Review: Sanctuary Bay by Laura J. Burns, Melinda Metz

Title: Sanctuary Bay
Author: Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz
Published: Jan. 19, 2016
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 320
Genre: YA, Thriller
Review: ebook provided by NetGalley and publisher
Buy Links: Amazon, Amazon.uk 

In this genre-bending YA thriller, will Sarah Merson's shiny new prep school change her life forever or bring it to a dark and sinister end?

When Sarah Merson receives the opportunity of a lifetime to attend the most elite prep school in the country-Sanctuary Bay Academy-it seems almost too good to be true. But, after years of bouncing from foster home to foster home, escaping to its tranquil setting, nestled deep in Swans Island, couldn't sound more appealing. Swiftly thrown into a world of privilege and secrets, Sarah quickly realizes finding herself noticed by class charmer, Nate, as well as her roommate's dangerously attentive boyfriend, Ethan, are the least of her worries. When her roommate suddenly goes missing, she finds herself in a race against time, not only to find her, but to save herself and discover the dark truth behind Sanctuary Bay's glossy reputation.

In this genre-bending YA thriller, Sanctuary Bay by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz, Sarah's new school may seem like an idyllic temple of learning, but as she unearths years of terrifying history and manipulation, she discovers this "school" is something much more sinister.

I received this book via NetGalley to give an honest review.

Sarah is an orphan when she was little she heard and saw something horrific happen to her parents. She does really good in school, keeps to herself and doesn't have friends but didn't ever think she would get accepted into an elite school called Sanctuary Bay Academy. She never applied there but has gotten a full scholarship how exciting right. Sanctuary Bay Academy is located on an island that is away from everyone and everything, you can only access the island via a boat. The only thing that is different with this school is that you pretty much say good bye to the outside world until you graduate. Doesn't sound too bad right as you will have everything you really need there. As Sarah starts getting into the swing of everything and making friends things start showing up as being weird. Her friends are leaving in the middle of the night, their gps is showing them offline and the weird writing showing up on the walls of a cave. What does all this mean exactly? What is actually going on within the walls of this school. With the help of Ethan a fellow classmate they embark on finding out what is going on, but what will they uncover? Is it just a school or is it something more? 

The authors did an awesome job with the characters as far as getting them to be more than just characters. They each have their own personality, some of them have a past that has landed them here at the Academy which isn't all rainbows and sunshine. The world that was created is just amazing, I hope there will be a book two as where this one left off it wasn't a cliff hanger but it does make you wonder what could happen next. 

This is a perfect read for teens as I know they will enjoy everything that happens within these pages.

Melinda Metz grew up in San Jose, California. People sometimes ask if she knows the way there. She kinda does, but she has an off-kilter sense of direction, so to be confident of arriving, it's better to consult some kind of navigational device.
Her mother tried to teach her to read in kindergarten, but Melinda had no interest. She also had no interest in learning to write her name. (FYI, when Melinda was in kindergarten it was all about finger-painting, play time, and naps.) Eventually, she mastered both and even majored in English at San Jose State University.
After college, Melinda moved to Manhattan to seek her fortune, which involved learning to identify fruits and vegetables while working at a grocery store,
making $2.73 working backstage for an off-off Broadway play (her part of the box-office profits), and editing books.
Melinda and the lovely and talented Laura J. Burns pretty much became unofficial writing partners when they were editors at the same company. They teamed up to brainstorm story ideas, and at some point their brains fused in some key places. Later they worked on the Roswell High book series, Laura developing and editing the series, Melinda writing.
That series led to Melinda and Laura, now an official writing team, writing two TV pilots, moving to L.A. to work on the Roswell TV show, and briefly living in Toronto while on the writing staff of 1-800-Missing. They both continue to write books, together and separately.
Laura and Melinda's new book, Sanctuary Bay, a YA thriller, is coming out in January 2016. It's set at an ultra-exclusive private school on an island. Once a student is accepted to the school, they must stay until graduation. No visits home, no contact with the outside world at all. Find out why in January!
The first four books in Melinda's new middle-grade mystery series,S.M.A.R.T.S., are out now. The books involve a group of kids in a makerspace club and they all have lots of science info. For all the cool geeks out there!
Melinda lives in Concord, NC with her dog, Scully (yes, she loves the woo-woo so much she named her dog after a kickass X-Files character). She has never regretted learning to read and write her name.

Laura J. Burns has written more than thirty books for kids and teens, touching on topics from imaginary lake monsters to out-of-control Hollywood starlets. (Those two things have more in common than you'd think.)

With Melinda Metz, she has also written for the TV shows ROSWELL, 1-800-MISSING, and THE DEAD ZONE. Their next book is SANCTUARY BAY, coming in January 2016!
Laura lives in New York with her husband, her kids, and her two exceptionally silly dogs.