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25 Jun 2011

Book Review: Shift by Em Bailey







“Anyway, aren’t we supposed to be staying away from Miranda?”








Shift is a sinister psychological thriller that tears through the themes of identity, loss and toxic friendship.

Olive Corbett is just a bit mixed up. Dealing with a family break-up and surviving a suicide attempt, Olive has turned from being the popular girl at school to the introverted ‘freak’ that everyone ignores. With the exception of her only friend – Ami – Olive talks to no one.
Then one day a new girl shows up at the school. There is a rumor that she killed her parents, and Olive admits that she’s just as curious as everyone else. But when Miranda turns out to be an ordinary (if not sullen and pale) girl, she is ignored – even teased – with Olive’s former friend Katie at the head of the gang. But things begin to change, as suddenly Katie and Miranda are best friends – swapping clothes and going out all night. And as Katie begins to show signs of wearing down, Miranda is looking more and more like Katie…

I’m really glad I had the chance to read this book. It’s so different and I think it’s going to be a strong addition to the YA market. The characters are solid and Olive really ties the story together – you are really living with her as she goes through her days convincing herself that she’s not at all crazy.

This one gets five stars from me and I strongly recommend you add it to you ‘To-Read’ lists and go out tomorrow and pre-order it from your bookstore!

Published: September 2011 by Hardie Grant Egmont

6 comments:

Raimy from Readaraptor Hatchling said...

ooo I really wanna read this one! I must get it added to my list! :D
Glad you enjoyed it!

Alex said...

Huzzah!! Can't wait to see what you think of it ^.^

Anonymous said...

i agree with EVERYTHING you said, i love the style of writing that em bailey used, so unique.

Aik said...

I love this book! It's simply amazing! Check out my review HERE.

Anonymous said...

Oh my god I got this book for my birthday off my uncle and I turned 12 so turned the book to a random page and it was the page where Katie had died and I thought it was creepy so I stared to read from the start and I was up until 11:00pm reading it it was fantastic and one of the best books I've read so far in my life

Anonymous said...

This is a great YA novel with believable characters. The protagonist is flawed but not unlikable and Miranda strikes the right balance between sympathetic and creepy.