Review: Paradise Girl: A gripping psychological drama, by Phill Featherstone

Title: Paradise Girl: A gripping psychological drama
Author: Phill Featherstone
Format: ebook
Source: BookSirens

From Goodreads: "A fatal virus ravages Kerryl's community, wiping out her friends and family.

Left on her own, it isn't long before she starts to lose her grip on reality. She's convinced that she, too, will soon fall prey to the infection, and decides to record in a diary what she thinks will be her last days.

She imagines a reader, and calls him Adam. As the empty days pass, Adam becomes increasingly real to her until his presence dominates her life and she becomes emotionally obsessed by him. She is elated when she receives what she thinks is an invitation from him to a date at a local beauty spot, and sets out across the moor to meet Adam, and her fate.

'The truth is blurred in this captivating psychological thriller, which saves its final surprise until a twist at the very end.'

Paradise Girl has received 'Chill With a Book' Readers' and Book of the Month Awards, an Indie BRAG Medallion, and is a finalist in the Wishing Shelf 2018 Awards."

My Opinion: I will admit to feeling a bit of trepidation when I read the synopsis of this book because I wasn't sure if a book told in diary form, from the viewpoint of a completely isolated teenage girl (who may or may not be the only survivor from her neck of the woods (Yorkshire, England) following the outbreak of a devastating and deadly virus), would be able to hold my interest, but boy was I wrong to worry!! I enjoyed the story so much it took me by surprise.  "A gripping psychological drama" is the perfect description of this book. The writing was amazing, the world building enticing enough to make me want to jump on a plane immediately and visit the moors of Yorkshire, and the pacing perfect. Not to be sexist, but I was very, very surprised that an adult man could get into the mind of a teenage girl with such accuracy, but he certainly nailed it.

This story grabbed me from the beginning and didn't let go until the very last page, and actually stayed with me long after that. The word that comes to mind when I think about it now is "haunting."

In summary, I highly recommend this book to YA fans of dystopian fiction and truly gripping psychological drama. I'm giving it a very enthusiastic 5/5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free of charge from BookSirens in exchange for my honest review.