Blog Tour:New Girl by Paige Harbison

Publisher: Mira Ink
Release Date: May 4 2012
Pages: 320
Source: Publicist
Age Range: Young Adult

The ‘’new girl’’ (her name is not revealed in the book till the end) arrives at the prestigious and exclusive Manderly Academy. She is going to live in a dorm on campus, with her new roommates. One of the first things she learns there is that there was a girl before her,Becca. Becca has disappeared suddenly without a trace. Everyone talks about Becca and her picture is everywhere because she was loved and very popular at Manderley. And now the new girl has to step in her shadow. And everyone is staring at her like its her fault Becca, a girl she has never known, has disappeared.

The only one who treats the new girl normal is Max Holloway, Becca’s former boyfriend and a spark between them flies up.New girl knows that she should stay away from Max, but she can't. Especially when everyone seems to be comparing Callie to Becca, Callie knows that she should be careful. But as rumors start spreading around about Max and Becca's past, Callie is caught in the middle of it all, with no idea of how to handle the situation. Can Callie survive senior year at Manderly and still have the relationship that she and Max so desperately want?

The chapters change in narrative from the new girl in the present time to Becca in the past, till the reader finds out what exactly happened to her.

I still find it quite difficult to say if I liked the book or not, it totally left me hanging somewhere in between. The plot was good, but I found it quite difficult to believe that the people at Manderley made such a big deal about this new girl who they thought was replacing Becca. Why this comparing the whole time? The new girl didn’t know Becca so this was just a little odd. I didn't understand how even though Becca was dead, that she was still able to connect with Callie, unless Harbison implied that Becca was a spirit?
The characters where well crafted and believable though, and I enjoyed to read what was blooming up between the new girl and Max. The New Girl is a modern Young Adult retelling of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. A bit unrealistic overall, but with lots of fun teen drama to stay interested till the last page.