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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This YA mystery totally pulled me in from the first chapter! The suspense builds in all the right places, and the final reveal of who the killer was genuinely surprised me.
Five boys go into the woods for a hunting trip—only four come out. When one of them is found dead, the others close ranks, protected by powerful families and a broken justice system. High school senior Kate Marino, interning at the district attorney’s office, becomes determined to uncover the truth, especially since she was secretly involved with the victim. As she digs deeper, Kate finds herself caught in a web of secrets, privilege, and lies, where the truth could be deadly.
I listened to the audiobook and while the overall performance was solid, the interview transcripts got a little confusing with just one narrator when both narrators could’ve helped keep those parts clearer.
That said, the story itself was a strong 5 stars for me. It gave me all the true-crime vibes I love without ever feeling too dark. I really appreciated how the story centered a whodunit-type setting, but also explored themes of privilege, justice, and what it means to speak up.
If you’re into twisty mysteries with high-class suspects and a determined, relatable main character, This Is Our Story is definitely worth the read!
Five boys go into the woods for a hunting trip—only four come out. When one of them is found dead, the others close ranks, protected by powerful families and a broken justice system. High school senior Kate Marino, interning at the district attorney’s office, becomes determined to uncover the truth, especially since she was secretly involved with the victim. As she digs deeper, Kate finds herself caught in a web of secrets, privilege, and lies, where the truth could be deadly.
I listened to the audiobook and while the overall performance was solid, the interview transcripts got a little confusing with just one narrator when both narrators could’ve helped keep those parts clearer.
That said, the story itself was a strong 5 stars for me. It gave me all the true-crime vibes I love without ever feeling too dark. I really appreciated how the story centered a whodunit-type setting, but also explored themes of privilege, justice, and what it means to speak up.
If you’re into twisty mysteries with high-class suspects and a determined, relatable main character, This Is Our Story is definitely worth the read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment
Minor: Classism
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 4/5 ⭐️
This Is Our Story by Ashley Elston is a young adult mystery that follows Kate as she investigates a murder as an intern at a law firm. Five boys go hunting and only four come back. The boys won’t say anything but Kate knows something isn’t right and she wants them to pay for what they did,
Excellent story telling. Really enjoyed the high-stakes feel and the crime procedural as they investigate. Kate is determined and smart. She is quick to do what she believes is right no matter what the cost to herself.
The guessing I did in this book was ridiculous. Definitely did not have it right. I love when a book can do that. I did listen to this on audible and I had a hard time with the narration but I was interested enough in the story to continue on.
A short quick read with some definitely suspense.
I would recommend to those who enjoy fast-paced, high-stakes, young adult mysteries!
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There's one person who hasn't spoken at all, and I realize just how fragile this plan is. We all have to agree or the whole thing will fall apart. He looks down at Grant and then back at the rest of us and finally says, "We're in this together. We stick together."
I lean forward and the other three do the same. Hovering over poor, dead Grant, I say, "Okay, this is our story..."
I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed This is Our Story, given that while I did like Ashley Elston's books, I felt like they were a little young for me. But with this story, I found the plot to be intricately woven together and that it dealt with its various themes (toxic friendships that were slowly falling apart and anger that was strong enough to drive one of them to kill the others) very maturely.
The five River Point boys went hunting but only four of them returned, with golden boy Grant Perkins dead. Grant was shot by rifle, which he had owned and which one of the boys had discharged. The only thing is that none of the boys are willing to own up to killing Grant, whether it's for malicious or innocent reasons it's not entirely clear to the public. Any one of the boys: John Michael Forres, Henry Carlisle, Shep Moore and Logan McCular could have done it. The remaining boys have left the exclusive St. Bartholomew's school for the public school, though there's nowhere in their little town that they can really hide from the rumours.
From their recurring appearance on the news, I feel like I know them. I mean, the reporters love bringing up the fact that Grant was killed on John Michael Forres's family's land. I know how long it's been in his family. I know how many acres it is. I know the layout of the cabin.
And Shep Moore. Arrogant, cocky Shep. He was with Grant when I met him the first time. The news has told his story a hundred times: his family is in the oil and gas business, and when natural gas was discovered in New Louisiana, Mr Moore's business skyrocketed.
Then there's Henry Carlisle — the bad boy. I've heard rumours about him since grade school. He's the richest of the group, and also the one most likely to buy his way out of trouble. I heard he's been busted drinking and driving by the cops four times, one of those before he even had his license, but he's never been arrested. Or that's what some of my friends who have friends at St. Bart's say.
Meanwhile, Kate Marino is in her senior year of high school, in the same school which the boys have transferred into. Kate shares a bond with Grant that she's sure that nobody around her is privy to, leaving her to mourn the loss of what could've been secretly. She's also interning in the district attorney's office, more for the money than any real interest in the law. However, when her internship gives her a chance to discover the truth about Grant's death, serving as a research assistant to Mr. Stone, Kate grabs the opportunity to dig into the case herself. However, nobody aside from Kate and Mr. Stone really seems invested in discovering the truth because the DA has connections to all four of the most powerful families. But with the boys each determined to protect each other, how can they find out the truth?
I study them. Study their body language. From a distance, they are four boys in a tight circle, but looking closer, it's easy to see the divide. Shep and John Michael are on one side and Logan and Henry are on the other.
The group is spilt right down the middle.
I finally pulled away and Mr. Stone's words bounce around in my mind. The trick now is going to be figuring out where the weak link in that group is. If one of them breaks, I think the whole group will fall apart. If that happens, we may have a chance.
So which side has the weak link?
There are many surprising twists to this story and it's just one of those mysteries where you just have to admit that the author is a lot smarter than you are. For example, Kate's relationship with Grant isn't exactly like what we imagined it to be.
Spoiler
The conversations that she's been having over text are with Shep instead, who she had previously written off as a sleaze. Kate and Shep's relationship was really pretty cute, though I have to question how fast their relationship moved.But I suppose the drama and tension of the mystery may have brought them a lot closer together.
This is Our Story is told via various different means, through Kate's narration of the present as she tries to uncover the truth, through one of the boys' perspective as they deal with the fallout from Grant's death as well as through mixed media, as Kate sifts through the police's evidence. All of it gives us a more complete story of what happened between the River Point boys.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Great premise, ridiculous execution. I thought this would be a mystery that would appeal to guy readers, but the main character is actually a teenage girl who makes insanely ridiculous decisions. What lawyer would hire a teenage girl to work on a case that involves her classmates? To watch interrogation interviews that include her own friends? And why, for the love of god, would the only boy she’s interested in dating be a suspect in the same murder investigation??? She basically loses her job and the respect of her mother’s employer to get personally involved in the case. So stupid.