I'm sure we are all familiar with Melissa Marr. She is the bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely series and is known for her delectably fluid writing style. She has established herself as a fantasy author, however her newest novel, Made For You, falls in the contemporary genre. I read Wicked Lovely some time ago, but did not continue with the series. (This was during my less serious reading days.) However, I was very interested to see what this author had up her sleeve in the realm of a contemporary story-line. Made For You did not disappoint, and I am sure Melissa's die hard fans will be extremely pleased with the result. This book delivered the same edgy and slightly dark writing style as her fantasy work, while also excelling in its realism. Knowing that the plot of this story is possible, definitely had me cringing. Made For You is creepy folks. Just plain creepy. And once you start reading the compelling nature of this book will have you up late. If I ever have a chance to attend one of Marr's signings, there is one question I just have to ask her. Were you picturing Collin Hanks in his role as Travis Marshall when constructing the Judge's character? The Judge is the antagonist of the story, or a.k.a., really crazy-obsessed killer. In fact he has his own mini chapters. So, you really get to see just how loony-bin this person is. Multiple POVs is something that worked really well for this book. The majority of the chapters are from Eva's point of view, but you also get to see the story from her best friend's perspective and, of course, from the aforementioned bad guy, The Judge. For most of the time you do not know who The Judge is. This person could be anyone. There are clues along the way, and I really enjoyed being able to play the guessing game.Marr really did a superb job with these characters. Eva is the star of Made For You. The princess of her town. She could have an inflated ego, and be a snot, but she isn't. This made me really happy. Her love interest, Nate, is a stand up guy. They fit together like ham and havarti. And THE JUDGE. If I haven't made my point yet, this character is CREEPY. And, as far as the romance goes, I loved it. It has a presence and gives readers just the right amount of sweet without overtaking the fact that this is a THRILLER. There is not a whole lot I would change about Made For You. The story is well fleshed out and really gives readers that darkness we sometimes crave. I suppose I would have liked to see things from Nate's perspective. In fact, Grace's POVs could be switched for Nate's entirely. Not that I didn't like Grace's character, I did. But Nate has a more prominent role to play. I would also say that the ending, as a whole, is a bit anti-climactic. Or maybe abrupt would be a better word. There is so much build up to the big reveal, yet when you get there, you really do not have much time to marinade in it. The book is over a couple short chapters later. I think I wanted a bit more for the grand finale. Or at least an epilogue? This was supposed to be a "mini-review." Guess that didn't happen. As you can see, I really enjoyed this book! GO READ IT. ETA: I have settled my mind after reading a couple of other reviews. This is pretty solidly excellent. One review pointed out that the paranormal bits and the characters could be fleshed out a bit more, and I agree with that, but everything else is pretty great. Also, I found it interesting that there was some teasing of a male character for being a "man-slut" but Marr never calls the promiscuous girl a slut, and, in fact, all the characters defend her, even though she's not part of their social group.I am conflicted about this book. I enjoyed it and was able to plow through it in almost one go, but I'm not sure if it was good or just readable, if that makes sense. Marr tells a great story. All her books I've read are engaging and compelling. I think because I read this one so fast (I was on a bit of a deadline), I'm having a hard time determining if it was actually compelling and kept me wanting more or if I was just doing the literary equivalent of munching on some popcorn (eating it because it's there). I got this book as part of a reviewing organization, so I need to figure out my feelings in order to write a review. Did I like the characters? Was the plot well crafted? Will teenagers love it? (Probably) I'm just confused about this, and I usually have such strong feelings about a book when I'm done ... I don't know. If you like Melissa Marr, you'll probably like this book. I'm calling it 3.5?
What do You think about Made For You (2014)?
this book was really good. I love Marr's writing style.
—neelzzz
I honestly didn't expect to like it so much.
—Kate
