I read The Girl Who Disappeared by April Henry sometime last year, and I wasn't all that impressed by it. I felt it was average at best. A thriller with not a lot of depth and dull characterizations. Based on that, I wasn't even sure I wanted to read The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die. But I am glad I made the decision to try it anyway. The characterizations were MUCH better and I found myself caring for Cady and Ty and completely invested in the story.I don't know what changed, I really don't, but this book was suspenseful, thrilling, scary, and full of all the right things to keep me turning those pages. The main character has amnesia (unreliable narrator, HELLO), and she doesn't remember why these men want to kill her. What follows is an action-packed, cinematic reading experience. Tightly plotted, and exciting to the very end, this one is gonna keep you guessing in all the right ways. I don't think it's going to be the type of book that will blow EVERYONE away, but for readers that love thrillers and standalones, I think it might. You have to be in the right mood when reading, but isn't that the way it is with any book really?There is science, there is whodunit, and there's a whole lot of fun. I think the smarter readers will be able to figure out what's going on here, but I didn't really try to solve it as I was so wrapped up in the narrative. Though there is nothing particularly special about the prose, it flows well and is the right combination of description and story. And considering that there aren't a lot of recent YA thrillers out there? I definitely think it's worth picking this one up. Short review, I know, but there isn't a whole lot to say here. I liked it. I recommend it. And I think it's a fun way to kill a couple of hours because it's a spectacularly fast read. It was definitely better than the other book I read by this author, and I am looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next. I can only hope she continues to focus on characterization, because in books like this, it is so important!
