Sep 29, 20213 min read

Mad World by Hannah McBride

Mad World

by Hannah McBride

Self-Published

Book 1 in the Mad World Series

I'm Madison.

I spent the last seventeen years in a trailer with my mom as she rolled from one addiction to the next.

All I wanted was to survive high school and get out of this place. Finding out I had a long lost twin sister on the other side of the country seemed like something out of a movie.

Too bad I didn't realize it was a horror movie.

Now I'm Madelaine.

We were only supposed to switch lives for a summer. But then the unthinkable happened and now I have the chance to be my twin for the rest of my life. I get the fancy house, the rich father, and the elite school.

But all of those things come with a price I don't think I can afford.

Maybe taking over my dead twin sister's life isn't as easy as I thought it would be.

Age Recommendation:

18+

Genre:

Contemporary Romance

I would like to thank Hannah McBride and her team for sending me an ARC of Mad World, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Mad World by Hannah McBride centers around 17 year old Madison (Maddie), an intelligent, strong willed young woman who lives in a trailer with her drug addict mom. Maddie is determined to leave the dangerous city she lives in, and works hard in school in hopes of a scholarship. When doing research for a class project, she stumbles upon a news article with a picture of a young woman who looks identical to her. Her identical twin she knew nothing about. After sending her a message, and meeting Madelaine, they decide to switch places for the summer, so Maddie can live in the luxury Madelaine has grown up in. Only, a dream summer turns upside town when Maddie discovers her twin has died. Maddie has the chance to live a life she never imagined in her sisters place: the big house, the fancy, elite school, the rich father ... but can Maddie give up who she is for it? Is it worth the asking price?

Okay. Deep breath. Big emotions are happening even hours after finishing this book, and I'm still not okay.

In a good way. I promise.

Like, how can my next read top this?

This isn't my first read from Hannah. If you have been one of my regulars, you may know I read her Blackwater Pack series (ongoing) and fell. In. Love. I wasn't sure what to expect with Mad World, but the synopsis drew me in, and the cover of this book is GORGOUS! So when I applied to get an ARC of this book, and got it, I couldn't WAIT to dive in. And I'm not disappointed. Hannah McBride can WRITE! Her writing style has a way of drawing you into the story, and become invested in these characters. She has a wonderful flow in all her work to date, but I really felt it in Mad World. I never felt like there were wasted words to fill pages. Everything that happens is meaningful. Characters grow and evolve. As a reader, you feel for these characters, and everything that happens.

I haven't even touched on the romance aspect yet, which, on this website, is the focus. The main love interest Ryan is a very complex, intriguing character. Even when he wasn't at his best, I really enjoyed him. And when he was ... wow. If you like an alpha male type love interest, you will love Ryan. And him and Maddie together - their chemistry is off the charts. Doesn't matter what they are doing - fighting, partying or ... other deliciously naughty things - Hannah has managed to write another couple that brings on all the feels. And I do mean all.

Going into Mad World, I didn't think it would beat out Blackwater Pack for me ... but I think it did. It has all the things I love about Blackwater (great writing, good flow, well thought out characters and romance with heat and chemistry to name a few), but Mad World is just a little darker and grittier. It's a bit mysterious (currently have a few theories on how the rest of this trilogy will go), and there is so many directions Hannah can take this. And I for one can not WAIT to read the next book - Mad As Hell. Hannah ... don't make us wait too long, kay? Because I'm still not okay. Mad World comes out on October 15th, 2021.