THE NEW BOY

THE NEW BOY

By Author / Illustrator

Paula Rawsthorne

Genre

Adventure

Age range(s)

11+

Publisher

Scholastic

ISBN

9781407180267

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

07-03-2019

Synopsis

Believe in perfect? Zoe does. After all, her new boyfriend is. Or is he? What's Jack hiding? When a gorgeous new boy starts at Zoe's school, her first reaction is to feel nervous. He's way too perfect. Surely he can't be for real?But when Jack turns his charm on her, Zoe packs her worries away in a suitcase. After all, he's popular, handsome and (best of all) nice. Soon, they're dating. He's everything she dreamed of - kind, attentive, full of romantic gestures.But maybe Zoe ought to trust her instincts. Is her dream man truly good - or too good to be true? A nail-biting contemporary thriller by the author of ShellAddictively tense writing full of dramatic twists and turnsPaula Rawsthorne's YA novels have won several top awardsThey include _Blood Tracks_ and _The Truth About Celia Frost_Please note this book contains mature content and language more suitable for older readers.

Reviews

Beverley

Zoe Littlewood is excited at the prospect of starting college to study for her A Levels. Along with her best friends Ethan, Sonja and Jodie, she sets off for her first day at Hinton Dale. Once there, they meet new boy Jack Cartwright, who has recently moved into the area. Jack is handsome, clever and very popular. Within days, everyone at Hinton Dale loves him and wants to be friends with him. They all want to join his fitness class, wear what he wears, and go where he goes. Everyone is drawn to him - and he wants to be with Zoe. However, she's uncertain at first, but starts to warm to him after he saves her from an attempted mugging, and they are soon a couple. But Jack's over-the-top romantic gestures and possessiveness don't feel right to Zoe and she starts to doubt that Jack is really all he seems to be. What is his secret and how does he seem to know so much about Zoe's likes and dislikes? This is a really exciting, fast-paced thriller - I stayed up really late to finish it! It begins with a brilliant prologue, depicting Jack and Zoe on the roof of a high-rise building with Zoe pleading for her life as Jack tries to make her jump so as to prove her love for him, and the rest of the book does not disappoint - once you have read that opening section, it is almost impossible not to read on! I loved the character of Zoe, whose voice is used to tell the story. She is clever, feisty and very much her own person with her ripped jeans, red DM boots and lilac hair. She has recently decided that social media is not for her and has closed down her Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts; she does not care about being seen as different from her friends, which is refreshing to read. I also loved Ethan, Zoe's friend from primary school, who is in love with her but loses her to the charismatic Jack, and I really felt Ethan's pain as Jack manages to alienate him from Zoe and from his peers at college. Jodie and Sonja are also fun characters, each providing a perfect foil for Zoe. The pace of the novel never flags, racing along with many twists and turns until we are back on the roof of that high-rise building. I can't say too much about the plot as I would hate to spoil the story for anyone else who reads it. Suffice to say that, although it is a complicated premise, I found it to be totally believable. The novel gives a chilling insight into the world we could have in the future, and into the insidious realms of social media but, despite these serious themes, is always an exciting and entertaining read. This is the second of Paula Rawsthorne's books I have read (Shell is also excellent) and I very much look forward to seeing what she produces next. I will be donating my review copy to my school library and will be wholeheartedly recommending it. 384 pages / Ages 12+ / Reviewed by Beverley Somerset, school librarian

Suggested Reading Age 11+

 

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