Review: "The Girl She Used To Be" by David Cristofano

Book: "The Girl She Used to Be"
Author:  David Crisofano
Rating: 3 our of 5 Mulberries 

When Melody Grace McCartney was six years old, she and her parents witnessed an act of violence so brutal that it changed their lives forever. The federal government lured them into the Witness Protection Program with the promise of safety, and they went gratefully. But the program took Melody's name, her home, her innocence, and, ultimately, her family. She's been May Adams, Karen Smith, Anne Johnson, and countless others—everyone but the one person she longs to be: herself. So when the feds spirit her off to begin yet another new life in another town, she's stunned when a man confronts her and calls her by her real name. Jonathan Bovaro, the mafioso sent to hunt her down, knows her, the real her, and it's a dangerous thrill that Melody can't resist. He's insistent that she's just a pawn in the government's war against the Bovaro family. But can she trust her life and her identity to this vicious stranger whose acts of violence are legendary?

"The Girl She Used to Be," a romantic suspense novel by debut author David Crisofano, was a fascinating glimpse into the Witness Protection Program.  Melody Grace was placed in The Witness Protection Program at the early age of 6 and yearns for her identity. Now, at age 26, Melody is transported to her newest location, only to be discovered by the mob who is determined to end her life. But her captor, Jonathan Bovaro, complicates things -- because she falls in love.

Overall, the pacing was well done and I sympathized with the protagonist, Melody. Still, once she met Jonathan, I found myself rolling my eyes. Their relationship was not believable to me and she fell for him way too quickly after supposedly saving herself for Mr. Right. And she was a bit whiny.


"The Girl She Used to Be" was a short, fast read and the ending was sweet and sappy. This book will make some girls swoon, to be sure, I just wasn't too into Jonathan. I think some part of me preferred the Marshall -- the "good" character who was supposed to be boring. Ah well, the ending brought some tears to my eyes and so I was at least partly moved by Melody and Jonathan's star crossed relationship.


Not quite my genre of choice, but well written with a unique plot and interesting backdrop, I recommend "The Girl She Used to Be" with three of five mulberries.

Review: "My Blood Approves" by Amanda Hocking

Book: My Blood Approves
Author: Amanda Hocking
Rating: 3 out of 5 Mulberries

   "My Blood Approves," is a young adult paranormal book by Amanda Hocking. Alice, an ordinary teenager with a love for indie music, meets Jack, a converse-wearing vampire whom she's initially only mildly interesting in. This is meant to be Jack's hook - Alice doesn't respond to him the way other human girls do. What ensues is a relationship that forms slowly, naturally -- that is, until Alice meets Jack's vampire "brother," Peter. The whole of the first book is Alice's struggle with whether she's meant to be with Jack or with Peter.

    Alice was an okay protagonist, she worked, but was definitely not the hook for me. I kept forgetting her name. Jack, the "good," lovable vampire, was sweet. I appreciated that we got to see different sides of him, like when he was immature and goofy and just wanted to play video games or go see Rocky Horror with Alice, but then he got angry at Peter's attraction to Alice. It was only after seeing Jack's full range of emotions that I decided Jack was a worthy love interest for Alice.

   Still, I fall into the brooding "bad boy" appreciation camp, and Peter was so incredibly moody and dangerous that I just wanted to read more about him and Alice's magnetic, physical attraction. I was a little disappointed that his role in this book was relegated to the sidelines. Admittedly, that's the main reason for wanting to read the next book, so if it was a device used on purpose, it worked.

    I give "My Blood Approves" three stars out of five because I see a lot of potential for the series. There were some grammatical mistakes sprinkled throughout, but that didn't detract from the plot. The book was slow in a lot of spots, usually the scenes when Alice and Jack hang out just for the sake of hanging out and nothing happens that contributes to the main plot. I was rolling my eyes for the first half of the book, but by the end, I wanted more. More Peter, please! Bravo, Amanda.

The Mulberry Review

Hi everyone, my name is Clarice. I'm an avid reader and I dabble in writing the occasional short story. I dream of someday writing a novel, but in the meantime, read, read, and read. My genre of preference is young adult: fantasy, science fiction, paranormal, and urban dystopian. I have an MA in Comparative Literature from Dartmouth College and have been reading since I was a little girl. I've spent so much time reading highbrow "literature," that I needed an outlet to talk about what it is I mostly enjoy reading -- young adult fiction! So here I am, world, and here's my blog, The Mulberry Review.

Thanks for stopping by my blog! I hope to pick out some choice books; Happy Mulberry Picking!