Gossip Girl: Psycho Killer is a YA mash-up by Cecily von Ziegesar.
It's a story most of us are familiar with. Except with more blood.
Serena van der Woodsen went off to boarding school right after a little indiscretion with Nate Archibald, her best friend Blair Waldorf's boyfriend. Now she's back and ready to make it all right - with a little homicide. After all, if Nate wasn't around, there'd be no reason for Serena and Blair's friendship to be strained. They could go back to being BFFs!
But Blair isn't all warm and fuzzy for the idea. She loves Nate, even if sometimes she feels like strangling him herself. And the fact that Serena can come back after being gone for so long and get away with murder - literally - while still looking gorgeous and blond makes Blair more than a little irritated. If Serena can do it, so can Blair.
But Blair can do it better.
Watch out Upper East Side...
Gossip Girl: Psycho Killer is the first mash-up/reimagining I have read. It certainly sounded interesting. I was a moderate fan of the series (read it through book seven), and liked the first couple seasons of the TV show. I thought this sounded like it might be satirically funny... but unfortunately, no. Gossip Girl: Psycho Killer was not for me.
We all have our own tastes and bibliophile preferences - so don't hesitate in trying the book out for yourself! However, for me, I found Gossip Girl: Psycho Killer to be very dry - and pretty much a copy of the original book with horror gore shoved in awkwardly. In my opinion, it had a lack of creativity, and instead just ended up being graphically violent and gross. Plus, the characters (especially Serena) became extremely unlikable to me.
I don't know. Like I said, this is only my opinion - you may completely disagree! It was just too bad that Gossip Girl: Psycho Killer rubbed me the wrong way. I felt there was a starvation of humor - it was more about being scandalous and disgustingly gory in a rather mean-spirited way. I wanted something more tongue-in-cheek, crazy, and clever.
This genre is probably just not for me. I couldn't get into it and ended up skimming through it.
Let me know if you disagree - I'd love for you to love it!
*I received a review copy of Gossip Girl: Psycho Killer from Hachette Book Group. Their generosity in no way influenced, nor sought to influence, my opinion of the novel.
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