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Published 13th February by RandomHouse Childrens Publishers UK

Thank you for the review copy via netgalley. BIG thank you.

Jess Tennant has now been living in Port Sentinel for three months, and is just beginning to relax and think of it as home after the murderous events of the summer. But in the small hours of a dark night, a teenage boy is left for dead by the side of the road. Seb Dawson has a serious head injury and may not survive – and Jess decides to find out who beat him up, and why?

So for those of you who have not yet read “How to Fall” do that first because that is the beginning of Jess Tennant’s adventures in Port Sentinel, and whilst you could quite happily read Bet Your Life on its own you will certainly get a lot more fun out of it if you have followed along from the start.

In this instalment, Jess is trying to keep her head down, living a quiet life with her family after the events of the first novel, but frankly I knew going in that this wouldnt last long simply by knowing the character – and I was right. Jess has a tendency to get involved simply by being in the right place at the wrong time..and once she has something in her head, despite her own best efforts its not going anywhere until she has fixed it. I love that about her.

This time she is caught up in some violent events after Seb Dawson, a guy she has had little dealings with, is found horrifically injured at the side of the road. When Seb’s sister begs her to find out what happened and why, Jess once more enters the maelstrom that is Port Sentinel and its people with all their hidden secrets and conflicts. At the same time she has to deal with her, quite frankly, complicated and messy love life whilst also keeping a weather eye on her mother who has man troubles of her own. Its all brilliantly compelling, wonderful to read and perfect for Young Adults. Of which I, of course, am one. Ok maybe not the young. Or even the adult. Still, I LOVED it.

I’ve always adored how Jane Casey sets up then develops her characters, both in her Young Adult books and her Maeve Kerrigan crime series,  in ways that get you truly involved in the lives they are living.

The mystery element of this one aside for a moment, I was utterly caught up in the ebb and flow of the daily revolving door of people going in and out of each others lives. I’m not just talking the romantic angle – although I’m right with Jess I can’t make up my mind either – Ryan or Will, Will or Ryan, I hovered between the two like a demented butterfly during the whole of this read – am pretty sure I’ve made my mind up now but hey, I’m sure there is more to come! I’m also talking about the personal relationships Jess forms with others around her – the “popular” girls from How To Fall are back, with added insight into their lives and what lies beneath the surface – and the adults that populate the story are JUST as well drawn and important to the whole as any of the teenagers. I may be a little in love with Dan. Just saying..

As for the mystery element, as always well done and intriguing with some beautiful little twists and turns, a healthy dose of irony and realism and enough suspicious characters to shake many sticks at – all done in a compelling and fascinating way that has you solving the clues right along with Jess.

Jess herself does not want to become known as the modern day Nancy Drew but sorry Jess in a way that is what you are, but with your own little quirks and definitely with added “kick ass”  . Either that or a teenage version of Jessica Fletcher. One thing is for sure I’M not going to live in Port Sentinel anytime soon, even though it sounds beautiful. I’ll watch and admire from afar.

Highly Recommended – we need more of this type of YA Crime fiction out there.

Happy Reading Folks!