Jill Jekel has always obeyed her parents rules; especially the one about never opening the mysterious, old box in her father's office. But when her dad is murdered, and her college savings disappear, she's tempted to peek inside, as the contents might be the key to a lucrative chemistry scholarship.
To improve her odds, Jill enlists the help of gorgeous, brooding Tristen Hyde, who has his own dark secrets locked away. As the team of Jekel and Hyde, they recreate experiments based on the classic novel, hoping not only to win a prize, but to save Tristen's sanity. Maybe his life. But Jill's accidental taste of a formula unleashes her darkest nature and compels her to risk everything, even Tristen's love just for the thrill of being . . . bad.
2 out of 5 stars
Tristen Hyde has been on Jill Jekel's radar since he came to her father's funeral. When their chemistry teacher informs them that there is a competition, they team up to recreate the experiment of Dr. Jekyll's that created Mr. Hyde. They each have their own reasons for doing so- Jill's father stole her college fund and she needs the scholarship money, while Tristen believes that his family is descended from the evil Mr. Hyde and this can cure his murderous alter ego. But this experiment doesn't just impact them, and they have to fight for control.
I'm not sure why I decided to pick up this book, even on sale. I didn't like Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Darkside so there was a very good chance that I'd dislike this one, too... and I did. I actually think the idea of the book is really interesting and original, but I just don't like the writing or the characters.
My biggest complaint about the writing is that it's just so very dull. Not even the prospect of violent and bloody murder was enough to make this book interesting. Everything just seemed to drag with the characters' whining thoughts. Another problem I had was the fact that the author used a lot of "Little did I know that my life would change forever" type of sentences... basically telling us when she was foreshadowing like were couldn't figure it out on our own.
The characters were awful. Jill was basically afraid of her own shadow. Tristen was pushy and obnoxious. There was little to like about these characters or their relationship which consisted of a lot of "I think I love him but does he love me?" and "I love her but there's no way she could love me." and "I want to hate him, but I really still love him." going on. I guess we are supposed to recognize Jill's transformation from shy, timid mouse to a strong, independent girl but, by that time, I already hated her.
I can only recommend this to someone who liked Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Darkside, because I think it's very similar. I liked it only marginally better. I think this is going to be the last book from this author I read.
*Picture and description from Goodreads
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