3:59

By: Gretchen McNeil

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

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 are doppelgängers living in parallel universes that briefly overlap every 12 hours at exactly 3:59. Fascinated by Jo's fabulous life, Josie jumps at the chance to cross 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.

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.

©2013 Gretchen McNeil (P)2013 HarperCollinsPublishers

Cool Concept.

I'm not a big science fiction fan but I'm glad I took a chance here. I have to admit I was lost whenever they got into the science language explanations that didn't explain a thing for me but the story it's self was enjoyable and not as predictable as I thought it would be. Josie Byrne discovers a parallel universe and tries to experience what's on the other side since one always feels the grass is much greener on the other side. But what she find is both shocking and scary and very little perks for her troubles. However the little perks become worth risking her life for. As always Tavia Gilbert makes this story all the better with her amazing talent to bring characters to life.

Predictable and Unmemorable

It's YA sci-fi. I didn't expect anything else. The narration was not terrible. The story was flat, and the characters flatter. I finished only to find out what happened.

A steaming pile of hot mess

I don't usually write bad reviews, because authors are people too, and I don't want to hurt their feelings. But this sorry excuse for a novel was the hottest of hot messes, a steaming pile of hot mess.

The writing was about on par with your average Harlequin Romance, except most Harlequin Romances have a believable love story. The love story in this particular book was beyond ridiculous, and somehow used as the rationale for exploring another universe? What? And even Harlequin writers don't use words like "tresses" as much as this joker did. Really? Tresses? Is it 1932?

And why the author decided to take on a science fiction plot, I will never understand, as she demonstrated absolutely no knowledge of real science. And the science she did use was just thrown out there without any kind of layman's explanation. "Just go with it. Sure. A laser and a mirror will open a portal to another universe. Trust me."

I'm not sure why I listened to all the way through to the end, except maybe I was hoping it would get better. It did not. What a shitshow.