Blog Tour: Made for You by Melissa Marr

Hello, book obsessers! When I got the email from Xpresso Book Tours about a blog tour for the latest Melissa Marr book, I was totally all "heck yes!" (I read her Wicked Lovely series forever ago.) So I immediately signed up, and thank gosh I did, because I'm on the tour (obviously, and you can see the rest of the dates here), and I got to read Made for You which was SO GOOD. Here, let me tell you about it in my review. But be sure to stick around! I'll tell you where you can find Melissa on the internet, and there's a very, very cool giveaway. Enjoy!

Review
Title: Made for You

Author: Melissa Marr

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publishing Date: September 16, 2014

Pages/Format: 368, ARC

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Bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely books Melissa Marr’s first contemporary YA novel is a twisted southern gothic tale of obsession, romance, and murder. A killer is obsessed with Eva Tilling. Can she stop him, or will he claim her?

When Eva Tilling wakes up in the hospital, she’s confused—who in her sleepy little North Carolina town could have hit her with their car? And why? But before she can consider the question, she finds that she’s awoken with a strange new skill: the ability to foresee people’s deaths when they touch her. While she is recovering from the hit-and-run, Nate, an old flame, reappears, and the two must traverse their rocky past as they figure out how to use Eva’s power to keep her friends—and themselves—alive. But while Eva and Nate grow closer, the killer grows increasingly frantic in his attempt to get to Eva.

For the first time, New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr has applied her extraordinary talent to contemporary realism. Chilling twists, unrequited obsession, and high-stakes romance drive this Gothic, racy thriller—a story of small-town oppression and salvation. Melissa’s fans, and every YA reader, will find its wild ride enthralling.

Book in One Word: THRILLING.

Don't you love it when you read a book, like it more than you thought you would, and it's just SO GOOD? That's Made for You. It just has this thrilling, addictive quality to it, and when you're reading it, you just want to read it. Seriously, I was up until just after the five in the morning reading this book before I forced myself to put it down with only twenty percent left. (And I ended up getting less than three hours of sleep and being awfully moody that day, but I just couldn't put this darn book down.) I liked it. I really, really liked it.

Made for You starts off at a party in small-town Jessup, North Carolina, where those with the right names rule and have the popularity vote. It's here that we meet our main character Eva Tilling and see glimpses into her friends (like her faithful sidekick Grace), boyfriend (ew, Robert, no), and her ex-best friend who won't give her the time of day (Nate, yes!). And then the next chapter is told from the POV of Judge, who I'll you about shortly (spoiler alert: heeby jeeby jeepers creepers UGH). Then Eva gets hit by a car and ends up in the hospital, where things start to take a turn: Eva has visions of people's death, someone might actually give her the time of day, and there seems to be, impossibly, a killer running around Jessup.

Eva was a likeable protagonist. While she may have made some kind of stupid decisions toward the end of book (characters always have to put things into their own hands!), she did well at maintaining, for the most part, her cool--there is, after all, someone creepily obsessed with her. She's a problem solver, and she's trying to figure out who the killer is, how to stop him/her, and how to save people. She doesn't want death on her hands, but she can having saving lives on her hands. Thanks to her family, Eva's always number one for everything: she's the princess of Jessup.

While we didn't get to see too much from her friends, we did get a few chapters from her best friend Grace's point of view, which were okay. It was a refreshing way to see Jessup, from the eyes of someone who didn't grow up there, and from someone who doesn't fully give a crap. And as a best friend, she's a good one. There's also Robert, and I don't think him and Eva aren't meant to be together at all; maybe just as friends. And last but not least Nate, who is a much better character and person than Robert. Okay, so Jessup's man-slut has made some mistakes. But when you get to know him, you learn that he's protective (not obnoxiously) and has heart, especially when it comes to caring for his sick little brother. I'd say more about some of these characters, but, alas, spoilers!

In fact, I don't want to say too much about this book, because it's one you need to read for yourself. Oh! But I was going to tell you more about Judge. Judge. This character is a creepy ass psychopath (or something like that, I don't know proper terminology), and my gosh. Being inside this character's head was...interesting. And I'll leave it at that.

Nothing about Made for You really bothered me, which is a big plus. However, there were a few little things I noticed. One was that I thought Eva was a little quick to forgive a character or two. After everything that was done, her arms seemed a little too open. Some romance felt a little rushed, but I loved it so I really don't care. And then there was the end, which pushed it a wee bit with what some of the characters were doing, but again: none of this really bothered me. They're just things I noticed.

So. Made for You. I seriously really, really liked this book and it was just sooo good. The writing was good, all three points of view had their own voices, which was great. There's a great mystery going on, and while I did have a guess of who Judge was (and maybe I was right, maybe I wasn't), it was still a great thrill ride to go from the first to last page and see how everything was going to play out. Made for You is full of every kind of relationship: romantic, familial, friends, and that creepy stalker form afar. It's an excellent thrill ride that I really didn't want to end. And boo that it's a standalone, because I just enjoyed it so much and it was such fun to read and I just want mooore. All in all, this is a twisty, turny book full of several elements and is well done, and it is definitely worth reading.

Did I like it? Yes!

Did I love it? I don't mean this negatively, but not quite.

Would I reread it? Yes!

Would I purchase it? Yes!

Who would I recommend it to? If you like thrillers and suspense novels that don't feel super dark, then this is for you. No, scratch that. This book was pretty darn good, and really, I'd recommend it to everyone and anyone (except maybe not creepy stalker people).

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, and that in no way sways my opinion of the book.

Author

Hmm, I’m never good at the bio bit. I used to teach college & bartend, now I write novels. I love to meet new people, to hear their stories, to walk through new streets and see new vistas. I enjoy art in all its guises–graffiti, surrealist paintings, classic sculptures, tattoos, interesting buildings, Renoir, photography . . . Art & nature, they feed my soul & thus my muse.

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