Kara lives with her mother, used-to-be lawyer, who is now a Holy Roller running a sappy cafe. Her father left and her sister Kellen drowned, so it’s just the two of them living in a small apartment above the cafe. Kara’s home-economics teacher wants her to enter a baking contest that could give her scholarship money to become a pastry chef because Kara loves designing and baking cookies. She’s also receiving notes from someone that’s secretly watching her. Kara struggles with self confidence and is surrounded by somewhat jerky friends. Kara’s coworker, Charlie, is charming and brilliant and I love how he brings Kara back to reality. Charlie’s statement, “forgiveness is really about helping yourself, not absolving the other person of what they did”, is advice we can all use. Kara participates in the cookie contest, braving traveling alone and striving towards her dreams. After Kara returns home, she reads Kellen’s diary and realizes similarities between herself and her sister that shock her to the core. For the most part, I enjoyed the story but there are some holes that I would like filled in, such as Charlie’s life and what he’s going through, the stalker possibilities and more background story on them, the ending and more of what happened after the attack and more overall character development. This information would make the book longer but I think it would make it even better. 3.5 stars for this suspenseful young adult thriller.
The Thought Spot 