Title: The Ruining
Author: Anna Collomore
Format: Hardcover, 313 Pages
Publication Date: February 7, 2013
Publisher: Razorbill, Penguin
Source: Arc received from publisher for honest review

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Description
Annie Phillips is thrilled to leave her past behind and begin a shiny new life on Belvedere Island, as a nanny for the picture-perfect Cohen family. In no time at all, she falls in love with the Cohens, especially with Libby, the beautiful young matriarch of the family. Life is better than she ever imagined. She even finds romance with the boy next door.

All too soon cracks appear in Annie's seemingly perfect world. She's blamed for mistakes she doesn't remember making. Her bedroom door comes unhinged, and she feels like she's always being watched. Libby, who once felt like a big sister, is suddenly cold and unforgiving. As she struggles to keep up with the demands of her new life, Annie's fear gives way to frightening hallucinations. Is she tumbling into madness, or is something sinister at play?

The Ruining is a complex ride through first love, chilling manipulation, and the terrifying depths of insanity.


My Thoughts
I was really intrigued by the concept of this novel. I have always been a fan of psychological thrillers, its part of the reason I am so obsessed with Criminal Minds. I went into this books with an open mind and left with it being pulled in soo mnay different directions.

Throughout the entire book we, as readers, have no idea what is real and what is not. The main protagonist, Annie, is so unreliable that it becomes impossible to believe her or what she is saying. I loved the fact that Annie never really knew what was happening and that we followed along with being confused and scared. I loved that each character had a secret past and that you never knew who was being genuine and who was just manipulating everything.

Annie past haunts her at every turn, and it makes for a very intriguing plot device for the rest of the story. It continually creep up at the most unwanted moments and it makes the reader believe that maybe Annie is losing some part of her sanity while living with Libby and her husband. 

What I found really aggravating was Annie's lack of a backbone, she never trusted her gut and she would always side with Libby no matter what, even after all of the horrible things she did/said. It made me really angry, I wanted to smack her over the head and tell her to stand up for herself and to look around because she always trusted the wrong people and as readers we saw that, and it got me really angry.

The end was a bit of a disappointment. Although the reveal made sense and everything was figured out, i still wanted more. I found that it ended very fast and there want enough time for me process everything that was thrown at me. I guess I was just hoping for a more crazy-filled ending.

Over all I enjoyed reading this book. I found it extremely fast to read and the characters were very easy to relate to and connect with. I found my heart racing at certain parts because I was so invested in the story and I wanted to know what was about to happen. A great heart-pounding read that is filled with twist and turns that will entrance any reader!

3.5/5 Stars