Creepy. Paranoia-inducing. Thrilling.

“Beware That Girl” is more than a thriller, in so many ways. I was drawn in by the plot, by the troubled characters, by the dialogue. Teresa Toten excels on the writing front. She has brought to life a story that hooks you, hooks you deep in your guts.

The plot was appealing, though I find reality to be a bit of a bore sometimes (I usually steer clear of these books and head for the fantasy and science-fiction section). But, somehow, Toten surpassed my expectations. The plot had just enough umph to it to keep me reading. And then, the characters are what had me staying up late to finish the book.

Kate, our main girl here, is screwed up on several levels, and Toten keeps you in the dark throughout the book on a few details, slowly revealing how she became who she is and why. Olivia, our other main girl, is also screwed up—and more so than Kate (but we won’t go into details on that). Then here comes another crazy (the antagonist) into their already screwed up lives, and suddenly this book has me so deeply involved that I can’t climb out of the hole I allowed it to dig for me.

Toten is an amazing writer and storyteller. The dialogue was absolutely seamless. Her descriptions were well written but didn’t drag. I was never confused or ever felt like something was oddly written.

I have nothing negative to say about this book other than one thing: the ending.

The conclusion wasn’t as satisfying as I would’ve liked it to have been, but I know that’s just me personally. The way she ended it was a marvelous ending, keeping with the creepy and no-happy-go-lucky-life-here theme of the book.

5/5 stars.

Until next time!