The Dazzling Heights by Katharine McGee

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 349

Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books 

Released: 7th of September 2017 

New York City, 2118. A glittering vision of the future, where anything is possible – if you want it enough.

Manhattan is home to a thousand-story supertower, a beacon of futuristic glamour and high-tech luxury… and to millions of people living scandalous, secretive lives.

Leda is haunted by nightmares of what happened on the worst night of her life. She’s afraid the truth will get out – which is why she hires Watt, her very own hacker, to keep an eye on all of the witnesses for her. But what happens when their business relationship turns personal?

When Rylin receives a scholarship to an elite upper-floor school, her life transforms overnight. But being here also means seeing the boy she loves: the one whose heart she broke, and who broke hers in return.

Avery is grappling with the reality of her forbidden romance – is there anywhere in the world that’s safe for them to be together?

And then there’s Calliope, the mysterious, bohemian beauty who’s arrived in New York with a devious goal in mind – and too many secrets to count.

Here in the Tower, no one is safe – because someone is watching their every move, someone with revenge in mind. After all, in a world of such dazzling heights, you’re always only one step away from a devastating fall…

What I Have to Say 

I have to say I was expecting better. I thought there would be more about Mariel and her investigation into Eris's death, but she wasn't given much space in the book for her thoughts and plotting. It was just the same characters as the previous book blackmailing and breaking up with one another. 

I liked what happened with Watt and Leda. I liked their scheming and where it got them. I also liked the stuff with Rylin starting at the highlier school. It was interesting to see her having to adapt to the world that she doesn't really like and it was great to watch her find a passion for something. I think out of the whole book, she and Watt are the only characters I actually like, unless you count Nadia who is awesome. 

I'll probably read another book in this series, because I'm invested and really hard to give up on series that might get better. But I wish this book had gone in a different direction and I didn't like it much more than the first. 

My thanks go to Harper Collins and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for review. 

Pushing Perfect by Michelle Falkoff

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 352

Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books 

Released: 29th of December 2016 

Kara Winters is always striving for perfection. But when her anxiety takes over, the price of perfection spirals out of control… 

'Perfect' Kara Winters has always hated her nickname. Especially now that she no longer lives up to it. She used to have normal friends, she used to be normal. Now all she wants is to get into Harvard and leave high school behind. 

So when the pressure to ace her exams finally gets to her, Kara does one tiny bad thing, just to help out, to ease the stress. If it will help Kara get a perfect exam score and one step closer to a new life, it’s a price she’s willing to pay. 

But she never expects to get caught out. Or that Alex, Raj and her other not-so-perfect new friends might get embroiled in a horrible mess that could ruin all of their futures. Sometimes perfection isn't what it's cracked up to be.

What I Have to Say 

A very well told story of pressure, secrets, lies and drugs, Pushing Perfect was neatly woven tale of friendships drifting apart and mysterious blackmailers. It hooked me in with the strain of trying to perfect and get into a good school- the pressure of living up to everyone's impressions and expectations of you, but the blackmail compelled me to read on and on, desperate to find the resolution. 

I loved Alex as a character so much. Kara was a great main character, but Alex just added so much more life and fun to the story. She brought Kara out of her shell and made the book what it was. I loved the friendship and partnership between the two girls more than anything else in the book. 

It was a thrilling ride, but I do feel it was wrapped up a little too easily. A lot of the problems that arise during the book would never have happened had the characters not lied to each other so much. It's probably rather accurate to real life, but it all seemed rather an simple solution for everything. 

For anyone who's felt stress or pressure to be someone they're not, this is a book to find solace in and a good thriller of schemes and blackmail. 

My thanks go to Harper Collins and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for Review.