Mini Reviews: Deadly Cool & Social Suicide

Title: Deadly Cool (Deadly Cool #1)

Author: Gemma Halliday

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release Date: October 11, 2011

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

Hartley Grace Featherstone is having a very bad day. First she finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her with the president of the Herbert Hoover High School Chastity Club. Then he's pegged as the #1 suspect in a murder. And if that weren't enough, now he's depending on Hartley to clear his name.

But as much as Hartley wouldn't mind seeing him squirm, she knows he's innocent, and she's the only one who can help him. Along with her best friend, Sam, and the school's resident Bad Boy, Chase, Hartley starts investigating on her own. But as the dead bodies begin to pile up, the mystery deepens, the suspects multiply, and Hartley begins to fear that she may be the killer's next victim.

I had seen reviews of Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday, but I never really knew what it was about until I picked it up while on vacation. It turned out to be a fun story that had its moments. 

On the same day that she finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her with the president of the Chastity Club, Hartley Grace Featherstone finds the dead body of the president of the Chastity Club in her boyfriend's closet. So she's not having a really great day, but Hartley is determined to prove that her now ex-boyfriend wasn't the one to kill Courtney. With the help of her best friend Sam and bad boy Chase, Hartley sets out to find the true killer.

Deadly Cool was a fun read. It had the perfect balance of fun and mystery. Personally, I loved the mystery aspect of the book, I hadn't even figure out who the killer was and I'm usually good at figuring these things out. But despite the murder plot, the story was still light and fun to read. The other great thing about Deadly Cool was the relationships and back all the back and forth between all the characters. Hartley and Chase were definitely my favorites when it comes to that. There was something about the two of them that put a smile on my face.

If you are looking for a little mystery with your fun, then I strongly recommend you pick up Gemma Halliday's Deadly Cool.

Title: Social Suicide (Deadly Cool #2)

Author: Gemma Halliday

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release Date: April 24, 2012

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

Twittercide: the killing of one human being by another while the victim is in the act of Tweeting.

Call me crazy, but I figured writing for the "Herbert Hoover High Homepage" would be a pretty sweet gig. Pad the resume for college applications, get a first look at the gossip column, spend some time ogling the paper's brooding bad-boy editor, Chase Erikson. But on my first big story things went…a little south. What should have been a normal interview with Sydney Sanders turned into me discovering the homecoming queen-hopeful dead in her pool. Electrocuted while Tweeting. Now, in addition to developing a reputation as HHH's resident body finder, I'm stuck trying to prove that Sydney's death wasn't suicide.

I'm starting to long for the days when my biggest worry was whether the cafeteria was serving pizza sticks or Tuesday Tacos...

Since I had read Deadly Cool and enjoyed it and since all I had with me was my Kindle I figured I would read the sequel, Social Suicide, which turned out to be just as enjoyable as the first book.

After having already solved one murder, Hartley Grace Featherstone thought she wouldn't have to do it again so soon. Now while working on her first big story for the Herbert Hoover High Homepage, Hartley stumbles on another dead body. And once again, Hartley doesn't agree with the official police report. With the help of her best friend Sam and bad boy Chase, Hartley sets out to prove that this suicide was in fact, Twittercide.

Once again, the story in Social Suicide was a fun one with just the right does of mystery. I really liked the idea of "Twittercide", I had never really thought of that idea and just that was enough to keep me reading. Though my favorite part was still the relationship slowly developing between Hartley and Chase. They are simply quite the pair, and are responsible for much of my laughter while reading. The dynamic between them is just one that I really enjoy reading about, and I love whenever Sam jumps in to give her two cents. 

Social Suicide by Gemma Halliday is the perfect read for a lazy summer afternoon. I definitely recommend this series if that's what you are looking for.