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    Deadly Cool
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    Deadly Cool
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    Deadly Cool
    Ebook266 pages3 hours

    Deadly Cool

    By Gemma Halliday

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    First I find out that my boyfriend is cheating on me. Then he’s pegged as the #1 suspect in a murder. And now he’s depending on me to clear his name. Seriously?

    As much as I wouldn’t mind watching him squirm, I know that he’s innocent. So I’m brushing off my previously untapped detective skills and getting down to business. But I keep tripping over dead bodies and I’m still no closer to figuring out who did it. And what’s worse: all signs seem to point to me as the killer’s next victim.

    I really need to pick a better boyfriend next time.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperTeen
    Release dateOct 11, 2011
    ISBN9780062093219
    Unavailable
    Deadly Cool
    Author

    Gemma Halliday

    Gemma Halliday is the New York Times, and USA Today bestselling author of several cozy mystery and suspense thriller novels. Gemma's books have received numerous awards, including a Golden Heart, two National Reader's Choice awards, a RONE award for best mystery, and three RITA nominations. She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her large, loud, and loving family.

    Read more from Gemma Halliday

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    Reviews for Deadly Cool

    4/5

    104 ratings31 reviews

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    • 4/5
      January, 2018 is my YA month and this is my second book for the month. It came up on my search for YA mystery books and decided to try this one out. I know nothig about the author and her books I just took a leap of faith. It was actually good. It was not a life changer but definitely enjoyable. Hart Featherson is a really good kickass protagonist. As Chase would say, she's cute as is with the story. A bit cliche and predictable but overall an enjoyable read.
    • 4/5
      It's an easy to read novel. The plot is nice as well as the multiple twists along the story. I recommend it to teenagers who love reading and who are fond of thrillers but not too much.
    • 3/5
      good book and it reflects on real life and it it a greatly written book.
    • 4/5
      Gemma Halliday writes a great story about high school relationships that include jealousy, dating and rivalries. Hartley is an interesting main character with an incredibly witty personality. The plot is full of possible answers to who did the crime but the ending isn't available in this book. Presumably, the reader will need to purchase her next book to continue the mystery. I received this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
    • 4/5
      it was good haven't read it but good
    • 4/5
      From sentence one, I was right pulled in and could hardly put the book down. It was the kind of book I read until 2 am and resume at 6 a.m.

      Hartley Featherstone is your average sophomore girl, doing fine in school, with her best friend Sam, a overprotective mother and a fantastic boyfriend: Josh DuPont, her first boyfriend, her rock, her one true love… well until she found out (and in the ugliest way possible) that he’s cheating on her, with Courtney Cline the president of the chastity club nonetheless. Furious and humiliated, she broke into his house only to find said president in his room, dead. On the outside, it was clear that Josh is the killer, but somehow Hartley believes him when he says that he didn’t do it and promises him that she’ll figure out who did it. With the help of Sam, the veggie-oil-working car, and a very mysterious and hot gothic guy, Hartley investigates the murder of Courtney to find the killer, if he didn’t find her first.

      Reading the blurb, I was expecting a Veronica Mars retelling and God knows how much I adored (and still do) this show, but as I was going further into the story there was nearly nothing in common between the two girls, except for leading crime investigations with the help of their friends, but I wasn’t the least disappointed.

      Hartley is a quirky, funny and smart girl; I liked her so much for standing her own ground, for resisting her boyf- er ex-boyfriend even if at times she flinched a little, for being strong-headed and sarcastic. And Chase was a perfect match, just as funny and smart, a little dark and brooding but totally a hot mixture, their scenes were hilarious to read, especially the striptease scene *wink, wink*.

      The writing was so easy to follow and the murder case was a good one. Okay, it wasn’t an Agatha Christie book that let you choke with suspense and with a mouth-hanging shock, but it was well done, especially with the hilarious scenes, the CSI references and the really good cast of characters that gravitated around Hart.

      The romance was mainly centered on Josh and Hartley, his cheating on her and her conflicting feelings towards him but then he slowly faded in the background as Chase’s presence began to grow some more. I liked it that the author didn’t conclude the romance between them; it will leave some more delicious tension for the next book that I will definitely read!
    • 3/5
      A murder mystery has never been so much fun. I know, "murder" and "fun" should never be used in the same sentence but what the hell.

      Light-hearted and funny. A great way to pass the time.
    • 4/5
      I don't understand why a girl would want to help the guy who cheated on her, but it was an interesting read.
    • 4/5
      This book is hilarious! The main character, Hartley, is incredibly witty and I found myself laughing out loud many times throughout the book. Deadly Cool begins with Hartley learning that her boyfriend Josh is cheating on her with the president of the Chasity Club. When she goes to confront Josh at his home he isn't at home but unfortunately the lifeless body of the Chasity Club president is in his closet. Hartley's already bad day has been downgraded to horrible. Although, Hartley is understandably furious at Josh she agrees to help him find out who really killed Courtney. I loved the book and thought it was well written overall but could have been more suspenseful. When the big reveal happens it was kind of a let down and didn't seem as exciting as I would have thought. I did enjoy the rest of the book though and I'm looking forward to seeing how Chase and Hart's relationship unfolds. I will definitely be reading Social Suicide!
    • 4/5
      Hartley is a fantastic female sleuth. The mystery she tries to solve is unpredictable, very exciting, and suspenseful. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
    • 5/5
      This was one of my favorite reads of the Cybils. So let?s talk about why:

      First and foremost, this is what I like to call a pop culture tome. Basically, there?s texting, snarkiness and a touch of not-quite-real self awareness on the part of the main characters. To me, this isn?t a bad thing. I actually love it. But I know some people find it annoying. Fair warning there.

