***Page 99 Test*** Rosebush by Michelle Jaffe

What’s the Page 99 Test?

Well the page 99 test was created by Ford Maddox Ford as a way to test the quality of a book you may want to read. Apparently page 99 is the point in the book where the author should have hit their stride and hopefully we’re not so far in we hit spoilers.

On the Back of the Book

Instead of celebrating Memorial Day weekend on the Jersey Shore, Jane is in the hospital surrounded by teddy bears, trying to piece together what happened last night. One minute she was at a party, wearing fairy wings and cuddling with her boyfriend. The next, she was lying near-dead in a rosebush after a hit-and-run. Everyone believes it was an accident, despite the phone threats Jane swears were real. But the truth is a thorny thing. As Jane's boyfriend, friends, and admirers come to visit, more memories surface-not just from the party, but from deeper in her past . . . including the night her best friend Bonnie died.

With nearly everyone in her life a suspect now, Jane must unravel the mystery before her killer attacks again. Along the way, she's forced to examine the consequences of her life choices in this compulsively readable thriller.

The Test Paragraph

“My case made the first slot. An ambulance with a siren blaring went by and then the shot moved to my mother. I’d expected a podium – she liked podiums for her candidates – but instead she was standing on the front steps of the hospital with Annie and Joe beside her on her left, like a perfect family. On her right, in the place she always made me stand (“to balance the image”), was little Sloan. But that didn’t bother me. Nothing could bother me.”

My Thoughts

Okay, so let’s start with the synopsis: It’s intriguing, it’s a thriller, we’ve established before that I like thrillers. So this synopsis appeals to me. I purchased this because of the strength of the synopsis.

The cover: Well you know me, I judge covers for fun. This one is lovely. For me the main focus is the font which is used for the title and author name. It looks like rose thorns which matches the name and the synopsis. The rose theme is continued with a smattering of red roses and in the corner is a girl. I find her placement to be slightly odd but hey ho!

The paragraph: I have to say, initially the paragraph confused me. You don’t get a feel for what’s happening and I think this might have put me off on its own but I scooted to the end of page 98 and got my bearings. I have to say though that even clueless the paragraph caught my attention. It makes me want to read the book, if I didn’t already own the book I would purchase it. It just appeals to me and I hope the rest of the book does too!

What do you guys think of the sound of Rosebush?

Let me know in the comments!