Book Review: The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker by Kerry Wilkinson

Book Title: The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker
Author: Kerry Wilkinson
Series: N/A (Standalone)
Publication Date: July 26th 2018
Genres: Mystery, Young Adult
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

‘I will never forget the night I drowned…’

A village with something to hide.

Seventeen-year-old Eleanor Parker wakes up cold and alone in the river that twists through her quiet village. She has no memory of how she got there. But she does know that another girl was drowned in the same river the summer before, held under the water by an unknown killer…

A community torn apart.

Eleanor is a normal, every day teenager. She argues with her mum, spends her days with her best friend, and is looking forward to a carefree summer of sunshine and music. Who would want to hurt her?

A shocking secret.

Determined to unlock the mystery of what really happened to her, Eleanor can’t escape the feeling that something awful links her to the previous summer’s murder. But will she find out the truth before it’s too late?

A gripping and extraordinary coming of age novel that will make you question everything and keep you guessing until the very end. Perfect for fans of We Were Liars, Looking for Alaska by John Green and hit TV show Riverdale.

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I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review.

MY THOUGHTS

From reading the book’s synopsis on Netgalley, I pretty much hit the request button instantly. This is pitched as a perfect book for fans of We Were Liars, Looking for Alaska and the TV show Riverdale. Well, I’m a fan of all three of them so that bold claim, coupled with the very intriguing premise, I really thought that I would love this one. That I did, to some extent.

Eleanor Parker, or Ellie, is our main character here. She has been through a lot, with people gossiping about her brother, not being able to eat or sleep, having no recollection of what happened to her, and not to mention that the person who tried to drown her was still out there. But she is just really dull for me. It’s kinda hard to sympathize with the character when she lacks emotions and just goes on about stuff that I couldn’t care less about. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike her. I just couldn’t bring myself to care much for her.

There were also certain times in the book that, for me, felt like dragging. You know what I mean? Like, even though I kept reading, I kept wondering where the fun bits were.

Anyway, what I loved about this book though was the unpredictability. You know me, I try hard to act like Sherlock Holmes or Nancy Drew whenever I read or watch mysteries. I over-analyze each situation, thinking that it may be a clue to be one step closer in uncovering who the culprit is. But this book. I did not expect the plot twist here.

Overall, The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker was a fun read. Although I wasn’t really biting my nails for the mystery in this one, I sure was blown away by the plot twist.

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