      Hartley is a touch crazy, zany, smart and sassy. As I mentioned above, she?s also overly self-aware, which can seem a touch unbelievable at times.

      The actual murder mystery is well done. I speculated on who the actual killer was at the very beginning, but ended up changing my mind by falling for a few red herrings. Hartley?s handling of the mystery was part Veronica Mars, part Scooby Doo and part lucky all rolled together. All things I approve of.

      The biggest issue I had was WHY for the love of all that is good would Hartley want to even begin helping out a boyfriend who cheated on her. I mean, it?s one thing to believe he?s not guilty. It?s completely another to aid and abet. Come on.

      All in all, I loved this campy romp. I read it in one sitting and laughed out loud numerous times. I?m very much looking forward to the sequel! I also am on hold to try one of Halliday?s adult novels, which appear to be in the same vein as Deadly Cool.
    • 3/5

      This and other reviews can be found on Reading Between Classes

      Cover Impressions: The cover is pretty cool (pun intended). The eye color is stunning and commands attention and the frozen gaze is reminiscent of a dead body. The use of the earbuds/murder weapon to form the font was a really clever choice.

      The Gist: In the midst of planning the confrontation and subsequent "murder" of her cheating boyfriend, Hartley Featherstone inadvertently stumbles upon a real dead body. Determined to prove her (ex) boyfriend's innocence, she enlists the help of her BFF and the local bad boy/editor of the school newspaper, Chase.

      Review: Deadly Cool is a fun read. Harley Featherstone performs as a modern day Nancy Drew, attempting to solve a murder mystery and prove the innocence of her (ex) boyfriend. Harley is a great character, she is clever and witty with some truly fabulous lines: "'You're wicked fast.' he observed. 'Yeah. Dead bodies bring out the track star in me'". I did question a number of her decisions (like agreeing to help her cheating ass ex-boyfriend in the first place) and I felt that she needed a Sassy Gay Friend Intervention.



      She constantly opens her mouth when she shouldn't, sneaks out of her house and puts herself into dangerous situations without a thought for her own safety. I found myself cringing, yelling "NO, YOU IDIOT" and imagining all of the security measures I would put on my house if she was my daughter!

      That being said, Hartley does have a best friend (though not a sassy gay one) and she is awesome! I knew I loved Sam the minute I read this exchange when Hartley asked her to borrow her brother's car:

      "'Because if I find Courtney Cline at Josh's and kill them both, I'm going to need a quick getaway.' Sam bit her lip, her eyebrows doing a concerned pucker on my behalf. But, good friend that she was, she finally said, 'Okay, but we need to think of a convincing alibi on the way.'"

      Sam is the ultimate partner in crime. Willing to help Hartley with whatever crazy and dangerous investigative technique she has decided to try out next and bringing along her own clever quips to boot. The other characters didn't pop as much for me. Chase didn't show a whole lot of personality and the others (Josh, Goths, Cheerleaders, Color Guard) were all pretty stereotypical of their roles and didn't really hold any surprises.

      The murder mystery plot involved some interesting twists and turns as Hartley conducted interviews, discovered clues and attended clandestine meetings with mysterious sources. The storyline moved quickly and didn't suffer from lag, though it did lose points at the end. I found the ultimate identity of the killer to be a little TOO convenient (I was hoping for a big plot twist) and did not enjoy the cliche "now that I have you tied up I will explain my plan and my every movement and then leave you to die so that you have lots of evidence when you eventually escape virtually unscathed".

      Had there been an unexpected twist at the end, this book would easily have earned a 4 rating. As it is, it sits at a 3 for me because it had a few fun characters, some great lines and was a fun, easy and enjoyable read. I am sure that I will read the sequel eventually, but
      I didn't love this one enough to want to dive right back into Hartley's world - at least not for a few days, anyway. Here's hoping that in between Hartley watches every episode of Veronica Mars and adopts a big dog named Backup.


      Teaching/Parental Notes:

      Age: 13 and up
      Gender: Female
      Sex: Discussed, not described
      Violence: Death by strangulation, death by blunt force trauma, attempted murder by fire.
      Inappropriate Language: The characters tend to censor themselves ("'We're censoring now?' 'Kyle says I have a mouth like a trucker.'") so they use Effing quite a bit. Jesus, Damn, Slut
      Substance Use/Abuse: Smoking

      Unanswered Questions:

      - Does their cafeteria ONLY serve pizza sticks?
    • 4/5
      Characters: Hartley Featherstone (16), Sam, Chase, JoshSetting: High school in San JoseTheme: Trust between friends, friendship, family (separated parents), firm belief on principles, teenage sex, chastitySummary: Hartley knows Josh, her boyfriend, is cheating on her with Courtney, the chastity club queen. Which prompts her and her best friend Sam to break into his house to catch him in action. Instead, they find Courtney dead in his closet, strangled with ear-buds, while Josh is nowhere to be found. With a strong belief that Josh may be a cheater, but never a murderer, Hartley is on her own investigation to prove him innocent with Sam and Chase who might have a key that points to a real killer. It turns out that the killer was Courtney's best friend, Caitlyn, who was disgusted with the two faced pretend virgin all the chastity club members looked up as a role model. The novel ends with Caitlyn paying for what she deserves and Hartley and Chase sending romantic signals to each other, an alluding harbinger that they are on to a start of something new. Review: I could not help but let Chase (or his six pack washboard hard abs, to be precise) grow on me. I liked how Hartley narrates the story with humor and ease. One area of concern is that high school students who read this book might take teenage sex as a mundane matter. Teen sex is already prevalent, and chastity has become something endorsed by non-popular group only. They need to learn that whether protected or not, teen sex comes with huge responsibility and consequences they are too young to bear. Today's teens tend to be impetuous, be dangerously spontaneous, be often carried away by spur of the moments, and lack interpersonal skills. Hopefully this book will raise awareness of what is more important than following the lead of uncontrollable hormones.Curriculum ties: Health (healthy choice, teen sex, coping with separated parents), deduction skills
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book, shockingly. The teen-Navy-Drew-sleuth thing isn't what I'd usually consider reading but I liked the way the back of the book sounded, the first couple of pages were pretty interesting/witty/funny, and the cover was beautiful so I figured, why not? And I'm so glad I did.The books not perfect. There are slightly silly (on the verge of stupid) things, like the whole "censorship" throughout the book. Teens don't censor themselves when they talk, trust me, when I was sixteen I wasn't using the word 'effing'. And then, of course, the whole reveal thing at the end -- like with any murder-mystery -- was just kind of there. I was surprised, I think, by who it was, but the whole 'I'll take a minute to explain everything to you' bit was a little... unattractive. Plus, everyone who isn't Hartley (main character) and Sam (man character's bff) is kind of a stereotype. That was a little annoying, too. Hence the deduction of a star.Aside from that, the voice is great. It's actually a really amusing story line and I really liked Hart, Sam, and Chase. No books perfect (well, few, at least) but this is really worth reading. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes a good murder-mystery with a witty, clever, likeable, strong leading female. More of my reviews can be found on my site YA Book Reviews & More.
    • 4/5
      I’m finding this review rather hard to write because as much as I enjoyed this book, I also had some major issues with it. It was a fun, page turning mystery that I devoured fairly quickly, yet I also felt like it was very disrespectful and almost mocking about certain subjects. What I did like:The main character, HuntleyThe lightheartedness, for a murder mysteryYou get sucked right into the mysteryYou feel as if you’re trying to solve the mystery right along with Huntley, Sam and Chase.It was unpredictable and kept you guessing the whole time as to who the killer was.What I didn’t like:Extreme stereotypingCrude sexual references & humorDemeaning view of chastityNamedropping (watched American Idol, Castle, Biggest Loser; listened to Daughtry) This drives me crazy!When it came to the characters, aside from main character, Huntley and her best friend, Sam everyone else was super stereotyped.Josh- gorgeous boyfriend who is really a cheating, lying, jerkChase- dresses in all black with chains hanging from his pants, and has black hair which falls over his gray eyes.Kevin- tree hugger, life going nowhere older brother of her best friend.School Grief Counselor- has no life and is essentially a cat lady.Mother- portrayed as a smothering, overprotective, addicted to yoga, tofu eating “parental unit”Color Guard Girls- Members of Chastity club, super perky, blonde hair, life is all pink, purple and sparkles.The whole Chastity club part of the book was a pretty big deal, which is actually where my biggest quarrel lies. There were times the author almost seemed to be making fun of those who have made the decision to stay chaste. She portrays these characters as unrealistic, hypocritical, and a little nuts. Now you may not agree with a decision but that doesn’t mean you have to write a whole book that makes fun of it.I was torn whether or not I should read the next book for fear it might have the same demeaning quality about it, but at the same time I really want to see where Huntley’s life goes from here. I guess I’ll give it a try and see how things go…
    • 4/5
      Life's a bitch when your boyfriend cheats on you with the president of the Chasity Club, then said Chasity Club harlot is found dead and your boyfriend is the main suspect. Life's a bitch when you have to prove his innocence. This book was HI-LARIOUS. Honestly, when I picked this up I didn't expect it to be a comedy, I just thought it would be your run of the mill Young Adult mystery. But with a reluctant heroine and a hilarious mystery, this book made me addicted!The plot was very enticing, teenage girl finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her with a "virgin" cheerleader, the cheerleader is found dead and the boyfriend is on the run. I loved every minute of the investigation and the leads that Hartley received from her classmates. Halliday wrote a FUN murder-mystery, which seems like an odd combination but..it isn't. I kept guessing and guessing until the final reveal. The characters were GREAT. They were all hilarious and I thoroughly enjoyed Halliday's version of "Deep Throat." Hartley is a great conflicted character and Chase is just the sweetest Goth boy I ever did know! Al of the characters fit this story brilliantly and added to the carefree mood of the book. I think the writing is what made this novel. Hartley's tone of voice is so sarcastic and so teenagery that it made this book easy to devour within a day. Halliday writes with amazing wit and I can't wait to start the sequel!
    • 3/5
      Halliday, G. (2011). Deadly Cool. New York: Harper Teen.303 pages.Appetizer: Sixteen-year-old Hartley has been hearing rumors about her boyfriend, Josh. Apparently he's cheating on her with Courtney, a queen bee and chastity club princess. That's why Hartley and her best friend Sam search Josh's locker then drive to his house after school. But instead of being able to confront Josh like they had planned, they find Courtney. Dead. Strangled with the iPod earbud cords. (Major tangent: could a person properly strangle someone to death with earbuds? I spent way too much time contemplating this. Mostly because I have to buy earbuds in bulk. They break easily and often. Am I alone in this situation?)All evidence points to Josh being the killer; especially the fact that he has gone into hiding. Josh reaches out to Hartley, swearing he didn't kill Courtney. So, it falls to Hartley, Sam and a broad-shouldered and handsome online high school newspaper editor named Chase to uncover the truth.Admittedly, Hartley is no Veronica Mars (which is what I had been craving when I picked up this book). There are a lot of fun touches of humor and some interesting word play ("She shot me a sugar-coated smile. I matched it calorie for calorie." (p. 106)) throughout the story. I liked Hartley's mom solely due to her reactions when she learns that her daughter had been dating a boy who turned out to be a murder suspect:"Oh, Hartley," Mom said, hugging me again. "To think I let you go out with a killer!"..."God, I can't believe it. I played tennis with Josh's mom just last month," Mom said. "And here she was, raising a murderer." (p. 81)Oh, you amuse me, Hartley's mom.It is worth noting, that while this series seems to be gearing up to be a bit of light fun, there may be a red flag or two for some overprotective parents of tweens. Although the book avoids swearing for the most part (they're censoring themselves now), there was some explicit discussion of sex (no actual sex scene, but early on in the first book, Hartley describes an unsuccessful sexual encounter in more detail than some might prefer). But as Hartley says to another character, "Teenagers have sex...get over it" (p. 108).The mystery isn't too complex, but the touches of humor are nice. Overall, this was a fun bit of light reading if you have a bit of free time. I'll probably check out the second book, Social Suicide at some point.Dinner Conversation:"There are three things you never want to find in your boyfriend's locker: a sweaty jockstrap, a D minus on last week's history test, and an empty condom wrapper.Lucky me, I'd hit the trifecta." (p. 1)"So, I did what any good girlfriend would do. I broke into Josh's locker. Would the more mature thing have been to confront him directly with the rumors? Possibly. Would it have been as effective?I looked at the shiny gold-foil in my hand.Doubtful." (p. 3)"But as Courtney's head dropped back like a rag doll's, I realized there was no way she was getting up. Her hair fell away to reveal her porcelain pale face. Her big, blue eyes were open, staring straight ahead. Her mouth was fixed in a surprised little O. And the smooth, blemish-free skin of her long, dancer's neck was bruised purple beneath the cord of her white iPod earbuds, wrapped in a deadly stranglehold around her throat." (p. 20)"'Look, someone killed Courtney, and until the cops can nail that guy down, I'm going to be their number one suspect." He paused. "We need to find out who really killed Courtney.""We?" I let out a short bark of a laugh. "You must be joking.""Please, Hart, you're the only one I can trust." (p. 39)"I wasn't hot on the idea of my every move being printed for all HHH society to see. On the other hand, I wasn't so hot on the idea of visiting Josh in a jail cell either.And, the sad fact was, beyond canvassing the street for any nosy neighbors, I didn't have a clue where to begin a murder investigation. Let's face it, I could use all the help I could get.I turned to Sam. She cocked her head to the side and shrugged."All right. Fine," I said, shoving my hand toward Chase. "Deal."He grinned, one corner of his mouth tugging upward just a little higher than the other as he grasped my hand and shook."Deal." (p. 55)"Killer beware, because Herbert Hoover High has its very one Nancy Drew on the case." (p. 115)
    • 4/5
      Hartley has a bone to pick with her boyfriend, Josh. She just found out he is cheating on her with the president of the chastity club, Courtney. (I kid you not). Anyway, she and her best friend decide to confront him, but when they sneak into his bedroom, they find Courtney...dead. Althouugh Hart is still angry with Josh, she knows he is not a killer and sets out to clear his name. When another chaste student shows up dead, the pressure increases because Hart is beginning to think she might be the next person to die.This was a really entertaining book. Hartley is a fun and snarky narrator. Her mother is a hoot. The teen voice here rings very true. There is a lot of texting and boyfriend angst, but not too much. The kids in the book are 16 to 18 so I would think it would appeal to older teens. I am already on hold for the second in the series.
