I think 3.8 is a good rating, but I must round. Anyway, I couldn't quite figure out what was bothering the whole time while reading until I read this college essay guide--the writing (in this book) is a bit heavy. I found myself skimming the last few chapters because I just wanted to know what happened. It wasn't bad writing (far from it), but the style and voice didn't come through as strongly as I would have wanted. Rhine says and knows she's stronger (than how she was in the first book), but I couldn't tell from the language alone. The writing made me feel distant--lol, I feel like I'm giving it a really high rating despite all my problems with it. I guess it's cause I've read her other books?