3.5 stars 
 I feel like I've been on a mediocre read spree and that's kind of depressing. I had exceptionally high hopes for Fracture and maybe my hopes were just too high from seeing the all the great ratings, that it couldn't measure up to what I wanted it to be. 
 What did I want it to be? I don't know, maybe a creepy story about a girl who's brought back to life and can see/hear/feel ghosts. I definitely wanted it to be a 5-star book. But that's not what I got. That's not to say Fracture was bad; it wasn't. It was actually pretty good. But I already had the measuring stick out and it fell short. If we were playing a game of Limbo, it would have won. 
 Delaney died. She died and then she was brought back to life by her best friend, Decker , after falling into the frigid lake near her home in Maine. By all medical opinions, she should be dead and she's brain damaged per her multiple MRIs, but she is alive and shows no visible sign of disability. That is, until her hands begin to shake and she is mysteriously drawn to those who are dying or end up dead. 
 The pace of Fracture begins quickly. Delaney and Decker (I love the alliteration, hehe) are joining their friends in the woods for a game and decide to cut across the pond to save time. Delaney trips and falls, the ice cracking under the pressure of the fall, the cracks spidering out beneath her, while she watches, with her cheek pressed against the ice, afraid to move. A split second later, the ice-cold water has enveloped her and her only two saving graces are her bright red jacket and Decker, her very best friend in the world. I loved the pace of this opening scene, it's fast and full and gritty and I couldn't put it down. I expected the entire book to be like this, and that's where I was let down, because it slowed down considerably. 
 Delaney was an interesting and likeable character. I found her very confusing, but I think she also found herself confusing. I can imagine it's really hard to know she died and be brought back to life. Dealing with that kind of death can be unsettling and troubling; it can also bring on a sort of survivor's guilt, even if no one else died, because she knows she shouldn't have lived. It's like defying Death. Add to this that she now has a new ability to sense death in others and this girl is dealing with a lot of stuff! Getting to know her mind was interesting and fun. I will say that I didn't like how she treated Decker for a little while, like she didn't trust him with her secret. How do you not trust the very person who saved your life? That irritated me. I wanted to slap her in the head on more than one occasion. 
 Decker was awesome. He told it like it was, knew what he wanted, even if he sometimes made the opposite choice. He's a guy, I can forgive him. 
 Troy was very creepy. He just showed up one day, but wait! We've seen him before! Where? I'm not telling. Megan Miranda writes Troy very well. He just manages to BE wherever Delaney is. He seems like a nice guy, but there is a dangerous undercurrent about him. I did not find him charming as others have. Maybe I don't go for that dark, mysterious guy anymore, but he didn't do it for me. I found him pretty irritating actually, but in a good way. He was playing his part well. His relationship with Delaney confounded me. I had a hard time accepting that she immediately trusted Troy but didn't trust Decker, especially given all the warning signs that he gave off! However I will say that sharing a bond like death with someone can do that, so I overlooked it. 
 The plot is pretty complex, especially for a young adult novel. Megan Miranda explores the deep recesses of the human mind and heart, how they work and what affects each. Her writing was also very fluid and real; I enjoyed it a lot. Fracture didn't require much in the way of world-building; it's in modern Maine after all, but Ms. Miranda did quite the excellent job of describing the setting and surroundings, so much so that I felt as if I knew the town (and its people) intimately. 
 Yet somehow there was still something missing for me and it bothers me that I don't know exactly what it is. Was Fracture just not creepy enough for me? Is it only because it didn't meet my high expectations? Or is it because it slowed down after the initial chapter. Maybe that's what I get for succumbing to the hype. If I had read Fracture on my own without any recommendations, would I have liked it more? Unfortunately, I don't have the answer. 
 However, I DID like it a lot and I think it's a story worth reading at least once. And it may be something I read again, someday.