Ratings2
Average rating3.5
The perfect after-school job turns deadly for teens working as "simulated patients" at the local med school. Everyone has something to hide and no one is safe in this contemporary YA thriller that exposes the dark reality of #MeToo in the world of medicine, for fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson. It seemed like a cool part-time program -- being a "simulated" patient for med school students to practice on. But now vivacious, charismatic Viv lies in a very real coma. Cellphone footage just leads to more questions. What really happened? Other kids suspect it was not an intentional overdose -- but each has a reason why they can't tell the truth. Through intertwining and conflicting narratives, a twisted story unfolds of trust betrayed as we sift through the seemingly innocent events leading up to the tragic night. Perhaps simulated patients aren't the only people pretending to be something they're not . . .
Reviews with the most likes.
I finished this book a few weeks ago however I am beyond behind on everything this year and it is new years eve and I am trying to review all the books I have managed to finish this year that I just haven't been able to do. This was yet another solid three-star thriller. Based on the description I was expecting a solid easy quick read in the who done it format. However, what I received was a book that was completely obsessed with opioids. most of the book is focused on the main character Viv and her struggles with alcoholism. I thought it was done pretty well and that should have been the focus of the story. However, the book kept trying to convince me that the real story was the “mystery” of how a teenage girl with addiction issues and a disastrous personal life managed to overdose on opioids.
Vivienne's story, told through flashbacks, is interwoven with the (mostly pretty dull) stories of two of her friends, as well as interviews by the police as they try to find out where she could have obtained the single painkiller, she took that caused her overdose. I just can't imagine the police putting in that kind of an investigation when Viv was filmed taking the drugs willingly. Overall there are bits of the story that I love and it did have a resolution at the end of the story which I was happy to see. Overall, I am happy I gave this author a chance not sure if I will be reading the next one but only time will tell.