“Because you're fresh air," he says. "Being around you, hearing your music and listening to you talk, watching you smile...it makes me forget all the bad in the world.”
― Alexandra Monir, The Girl in the Picture

I do so love YA books that are both well written AND incredibly moving.

If you like your YA novels haunting with a dose of mystery and paranormal you are going to love The girl in the picture.

This is a campus novel. The plot revolves around one of the students, Chace who is found murdered.
The only clue the police have to go on is a picture .You see, Chace was dating Lana but the picture in question is not of Lana. It is of Chace with her roommate..a quiet, rather awkward, musically gifted girl named Nicole who, as far as everyone knew, barely knew Chace.

What really happened that night? Why is there a picture of Chace with his girlfriend's roommate? And what else is going to happen?

This was a great four star read. way more haunting then most YA mysteries. I also loved the extra magical element in it too. This was a bittersweet, mournful book that I loved.

I am glad the writer did not descend into cliches. Both girls were portrayed as very human. This is not a story of one good girl and one evil. Both are interesting and vulnerable people.

If there is one thing that REALLY makes it stand out, it is how music is incorporated and interwoven into the plot. That just made the story soar. There is a Metaphysical and spiritual element to Girl in the picture that differentiates it from the typical YA mystery.

It's the perfect YA mystery..highly recommended. ( )

Enjoyable mystery but too much was made of the disfiguring scar on Nicole’s face and it didn’t really have much to actually do with the story. I thought there would be more to the actual explanation. I did enjoy the multiple perspectives. ( )

Engrossing, well crafted, sad at the end. This story pits a very gifted violinist on scholarship at a fancy private school against her roommate, powerful politicians and others I won't mention. Nicole Morgan did everything she could not to fall in love with Chase, but fate had other ideas. She endured a nighttime fall that left her disfigured, anger and shaming from nearly every other students and evidence she cannot explain following Chase's murder. How it all sorts out makes for one heck of a read. ( )

Entertaining enough to somehow keep me reading, that's why I'm giving it two stars instead of one. However, characters were cardboard. Granted, they tried really hard to be 3-D but it just didn't happen. Cliche characters. Cliche plot. Cliche ending. The only thing I liked was when two people worked together in the end. I wish that could have been expanded upon as that would have been the better story. ( )

I'm not sure what gave me the impression this was going to be a book on supernatural events now I reread the summary. While I wasn't entirely wrong, this was the sort of book that had a little of each genre. Unfortunately, it didn't excel in any of them.

Chace is found dead and the story is confusing. Who'd want to kill him? Until the pictures of him and another girl leak, making The Girl in the Picture and his official girlfriend persons of interest.

The book is narrated by both girls, telling us the story on two times starting from when they met Chace and from when they find the news. I usually don't like alternated POVs but the voices were different enough. At the same time, Lana's was exaggerated and that really killed her character for me.

I loved the first scene but then it takes a while for you to get into the story. It did grip me at some point. Also, this was a quick read. Once you get through the first quarter or third, you probably won't stop.

However, the hints and twists weren't enticing enough to make me hold my breath. This is no memorable thriller. You can guess the whole backstory from the second chapter, so all the flashbacks felt dragging, and the romance failed to swoon me over.

At last, I didn't like the answer to what happened to Chace. I wonder why it turned out like that when there were a couple of explanations with fewer holes. Really, it left me wondering whether the author was forced into a plan C. It was a pity, as I expected a much detailed reason for all. Not that it was bad, just disappointing.

So, this was a pleasant reading. I had a good time and plan to read more from this author. In addition, I feel the genres blended well, even if they didn't make one another glow. I was hoping for something with more oomph but this was nice. I recommend to those who don't have problems with a bit of melodrama in your story.

(Review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. I want to also thank the publisher for giving me this opportunity.) ( )