Lisa the Nerd

in a sentence or so: what if you knew who the school shooters, the teenage moms, the drop-outs, and all the other bad seeds were? what if you were one of them?Daphne is a new girl, yet again, and is doing her best to get through her first full day at a new school. and that's when a school shooting happens. after she's saved by Jesse, the dark and mysterious hottie, Daphne starts to hear rumors about PROFILE. she's totally in the dark about the whole program, but her mom seems to know quite a bit about the research. could there really be a way to tell if people are predestined to be violent? to become addicts? to lie? and if so, what does that mean for life at Quiet High School?after a girl is beaten within inches of her life, the demands to know who's Predicted comes to a head. while most are happy to know who the future troublemakers are, Daphne is worried that Jesse just might be on that list. and more importantly, what does it mean to her if he is? can she look past his Predicted status, or should she use it as a warning to stay away?starting this read smack dab in the middle of a school shooting was a gripping way to begin Daphne's story. adjusting to life at a new school is tough enough before Daphne starts crushing on a guy who may or may not be involved with the school shooter's sister. trying to keep her head above water, figure out what to do about Jesse, and weigh in on the moral dilemma of PROFILE is a lot for her to handle.i liked that as the reader, we see both sides of the argument - to know if someone is predicted to be violent, or to let their actions speak for themselves. this was a fabulous idea for a book and one that i was very excited to experience! with a bit more background and development, it would have been a must-read. as is, it's good...just not living up to it's full potential.if you're looking for a book that raises moral questions, has a traditional instalove element, surrounded by a dark whodunnit, give this one a go. it's certainly enjoyable and makes you think!fave quote: "Let's just divide them into two groups; those who are worthy and those who are worthless. Seems pretty simple to me." (Joanna Heller, mother of Josh Heller, chapter quote - pg 221)fix er up: i feel like with a more aggressive editor, this book could have been a total knock out. there were pieces that seemed totally extraneous and others that needed to be more fleshed out.