Hysteria

By Megan Miranda

Mallory's life is falling apart. Her boyfriend was stabbed. He bled to death in her kitchen. Mallory was the one who stabbed him. But she can't remember what happened that night. She only remembers the fear . . .

When Mallory's parents send her away to a boarding school, she thinks she can escape the gossip and the threats. But someone, or something, has followed her. There's the hand that touches her shoulder when she's drifting off to sleep. A voice whispering her name. And everyone knows what happened. So when a pupil is found dead, Mallory's name is on their lips. Her past can be forgotten but it's never gone. Can Mallory live with that?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Feb 14, 2013
• ISBN: 9781408834855

Megan Miranda

Megan Miranda is the New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls, The Perfect Stranger, The Last House Guest, which was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick, The Girl from Widow Hills, Such a Quiet Place, The Last to Vanish, and The Only Survivors. She has also written several books for young adults. She grew up in New Jersey, graduated from MIT, and lives in North Carolina with her husband and two children. Follow @MeganLMiranda on Twitter and Instagram, @AuthorMeganMiranda on Facebook, or visit MeganMiranda.com.

Reviews for Hysteria

[carol420 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

[Hysteria] by Meagan Miranda3 StarsFrom The Book:Mallory killed her boyfriend, Brian. She can't remember the details of that night but everyone knows it was self-defense, so she isn't charged. But Mallory still feels Brian's presence in her life. Is it all in her head? Or is it something more? In desperate need of a fresh start, Mallory is sent to Monroe, a fancy prep school where no one knows her . . . or anything about her past.But the feeling follows her, as do her secrets. Then, one of her new classmates turns up dead. As suspicion falls on Mallory, she must find a way to remember the details of both deadly nights so she can prove her innocence-to herself and others.My Views:Like all of Megan Miranda's books this one held the reader's interest right to the very end. Mallory is haunted by a watchful presence that started coming to her right after Brian died and has followed her all the way to New Hampshire to her new school. In spite of her trying to disbelieve...it just won't go away. Matters aren't helped by the golden boys and prom queen girls that soon disclose Megan's past. Miranda creates a chilling atmosphere...a potentially unreliable narrator...a paranormal element...and manages to do them well. Unfortunately, and the reason for the 3 stars instead of something higher, is that the story loses momentum the more convoluted it grows. Despite the disappointing conclusion I did enjoy the book.

[bookishthings · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book holds quite a bit of mystery. You never really know what's really happening to Mallory. Is she crazy, or are there really ghosts of the incident with Brian haunting her?

Mallory is a girl that is beyond confused. She doesn't remember anything but the blood the night Brian died. Not only is she stalked by his ghost, but also his mother. She also feels as though her parents are now afraid of her. They behave differently around her, and aren't sure how to show their support.

The story line moves pretty quickly. Most of the story is how she reacts to different situations. She's not sure how she's supposed to fit in at this new school filled with so many people who judge her without really knowing her. She seems to only have one person who wants to be around her, but she doesn't want to drag him into the place she is in now. She's terrified to let herself feel anything. Throughout the book she begins to remember some things from that night. Slowly things begin to piece themselves together. These memories just might break down the walls she has built around herself involving that frightful night.

Some of the times that Mallory feels the looming presence of Brian gave me the heebie jeebies. The sense of dread snuck up on her, and was very ominous. While this book didn't have the chill factor that I was expecting, I did enjoy the story line. It was easily digested. I also have come to love Miranda's writing. She has a way with words that just pulls you in. I am anxious to read more of her work.

3 1/2

[jeneaw-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Crazy, creepy good.


Hysteria is about a young girl trying to pick up the pieces after a tragic chain of events, that led up to her killing her boyfriend. She doesn’t remember much of what happened that night, and now has been sent to a boarding school to have a new start.
The main character Mallory is broken, and fighting through the guilt. You can’t help but to feel sorry for her, and want to help fix her. now going to a new school doesn’t help either, but she still pushes ahead. Mallory’s best friend was one that every girl should have. The one who sticks by you no matter what, and that is exactly what Colleen does. There were a few secondary characters that you just wanted to smack and some you wanted to shake some sense into. But the one that stood out to me was Reid. He was awesome. they have know each other since they were little, so no inst-love… He like Mallory, was somewhat broken and the sweet romance that built between them was one thing I really enjoyed.
The world building was done very well. Given small flashes of Mallory’s memories of the night she killed her boyfriend was addictive and makes you want to keep reading, so that you have all the answers. The boarding school setting, where secrets are a hot commodity was the perfect setting. It was thrilling and creepy, with hallucinations and bumps in the night keeping you on your toes. It was a excellent murder mystery with twists weaved in and was suspenseful till the very end.
Hysteria has a fantastic cover, characters, and a creepiness that sucks you in. This is definitely something fans of thrillers and mystery will devour, I know I did. I look forward to reading more of Miranda’s work.

