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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was almost impossible to keep up with. I did not enjoy feeling like my head was spinning constantly.
A proper review is coming when I process my thoughts
A proper review is coming when I process my thoughts
mysterious
medium-paced
This book sat on my shelves for far too many years. Partly my rating is because of me and my reading taste. I think when I first thrifted it, I would have rated it higher/enjoyed it. That's not so much the case now. For it sitting on my shelves and me never wanting to pick it up, when I finally did, it flowed decently. It was giving me a simple 3 star, palate cleansing, medium paced, YA mystery. However, as we got around the 215 mark, certain ideas were talked about that I didn't enjoy or want to read about. It's something that as a Christian (which I know not everyone is. This is just my opinion.), I don't enjoy some things being in soooo many books. We can write books without certain topics. Especially, in YA books. The more I kept reading, the more I was trying to hold onto that 3 star feeling of neutrality. But by the end, it just doesn't feel like a 3 star book to me. I hate to say that, because I was hoping I was wrong about it all these years. I'm glad I can finally cross it off my physical tbr and I didn't just give it away without ever reading it, but I wish I could've enjoyed it more. Older me would have, but I've just moved on with my reading taste.
2.5 stars.
2.5 stars.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this book. For a YA thriller, it was both exciting and addictive, keeping me on the edge of my seat as I wondered how the Bayview Four could possibly prove their innocence. The twist that Simon orchestrated the entire thing himself was brilliant and made the story even more compelling.
What stood out most was how layered the mystery was, how each character’s secrets unraveled, how the tension built as the media and school turned against them, and how the dynamics between the four shifted under pressure. Addy’s growth, Cooper’s vulnerability, Bronwyn’s resilience, and Nate’s raw edges all added to the depth.
I would hand this kind of YA thriller to someone looking to get into the genre: fast-paced, full of secrets, with just enough emotional weight to keep you invested beyond the mystery itself. A great start to a series that makes me want to keep going.
What stood out most was how layered the mystery was, how each character’s secrets unraveled, how the tension built as the media and school turned against them, and how the dynamics between the four shifted under pressure. Addy’s growth, Cooper’s vulnerability, Bronwyn’s resilience, and Nate’s raw edges all added to the depth.
I would hand this kind of YA thriller to someone looking to get into the genre: fast-paced, full of secrets, with just enough emotional weight to keep you invested beyond the mystery itself. A great start to a series that makes me want to keep going.
WOW. I knew this book was going to be a wild ride...but I did not expect this.
This book is an incredibly well-plotted suspense novel. I knew that going into it, why else would a debut novel be on the NYT bestseller list for 54 weeks? Clearly she did something right to captivate the publishing world. What I did not anticipate was how real this book would feel. These are some of the most well-rounded, complex, likeable characters I’ve read in a long, long time. As a writer, I know how goddamn hard that is to achieve, especially in a book that revolves around a gang of juvenile murder suspects. I loved each of these characters SO much. I rooted for them from the moment they stepped into detention. In fact, I had a pit in my stomach the entire time thinking that one of them had to have been the actual brains behind the operation.
I think I expected this to be a book that relied heavily on shock value. Man, was I wrong. This book was nothing if not raw and honest and true. I have so many thoughts swirling around in my brain that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully put my appreciation into words. All I can say is, well done Karen McManus. I seriously can’t wait to see what else you have in store for us. I will be a long time reader, that’s for sure!
This book is an incredibly well-plotted suspense novel. I knew that going into it, why else would a debut novel be on the NYT bestseller list for 54 weeks? Clearly she did something right to captivate the publishing world. What I did not anticipate was how real this book would feel. These are some of the most well-rounded, complex, likeable characters I’ve read in a long, long time. As a writer, I know how goddamn hard that is to achieve, especially in a book that revolves around a gang of juvenile murder suspects. I loved each of these characters SO much. I rooted for them from the moment they stepped into detention. In fact, I had a pit in my stomach the entire time thinking that one of them had to have been the actual brains behind the operation.
I think I expected this to be a book that relied heavily on shock value. Man, was I wrong. This book was nothing if not raw and honest and true. I have so many thoughts swirling around in my brain that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully put my appreciation into words. All I can say is, well done Karen McManus. I seriously can’t wait to see what else you have in store for us. I will be a long time reader, that’s for sure!
This sucked. The characters were horribly written and broadly drawn, and Karen has this weird habit of bringing up character traits only when they're relevant (up to and including on the of minor characters being gay). There were also way too many characters, and Karen relied on some of the least developed, least relevant minor characters for huge plot twists so they fell flat just by virtue of me not remembering the character or their relevance to the other characters and to the plot as a whole. Not even the main character's relations with other main characters were done well, bar a couple decent moments. and the plot, when i wasn't poking dozens of holes in it, was just boring. And lastly, the ending twist relies on so much on a character that we see for so little that Karen didn't give herself the time to develop that character enough for this plot twist and the information we learn about this character to make sense. The book as a whole was horribly paced.