Tighter by Adele Griffin

Jamie has been shipped off to the isolated island of Little Bly to work as an au pair for the summer.  Her mother says it will be good for her, that things will change for the better once she is away from home and out on her own.  On the way out the door Jamie grabs an emergency supply of pills from the house - painkillers, sleeping pills, anything that will help her get through the pain of her old back injury, and give her a buzz or dulling effect to get through the day.  Once she is on the island and meets her new charge Isa, things look like they will be okay, but there is something going on inside the house.  The au pair from the year before died, and au pair who looked a lot like Jamie, and the ghost of her boyfriend seems to be haunting the house and Jamie.  Will Jamie be able to fit in with the other kids on the island, will her summer be ruined, will she find some of the answers she has been looking for?

This was an unusual story that seemed to be heading one way, and then seemed to head another way, before ending up somewhere else entirely.  It also seemed a little unbalanced with a middle that is dense with plot and "meaning" before moving onto and ending that was a little blah really, an ending that was satisfying on one level but also left me a little wanting.  Although it was not the perfect read, it was still an enjoyable read that would perhaps have been a little better if it had been a few dozen pages shorter.  A good read if you are looking for something dark and dramatic, but there are other books out there that perhaps do the job a little better.

If you like this book then try:

• Miles from ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams
• Token of darkness by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
• Gifted touch by Melinda Metz
• Love you to death by Meg Cabot
• Legacy of lies by Elizabeth Chandler
• Clarity by Kim Harrington

Reviewed by Brilla