Meg Cabot

Jenny Carroll

When cheerleader Amber Mackey goes missing and is later found dead, many blame Jess for not stopping the brutal killing.

Safe House

Ebony Cropper

"I didn't know about the dead girl until the first day of school." 

Well I was hooked by the first line obviously. This was one of my favourite of the series so far. There was multiple moments I flicked back pages on my kindle to reread scenes that unravelled. 

Jess Mastriani was starting her Junior year and hoped to start it off right. New wardrobe, new attitude, no fights and to stay out of trouble. Well of course that went out the window when she pinned a cheerleader up against the wall and elbowed a football player in the throat. Let's say it did not get easier from there. 

This book Jess had to contend with teenage girls from her school going missing, murder investigations, her powers evolving, evading the FBI, a abandoned first house in the middle of the woods and unidentified people burning down something near and dear to her... all in a days work hey? 

We were introduced to new characters, new relationship dynamics, new crushes and still the same high school enemies. I loved how amongst the ESP crazy Jess had to navigate multiple boys asking her out. But of course I am always rooting for Mr Rob Wilkins, forever getting dragged into the madness of Jessica's life and forever making our hearts melt each time we meet him in the book. How did Jess's over bearing Mum react when she finally learned about Rob? Well that would be telling. 

So much character development, relationship evolution and the stakes just kept getting higher and higher in this book when the lives of people Jess had grew up with were literally hanging in the balance. 

I do not think I will get over this book and I don't think I'll ever stop rooting for Jess and Rob to finally be able to be together properly.

Safe House (1-800-Where-R-You #3)

Southern Today Gone Tomorrow

** spoiler alert **
           I was going to review books 2-5 individually. I promise I was.

But, I could not get through them. I started skimming. Skimming real bad.

Why?

Well, I didn’t just quit because the premise was interesting – struck by lightning and now she can find missing people. Plus, I have read almost everything else by Meg Cabot.

But, I just hate Jess, the main character. She is just TOO sassy. Sincerely. And how the FBI is obsessed by her. And it is very much something written for young adults, but with way too much sexualization.

But, the redeeming factor in this novel? Rob, the love interest. He is a real person. He is believable. He is loveable.

Okay, so, the first book was reviewed here.

The second book, Code Name Cassandra, was interesting and better than the first because Jess became a more realistic character as a camp counselor where a father who lost his daughter finds her. We get Rob again, and this short book is well paced and actually interesting. I enjoyed this book.

The third book, Safe House, is where is started to go down hill. People, well, one person, was killed. No, please, don’t go this route (15 years after it was released). This just goes off the deep end for a story. Again, Rob saves it. Honestly, I wish this story was actually told from his perspective.

The fourth book, Sanctuary, is again a murder mystery. This time with a deranged group killing teens. Just, why? Why?

And the final book, 1-800-WHERE-ARE-YOU, goes back to what I really didn’t like in the later Princess Diaries books, even when I was into them. We pick up 3 years later, Jess is now 19, and guess what, she had been working for the FBI in the war, now has PTSS, lost her powers, oh and broke up with Rob. I LITERALLY SKIPPED TO THE END THEN WORKED BACKWARDS TO JUST READ SCENES WITH ROB. That was it. And when I did that, I realized that I would like this novel if it wasn’t connected to the rest. Because it was ALL Rob and Jess. And Jess finally grew up.

So, yeah, maybe only read the last one. The first to explain the last. And just, ignore everything in between.

One of the biggest issues I have is that the 4th book ends with Jess telling her parents that she and Rob are dating, and then WE NEVER SEE THEM TOGETHER AFTER THAT. The next book picks up, and Jess broke them off. And inconsistencies throughout the series from one book to another. Little things that you only pick up by reading them one after the other.

Safe House

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