Handpicked by Dani Oden

Genre: NA, Romance, Mystery
Publication: August 5th 2014
Purchase at: Amazon
Source: Netgalley · I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Rating:

College freshman Jill Holloway takes one look at the stuck-up girls going through sorority rush and nearly returns her borrowed dress and heels. Against her best judgment, she ends up falling for the prestige and parties, and snagging a bid from a top house. After moving in, she quickly grows skeptical of her too-perfect sorority sisters. She tries to ask questions, though no one will take time from their busy social calendar to give her any real answers.
Jill wastes no time digging for everything she’s not supposed to find, and soon comes face-to-face with a big and bloody secret hidden in her sorority’s basement. She knows she’s in over her head, but taking off so soon would raise the perfectly-plucked eyebrows of her suspicious new sisters. She’s stuck until she can make a smooth exit.
But the closer she gets to leaving, the more it becomes clear that it won’t be as simple as she hoped. A tempting fraternity guy, a best friend who needs her, and new details about what has really been happening in the basement have her questioning what her next move should be, and whether or not it’ll be worth the risks.

Handpicked is the best (?) Greek read I had in years. It was written in constant motion. I was just wondering of the poor rating it has on Goodreads. Why?

Others say that the characters are immature and annoying. Well, I could say college freshmen are still immature. It’s just stupid when you say you are not. You will be homesick. You will still search for fun after school. I can see a lot of immature freshmen in our university especially on the first semester. So why say? Especially to Jill where things just went swift! She can’t track her moves by then. But YEAH RIGHT. Things went swiftly that Jill bang up his insta-love, Tad, on direst times.

The secondary characters need some development. I thought that so. Tad was cunning. Just cunning. Unlike Jill, I was not fallen off to his cliff. Lindy is just a plain friend whom I do not understand if she is what or what? And Hannah is WHATEVER FRIEND IDC A LOT with his dolt boyfriend Evan.

In this book, I saw a huge question mark: Soccer and Football is different? Can someone explain this to me? I am not from the west but I know a little (I’m not sure if I’m right with this too but) that Soccer and Football is played the same. I saw a movie (forgot the title) that Soccer is American while Football is British. ARRGH wtvr.

I could not say that this is a New Adult frankly because of the characters wretched ability on being a grownup. But, Handpicked made me anxious on who did those “things”. It is a dandy mystery book after all. It never forces you to read until its last period.

Dani Oden’s Handpicked is a groovy mystery read. I recommend this to readers who love Greek life of a click of romance and propelling sisterhood mystery.