to see. For example, Julep grew more confidence, Sam matured, and Dani grew to be more compassionate. Character development provides readers with a way to connect with the characters, and allows us to see why a character is the way they are. For this reason, I value character development in a novel, and why I enjoyed this book.
There were so many plot twists throughout the novel, which is what I like to see! I may have mentioned before that too many plot twists ruin the story for me, as it becomes overwhelming. In regards to this book, the amount plot twists kept the plot interesting, and had me going:
A great deal of humour and sarcasm was included in the dialogue, which made me chuckle a few times. The use of humour and sarcasm was good in the previous book, and I was glad that it continued in this novel. *WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILER* Here are some examples:
Julep: ‘This isn’t Petrov. If he had this kind of reach, he’d have gone for me directly.’
Murphy: ‘As someone who stands next to you a lot, that’s really comforting,’ he says (p. 26).
…Murphy pulls the van into the back of the parking lot for Allied Security Systems, Inc. I’m pretty sure the Inc. was added for the sake of the acronym (p. 232).
‘His name is Spade. He is not just a professional. He is the professional you call if you are not getting results.’
Mike rubs his face. ‘I’ve heard of him. From D.C., right?’
‘D.C., Los Angeles, Istanbul. He is a force of nature.’
‘Fantastic,’ I say, hugging my soon-to-be- dead self. ‘Do you suppose it’s too late to take out a life insurance policy?’ (p. 263).
I think that Summer should have given bigger roles to secondary characters such as Sam, Bryn and Murphy. I didn’t like that they were just there in the background. It would have been nice to read more about them. Hopefully, they’ll make a bigger appearance in the next book!
In the previous book, Dani was my favourite character. Now, Sam is my favourite character. Although he didn’t play much of a role, I did enjoy reading about him when he did appear. I thought that Sam was mature, extremely loyal, mysterious in terms of sharing his findings and experiences with Julep, and supportive. Lily closely followed, as she gave us a clue into how Tyler’s family was coping after his death. Lily was someone that I didn’t trust in the beginning; however, she proved to be trustworthy and helpful. I hope to read more about her in the next book.
On the other hand, I didn’t really enjoy Julep’s character at certain times. In contrast to the previous novel, she had become more childish, whiny and clingy. It just really annoyed me. As I mentioned in my review for the last book, I thought that Julep exaggerated her grifter reputation. She kinda sucks at getting jobs done, yet has the audacity to say: “I am the best grifter in Chicago…” (p. 338). Yeah, no. You may be the luckiest, but definitely not the best.
*WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILER* Also, I had no idea why Mrs. Richland was mentioned in regards to the contract. It seemed totally out of place, and did not affect the outcome. It bothers me that such a bombshell was dropped, yet didn’t influence the story line. Hopefully, it will have a bigger significance in the next novel.
I enjoyed reading about Julep’s first day at NWI, with the leadership and trust activities. I thought this was creative, and was a great way for Julep to meet the other characters. I didn’t see how this would later involve a major plot twist, but now that I know, I think that it was an awesome idea!
I also liked the suspenseful ending! I will definitely read the next book to find out what is on the flash drive, but I really, really, really hope that the suspense won’t result in disappointment.
I have to admit that I ship Sam and Julep — much more than Julep and Dani. I think that Sam and Julep have known each other for far longer, share some intimate memories and get along incredibly well. I really want to see these two together! My favourite part of the book with these two:
‘Do you remember taking my hand?’ He turns my hands palm up in his.
I nod. I remember losing my equilibrium for a split second and grabbing Sam to steady myself.
‘You took my hand and you looked at me, and suddenly I knew how to fly’ (p. 210).
Recommendation time! If you like Unbecoming by Jenny Downer, Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom and Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, you will love this book. Also, I recommend this book to anyone who likes 3 Days to Kill, The Tourist and Rush Hour.
My review for TrustMe, I’m Lying can be found by clicking on the title.
I will also be reviewing the rest the series when the book(s) are released. Keep an eye out for that!
Happy reading!
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