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3:59
3:59
3:59
Audiobook9 hours

3:59

Written by Gretchen McNeil

Narrated by Tavia Gilbert

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

()

About this audiobook

Josie Byrne's life is spiraling out of control. Her parents are divorcing, her boyfriend, Nick, has grown distant, and her physics teacher has it in for her. When she's betrayed by the two people she trusts most, Josie thinks things can't get worse. Until she starts having dreams about a girl named Jo. Every night at the same time—3:59 a.m.

Jo's life is everything Josie wants: she's popular, her parents are happily married, and Nick adores her. It all seems real, but they're just dreams, right? Josie thinks so, until she wakes one night to a shadowy image of herself in the bedroom mirror—Jo.

Josie and Jo are doppelgängers living in parallel universes that briefly overlap every twelve hours at exactly 3:59. Fascinated by Jo's fabulous life, Josie jumps at the chance to cross through the portal and switch places for a day. But Jo's world is far from perfect. Not only is Nick not Jo's boyfriend, he hates her. Jo's mom is missing, possibly insane. And at night, shadowy creatures feed on human flesh.

Josie is desperate to return to her own life. But there's a problem: Jo has sealed the portal, trapping Josie in this dangerous world. Can she figure out a way home before it's too late?

From master of suspense Gretchen McNeil comes a riveting and deliciously eerie story about the lives we wish we had—and how they just might kill you.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherBalzer Bray
Release dateSep 17, 2013
ISBN9780062279644
3:59
Author

Gretchen McNeil

Gretchen McNeil is a trained opera singer, former circus performer and voice-over artist, and current writer. She is the author of several YA suspense novels, including Get Even, Get Dirty, 3:59, Possess, and the award-winning Ten (now a Lifetime movie). She is also the author of the YA comedy I’m Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl and the horror/comedy novels #MurderTrending, #MurderFunding, and #NoEscape. You can visit her online at www.gretchenmcneil.com.

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Reviews for 3:59

Rating: 3.7285714285714286 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

35 ratings6 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I loved this book. please please tell me there's a follow up to it!
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Sadly, this book had a lot of potential but it got bogged down by a stupid romance and a parallel universe that didn't make much sense.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    So disappointed. I have been looking forward to reading this book for a really long time. The concept sounded so cool, but in reality it just fell face down flat on the pavement.

    I really wanted to like Josie, but this chick was just your typical 16-17 year old YA book girl who hates her life and whines about everything. Usually I can push past that because sometimes that's just what YA is.

    What really pushed me over the edge was when Josie started dipping over to the parallel universe and these Nox bird things start showing up... Everything with Nick and her parents, it's just too much. You can see it all coming from a mile away and it is just laid on too thick.

    Going to mark this DNF and not waste any more time.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Sort of predictable.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Josie Byrne's life is spinning out of control. Her parents are separated and her father just moved out. She discovered her boyfriend cheating with her best friend and everyone at school is talking about it, effectively making her a social outcast. She also lost her job because she passed out waiting for a train to pass. With everything in a downward spiral, Josie becomes excited when she sees visions of an alternate version of herself and finally sees that other Josie (called Jo) in the mirror at 3:59 am and pm every day. They pass each other notes through the portal and quickly decide to switch places for day, leaving cheat sheets so they will fit in to the other's role.The alternate world isn't as good as it seemed. Although Jo is rich and privileged, she has no friends, no boyfriend, and lives in a world plagued with horrific creatures. Then Jo doesn't want to switch back and Josie is stranded alone in an alien world. I had read Gretchen McNeil's other two books (Possess and Ten) and I just wasn't a big fan. I decided to give her another try and I'm glad I did. 3:59 has unexpected surprises and goes beyond tired tropes. Josie is an enjoyable protagonist. She's interested in science and she actually talks about different theories and problems. A lot of other books add something like that and then don't follow through with showing the character doing anything that that subject they supposedly like. She was a little preoccupied with what everyone else thought of her, but that's high school. Her life as she knew it was falling apart around her and she was doing what she could to hold herself together. In the other world, she has to more than that: navigate a hazardous world with completely new rules and figure out an alternate way home. The double cast of characters is a bit complex and allows Gretchen McNeil to make large or small changes to the characters. It's a feat to create well rounded characters and a much more difficult one to make equally fleshed out dopplegangers. 3:59 is a wonderful mix of many genres: romance, adventure, science fiction, horror, and mystery. It has something everyone can enjoy. The romance elements were just right: significant without overpowering the story. The science fiction was more technical than it would usually be at a teen level and I enjoyed it. It had me questioning the scientific theories and how much of it was based in reality. I loved the horror aspect with the Nox, which are invisible flying monsters that eat people. Some scenes were surprisingly gory. I did not expect anything like these creatures and they are pretty scary. The plot had some serious twists and turns that actually surprised me and kept me guessing until the end. The only issue I really had with the book was one bothersome scene where Josie and her boyfriend survive a Nox attack and start making out next to a mutilated body (which they knew was there). Another similar scene was when they discover more mutilated corpses, Josie finds it an appropriate time to make a confession about the boyfriend from her world. How is that in any way relevant when one of friends is dead in front of you? These two scenes came of as incredibly insensitive and in bad taste.3:59 is a fun read with complex concepts and a double cast of characters. The book went to fast, I was a little surprised when I got the end of it. Gretchen McNeil has a talent for sucking the reader into her story and controlling the tempo of the story. I can't wait for her next book, Don't Get Mad.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Dimensional stories are all the rage in YA today. Numerous of stories have been put on the shelf, but few rarely captured it well. This story did.Plot: I really loved how detailed this plot is. Josie, a girl with a mother in love with science, has a mirror that at exactly 3:59 she can see to the other side. Every chapter lead to well explain detail that had to do with theories and scientific stuff. As the reader, I didn’t feel confused but rather intrigued by the whole theory. The build up toward the switch of Josie’s and the lies that trail behind them is awesome.Love: This love interest is not only complicated but very interesting. At first, I wasn’t sure how it will all work out but man did the author steal the show! She did a wonderful job in creating a same character with two different personalities. It very rare that an author can capture a good parallel world story without mixing everything up. I adore how well this love made it but didn’t. Plus, the ending was just icing on a already wonderful cake.Dimensional worlds: This, I’d say, is the best part of the story. Well done with great explanation as well a multiple same but different characters you can’t help but get lost in it. Take it from me that this story will blow your mind.3:59 is an undeniable thrilling yet captivating story. The clever concept of the tale created, will capture any reader up for a great adventure. A perfect blend of science fiction and mystery, 3:59 is timeless.