143) Summer of Fear by Lois Duncan

Rachel can't remember ever meeting her cousin Julia and has doesn't even know what she looks like. Actually you could say she even forgets she has a cousin because they never see each other. Then there is an accident and suddenly Julia is moving in, sharing Rachel's room and anything else she can get hold of.

At first Rachel tries to like Julia but as the days go by she realises there is something strange about her cousin and how people treat her. Why can't anyone else see the evil behind Julia's every move? Is Rachel jealous or is there really something wrong with Julia?

Lois Duncan is an amazing young adult writer and she really knows how to grab the reader and give them an experience they won't forget. Summer of Fear builds up nicely taking the plot to a point of no return that keeps you guessing till the end. Thrilling and scary this story is something that could happen and is wonderfully realistic.

However on the other hand I found the story a bit old fashioned, which is to be expected seeing as this was written in the 70's. Also the story was over too quickly. The author could have stretched things out a bit and built up even more suspense but instead things went quiet fast.

A great read to keep in your bag when you need something quick to read. You can put this down and pick it up again without losing your place in the plot and as this is a young adult story it isn't too deep. All in all worth reading even if it is just to see what the genre had on offer back then. We have come a long way ;)