This book had a really interesting premise. But how on EARTH does somebody with a fake identity have enough money to live in NYC after running away from her parents? Seriously. The epilogue should have been left out of this book entirely. ( )

What did I just read??? ( )

Damage Done/Amanda Panitch This book is about a teenage girl who's forming a new identity when a figment from her past comes back to supposedly haunt her.
 
I couldn't put this book down once I'd started, and ended up reading it through class because I had to know what would happen. Panitch did an incredible job with the voice of this story and with keeping tension high throughout the story.
 
Julia's realizations about love and the way she goes about exploring the manner of relationships and the way people feel are very poignant and well written. The two decisions she makes in the final chapter will have me thinking for a while about her values and priorities and how she was thinking in those moments.
 
I would have liked seeing Julia's relationship with Michael built up a little more as it felt like they dove in but had no real reason for the depth of emotion they had. However, Julia and Alane's relationship felt very real
 
I enjoyed the way the book was set up, with Julia being a first person narrator but with reports from a psychologist interspersed between her chapters. This added an outside perspective that was quite honest, and even though he didn't get much space, I felt like I understood his motives quite well.
 
I loved the details Julia gave throughout the novel that sparked little bells in me head and had me wondering. The air of uncertainty was palpable. Details that she'd learned, too, such as her thoughts about lies, came back later to be haunting. I was impressed with the manner of writing and the way each thread became part of the bigger picture.
 
Though I was able to predict the ending of the book pretty early on, this still had me tense and at the edge of my seat, and I recommend it.
 
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

V.C. Andrews would, I imagine, totally dig this book and the magnetic-(Fatal Attraction to a whole new level) relationship that underlines this whole story.

The narrator's voice and the story she tells is both captivating and beguiling, kind of like a Venus flytrap.

For my complete review - http://www.nicoleolea.com/damage-done-by-amanda-panitch/ ( )

Perfect if you like disturbing stories. Not my cup of tea. Had me until half way through then I started to guess where it was heading and had to get through the rest of the story to get to the truth. There is no liking the character Julia/Lucy. Unfortunately people like her may exist. ( )