EVERYTHING YOU WANT ME TO BE

By Mindy Mejia

An excellent book full of surprises, fans will be thrilled to find that this is one tale that falls into that very slim category of rare ‘one-day’ reads.

Twists and turns occur in this young woman’s life. Hattie Hoffman, a small town girl who’s a senior in high school, has played the part of ‘perfect’ girl all her life.

Hattie is a great student, the daughter any parent would rave about, (the one who makes others in the small town look really bad), and a fantastic citizen. Unfortunately, on opening night of the school play, Hattie is murdered. This sudden horrific catastrophe goes through her small town like a tornado, hurting a great many as they pray for her lost soul.

Del Goodman, Sheriff and a friend of Hattie’s family, resolves to find her killer. But trying to solve this murder brings about more questions than answers as to why she was singled out to visit the grave early. The path of the investigation also focuses on Hattie’s talent on the stage. Apparently she was an incredible actress and far beyond the skill level of any other teen at the school. Her story, however, is told by three people with three very different points of view: Sheriff Del, Hattie, and the new English instructor whose marriage is coming to an end. And as doors open exposing the small town and the secrets of its people, the story of Hattie’s last year is filled with gasps of shock.

Not wanting to upset the apple cart, I left out a ton of information. All I can say is: Be prepared to not be able to put this one down. Each main character’s views are very convincing and readers will be enthralled by Mindy Mejia’s excellent writing. I am anxious to see another title from this lady in (hopefully) the very near future.