This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic 
 We're starting this year off with a bang! No One Else Can Have You was the first 2014 release I had a chance to read and it has set the bar pretty high. 
 First off there is the fabulous cover design. *slow clap for the designer.* This cover manages to accomplish two things. First, it accurately portrays the tone of the book. There is a homey feel to it. The knitted sweater with the juvenile pattern - it makes us think of warmth, of winter, of families like the Weasley's. But then there is the hanging moose - indicating that this book is going to take the normal and the mundane and give it a very dark twist. Those were my early impressions based on the cover alone and now, having read it, I can honestly say that it fits the story perfectly. 
 No One Else Can Have You starts out with the murder of a teenage girl. The rest of the book deals with the aftermath of that murder. Friendship is one of those places were bad things just don't happen. So when something truly horrific does occur the shockwaves are felt by everyone. This book is great for fans of the show Twin Peaks. It has a very similar dark, small-town vibe to it and if you were fascinated by the mystery of who killed Laura Palmer you're going to love the mystery of who killed Ruth Fried. The story is smart and well constructed. The mystery kept me on my toes and constantly guessing what was going to happen next. I was so wrapped up in the story that when my Kindle hit 80% read, I had to force myself to slow down because I wasn't ready to leave this world and these characters behind. 
 One character in particular stood out about all the rest. Our heroine, Kippy Bushman. She is so fabulous in so many ways. She's all the things you would expect - brave, intelligent, independent etc. But she's also so much more than your typical YA heroine. First of all she's incredibly fierce. Despite the danger she begins looking into the murder of her best friend, with only an older PTSD-suffering pseudo-aquintance for support. She's also totally unconventional. And not in that hipster-ish way. For example, at one point during her investigation she begins to wear a utility belt with her notebook and pen in a holster. She's more Harriet the Spy than Katniss or Tris and that was incredibly refreshing. And finally she's incredibly flawed (and slightly disturbed) which made her feel so human. I felt like if I got in a car and drove to Friendship WI, she would be there waiting for me. 
 Speaking of Frienship WI...I want to say that the world building in this novel was fantastic. That Kathleen Hale really brought this itty bitty town to life on the page. But I don't think that's a good enough description. Instead of just being perfectly described, the town of Friendship WI is almost like a character in and of itself. Having grown up in a small town myself I find it is sometimes difficult to explain how they function differently than a big city (or even an average sized city). They (small towns) are their own special kind of beast, and there are patterns and assumptions you can make based on that. The gossip, the nosiness, the politics - they're all perfectly described in No One Else Can Have You. If you've never lived in a small town before you can consider this book to be your crash course. 
 No One Else Can Have You is the whole package - a compelling mystery that grabs hold