Book Review: Need (Need #1) by Carrie Jones

Summary:

Zara White suspects there's a freaky guy semi-stalking her. She's also obsessed with phobias. And it's true, she hasn't exactly been herself since her stepfather died. But exiling her to shivery Maine to live with her grandmother? That seems a bit extreme. The move is supposed to help her stay sane...but Zara's pretty sure her mom just can't deal with her right now.

She couldn't be more wrong. Turns out the semi-stalker is not a figment of Zara's overactive imagination. In fact, he's still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust. There's something not right - not human - in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs point to Zara.

In this creepy, compelling breakout novel, Carrie Jones delivers romance, suspense, and a creature you never thought you'd have to fear.

Review:

This was a quirky, well-executed story.  At first it reminded me a lot of Twilight: girl moving to a new town with constant inclement weather, starting a new school, girl meeting a couple of friends, girl meeting and liking the most popular guy in school, and girl meeting and liking Mr. Nice Guy.  But there were some differences from Twilight that made Need fun.  I enjoyed the addition of the phobias--they added some pizazz to the story.  And the bad guys were pretty unique.  This was an enjoyable read, but not a stay-up-until-you-finish read for me.  I'm looking forward to Captivate, but I'll be okay reading something else in the meantime.

Just One Gripe:
It was a little slow to take off.

The Best Thing About This Book:
I'm so happy to finally have two characters in love who are the same age.  Finally!  I'm tired of the guy being so much older than the girl.

Appropriate for a younger audience:
Yes

Score:

Characters: 3/5

Plot: 3/5

Setting/Imagery: 4/5

Originality: 3/5

Ending: 3/5

Total Score: 16/25