YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane comes a chilling mystery—Prep meets The Crucible.

It’s senior year at St. Joan’s Academy, and school is a pressure cooker. College applications, the battle for valedictorian, deciphering boys’ texts: Through it all, Colleen Rowley and her friends are expected to keep it together. Until they can’t.

First it’s the school’s queen bee, Clara Rutherford, who suddenly falls into uncontrollable tics in the middle of class. Her mystery illness quickly spreads to her closest clique of friends, then more students and symptoms follow: seizures, hair loss, violent coughing fits. St. Joan’s buzzes with rumor; rumor blossoms into full-blown panic.

Soon the media descends on Danvers, Massachusetts, as everyone scrambles to find something, or someone, to blame. Pollution? Stress? Or are the girls faking? Only Colleen—who’s been reading The Crucible for extra credit—comes to realize what nobody else has: Danvers was once Salem Village, where another group of girls suffered from a similarly bizarre epidemic three centuries ago . . .

Inspired by true events—from seventeenth-century colonial life to the halls of a modern-day high school—Conversion casts a spell. With her signature wit and passion, New York Times bestselling author Katherine Howe delivers an exciting and suspenseful novel, a chilling mystery that raises the question, what’s really happening to the girls at St. Joan’s?

Conversion by Katherine Howe will be our 5th GBR for August 2016.

Please read at your own pace, and hide any spoilers ☺ You are welcome to join at any time during the month ☺

Happy Reading Everybody!

Pre-Reading Questions -

Anybody got any thoughts on this one before we start?

Has anyone read anything similar to this before?

Anybody read anything else by this author previously?

Prep is one of my favourite reads, and I love The Crucible so I'm intrigued to see how this works out. My Wi-Fi access might be limited around this time of my holiday, but I'll post comments/review when I can.

the book sounds intriguing! I need a copy asap :)

I would like to try this one as well!

Read this last year, was not a fan. This will be the only GBR that i will not be reading in the challenge.

Joining :) I got this one already, I love my library they always come through.

I've read some less-than-impressed reviews of this one but it's available at my library so I guess I'll see what I think of it.

30% (view spoiler)[Ok so the writing can be awkward but I like the plot so far. I don't trust any of the other characters, except maybe Spence, Deena and Anjali. I really dislike Jennifer Crawford. Until we get some backstory, she doesn't appear to have any reason to be so openly hostile towards Clara and her friends. It bothers me, especially after their incidents and who much scrutiny they now have to deal with. (hide spoiler)]

This is a bit dull so far.

Just started 12% (view spoiler)[ What is Emma's deal? She's acting very suspicious. I'm curious about Ann too. (hide spoiler)]

17% (view spoiler)[ not really sure what these flashbacks are about. they're a bit weird. (hide spoiler)]

72% (view spoiler)[i dislike more characters than i like. i don't think emma's secrets are done yet, even though a relationship with your high school teacher is a big one and they're adding more and more questions but there's not that much left of the book. i get the feeling it's either going to start wrapping up in the next couple of chapters or it's going to end very, very quickly. (hide spoiler)]

19% (view spoiler)[ She's 7. Where else would she be? This is kind of slow and my curiosity is dwindling. (hide spoiler)]

I started today with the audiobook. This may take awhile.

56% (view spoiler)[ Hmm, why am I getting the sense that something illicit went on between Emma and Mr Mitchell? (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

Anna wrote: "72% [spoilers removed]"

I started thinking the same thing. There's not much pages left and the so-called mystery keeps growing.

Finished. Didn't really enjoy. Definitely not my cup of tea.

24% (view spoiler)[ Interesting start so far. i'm curious as to see what they say caused the "episodes" the five girls suffered. I read the Crucible my junior year but I'm not seeing the connection. Though it has been five years since then. Not sure if I like the narrator, sometimes her voice is really nasally and grates on my ears. The interludes are fascinating. Emma seems to be acting weird. Is causing part of it? Also does she have a thing with the AP US History teacher? I think that's who she was supposed to meet that night. (hide spoiler)]

The comments here seem quite negative. 8% in and we've just seen the start of the incidents. For a modern setting, the girls seem quite old-fashioned.

