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    Famous Last Words
    Famous Last Words
    Famous Last Words
    Audiobook7 hours

    Famous Last Words

    Written by Katie Alender

    Narrated by Nora Hunter

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Hollywood history, mystery, murder, mayhem, and delicious romance collide in this unputdownable thriller from master storyteller Katie Alender.

    Hollywood history, mystery, murder, mayhem, and delicious romance collide in this unputdownable thriller from master storyteller Katie Alender.

    Willa is freaking out. It seems like she's seeing things. Like a dead body in her swimming pool. Frantic messages on her walls. A reflection that is not her own. It's almost as if someone -- or something -- is trying to send her a message.

    Meanwhile, a killer is stalking Los Angeles -- a killer who reenacts famous movie murder scenes. Could Willa's strange visions have to do with these unsolved murders? Or is she going crazy? And who can she confide in? There's Marnie, her new friend who may not be totally trustworthy. And there's Reed, who's ridiculously handsome and seems to get Willa. There's also Wyatt, who's super smart but unhealthily obsessed with the Hollywood Killer.

    All Willa knows is, she has to confront the possible-ghost in her house, or she just might lose her mind . . . or her life.

    Acclaimed author Katie Alender puts an unforgettable twist on this spine-chilling tale of murder, mystery, mayhem -- and the movies.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherScholastic
    Release dateOct 1, 2014
    ISBN9780545735315
    Famous Last Words

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    Reviews for Famous Last Words

    4/5

    96 ratings10 reviews

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    • 4/5
      THE STORY LINE WAS VERY GOOD, I JUST WISH OY WERE LESS PRACTICAL. LIKE S MYSTERY NOT FOR THE MAIN CHARACTER AND THE READER BUT FOR THE READER SOLEY
    • 4/5
      I love it!!
      this was super creepy. I'm glad I didn't read this book in the night. It's really engaging and thrilling I wouldn't want to put it down. I flew through it.

      Surprisingly I didn't find the love triangle in this book irritates me as much as I thought. (I really really hate love triangle) but this book was done very well.

      the reveal of who the murderer is doesn't surprise me or it's Katie Alender's intention to hits the clue for the reader. Which it's was ingenious. I think this will make a great movie.
    • 3/5
      A fairly standard YA ghost story that's good for an afternoon read. Don't expect too much -- the killer is fairly obvious about halfway through the book -- but at least the main character is competent and there's no insta-love.
    • 5/5
      This was a great book slow at the begging but awaking at the end
    • 4/5
      Willa's mother has remarried and they are on their way from Connecticut to Hollywood where they will be living with Willa's new stepfather, Jonathan. Willa is uncomfortable with the move, but just as she is learning to live with it, strange things begin happening in her new house. First, she starts to have waking dreams of what she realizes are from the perspective of victims of a serial killer that has been terrorizing young actresses in Hollywood. Then after she is almost drowned in the backyard pool, she begins to see writing on the walls of the house - words that she begins to recognize as being part of a play that the former owner of the house, actress Diana Del Mar wrote just before she died. Chemistry lab partner, Wyatt has been investigating the murders as part of a school project, and even though he has become a bit obsessed, Willa finds him to be a good source of information as she begins to understand that her house is in some way connected to the murders. Wyatt gets on Willa's nerves more and more, especially once she becomes attracted to Jonathan's handsome assistant, Reed.

      The title, Famous Last Words refers to the line of dialogue in the Del Mar play, "This is a dream that you can't wake up from, Henry" that appears throughout the story acting as a catalyst as Willa starts to connect the play to the murders. This is a very interesting mystery with a supernatural element that is skillfully woven into the story. Willa's character is well-developed, but most of the other characters are fairly two-dimensional. The mystery is pretty easy to figure out, but the suspense and the light romance makes it well worth the read.
    • 5/5
      Loved this book! Even though you can sort of guess towards the end who the Hollywood Killer is, the story is gripping enough that it doesn't want you to out it down.
    • 3/5
      3.5 - This started off strong, but then went a bit flat for me. I skimmed to the end. I do think it's a good novel for YA. Sometimes I just can't get into mysteries with the paranormal events.
    • 3/5
      2.7- audiobookA YA ghostly murder mystery with some twists and stars of Hollywood living. I thought it was a touch predictable but then it had me guessing the wrong bad guy a for a while so it wasn't cut and dry. The main characters where thinly developed but enough to carry the story. The adults were cardboard cutouts with no personality or awareness, thankfully they were hardly ever in the story. Overall it was a good audiobook, okay narration, entertaining.I picked this up for the cover and the fact it was available from my library's digital system. I like reading a story blind with no expectations. I enjoy a book more when that way, surprise is my friend. I don't know if I would have enjoyed it as much if I had any idea what it was about.
    • 4/5
      Moving across the country into a Hollywood mansion and starting an elite high school would be a big enough transition for most teens, but lately Willa has been noticing strange things at home. Could her new house – where 1930s star Diana Del Mar lived and died- be haunted, and could it be at all connected with the modern day Hollywood serial killings? Alender writes a true to form horror-mystery novel with action and dialogue that would easily fit into a movie adaptation. The spooks in Famous Last Words work well for a light teen read with deliberate pacing and escalation. This book even has its own creepy catchphrase, “This is the kind of dream you don’t wake up from, Henry.” Like a Hollywood horror thriller film, the final fight ending is a bit cliché, but the journey there is worth it. Willa is a relatable protagonist surrounded by a complex cast of characters, some impossible not to like. Small wilting roses adorn the bottom corner of each page and large red roses cover the dust jacket’s spine, which successfully add a cool element to the physical format of the book while tying in the rose motif that is present in the story. A breeze for horror veteran readers or a good jumping off point for the uninitiated, Famous Last Words is highly recommended for ages thirteen through seventeen.
    • 4/5
      This started off really, really slow for me until about 60 pages in. Willa and Wyatt were such personable and unique characters that really brought this story to life. This book had just the perfect amount of mystery, paranormal and romance aspects to capture any reader's attention. Throughout majority of the book you're trying to figure out if Willa is a trustworthy narrator and is really experiencing paranormal activity or if she is having a mental breakdown. I unfortunately figured out the mystery pretty quick and knew whodunit about halfway through the novel. However, I still enjoyed it up to the last page and there were a few twists and turns I wasn't expecting.