[jyl22075 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was so excited to read this book because the blurb made it sound awesome. The book had immense potential and while I did find it entertaining it wasn't quite what I was hoping for.

At the start of the book I was intrigued by Mallory. Were the things she was seeing real or some kind of post-traumatic stress type of situation? Was she really responsible for killing her boyfriend? Did her BFF Colleen have a hand in it? So, yeah, all these questions had me invested in the book because I wanted answers.

The let down for me is mainly when I finally got the answers they weren't really that interesting or shocking. I would've loved to have seen Mallory wonder if maybe she had killed Jason. I think seeing her doubt herself would've really added an edge to the story.

Mallory was an interesting narrator although perhaps not the most likable. I liked Reid quite a lot, but I didn't really understand what drew him to Mallory. He knew she killed her boyfriend and believed she did it in self defense, but we never really know why he believes her or ultimately why he falls for her.

The ending wasn't entirely satisfying either and I honestly felt like Mallory really needed oodles of therapy and for some reason her parents never got the memo.

Overall, 3 stars. An interesting read, but ultimately didn't live up to it's potential.

[krista23 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Characters: The whole story is told from Mallory's perspective. She remembers that she killed her boyfriend, but cannot recall why. The circumstances are fuzzy to her and she's blocked out most of what has happened to her. She is working through the pieces slowly as well as trying to move on with her life by attending a new school. Originality: This book, for me, brought out similar feelings as when I read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer books. The main characters has experienced something very tramatic and keeps having flashes or things that could have, or did happen...we aren't sure. She's paranoid, has anxiety and has a hard time trusting anybody. Writing: The story jumps back and forth from current day into her memories of the day she killed her boyfriend. So we slowly get snippets of that day throughout the story that will eventually lead up to piecing everything together.Plot: Mallory knows she stabbed her boyfriend, it's been cleared as self defense. But now his mother is stalking her and her parents decide to send her away to school to get out of the situation. But even in a new setting she is still trying to fit together all the pieces. And even worse, theirs a group of kids at the school that have it out for her, and the bodies are piling up. Krista's Rating: I love horror stories and this book was so much fun to read, I read it in one day and loved how we are just given the tiniest of a hint to what could have happened that night. Also mixed in with a whole new mystery of what is happening with this group at school. Total bonus there is a character named Krista! (I never get to see that) I did get a little confused with part of the plot line when it came to the girls at school and how it was exactly that it was Mallory that gets mixed up with them. (quite a coincidence after everything she's already been through) But even with my confusion I still highly enjoyed this thrill ride and it was dark, freaky and lots of blood.

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

HYSTERIA was an engaging, psychological thriller. The main character, who tells the story in her own words, is Mallory Murphy. I thought that she was in shock when I first began reading the book. She seems haunted by an event that we see in flashbacks and memories. Somehow she killed the boy she was dating though she wasn't charged since the boy had broken into her home. Her parents and her lawyer convinced the police that it was self-defense. She has been convicted in the court of public opinion though and is being stalked by the boy's mother. Her parents decide to send her to the boarding school her father attended but the rumors have gotten there ahead of her and the mean girls are out in force. Luckily, she does have one possible friend there. Reid Carlson is the son of her dad's college roommate. The last time she saw Reid was when her family attended his dad's funeral which wasn't exactly the best time to start a relationship with anyone. This book was compulsively readable. I had to keep going to find out if all of her problems were psychological or if they were real. I was scared right along with Mallory as the weird things kept happening to her and around her. I was so glad that she had the courage to overcome and the brains to figure out what was happening. I was a little bit disturbed about the role her parents played in this book. I couldn't understand why Mallory wasn't seeing someone to talk about the trauma she had faced. I felt, as Mallory did, that they were just getting her out of the way by sending her to boarding school. I was glad to get their side of the story later in the book.I recommend this story to young adult readers who like mysteries and who like to feel like they are living the story with the main character.

