Series: N/A
Genre: Young Adult
Publication: January 13, 2015 by Disney-Hyperion
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Rating: ★★★
Synopsis: Maddie Fynn is a shy high school junior, cursed with an eerie intuitive ability: she sees a series of unique digits hovering above the foreheads of each person she encounters. Her earliest memories are marked by these numbers, but it takes her father’s premature death for Maddie and her family to realize that these mysterious digits are actually death dates, and just like birthdays, everyone has one.
Forced by her alcoholic mother to use her ability to make extra money, Maddie identifies the quickly approaching death date of one client's young son, but because her ability only allows her to see the when and not the how, she’s unable to offer any more insight. When the boy goes missing on that exact date, law enforcement turns to Maddie.
Soon, Maddie is entangled in a homicide investigation, and more young people disappear and are later found murdered. A suspect for the investigation, a target for the murderer, and attracting the attentions of a mysterious young admirer who may be connected to it all, Maddie's whole existence is about to be turned upside down. Can she right things before it's too late?
Thoughts: I was really intrigued by When because it reminded me of a book I read years ago, Numbers. I didn't wait long before picking it up and read it rather quickly. Unfortunately this didn't quite live up to my expectations.
Maddie is more of a serious character, mature for a teenage girl, since she's dealing with issues in her home life. I definitely liked her, and I also enjoyed the idea that she could see people's death dates. The story itself though, was pretty unrealistic (besides the whole death-day-seeing thing) and also felt really predictable. I realized I knew what was going to happen next in every plot twist, and that made me just want to finish it off quickly.
It was still an entertaining read, but there wasn't much to the story that came as a surprise or felt that classified it as a "thriller" per se. Maybe it just wasn't for me. Overall though, it was an okay read, but my favorite part of it is definitely the cover.
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