Reviews

One thing I have to admit about the ocean: It's very quiet down there. I mean, really. No more shrieking gulls, crashing of the waves, shouts from the surfers. No, under the sea, it's just you and the water and the ghosts who are trying to kill you.

Reunion was the best installment of The Mediator series yet. The inclusion of Gina, Suze's best friend from New York, is greatly appreciated. Suze feels markedly more confident and at ease in scenes with Gina, whose sharp yet laid-back personality really complemented Suze's more chaotic nature. The opening chapters of the book, which introduce the reader to both Gina and the ghost(s) of the week, are delightfully tight, with a perfect, sassy tone that I just loved. The scene in Jimmy's mart where Suze raises her sunglasses to stare at the four teenage ghosts attempting to lift some beer was so effortlessly on-point.

Again, the plot of the book is deceptively dark. The current mystery features the tragic deaths of the "RLS Angels," four ultra-popular, beautiful, and promising seniors from a rival high school. The Angels plunged to their death after an "accidental" automobile collision on a narrow cliff-side road. Only, of course, there's nothing accidental about it. Suze soon discovers that book three's faux-LI (and the other driver in the collision that killed the Angels), Michael Meducci, may not be telling the full truth about his involvement in the crash.

What we discover, of course, is that

Michael did kill the Angels in cold blood. Yet Michael's motivations are heartbreakingly understandable when it's revealed that the so-called "stars" of the local community had facilitated the near-death of his twelve-year-old sister:

"That's what one of the EMS guys told the police. Everybody thought she was faking it." He let out a humorless laugh. "My sister--that was all she wanted, you know? To be popular. To be like them. And they stood there. They all just stood there laughing while she drowned."

Like damn. I dunno about you, but that's some real shit.

Pair this with the improvement in writing and characterization (I really do think Suze's character became fully defined in this volume), and you get quite the enjoyable read, in my humble opinion. There were so many legitimately funny, incisive scenes in this book that I honestly lost track of how many quotes tickled my fancy. It was so fun.

Of course, you know I gotta talk a bit about the Jesse x Suze. Their dynamic here is so special, honestly. They've reached a point of genuine friendship and warmth, which is just never not incredible to read. They trust and rely on one another, and they truly love to simply be in one another's company:

"I don't understand why you are so unhappy about it," Jesse said. He had stretched out across the tiles, contented as I'd ever seen him. "I like it much better this way."
"What way?" I groused. I couldn't get quite as comfortable. I kept finding prickly pine needles beneath my butt.
"Just the two of us," he said with a shrug. "Like it's always been."

Haaaaaa….fucking kill me, I love them so much.

Anyways, I'm already well into [b:Darkest Hour|23224|Darkest Hour (The Mediator, #4)|Jenny Carroll|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388187645l/23224._SY75_.jpg|2013708], so my feels are a bit preoccupied right at this moment. I'll wrap this up and spare my key smashing for the nonsense that is about to occur.

lauratoria's review against another edition

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dark lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

churrah's review against another edition

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4.0

4⭐️

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