Nearly Gone by Elle Cosimano

Nearly Gone, the first book in the Nearly series by Elle Cosimano, stars Nearly Boswell, our personals obsessed heroine from the wrong side of the tracks. During her weekly personals column perusal, Nearly notices an odd ad that later turns out to be a warning of an attack on a student. The next week, another ad appears and this time someone ends up dead. Convinced that there is a serial killer roaming her city, Nearly decides to make one awful decision after another in her pursuit of him.

That is what this entire book boils down to, awful people making awful decisions. Every single move our heroine made was boneheaded and unbelievable. Sure, she was intelligent enough to figure out what the ads meant, but she was then incapable of putting together a course of action that didn't involve her endangering herself and others at every turn. Not to mention, when faced with the choice of the sweet boy who has been there for you in every single way for most of your life, or the police informant who stalks you and then sexually assaults you in front of everyone at school, how do you go for the latter? It's understandable that she feels no chemistry with Jeremy, and even understandable that she feels chemistry for Reece. That's not something that you can control, but chemistry with someone doesn't mean you have to listen to it. This idea that YA sells that the boy who does really awful things is only doing them cause he just loves the heroine so much is dangerous, and this book is an awful example of it.

Honestly, I can't say for certain what made me finish this book, when for the most part it was insipid. I wish I could name something redeeming here that would excuse the time I spent on this mess, but I've got nothing.