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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I finished the series before rating this book, and I definitely feel this is the stronger of the 2. I really enjoyed how the author intertwined the stories and how the growth of each character is gradual, not sudden. I ended up loving characters I initially hated, and loved the trauma bonding lol
All in all it’s a very well written mystery & coming of age book :)
All in all it’s a very well written mystery & coming of age book :)
mysterious
medium-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
So much fun! The ending didn't shock me, but I still had a good time following the characters as they worked together to try to uncover the truth. I also really enjoyed the character development from all the 4 main characters.
I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next one!
I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next one!
I was super excited to read this NY Times Bestseller before it is adapted into a movie soon. I found it slightly difficult to get into at first, but it picked up quickly and pretty soon I could not put it down. I always wanted to keep reading to try and figure out what happened and was trying to solve the crime along with the characters. This is a great book and I can't wait to see the movie adaptation.
I just don’t care about these stereotype ‘high school students’ drama anymore. I love thrillers but I could figure out the plot very early on. A no for me.
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-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 is a great who did it book? afour teenagers in a classroom with a kid who has an allergic reaction and dies. Who put the peanut oil in the cup? What lies did each student have that they didn't want others to know and how did that play into who was responsible for the murder? You will have to read to find out.
For a moment, I thought about reading Book 2 because your girl loves a thriller, but.............. yeah, nah. Mid.
This is sort of a Breakfast Club take, with the gimmick that the Nerd (creator of a gossip app) dies! dramatically! in detention!!!
And the book spirals from there, slowly exposing everyone's secrets. Bronwyn cheated on a test. Nate is a drug dealer to SUPPORT HIMSELF and his ALCOHOLIC DAD. Clay is gay. Ashton cheated on her boyfriend.
It's all set in San Diego, which you really would not have noticed (could be any anonymous high school), but I did appreciate that the book tried to match the demographics of SD a little bit. Bronwyn is half-Colombian, Clay's girlfriend is Filipina, one of the basketball guys is Latin American, there are various Asian names scattered throughout the novel...
The secrets were not actually that compelling, but McManus is very good at drip-feeding the information to us, thriller style! I did do the thing where I flip forward a bit to follow my favorite characters just bc I'm impatient at how much the narrative drags, but that was more because I was bored by the narrative spinning in circles than super invested in any one character
Honestly in hindsight what stands out to me the most is how ludicrously incompetent both the school administration and police are in this book! Like, howwwwww did the school allow this gossip app bullshit to go on?
And the twist Simon killed himself in some kind of absurd play for revenge, assisted by Ashton's evil boyfriend was very guessable
But I guess this was good enough to keep my attention....... for a little bit.........
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
"That's the kind of person you can get away with killing: someone everybody else wants dead.
Let's face it: everyone at Bayview High hated Simon. I was just the only one with enough guts to do something about it.
You're welcome"
Simon isn't exactly liked at school. In fact, he's only noticed at all for his gossip app which always seems to know everyone's darkest secrets. But that doesn't mean anyone wanted him dead, yet that's exactly what happens in after school detention. Now, the only suspects are those who were in the room with him that fateful day. Bronwen, the shoo-in for valedictorian; Addy, the popular girl with the boyfriend everyone envies; Cooper, the jock with the major leagues all but locked in; and Nate, the probationed drug dealer. They're the last ones to see him alive, and quickly become the front running suspects.
This book was a quick read. Told through all of the "Bayview Four's" prospectives, it shows exactly how nobody should be taken at face value. It rang very true to high school. Everyone can fit into some cliche or another, but that's very rarely the whole story. I kinda guessed the killer early on, but it was still a good story and I found it hard to put down.
Let's face it: everyone at Bayview High hated Simon. I was just the only one with enough guts to do something about it.
You're welcome"
Simon isn't exactly liked at school. In fact, he's only noticed at all for his gossip app which always seems to know everyone's darkest secrets. But that doesn't mean anyone wanted him dead, yet that's exactly what happens in after school detention. Now, the only suspects are those who were in the room with him that fateful day. Bronwen, the shoo-in for valedictorian; Addy, the popular girl with the boyfriend everyone envies; Cooper, the jock with the major leagues all but locked in; and Nate, the probationed drug dealer. They're the last ones to see him alive, and quickly become the front running suspects.
This book was a quick read. Told through all of the "Bayview Four's" prospectives, it shows exactly how nobody should be taken at face value. It rang very true to high school. Everyone can fit into some cliche or another, but that's very rarely the whole story. I kinda guessed the killer early on, but it was still a good story and I found it hard to put down.
3.75⭐️
This book was a nice surprise!
I will definitely read other books from the author, and I will think about this story for a few days for sure...
This was my read for “Charms” / O.W.L.s / The Magical Readathon ⚡️
This book was a nice surprise!
I will definitely read other books from the author, and I will think about this story for a few days for sure...
This was my read for “Charms” / O.W.L.s / The Magical Readathon ⚡️