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uranaishi's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Police brutality, Murder, Violence, Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Excrement, Sexual harassment, Confinement, Alcohol, Bullying, Medical content, Classism, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Grief, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Drug use, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, and Vomit
leebeeloves's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Car accident, Cursing, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
katiemack's review
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I requested this one because I'm trying to read more thrillers and mysteries and because it's set near Chicago. (Also, that cover is amazing.) This is more of a cozy mystery than the thriller the marketing suggests, but I still found some moments a little terrifying. The actual unraveling of the mystery of who killed Marley and why is genuinely compelling; the twist at the end genuinely surprised me too. Protagonist Katie is stubborn, which I liked most of the time but makes her frustrating during parts of the investigation. I also wished some of the side characters had been fleshed out more. (I appreciate that Owen's neurodivergence isn't TOTALLY stereotypical, but even more nuance here would have been great.) I don't feel like a sequel is necessary, but I'm sure Lina Chern will write one to further explore Katie's relationship with Jamie.
I requested this one because I'm trying to read more thrillers and mysteries and because it's set near Chicago. (Also, that cover is amazing.) This is more of a cozy mystery than the thriller the marketing suggests, but I still found some moments a little terrifying. The actual unraveling of the mystery of who killed Marley and why is genuinely compelling; the twist at the end genuinely surprised me too. Protagonist Katie is stubborn, which I liked most of the time but makes her frustrating during parts of the investigation. I also wished some of the side characters had been fleshed out more. (I appreciate that Owen's neurodivergence isn't TOTALLY stereotypical, but even more nuance here would have been great.) I don't feel like a sequel is necessary, but I'm sure Lina Chern will write one to further explore Katie's relationship with Jamie.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
Moderate: Murder and Blood
Minor: Suicide and Death
amandaslibrary13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Katie True has found herself wondering or rather stumbling through life. She’s had multiple dead end jobs and doesn’t seem to be good at anything except tarot reading. Everything changes when she meets Marley. She’s the first person who seems to truly understand Katie and meets her where she is not where she’s going. Follow Katie as she unravels the mystery of a life time and finds who she is a long the way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Gun violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
lastblossom's review
adventurous
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
tl;dr
One party cozy mystery, one part coming of age tale, with plenty of twists along the way.
Thoughts
Lots of fun twists in this one! The first chapter caught me off guard with it's immediate plunge into the murder case. We don't even get to know the victim first? Ah, as it turns out, we do get to know her through the used of well-timed, interlacing timelines. The main plot and the flashbacks move quickly, making this a really easy read for anyone looking to devour a book in a few sessions. Genre-wise, it's paced out like a cozy mystery, with our amateur detective heroine and her circle of friends solving a case that the local police seem largely uninterested in.
Katie is a scrappy protagonist, with just enough curiosity to get into trouble, and a genuine desire to do good. Her family is realistically frustrating without swinging all the way into Cartoonishly Terrible, with her brother being my absolute favorite character by far. Jamie fills the role of "hot and interesting police officer" very well, and I appreciated that he got a bit of his own story as well. Their relationship never shifts into romance, something I am genuinely grateful for.
The mystery itself has a lot of twists in it, some less believable than others, but nothing that isn't reasonably foreshadowed by the clues provided. Woven within is also a thoughtful story about embracing yourself, and finding a way to succeed in a world that isn't one size fits all.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advance copy.
One party cozy mystery, one part coming of age tale, with plenty of twists along the way.
Thoughts
Lots of fun twists in this one! The first chapter caught me off guard with it's immediate plunge into the murder case. We don't even get to know the victim first? Ah, as it turns out, we do get to know her through the used of well-timed, interlacing timelines. The main plot and the flashbacks move quickly, making this a really easy read for anyone looking to devour a book in a few sessions. Genre-wise, it's paced out like a cozy mystery, with our amateur detective heroine and her circle of friends solving a case that the local police seem largely uninterested in.
Katie is a scrappy protagonist, with just enough curiosity to get into trouble, and a genuine desire to do good. Her family is realistically frustrating without swinging all the way into Cartoonishly Terrible, with her brother being my absolute favorite character by far. Jamie fills the role of "hot and interesting police officer" very well, and I appreciated that he got a bit of his own story as well. Their relationship never shifts into romance, something I am genuinely grateful for.
The mystery itself has a lot of twists in it, some less believable than others, but nothing that isn't reasonably foreshadowed by the clues provided. Woven within is also a thoughtful story about embracing yourself, and finding a way to succeed in a world that isn't one size fits all.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advance copy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Murder, and Blood
Minor: Suicide and Drug use
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