Dawn KlehrCritiques

Totally surprised me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this cute summer read by Dawn Klehr! Gosh, this was so cute! This is the perfect book for anyone looking for a light beach read featuring frenemies turning to lovers. Rebel and Justice are adorable as a couple just in their own right... I love a good sassy female lead, and Justice has a heart of gold.

But I particularly loved the way both characters are working on their own issues, and Klehr hwas woven in deeper themes. Rebel still obsesses over safety, to the point of some serious anxiety after the death of one of her fathers. Justice has been kicked off the football team. And additionally, one of my favorite things was the way Dawn Klehr looked at their acceptance of their father's decision to date. Rebel, who has always had two dads, sees it as a non-issue. Justice has had an entirely differently experience, a dad who was married to his mother for twenty years and has only just now come to terms with who he truly his, which obviously takes more time for Justice to get used to. That contrast of the two teens in different circumstances was really nice to see illustrated. Really good book, recommended for teens!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author.

Please excuse typos. Entered on screen reader.

// Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review //

"You can't help anyone if you don't help yourself first."

A classic. . . not so cliche . . .but actually is . . . story.

The survival tips before every other chapter or so in this book is so creative and cute. It's like saying that every teenager needs tips to survive (which is true). The plot is very relatable, and even though the first part was pretty much cliche, towards the end it started to talk more about life topics and it was a good transition. I did not find the writing style boring at all, I actually dig it.

A character named Rebel was something very. . . uh. . . unique. Though I didn't know she was a character in the story for quite some time while reading it.

Essentially, the whole idea of the book is on of those cliche stories that has it's own creativity and uniqueness and somehow keeps it from being too cliche and cheesy all together. I enjoyed this version of the bad boy - good girl trope.

"sometimes love is inconvenient"
- do what you want but rememebr that there are other people in your life as well

(This review can be found on my blog The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl).


When I read the synopsis of this book, I was definitely intrigued. When the opportunity arrived to review this book, I decided I'd take a chance on it. While I wasn't overly impressed with the book, it was still an alright read.

The title suits the book well. The chapters titles are written like a script and sometimes include blocking directions. (If you're not familiar with drama terms, you may want to look that up). The main characters are drama geeks as well.

I do like the cover! It's definitely eye catching, and it made me want to pick this book up.

I didn't really have a problem with the world building. I felt like the world building was done rather well except I didn't like how Riley seemed to find every girl she came across as hot. That just doesn't happen in real life, yet it happened to Riley in this book.

I felt like the pacing was a bit slow in this book. At times I was debating with whether or not I should carry on. However, there are some parts of this book where the pacing does pick up, especially towards the end., so not all hope is lost.

I found the plot line to be interesting enough. I was a drama geek in school, so the plot suited me. There was the whole muder mystery thing with Riley's favorite teacher, Riley's confusion about her sexuality, and Dez's stalker crush on Riley going on. I definitely wanted to know how things would play out.

I thought the characters were written fairly well. As I've said before, I didn't like how the author made it seem like Riley was hot for every girl she came across. Saying that, I did like Riley though. Everything about her (minus liking every girl) felt real, and her confusion was very realistic. I didn't like Dez. I felt he was way too controlling when it came for Riley and that he was super selfish. In fact, I'd even go as far as calling him scary. He was always there for Riley but only because he was a stalker. There's not one thing I liked about Dez.

The dialogue flowed smoothly, and all interactions between characters felt realistic. There is some swearing in this book, but it's not over the top.

Overall, The Cutting Room Floor is a decent read. The pacing could do with some work as it does come across as a bit dull some of the time. However, the plot itself is interesting.

I'd recommend this book to those aged 14 who want a book to read to help them pass the time.

I'd give The Cutting Room Floor by Dawn Klehr a 3.5 out of 5.


(I was provided with a free paperback of this title from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review).

Originally Reviewed At: Mother/Gamer/Writer
Rating: 4 out of 5 Controllers
Review Source: Blog Tour
Reviewer: Me


The Cutting Room Floor is absolutely insane. I’m still not sure if this novel is good or bad, however I couldn’t put the book down and found myself glued to the pages until I devoured every last sentence. From the very beginning when we are introduced to the CRAZY Dez, I became hooked on his words and his twisted love affair with his best friend Riley. Told from alternating point-of-view’s, readers are given the chance to glimpse into the lives of two very different characters. One with messed up, almost psycho, control issues and the other is in the middle of an identity crisis. But both are trying to find love, connections, and themselves.

