Deadly Little Review

I recently read Deadly Little Lies, the sequel to Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Faria Stolarz, books 1 and 2 in the Touch series. 

From Goodreads:
 Some secrets shouldn't be kept... Up until three months ago, everything in sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at the art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes anything but ordinary.
Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She's reluctant to believe the rumors, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. She's inexplicably drawn to Ben...and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help--but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something... but he's not the only one with a secret.
From the best-selling author of Blue is for Nightmares comes a story of paranormal romance that's sure to be a thrilling and chilling teen favorite.

 From Goodreads:
Last fall, sixteen-year-old Camelia fell for Ben, the mysterious new boy at school who turned out to have a very mysterious gift--pyschometry, the ability to sense the future through touch. But just as Camelia and Ben's romance began to heat up, he abruptly left town. Brokenhearted, Camelia has spent the last few months studying everything she can about psychometry, and experiencing her own strange brushes with premonition. Camelia wonders if Ben's abilities have somehow rubbed off on her. Can the power of psychometry be transferred? Even once Ben returns to school, Camelia can't get close enough to share her secret with him. Despite the romantic tension between them, Ben remains aloof, avoiding contact. Then when an unexpected kiss leads to a frightening argument, Camelia makes the painful decision to let Ben go and move on. Adam, the hot new guy at work, seems good for her in ways Ben wasn't. Adam is easygoing, and seems to really care about her. But when Camelia and Adam start dating, a surprising love triangle results. A chilling sequence of events upturns secrets from Ben's past--and Adam's. Someone is lying, and it-s up to Camelia to figure out who-before it-s too late.

My Thoughts:

I read the first book in the Touch series several months ago, and while I enjoyed it I had a hard time remembering more than just the basic storyline.  When I picked up Deadly Little Lies it took me awhile to climb back into the world of Camelia and Ben, and I was distracted a bit by the similarities to many other YA series. First off, Camelia's two best friends could be the two best friends out of almost any and every YA book I've read recently- the silly, slightly air-headed and almost certainly boy crazy girl friend, and the awesome, witty, sometimes in the closet gay male friend.  Why YA heroines can't ever have lesbian friends or straight male friends not in love with them, I do not know.   And then there are the distracted parents, who care but are far too caught up in their own drama.


But there is enough differences to set the Touch novels apart.  First, Ben has a wonderful and unusual gift that does not require him to shape shift or sparkle in the sun. (His gift is very similar to that of Michael's in The Witching Hour by Anne Rice, which I adore and recommend to anyone, but please  feel free to skip the craptasic sequels) And while Camelia is attracted to Ben she is quite able to function without him.  And yes, her parents are too caught up in their drama to miss how often their daughter is stalked by some freak, but in the second novel their drama and Camelia's drama are beginning to connect (tell me you're not dying to find out more about the suicidal Aunt!).  I do however get tired of Ben and his hot and cold routine.  I just long to lock him and Camelia in a room and make them talk for hours and hours.    


It turns out I finished the second novel just in time, as the third one just came out: 

Deadly Little Games

Are these some pretty covers or what? 


I do plan to continue with the series, and I would recommend to any YA fan out there, especially if you like a little paranormal thrown into the mix.  


Deadly Little Secret and Deadly Little Lies gets a Midnight Book Rating of 10:30 pm.  Great, fast reads, although you may want to slap some of the characters time to time (I'm talking about you, Ben, and Camelia's parental units).