The Innocents Review

The Innocents
by Lili Peloquin
Genre: YA
Format: ARC (picked up at BEA)
Midnight Minute: Two sisters find themselves in Cruel Intentions meets Gossip Girl meets Rebecca with a small helping of The Great Gatsby.
From Goodreads:

Nothing ever came between sisters Alice and Charlie.
Friends didn't.
Boys couldn't.
Their family falling apart never would.
Until they got to Serenity Point.

In a town built on secrets and lies, it's going to be hard to stay innocent.
They're sucked into a strange and seductive world—a world they can't help but hate, and can't help but love. A world that threatens to tear them apart, just when they need each other the most.
The Innocents is the first in a new series of young adult novels that weave a saga of nail-biting drama, breathless romance, and Gothic mystery.

Midnight Thoughts:

~There are just not enough books featuring sisters.  I really liked the relationship between Alice and Charlie, it was complex and realistic. 
~What is it with all the granola eating, hippy moms in YA books?  Fortunately, or unfortunately as the case may be, Alice and Charlie's mom adapts pretty quickly to being rich.
~Even though it's not set in the Hamptons, it felt like it was set in the Hamptons.  If that makes sense?
~The parents of the teens are fairly liberal with their children's freedom- they are allowed to drink openly but are expected to not get in trouble.  I rather like that idea, because I think part of the problem with teen drinking is that it's so taboo that kids make a big deal out of drinking.  Then again, most teenagers are idiots and can't be trusted, so I'm torn.  
~There's a quote from the book about how the house the sisters are now living in is devoid of any pictures of their stepfather's former family- his deceased wife and daughter, but that by the complete and utter absence of items, they've become a presence.
~ When I picked up this book from BEA, I totally thought it was going to be a historical YA like Venom (which I picked up at the same time).  I loved the cover with the picture frames (and I've seen the official hardcover book and it's got great texture to the frames), they felt ornate and antique, but the book is very much a contemporary novel.  But-
~ There's a lot of stuff going on in the novel- there's mystery, romance, and the basic theme of growing up and dealing with change.  I'm actually glad the novel wasn't what I thought it'd be.  
~ I expected that I'd dislike Charlie, because I'm totally an Alice, and while Charlie makes a lot of stupid mistakes, as does Alice, I was able to identify with both of them.  I found myself rooting for both of them, despite the different dreams the girls had.  
~ I don't care how hot a guy is, if he's messing around with his cousin in a sexual way, you need to stay away from him.  Okay, I guess it's okay if he's really hot.  Just, have some standards, ladies!
- One of the notes that I wrote in the beginning: Alice is stuck in a gothic Rebecca like storyline, while Charlie is the Gatsby figure to Jude as Daisy, and The Great Gatsby is referenced several times in the book.
~ I was a disappointed by Alice's complete dismissal of her long-distance boyfriend.  However, teens do not always end relationships the right way, so it's realistic.  Not to say that people get better at ending relationships as they get older, because they really don't.
~ The one thing both sisters have in common is how freaking naive they are when it comes to the boys they like- both put up with a lot of crazy shiz from Tommy and Jude, and both ignore the guys who are actually willing to pay them the attention they deserve.  Sadly, this too is pretty realistic.  

Timeless Characters:

Alice- the older sister, quiet and content to be a bookworm. 
Charlie- younger and wilder, she is drawn to the bad boy with the very messed up relationship with his cousin. 
Richard- stepfather.  A common nick name for Richard is "Dick".  Sometimes character's names are very important and descriptive. 
Margaret (Maggie)- former granola mom, now a country club mom.  Her name perhaps should have been Richard too.
Camilla- Richard's dead daughter, Alice becomes pretty obsessed with her.
Tommy- Camilla's ex, Alice becomes pretty obsessed with him too, mostly, I think, because of his connection to Camilla. Tommy is practically a Kennedy, and by that I mean the scandal ridden Kennedys and not the idealistic "Camelot" Kennedys. 
Jude- he's the bad boy who Charlie is interested in. He's hot, he's troubled and he's unavailable.  So, expect to swoon. ;)
Stan- the token poor boy who works at the country club, is cute and decent and likes Charlie.  At first I was troubled why any author would name a potential hottie love interest Stan (no offense to those named Stan, married or dating Stans, or anyone who has named a kid, Stan- I'll just assume it was a family name), but his full name is Stanislav which is much hotter.  So, if you're name is Stan, just add an "islav" to the end to up your Hotness Number.
Cybil- Jude's cousin and It Girl. Both friend and rival to Charlie.  She actually grew on me... like the bathroom mold you just learn to live with even though it might kill you because you're too lazy to just hose it down with bleach.
Bianca and Sasha- friends of Cybil, whom she finds fairly interchangeable, which you will too.
 

Midnight Moment:

The conversation Alice overhears her mom having with her stepfather.  I knew some poo was up, but wow!  I often say it and it's true: people are interesting.  They have layers, some are onions like Shrek, and some are delicious parfaits, like Donkey.

Stop The Clock:

I really enjoyed this book.  The cover (and the ones I've seen of the future books) are gorgeous!  I will be continuing with the series because there's still a lot to uncover and I'm invested.  As much as I like reading series, I've given myself permission to break up with a series if it's not grabbing my attention.  The Innocents grabbed my attention.



Lili Peloquin — Goodreads | I could not find an official website for the author

The Innocents gets a Midnight Book Rating of: