Blog Tour: The Window by Amelia Brunskill (Review & Giveaway!)

The Window by Amelia Brunskill

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Release Date: April 3, 2018

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller
Source: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review 
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Synopsis:

Anna is everything her identical twin is not. Outgoing and athletic, she is the opposite of quiet introvert Jess. The same on the outside, yet so completely different inside--it's hard to believe the girls are sisters, let alone twins. But they are. And they tell each other everything.

Or so Jess thought.

After Anna falls to her death while sneaking out her bedroom window, Jess's life begins to unravel. Everyone says it was an accident, but to Jess, that doesn't add up. Where was Anna going? Who was she meeting? And how long had Anna been lying to her?


Jess is compelled to learn everything she can about the sister she thought she knew. At first it's a way to stay busy and find closure . . . but Jess soon discovers that her twin kept a lot of secrets. And as she digs deeper, she learns that the answers she's looking for may be truths that no one wants her to uncover.

Because Anna wasn't the only one with secrets.

Review:

The cover is what originally earned The Window a place on my TBR pile. Now that I've read the book, I have two things to say. First, the cover is spot on. It perfectly captures the atmosphere of the story - eerie, dark, and attention-grabing. Second and best of all, The Window posses a lot more than just a stunning cover. 

When The Window begins Anna is already dead and Jess is reeling from the loss. Jess can't believe, won't believe, that it was just a simple accident. She knows there must be more to the story, that there must be a better explanation of what went on that night; however, no one wants to listen to her theories. They just want to move on with their own lives and not dwell in the past, but Jess refuses to give up. 

Jess is an interesting main character. I can't say she's the most likable or personable one ever, but there was something so compelling about her, something that made me want to know more about her. She's serious as well as detail and fact orientated. She has an incredibly blunt way of talking, one that sometimes hurts her more than helps her. At the end of the day, however, I give Jess major props. Not only does she know who she is but she also knows what she wants and she won't let anyone stand in her way. She's incredibly unapologetic, and I greatly admired that about her. 

Over the course of the book, Jess's relationship with Anna is uprooted. Suddenly, there's secrets coming out of the woodwork, secrets that make Jess question everything she thought she knew, and worst of all, Anna isn't there to clear everything up. 

I found the bond between the two sisters to be the best part of the book. Amelia did a wonderful job of building it up, and even though Anna was already gone by the time the story began, I still felt that I truly got to know her through Jess's eyes as well as the small snippets included from Anna's POV. 

What I liked the most about the dynamic here, however, was seeing how the girls begin living without the other one. For Anna, it began before she died. She had a secret life, as Jess learns, and that life had many highs and lows to it. The worst low of all, though, was feeling the bond with her sister begin to fade. For Jess, she's always been defined by her relationship with Anna. She's always been the darkness to Anna's light, the seriousness to Anna's happy-go-lucky. More importantly, Anna was always her link to the world, the person who would remind her to interact with her parents, etc. After Anna's death, Jess doesn't know how to be Anna-less. It's the little things that get her the most...Not having Anna as a buffer, not having someone to eat lunch with, etc. It broke my heart. Over the course of the story, Jess begins to live a little more each day. She starts putting herself out there, joining in on track, making new friends, and I loved seeing this transformation occur. It was sad yet hopeful and stunning. 

The mystery in The Window isn't the most twisty. It didn't keep me on the edge-of-my-seat, dying to know what would happen next. At the same time, though, I can't say I was bored. Instead, I found other parts of the story to be more captivating. 

At first I found the writing slightly hard to get into. It was very cut-and-dry; however, the more I got to know Jess, the more appreciation I had for it. The narrative truly reflected Jess's personality, it was as serious and blunt as she was, and overtime it allowed me to get an even better feel for her character. 

Overall, The Window is a slow-burn, compelling debut. It won't be for everyone, especially those who like their action non-stop, but for those who love character development, The Window is the perfect choice. 

4 stars!! 

About the Author:

Amelia Brunskill was born in Melbourne, Australia, but she grew up mostly in Washington state where she picked a lot of blackberries, read a lot of books, and failed to properly appreciate the epic beauty of the mountains and the Pacific ocean.

She earned her bachelors degrees in psychology and art from the University of Washington and her master in information studies from the University of Texas at Austin. She now lives in Chicago, where she eats as much Thai food as possible and works as a librarian.

The Window is her debut novel.

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Giveaway: 

3 copies of THE WINDOW by Amelia Brunskill

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