Did I really only rate this book now? Wow. This was my second read. The first time, I was hugely let down by cliches that kept nipping at me until one finally bit me on the inside of my arm. The second time, I picked up the book -remembering- them, -preparing- myself for them...and finding out this book's cliches were no longer the actions of a bitey puppy, but a well-trained dog who could do amazing tricks.

This is a YA thriller about a protagonist, Maddie, who can see the dates of peoples' deaths on their foreheads. She's been able to do this since a young age. What a fascinating premise! What a great idea to have this take place when she's sixteen and still navigating the world, not yet an adult who's been changed a little by life experiences or more jaded. Real-world issues are major themes of this book: her mom is an alcoholic, and my heart broke at how it was portrayed. I thought of my mom every time this showed up. She never talks about her mom, who died from severe cirrhosis. Every interaction in the book, I'd figure "My mom likely went through that." Maddie's best friend, Stubby, is put into jail due to him being suspected of murdering a girl because he's stalking her anyway, and Maddie -smiles- at his behavior. Maddie, don't be gross.

I will point out I do think most decisions Stubby and Maddie made -were- the actions of stubborn teenagers who tend towards impulsivity in times of strong emotion. I totally forgot where I was going with that. Anyway, the author can write teenagers really well. The cliches that annoyed me so much until one infuriated me enough to never want to read the book again: I pardoned some because it's YA, not for adults, and others were about how different deaths were portrayed. One character's actions were positive ones, "like she knew" she was going to die. That was actually a sweet thing upon my second time reading this. (Getting together with family and stuff, I mean) I thought it was also -super- interesting how originally, two douchebags at her school are best friends whose death dates are the same. I figured immediately that they'd die in a car accident or something and felt bad. Trying not to be spoilery, but a cliche happened around that, I thought was well-placed.
Maddie not talking to her crush was another cliche, but shy teens are also a thing. I was one. I am still shy. Another cliche was the lip-licking, salivating pedophile who is moving furniture into the house next to hers. Author, you could have just had him staring at her creepily, or for too long, or hovering out her door or something. All of those are creepy. Nobody licks their lips unless their mouth is chapped. Having him be a super-creep near the end was not the red herring it could have been. Having the -real- villain be who it was--now THAT was well-done. I really liked that. I went from feeling positive about the villain in the beginning to my blood running cold.

The big cliche that made me never want to read the book again, the first time around, involved Maddie's own death date and that of another character. I was -furious- at how unrealistic it was. How -dare- so many cliches crowd out a beautiful story, and in the final paragraph no less. The second time around, I rolled my eyes, ignored it, and pretended the book ended the paragraph before that one. Also, having your love interest move in with his dad so he can move in to the house next to you? Does...that make anyone else uneasy? Just me? Okay. ( )

In the book, When, Maddie has an amazing gift; she is able to see the date that people will die on their foreheads. Maddie's mother, who is an alcoholic, has her do readings for money. When a mother comes asking Maddie about her child that is suffering from leukemia, Maddie sees that she will live a long life, but her healthy brother will die in a week. When the brother is murdered on the day predicted, the FBI starts looking at Maddie as a possible serial killer. From then on, more and more clues point toward Maddie and her best friend, Stubby. In order to prove their innocence, Maddie and her uncle try to figure out who the actual killer might be.

This is a very suspenseful story with lots of drama and action that keep the pages turning quickly. A very interesting read. ( )

This was a great book because it kept me guessing as to who was the bad guy. It truly surprised me. Not going to say more. It was quite the ride. If you like to live through a character and experience life as a teenager, this one does it just like a kid would, successes, mistakes, highs and lows. It even has a goofy best friend. ( )

Book source ~ NetGalley

Maddie Flynn is 16, a Jr in high school, and shy. She has a best friend named Stubby and that’s it. Her mom is an alcoholic and her uncle is a lawyer, but lives a couple of hours away. Ever since her dad died, she’s been taking care of herself and her mom. But there’s one thing I didn’t tell you about Maddie. She can see the date a person dies by looking at their forehead. That’s where the numbers are and when she was little she had no idea that’s what they were or that she was the only person who could see them. Her dad’s death was the catalyst for knowing what the numbers were. Because the date he died matched the numbers she saw.

She and her mom earn some extra money to help support themselves by reading people their numbers. Or someone in the family since Maddie can see the numbers in photos and video as well. She sees them all unless they’re too far away or have something covering their forehead. But it’s these readings that land her in trouble with law enforcement when kids loosely connected to her are kidnapped then brutally murdered. How is she going to prove her innocence now?

Wow. I thought the blurb was interesting, but I had no idea how compelling this story would turn out to be. I couldn’t put it down. Poor Maddie. Her life has been hard, but it’s about to get a whole lot harder. The kidnappings, the murders, the investigation are a shitton to deal with, but there’s also her alcoholic mom on top of that. And on top of THAT are the bullies at school. So much crap coming at her on all sides, but she handles it fairly well. Sort of. I mean, she’s still only 16 so it’s okay that she loses it a few times. I think anyone would, really. Or just go on a shooting spree. She does not do that, btw.

The characters, the world, the pacing, and Maddie’s voice make this a sweet spot story. Add in a murderer that’s hard to pin down and you get a fantastic paranormal mystery. I was sad, mad, and enraged throughout the book. The one thing I was not? Bored. If you like YA Paranormal Murder Mysteries with tons of heart then do not pass this one up. ( )

I absolutely loved the book Wh3n by Victoria Laurie, I found it an interesting mix of fantasy and realistic fiction, middle schoolers would be interested in, it is a chapter book. The main character, Maddie Flynn, a gifted and cursed, a junior in high-school, has a deceased father and a drunk for a mother. Maddie gets framed for committing a series of murders due to her blessing and a curse gift- seeing death dates. I love the internal conflict that Maddie has to overcome with this huge accusation not to mention find out who is really killing her friends. Will Maddie be the killer's next victim? If I was going to teach this book, I would first start with teaching the students about genre and having them connect this book to the genre of fiction. Then, I go into reading comprehension questions probably not every chapter but for every five chapters or so. Just making sure the students were understanding the book. The intended audience is probably 7-12 graders there isn't anything too graphic within the novel, however there is murder within the book, I would just give a cautionary warning to my students before they picked up this book to read. I loved how the author twisted the book so much you never would guess the events that happen in this book. I loved this book so much, I finished it in a day! I found this story and the plot so captivating. I would allow any of my students to read this book, and welcome their critiques. (compound)
This book's copyright date is 2015. ( )