Book Review: Still Waters by Emma Carlson Berne

Title: Still Waters

Author: Emma Carlson Berne

# Of Pages: 240

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: December 20, 2011

Level: Young Adult

Rating: 5 Hearts

Synopsis

(From Amazon.com)

Hannah can't wait to sneak off for a romantic weekend with her boyfriend, Colin. He’s leaving for college soon, and Hannah wants their trip to the lake house to be one they’ll never forget.

But once Hannah and Colin get there, things start to seem a bit...off. They can't find the town on any map. The house they are staying in looks as if someone's been living there, even though it's been deserted for years. And Colin doesn’t seem quite himself. As he grows more unstable, Hannah worries about Colin’s dark side, and her own safety.

Nothing is as perfect as it seems, and what lies beneath may haunt her forever.

My Verdict

As soon as I finished reading this book I looked up the author to see if she had written any other books because I wanted more! I don’t read YA thrillers often and was a little nervous when I started this but now that I finished I’m just itching to get my hands on another one.

This book was SO creepy! It probably didn’t help that I was always reading it in the middle of the night, when I was the only one in my house still awake, which of course made it seem even more creepy.

I really liked both of the main characters, Hannah and Colin. From the very beginning Colin seems like a sweet, caring, boyfriend, I found it really hard to be wary of him, which we’re pretty much told to be from the synopsis.

Reading this book was like watching that movie where the main character is about to turn around and you know the bad guy is going be right there yet you still scream when it happens. The whole time I read I was on edge just waiting for that moment.

Pine House seemed like its own character the way Hannah and Colin called it by name and the detail in which it was described. I had a clear picture of it in my mind and felt like I was there walking through it.

There were a few loose ends throughout the story but nothing too bothersome. Little facts, like how neither of the characters think to bring food with them on their weekend getaway and how after being abandoned for 10 years Pine House still has food in the cabinets that Hannah & Colin actually eat! GROSS! 

The town where Pine House is located is practically desolate with just a few strange inhabitants. The way the town and its people were described it seemed like something strange had happened there in the past but this was never really explained. . I thought this aspect was going to play into the story more and that we would learn why it was the way that it was.

In conclusion, I’m so glad I gave this one a chance and picked it up! I absolutely loved it and can’t wait for Emma’s next book, Never Let You Go coming out this December!