Author: Beth Fantaskey
Genres: Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (Imprint of Harcourt)
Release Date: May 3, 2010
Format: Paperback (288 pages)
Dates Read: June 18 to 22, 2011
Rating:
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I never read the classic The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde but I knew what it was about and Jekel Loves Hyde was definitely a good retelling of this tale.Jill Jekel has always obeyed her parents rules; especially the one about never opening the mysterious, old box in her father's office. But when her dad is murdered, and her college savings disappear, she's tempted to peek inside, as the contents might be the key to a lucrative chemistry scholarship.
To improve her odds, Jill enlists the help of gorgeous, brooding Tristen Hyde, who has his own dark secrets locked away. As the team of Jekel and Hyde, they recreate experiments based on the classic novel, hoping not only to win a prize, but to save Tristen's sanity. Maybe his life. But Jill's accidental taste of a formula unleashes her darkest nature and compels her to risk everything, even Tristen's love just for the thrill of being . . . bad.
I love how there is a dark feel as well as a sense of mystery and suspense. There are so many question in the beginning of the book and it keeps you reading because you want to find out the answers. I loved how they actually used the original story like it was fiction, but they find out that it was actually based on truth.
Jill Jekel was the nerdy science girl but it seemed that she still had friends who were pretty popular. I think the fact that she was just nice is what made everyone seem to accept her. Tristen Hyde was the bad boy and who doesn’t like bad boys? But he had this sweet side of himself that he wasn’t afraid to show either. You could tell from the very beginning that he cared for Jill and he didn’t expect her to feel the same.
I love that there was a romance between Jill and Tristen, but that wasn’t the main focus of the story. The story focuses more on their history and them figuring out a cure to fix the past. The romance plays a big part between them though because without it, a lot of the story would have never happened.
And reading from both points-of-view is definitely one of my favorite things with books because when there are two big characters, it’s nice to see both sides. And the fact that is was in first person was so much better because you got to feel what they were feeling and knew what they were thinking.
The ending definitely leaves you wanting more. It opens up a few questions and you want to find out more about how it affected them. You are left wondering if maybe there still wasn’t a beast in both of them and they just don’t know it. And even exactly what happened in the last chapter before the epilogue.
The cover definitely catches your attention because you can actually see the chemistry between them, but also the darkness and mystery. It’s absolutely beautiful and I love how the book has a glossy finish to it.