Enter Stage Left – Desmond: The borderline psychotic best friend who has been crushing on his best friend since they first met and always acts like his life is one big movie. A guy who is always in control, and when he’s not, he manipulates everyone around him to make sure all the pawns on the chess board are perfectly positioned so he can win the game. Whatever his goals are, whatever thing he currently wants, he will find a way to get. No matter how devious his actions may be. I found myself liking him. A lot. And it wasn’t because I empathized with his character nor because I understood his reasoning for doing what he did, I was simply drawn to him by his thought process. His almost criminal like behavior, and ability to get people to do his bidding. He thinks like the possessive person from the Lifetime Movie. The one who will do anything to get the girl, even if it means killing her sanity, making her doubt herself, and chasing away all the people she cares about. I loved him because he was crazy.

Enter Stage Right – Riley: The girl with the major identity crisis. Poor Riley. I enjoyed reading her character and watching her confusion play out throughout the novel. She longed to find herself in the small community and high school that was on the brink of an identity crisis itself. Riley is one character who I really just wanted to give a million hugs. Klehr did a wonderful job of showing the cruelty of high school. There were several times where I had flashbacks to those days when I would get picked on because of my race. And when teachers and the community does nothing about the ongoing humiliating situations, it makes it worse. I truly felt for Riley. Because I understand that you can’t be who you are when you are constantly being judged and told that your differences, the things that make you who you are, are wrong. Even though she went back and forth with her “am I truly gay” stance, I thought her reactions and thought process were pretty accurate. But most of all, heart breaking. And the constant manipulation by her supposedly “best friend” make it all the more cringe worthy.

Overall, I think The Cutting Room Floor is unique and very different from a lot of the stories already on your bookshelf. The overall plot is not a shabby one. The mystery surrounding the teachers death is pretty well hidden and not an easy one to decipher. I can appreciate the author adding this bit of a “whodunit” to a story that already had so much obsession and betrayal. I recommend it to any fan of mystery/thrillers who loves a good obsessive character with stalker and borderline psychotic tenancies. Oh and did I mention, Dez’s POV reads like a movie script? Truly genius!

“If I knew then what I know now, I never would’ve sent that text. I wouldn’t have done a lot of things. Yeah, if my life were a movie, I’d go back and edit out all the bad stuff. Leave it all on the cutting room floor.

But I can’t. And now I will have to pay.

Big time.”

~Dez, p. 7 of The Cutting Room Floor

Dez and Riley grew up as next door neighbors in the Heights, and they’ve always been close friends. But Dez secretly loves Riley. In fact, it’s more like an obsession. Dez goes to great lengths to interfere with Riley’s love life behind the scenes in the hopes that they end up together. But the problem is that Riley only sees him as a friend. She still has feelings for her ex, Emma, even though Emma outed her to the school and sent her to “social death row”. Tori, mean girl and mayor’s daughter, makes Riley’s life miserable as much as possible and teachers ingore the verbal abuse she endures.

The only teacher that Riley has ever trusted and truly connected with, Mrs. Dunn, was brutally murdered inside the school. Riley starts investigating the circumstances surrounding Mrs. Dunn’s death and makes some shocking discoveries that make her start questioning who she can really trust. She also discovers how Mrs. Dunn was connected to the mayor, which causes her to dig even further for clues and attempt to be friendly with Tori in order to gather more evidence.

The Cutting Room Floor was an intriguing, suspenseful read that kept me entertained as the clues unraveled and multiple characters became suspects. I really enjoyed the interesting use of the filmmaking theme--many scenes were written as if you’re seeing through the eyes of a film director. Flashback sequences were included frequently to reveal characters’ backstories. Also, the point of view switched back and forth between Dez and Riley, which kept things interesting and moved the plot along. There were a lot of secondary characters to keep track of, but Stella really stood out as someone who was a great friend to Riley and who accepted her for who she was. While some of the characters seemed a bit over the top, Stella seemed pretty normal and believable.

As a librarian, I think it has high teen appeal with its themes of bullying, self-discovery, and pursuing your passion. But older readers looking for a suspenseful thriller will also find something to enjoy.