A Million Times Goodnight by Kristina McBride

Published: July 28th 2015 By: Egmont USA

Genres: Young-Adult, Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller

Format: eARC Source: Netgalley My Rating: 3 Stars

Find It: Goodreads || Amazon

A teen Sliding Doors. One choice creates parallel dual narratives in this romantic contemporary mystery-thriller perfect for fans of Just Like Fate and Pivot Point.

One Night. Two Paths. Infinite Danger.

On the night of the big Spring Break party, Hadley “borrows” her boyfriend Ben’s car without telling him. As payback, he posts a naked picture of her online for the entire senior class to see.

Now Hadley has a choice: go back to the party and force Ben to delete the picture or raise the stakes and take his beloved car on a road trip as far away from their hometown of Oak Grove, Ohio, as she can get.

Chapters alternate to reveal each possible future as Hadley, her ex-boyfriend, Josh, and her best friends embark on a night of reckless adventure where old feelings are rekindled, friendships are tested, and secrets are uncovered that are so much worse than a scandalous photo.

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REVIEW

This one is hard to review, simply because it was confusing at times. I don’t think that the dual parallel narratives were needed for this story. Since everything revolved around the photo, the plot would have been so much better had it stuck to one scenario. There are some parts that made me want to know more, but at the end, I still felt like this could have been written so differently.

Hadley and her two best friends embark on a little tribute detour to reminisce about their friend Penny, who died the year before in an accident. Hadley, forgot to mention that she didn’t exactly ask her boyfriend Ben for his car, she just took the keys. In his need for revenge, he posts a naked picture of her on Facebook. The other side to this complicated story is Josh, Hadley’s ex-boyfriend. He’s the pariah now, and the reason that Penny is dead. Everyone at school hates him, and even Hadley herself has ignored him all year. Hadley thinks that showing up with Josh in Ben’s car is the perfect revenge. Only, we get two scenarios about the outcome of this decision. In both cases, Josh’s life is threatened for even being on sight. Hadley, is hiding something from everyone and the naked photo causes all kinds of things to come to light.

I can’t say that I like Hadley all that much. She is so quick to make dumb decisions that made no sense. Ben is a dirt bag, and needs a swift kick to the groin. Brooklyn, Hadley – they were all just a group of vapid characters that made poor choices and drank too much. I was more keen on finding out what Josh did the night of the accident that caused Penny’s death, and why everyone was out to get him. There’s some drugging and a lot of other illegal activities going on here, so if that isn’t your thing, stay away. I just don’t get the point of the parallel narratives. Was it meant to make this more interesting? Well, it didn’t for me. I’m conflicted about recommending this one, but then again, this whole setup may just work for you. It’s not the worst story I’ve read, just the most confusing.