[wickedwowestwood · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mallory knows that she killed Brian, and that it was self-defense. Yet she has no memory of the event. In order to spare Mallory the vicious rumors and gossip surrounding the murder, her parents decide to send her away to Monroe Prep School (her Dad's alma mater). It does seem, however, that Mallory's secrets followed her to her new school and that someone wants to make extra sure she's dead!An intense thriller for those who want to be kept on the edge of their seats! Not only does Mallory have to deal with her past, but a new tragic event as well. For those who may find it a concern, I will mention the book is peppered with the "F" word and other choice profanities, yet very good suspense.

[shelleyraec · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

With it's intriguing premise, and having enjoyed Megan Miranda's debut novel, Fracture, I had been looking forward to reading Hysteria.Mallory remembers fear, and blood, so much blood, but very few of the details about the night she killed her boyfriend. Though the consensus is she acted in self defense, her parents can barely look at her and his family stalks her in the streets. To escape the condemnation Mallory agrees to go to boarding school, hoping that she will also leave behind the vivid flashes of horror that haunts her.Hysteria starts strongly and builds around Mallory's inability to recall the circumstances that led to Brian bleeding out on her kitchen floor. Anxious, ashamed and guilt-ridden, when the nightmares that plague her each night begin to bleed into her waking life she is certain that her dead boyfriend is seeking revenge. Miranda's artfully slow reveal of details kept me off balance, just as I was convinced a ghost would reveal itself it would retreat in the cold light of day. I enjoyed this uncertainty, the blurring between reality and dream and the ever present sense of unease.The author also creates another layer of mystery involving the school headmaster's son and his cousin who trade in nasty secrets. Their hidden agenda becomes tangled in Mallory's fear and confusion with deadly results.I have to admit that in some ways I felt the author succumbed to the YA fiction stereotypes she deftly avoided in Fracture - a love triangle, a beautiful blonde mean girl, a quirky, super supportive best friend and minimal adult supervision. For me these elements weakened what is otherwise a well crafted and creative plot.Hysteria is in essence a psychological thriller but it straddles the genres of contemporary mystery and paranormal fiction and should appeal to young adult fans of both.

[beamis12 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A Ya novel that moves along in a very fast and suspenseful pace. I couldn't figure out what was going on for the longest time. At times it was a bit much and overly dramatic but I liked a few of the characters and wanted to see how it ended. A few murders, mean girls at a boarding school, teenage dramatics, a haunting all helped keep the reader interested and involved. Good book just a bit over the top for me. ARC from NetGalley.

[supera710 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I recieved a copy of Hysteria courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher.In Hysteria, Mallory kills her boyfriend Brian, in self defense. Her parents think it's a good idea for her to attend a prep school in New Hampshire, to get get her away from home and away from angry mourners. While at school, Mallory is still experiencing stress and things aren't going away. Then one of her classmates ends up dead, and everyone is starting to wonder about Mallory and her secrets.I thought Hysteria sounded interesting, but I was in for a shock! I loved it! The whole time I was reading, I kept thinking "What now? Why is she taking sleeping pills? Is the ghost going to make her go crazy?" I wasn't able to guess what the final outcome was going to be, which was pretty great! I did at time want to throat punch Mallory, more because she wasn't just coming out and telling Reid what was going on. On the one hand, she would probably sound crazy, while on the other hand, he may have been able to help her more. Overall, it was nice to read a book that held my attention, but was still PG enough I didn't cringe at the thought of my middle schooler reading it. Well done Megan Miranda, well done.

