A copy of The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die was provided to me by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)/Netgalley for review purposes.'[...]my mind shut down. Went blank. Went someplace where I wouldn't have to remember.'What would you do if you woke up to find you had been kidnapped? What would you do if you somehow manage to escape but realize you have no idea where you were? What would you do if you didn't have any idea who you were? The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die is a riveting thriller of a girl who has to piece together the past so she can live to see the future. I've read April Henry's 'The Night She Disappeared' and it's an incredibly short yet fast-paced mystery which I really enjoyed. To me, 'The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die' is also short and fast-paced yet more complex and required more pages in order to properly flush out the mystery. The pieces of the puzzle don't start coming together until near the very end and once the pieces started forming they left me with an unnaturally rushed feeling that I felt could have been avoided with more explanation/pages. There were a few issues I had in particular: The 'bad guys' were inherently bad and lacked any sort of complexity thus making them quite a bore. Plus, it always makes me giggle when the bad guys completely reveal all their plans right before they intent on killing you. Also, there was a strange and unnecessary reference to a gay character. 'His voice swoops up and down. He sounds more gay than before. I wonder if he's doing it deliberately - to make them think there would be no reason for him to give a girl shelter.'Which... makes zero sense. Because he's a gay man he couldn't possibly have any 'girl' friends? Or even possible care about their well-being? That passage just struck me as completely irrelevant.Also, there wasn't a love-interest exactly but there was a male character that became involved in her drama trouble. After meeting him while trying to hide from the 'bad guys' he realizes she's in dire need of help and assists in getting her past them. In my opinion, that should have been the end of their relationship but instead this guy basically risks the possible destruction of any future he may have for this girl he doesn't know. It just wasn't plausible. There was a slight explanation given for his 'need' to help her and it kind of make sense but still didn't completely work for me in way of explanation.Despite my issues, I did still mostly enjoy The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die. It is fast-paced, exciting, and definitely suspenseful. *All quotes taken are from an uncorrected proof*
