Saving Zoe by Alyson Noel

Amazon Description: "Meet fifteen-year-old Echo, a typical teen trying to survive high school without being totally traumatized by boy trouble, friend drama, and school issues. As if she didn't have enough on her plate, Echo is also still dealing with the murder of her sister Zoë. Although it's been over a year, Echo is still reeling from tragedy that changed everything. Beautiful and full of life, Zoë was the glue that held her family together, and although the two sisters were as different as night and day, they still had a bond that Echo can't let go of. When Zoë's old boyfriend Marc shows up one day with Zoë's diary, Echo doesn't think there's anything in there she doesn't already know. But as she gives in to curiosity and starts reading, she learns that her sister led a secret life that no one could have guessed--not even Echo."

My Review: To be honest, this book just creeped me out. I understand that Echo was dealing with loss and grief---but she was just such an odd character that I really couldn't figure her out. She seemed dull and awkward...but as if she was happy being dull and awkward. I could be wrong, but that's the feeling I got. Zoe was definitely the more interesting one---and she was DEAD. What does this tell you about the book? The scary part was, I could see a TON of regular teenage girls in Zoe. Zoe did a ton of things that I know teen girls do and this makes me fear for the safety and sanity of teenage girls everywhere. And, okay, I'll be totally honest: when Echo started emulating Zoe and basically STEALING her life, I felt slightly nauseous. Here she was, pretending to be her DEAD SISTER...and she was okay with it. I mean, I understand that, in doing so, she was unconsciously trying to bring Zoe back...but it was still weird. That said---it's not as if this is a bad book. Contrary to that, it was haunting and strange, which is good, considering it's not supposed to be something funny and fluffy. Noel probably wanted the reader to feel uncomfortable with the strange things that happened in the book. Unfortunately, it was just too odd for me. This isn't a book I'll be reading again, although I will say that it is worth reading at least once---if anything, to teach against the dangers of internet predators.

Cover: Three girls, nothing special. The font is nothing special either. They could have done MUCH better.

Overall Grade: C+