Shiver

Amazing YA fantasy. Very well-written and excellently plotted.

Absolutely loved this.
The relationship between Sam and Grace is heartbreakingly poignant and the end...ah...truly sighworthy, makes me want to rush out and buy Linger tomorrow.

In Twilight, I wasn't a werewolf fan so much (the vamps had me at hello, lol) but Sam, Beck and co. have swayed me.

As a lot of reviews state, this reminds me a lot of Twilight but without the creepy stalking and glittery skin. It still takes place during high school years and the girl still owns an old truck (in this case a Bronco) and falls in love with her supernatural boyfriend after about 5 seconds. It also goes into fur fetish territory how she talks about the wolf form so that can get a little uncomfortable. However, don't let comparisons daunt you - there aren't a lot of original ideas in YA anyway. It was a fun read and I really enjoyed it.
The wolves of Mercy Falls, Minnesota are different type of werewolf. They only change when it's cold (no full moon cycles here) and go full wolf after a certain number of years, though that number is different for every wolf. Though it still takes a bite for one to become werewolf, the change is gradual and paired with a high fever, where the person shifts back and forth for a few weeks until “settling” into it. This rule is broken by two characters and while that mystery is solved for main character Grace, Olivia's seamless, painless change noted in the final chapter isn't explained - though we'll surely see her again in the next 3 books.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and look forward to meeting more of the pack “in person”. Most of the characters are pretty well-written and it's fun hearing my adopted state Minnesota's northern boundaries described.