3:59 by Gretchen McNeil Review

3:59 by Gretchen McNeil
Release Date: September 17, 2013
Publisher: Balzer & Bray; 368 pages

Josie Byrne's life is spiraling out of control. Her parents are divorcing, her boyfriend Nick has grown distant, and her physics teacher has it in for her. When she's betrayed by the two people she trusts most, Josie thinks things can't get worse.

Until she starts having dreams about a girl named Jo. Every night at the same time—3:59 a.m.

Jo's life is everything Josie wants: she's popular, her parents are happily married, and Nick adores her. It all seems real, but they're just dreams, right? Josie thinks so, until she wakes one night to a shadowy image of herself in the bedroom mirror – Jo.

Josie and Jo realize that they are doppelgängers living in parallel universes that overlap every twelve hours at exactly 3:59. Fascinated by Jo's perfect world, Josie jumps at the chance to jump through the portal and switch places for a day.

But Jo’s world is far from perfect. Not only is Nick not Jo's boyfriend, he hates her. Jo's mom is missing, possibly insane. And at night, shadowy creatures feed on human flesh.

By the end of the day, Josie is desperate to return to her own life. But there’s a problem: Jo has sealed the portal, trapping Josie in this dangerous world. Can she figure out a way home before it’s too late?

From master of suspense Gretchen McNeil comes a riveting and deliciously eerie story about the lives we wish we had – and how they just might kill you.

I am sad to say that I am not a member of Gretchen McNeil's Army of Ten.  I know that's just embarrassing right?  I hope to rectify that this year.  With that being said, 3:59 is the first book that I have read by Gretchen.  A few months ago Gretchen had asked a few bloggers to help promote 3:59, by wearing t shirts advertising the book.  Even though I had not read Possess or Ten, I jumped at the chance because I love promoting young adult books!  So for the next few months I wore my 3:59 t shirt proud while attending numerous conventions around the country.  Lots of people had asked me what's this 3:59 thing about, including an actor from the tv series The Walking Dead!

I am not gonna lie, even though I was excited to help promote the book, I was a little worried about how I would feel if I actually didn't like the book.  But I had a good feeling that I would enjoy this book.  And boy did I enjoy it!  I have been really lucky with the books I have read these past few months, with the exception of a few I have been enjoying my summer reading immensely!

3:59 tells the story of Josie, whose life has basically been turned upside down.  Her parents are getting divorced, and the unthinkable happens between her and her boyfriend.  After a strange turn of events, Josie is in possession of a mirror and at 3:59 each day it doesn't show her reflection.  It shows the reflection of her doppelganger Jo!  Josie begins having strange dreams about Jo, and discovers that the mirror is a portal between her world and Jo's world.  Josie and Jo decide to trade places for 24 hours, and Josie finds out that things aren't always greener on the other side.

I started reading this book late one evening.  I had an important visit to prepare for at work the next day, and yet I was up late reading because I simply could not put this book down.  If my body didn't force me to go to bed, I am pretty sure I would have read it in one sitting.  It's just so well paced, and there is truly never a dull moment.

This book is good for anyone who has a problem with acceptance, because no matter how bad things are they can definitely get worse.  We always imagine what it would be like to have more money, to be able to go back and change things to make them better.  But there is always a catch, and things aren't always what they seem.

3:59 has a bit of everything.  There's romance, betrayal, slight humor, and even some horror.  In fact there is one scene that freaked me out a little bit because I don't do very well with horror.  I am the type of person who refused to watch horror movies, and I will leave the room if someone is watching one.

I admired Josie's strength so much.  Because I know that if I were in her position I would have just sat back, cried, and eventually given up.  I've read some reviews for 3:59 that have had negative comments about Josie, but I feel that those readers don't remember high school.  When you walk into a room, and someone is whispering about you that hurts.  To say that her problems are superficial, is just ignorant.  And if you were given the chance to make something right, you'd probably take it yourself.

From start to finish 3:59 was real.  I enjoyed reading Josie's journey, and I hope others do as well.