Review: Serial Hottie by Kelly Oram

Serial Hottie by Kelly Oram

Goodreads Summary:

Ellie’s sweet sixteen is a summer of firsts. First car. First kiss. First boyfriend. First serial-killing stalker?

Hockey-obsessed tomboy Eleanor Westley has never been the object of a guy’s affection before. So when the hottest boy she’s ever seen moves in across the street and starts treating her like she’s the center of his universe, naturally she’s going to be a little skeptical. But everything starts to make sense when girls who look just like Ellie start dying all around the city. Obviously the new guy is the killer, and of course he only likes her because he wants to slice her into tiny pieces. Right?

The more Ellie gets to know Seth the more she’s convinced he’s a psychopathic killer. The problem is he’s the sweetest psychopathic killer she’s ever met. Not to mention he’s brutally hot. No matter how hard she tries, she can’t help but fall for him. Will Ellie find true love, or will her summer of firsts turn out to be a summer of lasts?

My Review:
Well, a potential boyfriend who is a serial killer would pretty much be at the top of the Bad Boy pyramid, right? Especially if his preferred victim type- the physical traits, etc. of the people he kills- fits you. Well this is the setup and mystery of the book. And she thinks this, initially, because she's spying on him. Kind of like this classic movie, Rear Window.

I'm not going to tell you whether or not he's the serial killer. But Ellie does believe he is and finds him attractive and sort of dates him. Or at least spends some alone time with him. Which kind of makes her all kinds of stupid. And yet the story is full of suspense and charm and you just have to go with it. If this kind of thing will annoy you because you will find Ellie TSTL (too stupid to live), then you might want to skip this book. Or wait until you're just in the frame of mind where you can suspend disbelief and just go along with the story.  Why is this book so appealing to me? I guess because it's one of those stories that highlights the weird things that can happen in suburbia. (Where I spent my teen years.) It's also why I like this movie- in addition to the fact that it's a John Waters film and I just love him. 

All kinds of weird things can happen in suburbia. I don't know if it's a result of people working all day, driving straight into their garage, and walking straight into their homes that creates this kind of estrangement. A disconnect from your neighbors and environment. Where surface things seem to matter so much to people- the obsession with lawn care, driving the right car, etc. Where you almost just have to believe that there's a bubbling cauldron of suppressed...STUFF, I guess, going on underneath the surface type perfection. Which you almost have to because if the surface is all there is...     

If this book is not for you, please go out and rent or at least Netflix "Rear Window" and "Serial Mom",please. If you're old enough for Serial Mom, that is. If the two movies had a child, it would resemble "Serial Hottie". Well, I mean, the two movies are way more awesome than the book. (But read the book anyway?)     

Overall Rating: 3 stars  
Genre Rating: 3 ¾ stars (Can't quite bring myself to give it a 4 star rating. I mean, the MC was TSTL in a way that wasn't really explained beyond, "Gawd, Seth's Hot!" But I read it in one sitting, so I did really enjoy it. But it was a light fluffy read. See...I'm all over the place, so the ¾ stars is a compromise) 

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