Everything You Want Me to Be ~ Reviewed by Elizabeth Barnes

"You turn into someone else, a crowd of someone else's, and it makes me wonder if there's any such thing as Hattie Hoffman."





To Hattie's parents, she is the perfect daughter, the outgoing Minnesota farm girl who does quite well in school and rarely ever causes any trouble. To her friends, Hattie is the best listener who is always there for each and every one of them. Her boyfriend, thinks she is a sweet and loving girl who is hesitant and too pure to go "all the way." Peter Lund, her English teacher, thinks she is a predator, and an "over-sexed" psychopath who will stop at nothing to have him. And the creepy part is, he wants to let her.

In Sheriff Del Goodman's opinion, Hattie Hoffman is a murder victim. Someone stabbed an eighteen year old rising actress and threw her body into a lake one chilly, Minnesota night. But the main question is, who? The key to find her killer is in discovering her true self, the true Hattie Hoffman. Someone she never knew until it was too late.

I have to say that this was the best thriller that I have read in quite a long time. I felt like Hattie's character was so complex and fantastic and a character that I could relate to in the first few chapters. I rooted for her, and I also wanted to strangle her in some parts. The detective Del, was a perfect character in this book and how he was rough around the edges in a mid-west sort of way.

This book is completely surprising and suspenseful in a manner that is also very realistic. The authors skill was also spot on.

I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy.