Reviews

Teen drama with suspicious deaths. Some fun shocking revelations at the end that ties everything up in a neat little bow. Pretty good but nothing too special.

michellechien930's review against another edition

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2.0

"The Cheerleaders" really gave me PLL Original Sins vibes, and since I was watching that recently, felt like this book would be a nice companion. "The Cheerleaders" is a high school YA mystery/thriller, which focuses on the strange deaths of the school's cheerleaders, who all died in odd circumstances within months of each other. One of the cheerleader's sister, Monica Rayburn, tries to link the events and solve the homicide case. I thought the premise was interesting, especially since the author says that it was directly inspired by the IRL events of Dryden, New York (a small town that sustained 13 deaths in a high school during a short period). However, "The Cheerleaders" seems to fall flat in terms of actually creating an interesting narrative and payoff. The big reveal seems a bit expected, and the investigative parts weren't really that engaging to read. Just kinda glad that it's over, now I'll watch PLL instead.

sydneysreads__'s review against another edition

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3.0

REVIEW: THE CHEERLEADERS BY KARA THOMAS

RATING: 3/5 ⭐️

SYNOPSIS: There are no more cheerleaders in the town of Sunnybrook. First there was the car accident—two girls gone after hitting a tree on a rainy night. Not long after, the murders happened. Those two girls were killed by the man next door. The police shot him, so no one will ever know why he did it. Monica’s sister was the last cheerleader to die. After her suicide, Sunnybrook High disbanded the cheer squad. No one wanted to be reminded of the girls they lost.

That was five years ago. Now the faculty and students at Sunnybrook High want to remember the lost cheerleaders. But for Monica, it’s not that easy. She just wants to forget. Only, Monica’s world is starting to unravel. There are the letters in her stepdad’s desk, an unearthed, years-old cell phone, a strange new friend at school. . . . Whatever happened five years ago isn’t over. Some people in town know more than they’re saying. And somehow Monica is at the center of it all. There are no more cheerleaders in Sunnybrook, but that doesn’t mean anyone else is safe.

i’m a sucker! for a YA mystery or thriller