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moonlitchapters's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Rating 4 Stars
Trish Lundy, you are a writing master! This book literally kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't stop. The ending was crazy, yet so so satisfying as the novel came to a close and while I had my theories, I was SO wrong and that is not something that happens often for me. Incredibly fun, so well put together. HIGHLY recommend. New favorite author?
Rating 4 Stars
Trish Lundy, you are a writing master! This book literally kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't stop. The ending was crazy, yet so so satisfying as the novel came to a close and while I had my theories, I was SO wrong and that is not something that happens often for me. Incredibly fun, so well put together. HIGHLY recommend. New favorite author?
literary_chaos's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I received a copy of this book for free from Bookishfirst in exchange for a free/honest review.
This book has been one of my favorite reads so far this year. I really enjoyed the writing style. It dealt with some very heavy subject matter, but did it in a believable not overly dramatized way. The main character, and the characters around her, were all dealing with a lot of grief and trauma that, in my opinion, felt genuine. We as the reader got to see how the trauma that the characters experienced play out not only in their daily lives but in their current relationships.
It has been a while since I have read a YA Thriller/Murder mystery, but this one kept me at the edge of my seat. The main characters are teens, so they are going to be messy, they are going to spread rumors, and they will make mistakes. But, that was a lot of what I found fun about this book. I enjoyed that the characters were all very flawed in a very believable way. It made them all the more enjoyable in my opinion. I loved that we got a parent/child dynamic that was imperfect but not inherently awful. We also got to see people forgive, become allies, and even friends.
In the end I was able to guess the big twist/who done it at the end, but I did not deter my enjoyment of this book. I had such a fun time getting to the conclusion that it hardly mattered that I had guessed the killer.
This book has been one of my favorite reads so far this year. I really enjoyed the writing style. It dealt with some very heavy subject matter, but did it in a believable not overly dramatized way. The main character, and the characters around her, were all dealing with a lot of grief and trauma that, in my opinion, felt genuine. We as the reader got to see how the trauma that the characters experienced play out not only in their daily lives but in their current relationships.
It has been a while since I have read a YA Thriller/Murder mystery, but this one kept me at the edge of my seat. The main characters are teens, so they are going to be messy, they are going to spread rumors, and they will make mistakes. But, that was a lot of what I found fun about this book. I enjoyed that the characters were all very flawed in a very believable way. It made them all the more enjoyable in my opinion. I loved that we got a parent/child dynamic that was imperfect but not inherently awful. We also got to see people forgive, become allies, and even friends.
In the end I was able to guess the big twist/who done it at the end, but I did not deter my enjoyment of this book. I had such a fun time getting to the conclusion that it hardly mattered that I had guessed the killer.
theravenclawreader's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
shannabanana19's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
chewie_the_mouse's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
5.0
I highly recommend this exciting, twisty thriller! At its heart are two wealthy brothers (Robbie and Trevor) who everyone thinks can get away with anything, including murder. Given that each young man has had a recent girlfriend who died under "mysterious circumstances", they just may be right.
Now Robbie has his sights set on new-girl Lauren. Lauren has come to the area for a new start, and is trying to leave her past behind her and make a good future for herself. Dating Robbie was supposed to be fun, not too serious, and certainly not dangerous. When Lauren stumbles across a clue that points to the last girlfriend's death being "not-so-accidental", she realizes she has a problem.
The author has created a twisty narrative with plenty of clues and teen investigations. Lauren has to figure out what's going on with no real ability to trust anyone...because she has no way to know who is actually IN ON everything with the killer.
I appreciated the depth the author managed to give each of the major characters, even while offering some of them up as potential murder suspects. Lauren, Robbie, Maura, Lex, John, and Ainsley were all well-crafted, realistic teens. I also appreciated that the level of teen partying, drinking, and drug use was true-to-life. So often, teen-centric novels tend to portray these things at over-the-top levels; this one got it right!
The slowly evolving relationships, both friendships and romantic, were well-written. By the end, I felt that Lauren had established true, lasting friendships with several other characters. There were some interesting parent/child dynamics as well, particularly between Lauren and her mother.
As an added bonus, Lauren and most of the other female characters were varsity soccer players. I especially enjoyed this, as I'm a soccer mom myself. The practices, games, and Senior Night celebration all rang true and brought back memories!
As for the final reveal of the killer....I thought it was a bit abrupt. Also, I didn't think enough clues were provided to point to this person. While I DID believe that this individual was behind the crimes, I would have liked a bit more lead-up before Lauren figured it out.
Still, a 5-star read, and I look forward to more from this talented author!
Now Robbie has his sights set on new-girl Lauren. Lauren has come to the area for a new start, and is trying to leave her past behind her and make a good future for herself. Dating Robbie was supposed to be fun, not too serious, and certainly not dangerous. When Lauren stumbles across a clue that points to the last girlfriend's death being "not-so-accidental", she realizes she has a problem.
The author has created a twisty narrative with plenty of clues and teen investigations. Lauren has to figure out what's going on with no real ability to trust anyone...because she has no way to know who is actually IN ON everything with the killer.
I appreciated the depth the author managed to give each of the major characters, even while offering some of them up as potential murder suspects. Lauren, Robbie, Maura, Lex, John, and Ainsley were all well-crafted, realistic teens. I also appreciated that the level of teen partying, drinking, and drug use was true-to-life. So often, teen-centric novels tend to portray these things at over-the-top levels; this one got it right!
The slowly evolving relationships, both friendships and romantic, were well-written. By the end, I felt that Lauren had established true, lasting friendships with several other characters. There were some interesting parent/child dynamics as well, particularly between Lauren and her mother.
As an added bonus, Lauren and most of the other female characters were varsity soccer players. I especially enjoyed this, as I'm a soccer mom myself. The practices, games, and Senior Night celebration all rang true and brought back memories!
As for the final reveal of the killer....I thought it was a bit abrupt. Also, I didn't think enough clues were provided to point to this person. While I DID believe that this individual was behind the crimes, I would have liked a bit more lead-up before Lauren figured it out.
Still, a 5-star read, and I look forward to more from this talented author!
amanderz58's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
bulletsandstories's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
organizedxchaos's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This was confusing a lot. I felt that at times there were too many side plots that were unnecessary and only confused me further. It felt like the other was doing this on purpose to throw off the readers but it was poorly executed and so the book really suffered. Kinda feel like it was a waste of my time cuz nothing felt resolved at the end of the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Murder, Violence, Grief, and Death
heyitscourtknee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.25
halligomez's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0