[bailschris · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Hysteria is the tale of Mallory, traumatized from when she killed her boyfriend Brian in self-defense, as she gets shipped off to a prep school that she has never wanted to set foot in. You follow her as she struggles from differentiating real life from her trauma. Her fear distracting from what is actually going on. Mallory is an interesting main character, she lacks a lot of what typical main female characters have in characteristics like sarcasm or stubbornness. I think a lot of it has to do with what her trauma has done to her over time, especially without any real help. The thing that really tied me to her was her trauma because like most people, I have this urge to fix people and make them feel better. Another admirable quality of Mallory is the fact that she is a suffering in silence type and that's what makes her a strong character. I love that she has a desperate need to protect everyone from herself and from anything that is going on with her.Throughout the course of the novel, Mallory's background with murdered boyfriend, Brian, is revealed. I liked that it didn't focus on just the night that the murder occurred and that it never repeated the same stuff you'd already read in each flashback but rather picked up where the last one left off. By about half way through the book, more of the incident is revealed and it's clear that Mallory doesn't remember just what happened that night. I was constantly desperate for the next flashback just to have more of my questions answered.The love interest of the story, since it obvious wasn't Brian, was a guy named Reid. A very well fleshed out character that had his own flaws. Reid came across like an average guy -- an attractive one -- and I think that is what made him such a great love interest. Instead of finding myself pining after some unattainable guy, I found myself investing myself in someone that could very well be a real person. An interesting piece of information was that Reid and Mallory knew each other prior to her being shipped off to prep school and their history is frustrating to say the least. Real boys are stupid. They make dumb choices. Got it? Good because it doesn't help with the frustration.Two characters introduced once Mallory arrived to the prep school was Jason and Krista. They were, I suppose, the bad guys of the story. But I almost don't want to say that there was one set bad guy(s) because I think the biggest issue of the whole novel is Mallory's trauma and everything took a backseat. They were an interesting pair of characters, though, and they played off each other's dark characteristics very well. There was a lot of mystery surrounding the two of them throughout the novel. Bree was the sort of character that you hate at the beginning and cheer for near the end, she was a classic case of the girl that got caught in with the wrong crowd. Colleen was a different kind of best friend than most. The relationship between Mallory and her was very real though, despite the fact that I don't have any sort of friendship like it. The writing reminded me a lot of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer because of the tone used throughout the story and that definitely isn't a bad thing! I enjoyed the plot twists that the author threw at different parts of the books. There was a lot of things left unsaid or undiscussed -- things that I felt needed to be covered. I would've loved to look more at Brian as a character as well as his brother. Sometimes I felt like the things that were thrown at Mallory found no resolution and how I ached for those things to be resolved.It's a great book and I'm not kidding about the Mara Dyer thing. If you enjoy those sort of books, you definitely should check this out!

[bookswithbite · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to like this book. But I found so many problems with it, that it just didn't sit well with me.Ok, so let me start with what I did like. I like that the characters are well written. Each character scream loudly allowing the reader to see and feel their emotions. I like that they each played their role and each had parts in the bigger picture.What I didn't enjoy is the bigger picture. Maybe I'm impatient but I got extremely inpatient with piecing everything together. I love puzzles and mysteries. But when everything is so vague I just get UGH! I couldn't handle it! I needed to know the ending and when I got to the ending, (thinking it be this BIG thing, it wasn't) Big let down...Still, I like Ms. Miranda's writing, The story flowed well along with the characters. Hysteria is good story with lots of good mystery. If you can handle the bits and pieces, read this book.

[amberfib · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Hysteria fell flat for me in many ways, but the idea itself was intriguing. The pacing, characters, and "romance" were all dull and lifeless. I just couldn't invest myself in this book. I kept getting bored and putting it down. I finally finished it, but it wasn't easy. It seemed to drag on forever.I was interested in the concept, but I found that I didn't care that much about Mallory. She wasn't easy to relate to at all. I couldn't make myself have much sympathy for her. Since the story was told from her POV, I was just annoyed for the majority of the time. She did stupid things and literally ran away from her own shadow. She's such a coward that I found it hard to believe she could actually kill someone. And other than the nightmares and general paranoia, she didn't seem that crazy from it. The secondary characters also fell flat. I can't even remember most of their names. I know Reid was a bit pushy, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out how anyone could be interested in someone as dull and lifeless as Mallory. Her best friend was a skank. Jason was just the worst excuse for a bad guy and "other love interest" that I've ever read. He was just pathetic. The mean girls were really mean, but I didn't feel that I got to know anything about them. Needless to say, this book wasn't half as dramatic as it should have been. Miranda did a lot more telling than showing, and I hate that. The pacing was slow and just drudged along from one idiotic episode of Mallory running away to the next. I felt that this whole book was a major waste of my time, and I got no resolution in the end. Most books get better as they progress, but this one got worse. Overall, I'd steer clear of this book. The characters are awful, the pacing is slow, and while the idea is amazing, it's executed horribly.

