By Lisa Unger
ISBN: 9781451691207
Publisher: Touchstone
Publication Date: 2/15/2015
Format: Audio
My Rating: 5 Stars
No one writes “good scary fun” (The Washington Post) better than New York Times bestselling master of psychological suspense Lisa Unger. With more than 1.7 million books sold in more than thirty countries, it’s clear why USA TODAY declared that her thrillers “should be on everyone’s to-read list.”
Falling in love can feel like a dream…or a living nightmare.
Darkness has a way of creeping up when Ian is with Priss. Even when they were kids, playing in the woods of their small Upstate New York town, he could feel it. Still, Priss was his best friend, his salvation from the bullies who called him “loser” and “fatboy”…and from his family’s deadly secrets.
Now that they’ve both escaped to New York City, Ian no longer inhabits the tortured shell of his childhood. He is a talented and successful graphic novelist, and Priss…Priss is still trouble. The booze, the drugs, the sex—Ian is growing tired of late nights together trying to keep the past at bay. Especially now that he’s met sweet, beautiful Megan, whose love makes him want to change for the better. But Priss doesn’t like change. Change makes her angry. And when Priss is angry, terrible things begin to happen…
My Review
Wow, was it fun, fun, fun to catch up with Lisa Unger’s Fatboy and Priss, in this much awaited psychological thriller, CRAZY LOVE YOU--which I devoured in one day! THE WHISPERS: If you have read the other titles leading up to the main attraction with teasers, introduced in the novellas--the writer, creator, and illustrator, Ian Paine. He is now a successful graphic novelist, with a famous comic series featuring characters: Fatboy and Priss. In his popular series, Fatboy is fat, a nerd, and a loser. Priss is smoking hot, a sexy red head and a favorite among all the teenage and adolescent boys. The fans are unaware, Ian was Fatboy, and Priss was his only childhood friend and salvation. Two souls, with a tragic childhood, lost in the small town called, The Hollows outside of New York. Fatboy had a difficult childhood bullied at school his entire life. It is only when he left the town, worked out, lost weight, new clothes, apartment, new haircut, identity, did he become a successful novelists living in New York, a changed man. (with unhealthy addictions). Priss was always there for him, when no one else was. However, now that he is successful and independent, does he still need Priss? She is always there tempting him and pulling him in. Is she a real person, or just an imaginary friend he created when he was younger? Ian meets a new gal (a nanny) at the park named Megan. Megan is the nice girl, who comes from a good family, unlike his own dysfunctional one. He wants this life so bad; however, Priss continues to draw him into her world. As the relationship between Megan and Ian grows and becomes more serious, Priss is threatened, making Ian feel more insecure and pulls him back to the Hollows, a place where he never wants to find himself again. After he has worked too hard to escape the whispers, the voices, his childhood, the memories, and the negativity of this small town. With flashbacks from Ian’s childhood years to the present, we learn of more destruction. From his mom with mental illness, a dead sister, a dad which is emotionally removed, and a grandmother which used food for comfort. What about Priss, her role? Now, Megan is in danger and Ian may lose everything with self-destructive behavior, unless he confronts his past to find the real reason behind his relationship with Priss and The Hollows. What does Priss really want and is he strong enough to face the future, and have a normal relationship with Megan and a future family. As Ian’s present and personal life, collides with his fantasy characters –readers will be glued to the pages to learn the final fate of these two partners in crime. You will learn of the horror of Priss' childhood and why these two were bound emotionally, to one another. A fast-paced suspense psychological thriller, leaving you guessing reality versus fiction, and good versus evil. CRAZY LOVE YOU can be read as a standalone; however, would recommend reading the novellas in order to get a good ideas of the craziness of The Hollows. All are 4-5 star thrillers and Lisa Unger has some creative imagination! The Whispers is an e-novella in three-parts, spanning 30 years in the life of Eloise Montgomery, who discovers her amazing gift in the wake of tragedy. Its tendrils reach back to FRAGILE, the novel in which Eloise first appeared, and ahead to CRAZY LOVE YOU.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Jeremy Bobb, with a perfectly matched voice for Ian for an outstanding performance. This is definitely one you will not want to put down.
Review Links:
