Sketchy (Bea Catcher Chronicles #1) by Olivia Samms

Book Summery (Via Goodreads): A popular cheerleader—raped, beaten, and left for dead. An edgy outsider with a gift. Can they team up to catch a killer?

Bea’s life has been a mess ever since she got kicked out of private school and sent to rehab. Now clean, Bea is starting over at Packard High School, in a city shaken from two assaults on young women. The latest victim, Willa Pressman—the one who survived—doesn’t remember a thing. But Bea has a disturbing new “skill”: she can see—and then draw—images from other people’s minds. And when she looks at Willa, Bea is shocked by what she sketches. Bea might be the only one who knows Willa’s secrets—and who can take down the killer before he strikes again.

Book Review:
I am honestly quite pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed Sketchy by Olivia Samms. When I discovered that the main character was a recovering addict, I was a little wary. Not really my forte, but I decided to give it a try and boy am I glad I did! Sketchy ended up reading like a YA mystery novel. Bea, the main character has some dark corners in her past, but she is very open about them. I love that she is a vintage fashionista with some amazing artistic skills to boot! Chris makes a fantastic supporting character. He smooths out Bea's rough edges and adds a bit more color into her life. I LOVED LOVED LOVED the Michigan setting (in case you don't know, that's my home state)!!! I feel like Michigan is getting more face time in YA novels, which makes me one happy reader! What stopped Sketchy from landing a 5 star review was the ending. It felt a bit rushed and left me a little unsatisfied. I would have liked to see some of the relationships fleshed out a bit more. Hopefully this will be the case in the final product. Overall, I'm hooked! There's nothing official yet, but I'm guessing that this is the first book in the series. If that is the case, I'll definitely keep an eye out for the next installment! 

Thanks to Amazon Children's Publishing for this copy
To be published April 30, 2013
This is my honest review.     

Favorite Quote:
"I am fifteen minutes late, and I feel like everyone is starting at me. Please, please don't look at me - I don't want to be here. I don't belong here, I silently scream to them. I'm seventeen and should be out wiht friends, having a good time, doing stupid shit that only seventeen-year-olds do. 

Oh yeah, that's what got me in trouble in the first place - the stupid shit."

Cover Art Commentary:
I didn't realize until recently that there is a girl inside of the letters. Sneaky. ;) While this isn't my favorite cover of all time, it is original and creative. 

Rating: