Sanctuary Bay by Laura Burns and Melinda Metz Spoiler-Free Review

*I recieved an online ARC of this book through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review*

In this genre-bending YA thriller, will Sarah Merson's shiny new prep school change her life forever or bring it to a dark and sinister end? When Sarah Merson receives the opportunity of a lifetime to attend the most elite prep school in the country-Sanctuary Bay Academy-it seems almost too good to be true. But, after years of bouncing from foster home to foster home, escaping to its tranquil setting, nestled deep in Swans Island, couldn't sound more appealing. Swiftly thrown into a world of privilege and secrets, Sarah quickly realizes finding herself noticed by class charmer, Nate, as well as her roommate's dangerously attentive boyfriend, Ethan, are the least of her worries. When her roommate suddenly goes missing, she finds herself in a race against time, not only to find her, but to save herself and discover the dark truth behind Sanctuary Bay's glossy reputation. In this genre-bending YA thriller, Sanctuary Bay by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz, Sarah's new school may seem like an idyllic temple of learning, but as she unearths years of terrifying history and manipulation, she discovers this "school" is something much more sinister.

So I'm going to start off by saying that this book is nothing like I had expected it to be before I'd started reading it. Originally, after reading the synopsis for the first time, I had predicted that it was going to be another generic YA fantasy book, where the main character goes on a journey of self-discovery and finds out that he/she actually has magical powers that must be used to save the world and blah blah blah... It isn't.

Sarah Merson, the main character, watched both her dad and mom get shot when she was very young. This lead to her bouncing back and forth from an extensive number of foster homes, until she was mysteriously enlisted in the country's ultimate prep school, Sanctuary Bay Academy. Every graduate of this school has become successful in whatever they decide to do, so Sarah is convinced that this opportunity that has been handed to her is a mistake of some sort. She is also slightly more skeptical because this school is located on an island, with no communication to the outside world. However, she goes anyway, and that is where she meets her two room mates, Karina and Izzy. They, alongside most of the others attendants of the school, are really nice to her, and Sarah feels really grateful to have actual, real friends. Now, the reason I said most people were nice to her is because of one guy primarily who wasn't really acting like a gentleman. Ethan, a self-absorbed classmate of Sarah's, is not the dream guy towards Sarah at first. This changes however when Sarah joins a secret club at the school, which sparks a friendship between them.

Sarah is a very relatable character. She's been through a lot, which makes her grow up faster than most people her age. She is very mature, although she does make some questionable decisions along the way. Her tough upbringing makes her reluctant to trust, but that doesn't mean that she isn't nice to those she meets. However, she does get defensive about her upbringing whenever it is brought up. She does seem somewhat annoying at the beginning because everything to her is about race and monetary status, but as you read on you begin to sympathize with her because of the events that ultimately lead to her having these thoughts.

Let's talk about the writing style of this book now. I read this in a mere two days, which really isn't a lot of time considering that studying for exams was also done at the time in which I read it. I. Was. Hooked. Sanctuary Bay is written in a way where you think you know what is going to happen, and then you're hit by a major curve that leaves you going back chapters looking for clues of how this plot twist came to be. In terms of the pacing of the book, it was really well done. The beginning was slightly slow, but that's understandable because the authors had to take time to set up the events. It picks up pace after that and it really doesn't seem to stop; there are no dull moments.

Generally, Sanctuary Bay was an amazing read, and one that I would recommend to any YA reader who is tired of reading fantasy or just any mystery-thriller fans.