Part 1: (view spoiler)[ The plot sounds interesting as I finished Part 1. I am not that fond of Colleen. I find her to be a bit immature and annoying. It was nice to read from Ann's perspective as well. It was a break from Colleen. I think that Emma is in an inappropriate relationship with her AP US History teacher. I am interested to find more about Ann's story. (hide spoiler)]

Part 2: (view spoiler)[ I am curious about the mental state of Emma. I am also really curious about what happened to Mr. Mitchell. Why has he disappeared? I am glad that there is not a lot of Spence in this part of the book. I think it would have been distracting to the story unless if he helps her solve the mystery. Did anyone else find the interview with the nurse a bit off? (hide spoiler)]

Sharon wrote: "Part 2: [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ that interview was really weird! The things they asked her were odd, why should she tell them about her friends sex lives?! (hide spoiler)]

Sarah wrote: "Sharon wrote: "Part 2: [spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I know right. I think she should have just told the nurse to stop the interview because it is none of the nurse's business and it's really inappropriate. (hide spoiler)]

40%. I'm finding this quite puzzling. If the parallels are there, I'm not sure of them yet.

Part 3: (view spoiler)[ I do find this to be quite dull at times. I am wondering if Anjali has a medical condition if she is coughing and lossing her hair. I don't think that she is faking. Also, what would be the connection between the parallel stories? The college process feels more intimidating in the book. (hide spoiler)]

Sharon wrote: "Part 2: [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I don't think they had permission to ask such questions. And the other lady being there seemed wrong. The whole process seemed wrong. (hide spoiler)]

I just finished this last night (review (spoilers))

(view spoiler)[I was very underwhelmed by the ending but I see what they did with the title now, which I think was kind of clever. The chapters about Salem Village were kind of useless though. (hide spoiler)]

Part 4: (view spoiler)[ What had been Emma the whole time? The mysterious illness? Or something else? This is starting to confuse me a bit. (hide spoiler)]

28% (view spoiler)[ Those questions they're asking about her friend's sexual experiences is so not okay. They can ask her because health things, but you can't ask about her friends. That was weird af. (hide spoiler)]

70%. I think placing the Salem story in-between the modern one is meant to help us figure out what's going on. I haven't yet!

93%. Not really sure what to make of this at the moment.

Finished. Do think this had potential, but it wasn't quite what I'd hoped for.

38% (view spoiler)[ Ugh Colleen is really annoying me. Especially that little spat she pulled with her teacher because she got a 65. That's not even failing so STFU. Plus it's a freaking pop quiz so it's probably worth like 5 points. The mystery of the illnesses is very intriguing but nothing has been figured out plus in the Salem time it seems like it's fake. Abby is faking it and then she bit Anne so the only one who may actually be sick there is Betty. I wonder if Angeli (is that how it's spelled?) is the 8th girl to be sick? (hide spoiler)]

Sharon wrote: "Part 2: [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ YES! That interview was all sorts of wrong!!!!! (hide spoiler)]

64% Finally finished part 3 (view spoiler)[ They still haven't really figured anything out. And I'm so confused about the Anne pov, like what the hell is wrong with them, I thought they made it all up? Or has it like evolved? And since Abby is puking up pins, Anjali is part of the Histeria too, or whatever you want to call it. Ugh this book is weird and frustrating. Not enough solving or progress has been made by now. (hide spoiler)]

80% (view spoiler)[ Hold on now! She goes from thinking they're all faking to it's Emma? What? Why did she make this jump in logic? And how is Emma responsible? I have a feeling that Anne and Colleen are mirrors of each other. Especially after the massive headache and groaning episodes they had. (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[ Not sure how I feel about this ending. Can't believe Colleen didn't even get salutatorian after basically almost killing herself or finishing the dang extra credit. Like seriously!? Ugh. So looks like Emma did cause the Histeria of modern day but the Salem day was fake. Makes sense, but what was up with the yellow bird coming at the end. 3 stars most likely. Meh overall. (hide spoiler)]