Review: If You're Lucky by Yvonne Prinz

 

Expected Publication: October 20th 2015 by Algonquin Young Readers 

Source: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Goodreads description: 
Is Georgia’s mind playing tricks on her, or is the entire town walking into the arms of a killer who has everyone but her fooled? 

When seventeen-year-old Georgia’s brother drowns while surfing halfway around the world in Australia, she refuses to believe Lucky’s death was just bad luck. Lucky was smart. He wouldn’t have surfed in waters more dangerous than he could handle. Then a stranger named Fin arrives in False Bay, claiming to have been Lucky’s best friend. Soon Fin is working for Lucky’s father, charming Lucky’s mother, dating his girlfriend. Georgia begins to wonder: did Fin murder Lucky in order to take over his whole life?  

Determined to clear the fog from her mind in order to uncover the truth about Lucky’s death, Georgia secretly stops taking the medication that keeps away the voices in her head. Georgia is certain she’s getting closer and closer to the truth about Fin, but as she does, her mental state becomes more and more precarious, and no one seems to trust what she’s saying.

As the chilling narrative unfolds, the reader must decide whether Georgia’s descent into madness is causing her to see things that don’t exist–or to see a deadly truth that no one else can.  

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This is a young adult mystery/suspense novel and I loved it. It started off great and just kept getting better. The plot and the writing was captivating, it was so fast paced and definitely a page turner. I finished it within a few hours because I just had to keep reading to know what would happen next. 

The main character Georgia has paranoid schizophrenia and with the help of medication, she has been able to maintain a happy and healthy life. Until her older brother Lucky dies and his friend Fin suddenly comes into their lives. I thought that Georgia was a very likeable and relatable character. I have not read many books, if any, that deal with the topic of mental illness and I thought that this book handled it well in keeping it realistic. 

Fin was also a very well written character. I suspected that something wasn’t quite right with him from the very start, partly from the hints given in the synopsis but also partly because I just didn’t like the way that he swept in and seemed to charm everyone that he met. 

The suspense and mystery aspect was very well written. I liked that the suspense was built up slowly and the fact that Georgia had schizophrenia and was not taking her medication definitely added an extra twist. For so much of the book you are kept guessing as to whether Georgia is suffering a delusional episode or if what she suspects about Fin is really true.

Overall, this was an excellent fast paced read that dealt with grieving the loss of a loved one and mental illness. I gave it a 5/5 rating and I would highly recommend it if you like mystery and suspense.