Book Review: Deception by Lee Nichols

5 excellent frosted sugar cookies with sprinkles!

Cover Love: Meh. Not so much. Like the school and the mist in the background, but for some reason all the elements together don't really click for me.

Why I Wanted To Read This Book: Three reasons: the back cover mentions J. Crew, New England and a private school. That was all I needed.
Here's the summary from Good Reads:

When Emma Vaile's parents leave on mysterious business trip, it gives her the perfect excuse to be a rebellious teen. Throw some parties, get a tattoo (or maybe just a piercing), and enjoy the first few weeks of her junior year. Then her best friend stops talking to her, the cops crash her party, and Emma finds herself in the hands of a new guardian—her college-age "knight in J.Crew armor," Bennett Stern—and on a plane to his museum-like mansion in New England.

After enrolling at Thatcher Academy, Emma settles in by making friends with the popular legacy crowd. But she can't shake the strange visions that are haunting her. She has memories of Thatcher she can't explain, as if she's returning home to a place she's never been. Emma doesn't trust anyone anymore—except maybe Bennett. But he's about to reveal a ghostly secret to Emma. One that will explain the visions . . . and make Emma fear for her life.

I Kept Reading Because: I loved it. So easy to get into, fast moving plot, well written.

Romance?: Several. I really liked how although Emma had her "ultimate" crush she didn't sit and pine for him. She had one other crush and really tried liking and dating a very interested guy. I think that is more typical of a high school girl (at least it was for me). Always gotta keep your options open!

What I Liked (& Didn't): I really felt this was one of the better ghost stories published in the last year. I am glad that Emma accepted her fate relatively easily.

I loved the tradition of the students at Thatcher Academy wearing their formal wear to the Homecoming football game. That would be so much fun!

I didn't really like Bennett. He was an ass (except I did like the fencing scene towards the end of the book). So the little twist the author threw in at the end didn't really bother me. But the bigger thing that happened right before that made me very sad.

I also didn't like the non-existent parents. Why, oh why do the parents in supernatural-YA books always have to be gone? But, bonus points for Emma's mother having the same name as me (Jana)!

I guess I can't really pinpoint why I totally adored this book, but all the elements just came together for me in a very satisfying way.

What I Would Like to See: I want Emma to develop her powers and use them more! And I want people in power (aka the Knell) to acknowledge her uniqueness. I always hate it when we are given a character who is the most powerful or the one to fulfill the prophecy but yet they are never allowed to actually be the most powerful.

I would also like for her to be given a new romance option--someone other than Bennett.

To Sum Up: Great book, fun read and a good ghost story! (And one that I would be fine having in a middle school library.)

Book bought from my local bookstore.