    • 4/5
      Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales Quick and Dirty: Deadly Cool is written straight from a teenage girl’s mouth, and the mystery of who is killing the Color Guard girls kept me reading to the last page. Opening Sentence: There are three things you never want to find in your boyfriend’s locker: a sweaty jockstrap, a D minus on last week’s history test, and an empty condom wrapper. The Review: Deadly Cool is very much a high school novel, and I mean that in a good way. The characters and plot are written realistically, even though the premise is based on murderous teenagers, which is thankfully not very common. There is enough drama going on at Herbert Hoover High without the murder plot. Hartley just wants to return to the time before she found out that her boyfriend, Josh, was cheating on her with the president of her school’s chastity club. Hartley is an average teenage girl. She does alright in school, doesn’t love it or hate it, is not in any extracurricular activities, but is happy with her life. Hartley doesn’t fit in with any of the social cliques, so she sticks with her friend Sam, and they get along well enough with their peers. I identify with the character of Hartley, and I imagine other readers will too, because she doesn’t have a group identity like the Color Guard girls do, but is her own person who is shaped by her experiences. Gemma Halliday did a good job researching the modern teenage girl for this novel. I have a younger sister Hartley’s age, so I found the depiction of the girls to be very spot on, especially with brands and dialect. Texts messages are an important vehicle of information in this novel. Personally, I spell out all of my texts, but teens do have a tendency to shorten what they say. I imagine those factors will date the novel in the future, but what contemporary novel isn’t antiquated after the time it’s written? Josh is the top suspect in the murder, but Hartley knows he is innocent. She and her friend Sam take it upon themselves to investigate. They team up with Chase, the editor of their school’s online newspaper, and go where the cops cannot to find out what they can about the murders. By being right in the middle of the action, Hartley has a different perspective of the murders, and uses her own way to get information that could clear Josh’s name, and solve the mystery. There are not a lot of round characters, but the novel is focused on the plot, not characters. We get an insight into Hartley’s mind since she is our first person narrator, and we do see how she matures some as she deals with the tough matters of death, deception, and new relationships. The characterization of the Color Guard and cheerleaders is very one-sided, but that is the only side Hartley sees of the girls. She isn’t out to make friends with everyone, so her view of the vapid, appearance-obsessed cliques of girls is not the most sincere. I was a teenager once, so I understand not liking the girls who made it a point to not be friendly; so the characterization is realistic in that respect. I know I couldn’t stop reading until I knew what happened, and I am glad to see that there will be another novel in the series that comes out later this year. Notable Scene: “I’ll help you.” “Oh, Hart, you are the best–” But I cut him off. “Let’s be clear. I’m not doing this because I’m your girlfriend. We are so over that. Done. Finito. The end.” For a moment he looked like he might protest, but then his shoulders sagged in defeat. Apparently the day had taken the fight out of him as much as it had me. “I’ll help you,” I said, softening my tone, “because I believe you.” He nodded, his eyes a little sad. “Thanks, Hartley. I appreciate it.” I pulled my hand away, shaking off the emotion I could feel backing up in my throat. “Look, the police will probably be watching your phone. How do I get hold of you?” He reached into his back pocket and handed me a slip of paper with a name on it. HHHrunner94. “What’s this?” I asked. “MySpace account. I created it at Cody’s this afternoon.” I wrinkled my nose. “MySpace? No one is on there anymore.” “Exactly. What better place to hide out?” Good point. The Deadly Cool Series: 1. Deadly Cool 2. Social Suicide FTC Advisory: Harper Teen provided me with a copy of Deadly Cool. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
    • 5/5
      Hartley’s day couldn’t really get much worse. An empty condom wrapper and whispers around school that Hart’s boyfriend Josh is cheating on her have been circulating and spreading like wildfire all day. So she decides to get to the bottom of it and goes to Josh’s house to try and catch them in the act. But instead, what she finds is the dead body of Courtney, who is the Chastity Club President in Josh’s closet.The thing is though Josh says he didn’t do it, and now Hartley feels obligated to help clear his name, dispite what he has done to her.What a fun book to read! I really appreciated the quirky aspects of this book, like the car that Hart and Sam have to keep borrowing that runs on cooking oil to be environmentally friendly. And when they run out of petrol they end up in a burger place and have to ask for oil. Sticking your hands into a vat of smelly lumpy oil just to fill the car up doesn’t sound worth it! But certainly provided some giggles.Chase sounds completely sexy too. He is the school newspaper editor that teams up with Hartley and Sam to investigate. If you’ve read this book there is a scene there that takes place in Chase’s room that I wish went further than it did! :DI really enjoyed the style of writing personally. Hart’s voice is dry and sarcastic, which I personally love. Her personality really shone through right from the first page onwards.We ended up getting a bit of a surprise at the end as well! And even though I normally guess who does these things, I didn’t quite see this one coming which was refreshing.The ending was absolutely perfect for this book, and the Kindle version that I read had a sneak peak at the next book in this series and so I got to read the first chapter of the next story which sounds really promising. I am truly looking forward to continuing this series – it has a lot of potential, and the first one completely lived up to expectations.
