Reviews with content warning for Adult/minor relationship - The Cheerleaders

Starting this review on a positive note, The Cheerleaders tackles serious topics very well. One of the best decisions Kara Thomas makes in this book is not revealing exactly how Jen died. When you compare this to other books advertised to teens that cover the same issues (such as 13 Reasons Why), it is clear what a responsible decision this is.
Speaking of Jen, she deserved more chapters from her perspective. Monica is a good lead and serves her purpose of moving along the plot, but Jen is a far more dynamic character in the few chapters we get of her. Jen and Ethan's friendship is well-written and they provide a complex and compelling storyline (though I wish Ethan's motivations were clarified more.)
The message of this story seems to be that most things in life are tangentially connected, though how connected they are may not be clear. The ending to this book perfectly encapsulates this idea that nearly everything is intertwined. Additionally, Kara Thomas makes sure not to convolute the plot to the point that the connections are blurry at best.
My biggest complaint about this novel is the multitude of characters with names which leads to an abundance of confusion. I couldn't remember who characters like Varney or Bethany's mom were when I got to chapters with them, sending me on a wild goose chase to find out their importance.

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inkycat's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

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mynameisrebecca's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

3.75

A fun, quick murder mystery written for the YA audience but interesting and engaging enough for anyone who likes the genre. The overall plot isn't anything new though the twists are done with a deft hand and leave the reader guessing until the very end. It has some gratuitous plots that feel like your classic teen show "added for shock value", some of which are critical for the plot and some that seem to be there only to get a gasp. There's a couple too many characters for me too.

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aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.5

A little slow at the beginning but once things started happening, it picked up. I wish the whodunnit reveal had a little more oomph but it wasn't the worst. And I wish we knew if the person would actually get charged with the all the things they needed to be charged with. I did enjoy the very last bit with Ginny, I wasn't expecting it. And I liked how Ethan's character turned out.

I wish we found out about what would happen with Tom and Mike knowing that Tom killed an innocent man. And like besides emotion clouding judgement, why he was so quick to kill an innocent man

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hdelossantos's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No

3.75

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katherinesreadingalot's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

i liked it but i still feel like some things are left unanswered for me

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blb2006's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a very quick read for me. It also has alternating timelines; present with the MC and 5 years prior with the MC’s sister. The ending left me with so many unanswered questions though, it felt as though there was another chapter that had been left out of the book. Other than that it was a pretty good read.

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