Review for Soul Beach by Kate Harrison

Soul Beach by Kate Harrison
Publisher: Indigo
Release Date: 1st September 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Goodreads Summary:
"When Alice Forster receives an email from her dead sister she assumes it must be a sick practical joke. Then an invitation arrives to the virtual world of Soul Beach, an idyllic online paradise of sun, sea and sand where Alice can finally talk to her sister again - and discover a new world of friendships, secrets and maybe even love . . . . But why is Soul Beach only inhabited by the young, the beautiful and the dead? Who really murdered Megan Forster? And could Alice be next?"

Review
As soon as I heard about Soul Beach I just knew it would be a book that I was going to love. This year I’ve quickly become a big fan of the young adult thriller trend and Soul Beach is up there as one of my favourites from this genre.

The book is told from sixteen year old Alice’s point of view but every so often between chapters there are a few paragraphs told from the killer’s perspective. The book actually starts off with the murderer narrating which I thought was fantastic as it jumps straight into the mystery. Right from the very first chapter you’re spooked and I was sucked into this book right away.

Soul Beach has several mysteries to it. What is Soul Beach? Who created it? Is Megan really dead? And if so who killed her and why? Will Alice be next? The book is chock full of suspense and I had no idea where this book was going or what was really going on. Soul Beach has an addictive, unique plot and I was so caught up in the story that I could hardly put it down. I couldn’t even bare to go online whilst I was reading this I was that creeped out by the seemingly perfect “paradise” of the dead online beach that at times seemed to have Alice strangely addicted.

This is the kind of book where I don’t want to go into anything too much as its important with books like this not to give too much away but I will say that I loved the end of this book. I felt that Kate Harrison gives you just enough to feel like the book has a proper ending but in a way that still leaves things open for the next two books in the trilogy. It’s also one of those clever endings that resolves some of your original questions but also opens up lots of new possibilities and leaves you with new ones in their place.

Overall I thought that Soul Beach was a unique and welcome addition to the young adult thriller genre. I didn’t want this book to end and when it did I started immediately pining for book two. If you’re looking for an original, modern day, teen thriller that will make you see social networking in a whole new light then Soul Beach is a must read!