    • 4/5
      Review also posted at The Wandering Fangirl.Deadly Cool is one of those light, easily read YA novels that always seem to go down quickly and disappear from your mind a week after you're done. Hartley Featherstone (I know, what a name) refuses to do that, and remains a kick-ass, smart heroine for the YA set. While teen mysteries always have to take some liberties when it comes to teenagers solving murders and the like (it wouldn't be a great book if they actually told the police what they knew and let them solve it, would it?), it doesn't feel like the adults are made out to be idiots, nor are the teens super sleuths after working only a few hours.Hartley is an incredibly likeable protagonist, and it's great to see the feelings she's at war with as she investigates a murder on behalf of her cheating ex-boyfriend. She's never stupid about it, nor does she immediately fall into instaluv with the bad boy who helps her out. Everything is balanced and makes for a read without any of the YA trappings that annoy me to no end.The mystery itself is pretty well done, and at the end of the day I found myself wishing I could be as awesome as Hartley is.
    • 4/5
      Poor Hartley! Her boyfriend cheated on her and now he wants her to help clear his name?! UHH, let's just say she's a lot nicer than I would have been!WHERE has this sub-genre been hiding! Murder Mystery with not a speck of paranormal or supernatural to be found. Hartley is a modern day Nancy Drew (I thought this before it's actually said in the book!). And she's sarcastic, witty, funny, and she is trying to prove her cheating ex-boyfriend is innocent so you know she's a nice girl.I've been looking for a book like this for a while. I devoured it and loved playing Who Done It along with Hartley, CHASE (baddd boyyy), and Sam. I'll definitely be picking up the sequel, Social Suicide, which comes out in April.PS - I know vegans are stereotypically "weird" and "hippy", but I would love to see a book where "vegan mother" is not synonymous with "kooky". (I'm vegan and hopefully not as kooky as vegans come off in books) Oh, also! Soy cheese is not vegan kosher as it has Casein in it.
    • 5/5
      This was such a fun and entertaining read. Gemma Halliday combines suspense, mystery, humor, and teen angst to produce a great book that's hard to put down. This book had me from the very first page, which sent me into fits of laughter, and it only got better from there! The main character, Hartley, is hard not to instantly like. The book starts off with her playing the role of detective to find out if the news of her boyfriend's infidelity is true. After she connects the dots she makes an even more startling discovery, which leads to her boyfriend, Josh, being named a prime suspect for a murder. She knows that even though Josh is a cheating douchebag, he's not a killer. Hartley then winds up with the daunting task of trying to prove Josh's innocence, because she seems to be the only one who can. This proves just how good of a person Hartley is and it's one of the things I really liked about her. Even though Josh betrayed her trust, she's still able to overcome her negative feelings towards him because she wants to do the right thing. Hartley and her investigative team were awesome. Her best friend, Sam, complimented Hartley's character perfectly and she proved to be a great best friend to have. The shenanigans that these two got into was priceless, and their attempt at stealth on several occasions had me cracking up. Chase was a great edition to the story and team as well. He has a very upfront sort of personality that I admire. He's also rocking somewhat of a bad boy vibe that makes it hard for a girl to resist (I know I wouldn't resist!). His ability to fluster Hartley on several occasions was certainly proof of that. I couldn't help but grin when they were around eachother. It'll be interesting to see where things lead next between them, and I'm excited to see more of Chase in the next book. I had a fun time trying to guess who the killer was throughout this story, because believe me, there are a fair amount of suspects to chose from. I couldn't read fast enough towards the conclusion of the book once the identity and motives of the killer were discovered. I am really excited to see what Hartley will get herself into next in the second book in this series, because I'm definitely hooked!
    • 4/5
      Deadly Cool is an action packed, fun, witty, relatable, mystery that is slightly reminicent of Meg Cabot's writing style. It's been compared to the likes of Veronica Mars meets Pretty Little Liars. I adore both of those shows, so I was excited to get the opportunity to read this and it did not disappoint.It was funny and smart in all the right ways, as it introduced character's that I enjoyed, amped up the mystery by proving me wrong every time I thought I had it figured out, and a hot mysterious bad boy that I nor the main protagonist (Hartley) could resist. I have a tendency to enjoy mysteries in general, so it was no surprise at all that I liked Deadly Cool as much as I did. It didn't take me long to read this book, I pratically devoured it within like a day and a half, because I just did not want to put it down once I started reading. The ending was surprising, because I just didn't see it coming and I actually liked that. A good portion of the time, I find myself being able to figure out the mystery and solve it before I finish a book, but with Deadly Cool that wasn't the case at all. I liked how well Halliday did a fantastic job making the suspsects look like the suspects that they were supposed to represent, but still possessing enough innocence that you almost doubted whether or not they were culpable the better part of the time, while reading. Halliday does a marvelous job at providing the right amount of supsense and intrigue, needed to fuel the mystery that Hartley has decided to solve, along with her best friend and the mysterious bad boy who turns out, is not so much "bad boy" after all once you get to know him. Hartley is a very likable and relatable character in so many ways. She is fun, witty, and super sweet even if she is hurt by