Cartwheel by Jennifer duBois

I added Cartwheel to my library hold list because someone said it was the next Gone Girl. I liked Gone Girl so I figured I'd check out Cartwheel. Maybe it was that comparison or the fact that Cartwheel is about the Amanda Knox case that caused me not to love it.

If I would have known that Cartwheel was a fictionalized version of the Amanda Knox trial I wouldn't have read it. I don't really like court room dramas. And since Ms Knox is from the Seattle area too, I've heard a lot about the case and Ms Knox. I also don't like thinly veiled fiction because I'm constantly trying to decide what's real and what's fiction.

Lily is studying abroad in Buenos Aires. Lily is an odd sort of girl. She's not like her study aboard roommate, Katy. Katy seems perfect. She doesn't cause the woman that they are living with to get upset. Katy is quiet and seems to always be studying. Lily hardly studies, seems to upset the the host family they are living with daily, and feel awkward all the time. Lily meets Sebastian, the boy next door, who is also odd. They fall into a relationship. Lily isn't sure how she feels about Sebastien.

Once Lily is charged with murder, Lily's divorced parents and her sister come to Buenos Aires. Lily's family was odd too. I had a hard time figuring them out. Sebastian was also strange and hard to figure out. duBois created some interesting characters but I felt they like they stayed at arm's length the entire book. I wouldn't compare Cartwheel to Gone Girl because the characters aren't fooling you, they are fooling themselves. There was a little twist and I did fall for it but I didn't feel anything for any of the characters. I didn't hate them or like them. They never jumped off the page for me. It could have been just me and my expectations though.

Cartwheel would be great for those who like court room dramas. I liked how some chapters were about now, the trial, and some talked about the days leading up to the murder. Others who shared their thoughts about Cartwheel: Literate Housewife, S.Krishna's Books, Like An Open Book, BermudaOnion, Booking Mama, and Never Enough To Read.