[booktwirps · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mallory’s memories of the night she killed her boyfriend, Brian, are spotty at best. She knows it was in self-defense — everyone does — but that doesn’t make things any easier. After Brian’s mother begins to unravel and begins stalking Mallory, her parents decide to send her to a private school — her father’s alma matter — far away from her home town. Desperate for a fresh start, Mallory settles into her new routine as the new girl no one knows. But then her secret gets out, and people start treating her differently. To make matters worse, she keeps having dreams that someone is in her room at night, and mysterious bruises in the shape of a handprint begin to form on her shoulder. When another classmate is murdered, Mallory can’t help but wonder if someone is after her — or if maybe there’s something seriously wrong with her.The majority of the story is set in Monroe, a fancy prep school in the middle of nowhere. The school is isolated and surrounded by woods which perfectly adds to the creepy atmosphere.All of the characters in the book are very strong. Mallory, the MC, is particularly interesting. She feels her life is completely out of control. We go on the journey with her as she tries to piece together the events of the night of Brian’s death, and as she tries to figure out who is after her — or if maybe it’s all her own doing.I loved Colleen, Mallory’s best friend. She is everything a best friend should be: Loyal, supportive and funny. She’s a major bright spot in Mallory’s life, and after everything she’s been through, she needs her.Reid, a childhood acquaintance of Mallory’s, and a fellow student at Monroe, adds another interesting dynamic to the story. He’s the only one Mallory feels she can trust at Monroe, but is that a good thing?I loved Ms. Miranda’s first book, Fracture, and I was super-excited to read this one. I love her writing style, and the way she slowly unravels her clues. What I liked about this one was that she makes the reader feel just as lost as Mallory. We don’t know anything before Mallory does, which makes the mystery that much more effective. There’s a lot happening in this book, but the author handles it very well. It was never confusing, or overwhelming. My only problem with the book was the end. There was this huge climax and then all of the sudden it was over. I didn’t feel like the resolution was fully fleshed out. To say more would give away the ending, and I don’t want to do that. I just wanted a little more info on what happened to a couple of people.All in all Hysteria is the perfect mystery. It’s the type of read you want to curl up with on a rainy day. It’s easy to get caught up in the plot and to lose yourself in the twists and turns. Despite the ending that felt a little rushed, this book is definitely one worth reading, especially if you like a good mystery that will keep you on your toes. While I wasn’t surprised at the outcome, it was still fun to unravel Mallory’s story to get to the end result.

[bornbookish · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fracture, Megan’s Miranda’s first book was one of my favorite reads of 2012. Needless to say I was pretty flipping excited to get my hands on a copy of Hysteria before it’s release thanks to NetGalley! I know one thing for sure, Megan definitely knows how to write a psychological thriller!I recommend setting aside a large chunk of time to read this book because once you start you’re not gonna want to stop. The book pulls you in from the very first chapter and never lets you go. Every moment I wasn’t reading this book I was thinking about it. All morning at work I thought about what had happened, what was going to happen, and wishing I was reading at that moment.At first I didn’t think it was really all that suspenseful, but don’t worry, it gets there! Boy does it get there. I had so many scenerios swirling around in my head as I tried to put all the missing pieces together.I think I’ve said before how much I love books that are set at boarding schools, they just hold so much potential. This one takes place at Monroe Prep, a boarding school set in the New Hampshire wilderness. I liked the setting, thinking back there wasn’t anything special about it but it fit the story perfectly, which is all that really matters.A quick peek at the characters and relationships:Mallory was a likable main character, you sympathized with her from the very beginning and wanted to see her happy.Colleen, Mallory’s best friend, there was just something about her I didn’t like. There relationship was a little weird at times but okay for the most part.Time to talk about the love interest. Sigh…. Reid is officially one of my favorite book boyfriends of all time. He is so sweet, caring, protective, genuine, and trusting you couldn’t help but fall in love with him! As for objectionable content there was a decent number of F words used throughout the book. For some reason they surprised me every time. Something about the way they were used just didn’t seem to fit the characters or situation.Overall, this was a heart-pounding, mind-twisting book that I thoroughly enjoyed!