the fact that her ex-boyfriend is pretty much a scum sucking sack of waste, who cheated on her with the president of the Chasity Club. She possesses a certain amount of strength and compassion, which is a driving force at getting to the truth of the mystery, even if she is somewhat hurt by that truth.The secondary character's were just as essential to the plot of the novel, because they were there to serve a purpose as the suspects they were meant to be and Halliday successfully utilized them to the best of her ability, in a well thoughout plot driven novel. Personally, I think everyone should have a bff like Sam. She was super amazing, funny, a little over-the-top dramatic, and totally supportive of Hartley. You can't go wrong with a menagerie of character's as colorful as these.One other thing the novel does, is point out the social status as far as high school and young adults go. For instance, the popular people consist of Color Gaurd Girls, Cheerleaders, the Footballer's along with the rest of the sports teams, and those who come from families that have money. Then there's the social outcasts, which is the category that Hartley, Sam, and so many other's seem to fall into. I liked that Halliday established early on, that Hartley chose not to be a part of the Color Gaurd or the Cheerleaders, setting hereslf apart from them on her own terms.Deadly Cool, was a deadly cool fun read that I enjoyed quite a bit and I am looking forward to the sequel that follows, Social Suicide. I know, without a doubt, that it will definitely live up to it's title in a hip new way that will draw reader's in and keep them captivated until the end, the same way Deadly Cool will.
    • 5/5
      Hartley hears a rumor her boyfriend Josh was caught hooking up with the president of the Chastity Club. When she sets out to catch him in the act she makes a gruesome discovery. The previously mentioned Chastity Club president dead in his closet, and the cheating boyfriend is conveniently MIA. Even though Hartley believes 100% Josh is a cheating swine, she knows he isn't capable of murder and sets out to prove his innocence (at least when it comes to the murder part). This brings her closer to the killer and straight into the path of danger.I love mysteries and don’t think we see enough of them in Young Adult. Gemma Halliday has an adult mystery series so who better to tackle a YA mystery novel than her? She did an amazing job. The characters were fabulous. I loved Hartley. If I was a teenager again I’d totally want a friend like her. Chase was all sexy brooding bad boy. Swoon! Hartley's BFF Sam was also super cool. For some reason I usually find the BFF annoying in most YA novels. I'm not sure if authors write them to be annoying or to make the MC seem cooler. Total speculation here. Any who, I felt Sam and Hartley are a great pair. I love that Sam was willing to risk her parent's wrath and bribe her brother to borrow his car, all to help Hartley track down a killer. If only all best friends were more like Sam.I'm also so darn excited this is a series debut and not a standalone novel. Hartley is awesome and when I finished reading I thought wow this would make such a great series. Imagine my surprise and hell yeahs when I saw on Gemma's website book two, Social Suicide, will be available next year. Awesomeness!I had so much fun reading Deadly Cool. I was laughing out loud at times. The dialogue was fresh and fun. I didn't want to put this one down. I also love that the whodunit was not predictable. At least it wasn't for me. I was guessing until the last moment.I’m hard-pressed to find anything about this book not to love. Sarcastic and clever writing? Smart and sassy main character? Brooding bad boy type? Stellar secondary characters? A mystery that will keep you guessing? Check, check, check, check, and check! Like I said hard-pressed.
    • 3/5
      Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday was different than I expected it to be. Normally, when I think murder mystery, I think dark, creepy, and edgy. While the book covers some dark content (hey, we are talking about teens being murdered here), the overall feel of the book is light, fluffy, and fun. Kind of a cool mix, if you ask me.Hartley Featherstone is a really fun character. Her thought content is typical for what I'd expect of a teenager, but she's got a strong sarcastic and snarky vibe. She's witty with her thoughts, even if she's not quick enough to be so in conversation. And...she loves putting extra zing into her thoughts using parentheses (and we all know who else likes doing that *smiles*).Even though Hartley is dealing with some pretty difficult stuff -- murders, cheating boyfriend, way more attention from peers than she ever wanted -- she's able to deal with it through her sense of humor. Love that. Made it very enjoyable to read. I also appreciated that the whole boyfriend-cheating-on-her thing didn't get swept under the rug. Sure, it wasn't a priority to deal with considering everything else going on, but it kept popping up throughout the story, tugging at Hartley's heart-strings. Her conflicted emotions towards her ex were very real and believable.Overall, Deadly Cool is a quick, enjoyable read. I'd recommend for fans of Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls series and anyone else looking for something entertaining, but not too deep.Final thoughts: Borrow.
    • 4/5
      Let me start by saying that I'm not sure the rating I gave this actually conveys my feelings on it, I think I rated it more on a critical level than an enjoyment level, because while I sped through the book and am anxiously awaiting the sequel, I found the actual writing lacking a bit. I guess because I used to spend a lot of time on Inkpop critiquing novels, sometimes I critique a book instead of actually just reading it, if that makes sense.Anyway, Deadly Cool starts off as normally as any high school book does - Hartley (I love her name, by the way) finds hears the rumor going around school that her brother is screwing another girl. Like most girlfriends, she goes to investigate, expecting to find Josh in bed with Courtney.Instead, she finds Courtney's body. I really liked Hartley. I felt like her reactions and actions were realistic most of the time, and she was kind of a fun and easy character to read through. She was a bit too naive at some points for me, though - who meets a stranger in the dark football field alone at midnight when there's a killer on the loose? -_- (And also, she didn't seem nearly mad enough at Josh, if you ask me.) But otherwise, I liked how persistent she was in finding the real killer.I had a problem with the side characters. Sam was hardly developed at all, and I don't think Chase was much better. We don't know anything about him other than he works for the school newspaper. (And he goes commando ;D) He was so vague about his relationship with . . . *blanks on name* Deep Blogger. Whatever her real name was. He said it was "complicated," but we know nothing else about it. Who does he live with? Who is he friends with? I really hope more is revealed about him in the next book, Social Suicide. Otherwise, I just can't buy him as the romantic interest.I wish there was a way to tell authors that, YES, I DO WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE FREAKING ROOM LOOKS LIKE. AND THE PEOPLE. There was next to no description in this book. It was all just Hartley's thoughts and the dialogue/action. We get a pretty good description of Chase, but that's it. No one else. All I know about Hartley is her hair color. And I don't know what her room looks like, what her mom looks like, what Chase's house looks like . . . I know some people don't like to read paragraphs and paragraphs of descriptions, and neither do I, but I think something could be thrown in there! And of course, Hartley was another MC with no hobby. I suppose you could argue that the investigating was her hobby, but she didn't investigate anything until someone died. Teenagers have hobbies. Whether it's sitting around and watching TV or playing tennis, they have hobbies, gosh dang it -_-Okay, despite those rant-like points I've made, I read through this book in just a few hours. I liked how the romance between Chase and Hartley is going very slow, just developing so that it's not really a romance yet. It wasn't love-at-first-sight, they're still not in love, and it's very realistic to me. And the concept was fairly original to me, too. I know lots of books involve murders, but this was fairly different from all those, the fact that it wasn't anything paranormal just being one of them.Overall: Deadly Cool is fast-paced, light read that I suggest for anyone who wants to be mildly amused and doesn't want to read something where you have to think about every sentence. The writing style is simple, easy, and Hartley was a refreshing character. Despite the problems I had with it, I give it 3.5 stars. And hey, if you ask me, the killer was a total surprise :D
    • 3/5
      Deadly Cool is one of those books that I loved parts of and disliked other parts of.First, things I liked. I love a good mystery. I especially love a good mystery where I’m not able to guess every little thing that happens. Deadly Cool definitely rocked on that bit – I did not expect the killer to be who it was.I also really liked Chase and the romance aspect of the book. Chase was cute and witty and protective and also a bit mysterious.Deadly Cool definitely made me laugh out loud a few times, but there were a few parts that seemed like it was trying too hard to be funny.A few things I didn’t like – parts of it were slightly over the top, including why the killer did what the killer did. Also, there was a line in there about Hartley sticking her fingernail between her teeth…and there was no purpose to it! But that’s one tiny nitpicky thing.Overall, I thought Deadly Cool was very entertaining, even if a bit unrealistic. Like I said, I’m a sucker for a good mystery/sleuthing teen. Definitely check out Deadly Cool if it sounds like your thing!
    • 4/5
      Hartley finds her boyfriend cheating on her and with her best friend, Sam, breaks into his locker to get the proof, when she finds the truth, she heads over to his house to confront him and finds...a dead body! With her cheating ex as the leading suspect and his partner is the victim, Hartley decides to help him clear his name, especially when she finds another body and realizes she is next on the list. Josh pretty much goes into hiding, leaving her to do all the heavy lifting to clear his name. Chase, a snarky bad boy, helps Hartley and Sam track down the killer and clear Josh's name. I loved Gemma Halliday's chick lit and she delivers again with this fun and snappy murder mystery geared towards young adults. Hartley is dead on funny, with Chase giving out one liners that you will love to repeat and Sam is the goofy BFF that ties everything together. For those of you looking for a bit of diversion to all the paranormal, fantasy and dystopian thrillers, this should be a nice change of pace. There are enough clues to make you turn the page and everything is perfectly paced, but a little predictable for adults. I loved Hartley voice and I am so glad that there will be another one in this series!
    • 4/5
      I must say that this book is not what I expected though it keep me on my heels throughout the whole story. I love following along with the main character, Hartley, solving a crime that no one seems to see right under their nose.The plot line of this book left me giddy. Ms. Halliday did a great job creating a great mystery yet something accessible. I could see this plot really playing out in really life. Ms. Halliday gives the reader clues to piece by piece dragging them through the whole.The main character Hartley, is a girl I would love to be friends with. Loyal to the end, despite the betrayal she pretty much does anything she can to help. She's not one to leave them on their own but she made she they knew exactly where they stand. I love how she got help and snooped around.The whole motive of the story is good. I liked how Ms. Halliday unfolded it slowly before the readers eyes. I, myself, was dying to find out who the murder is. I tried to think but nothing came to mind. And when I finally found out, it made sense. Bravo, Ms. Halliday!If you want to solve a mystery, one depicted of purity and embarrassment, Deadly Cool will give you a great scandalous mystery to solve!