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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
- This book was a bit slow in the beginning but it did keep my interest throughout
- I guessed the plot twist half way through but I managed to convince myself that it couldn't possibly be the case, so it was still a surprise for me.
- I enjoyed the fact that this was a more difficult investigation than similar books of this genre because most people weren’t willing to talk. Mac instead had to rely on what he knew about Connor and his own memories of them together. It was interesting how clever Mac was, such as when he connected the dots regarding Connor’s sketchbook and the mural in the library.
- I thought that the introduction of Quill and him and Mac teaming up together (and falling for each other) was well done. It wasn’t an instant thing and had some complex emotions relating to the crimes.
- The final ‘confrontation’ scene had a lot of tension! Because there isn’t a ton of background on Doris and Ben it wasn’t clear how far they would be willing to go to keep their secrets.
- Relating to the plot twist, I understand that Connor was kind of sociopathic, but the built family aspect of the crimes did not make sense to me. I can see his reason for killing people being an outlet for his control issues but not how it relates to family. From what I remember his home life seemed okay. I think some more context on this would have really rounded out the story.
- Regardless, really enjoyable book with a surprising twist!
either the ending was rly obvious or my brother and i are rly good detectives because we both figured out who the killer was pretty easily. from the start i had a feeling about connor and all the things like the watch, the spying on everyone, him easily hiding what an awful person he was, also just the note from the start- they all pointed to him being the killer so maybe i should replace officer parnatsky
The twists and turns alone made this book worth it!! A little hard to get into at first, but I was reeling by the end!
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
First line from my Booklist review: "In this tense, compelling mystery, a gay teen mourning his best friend’s murder turns amateur detective upon discovering new evidence."
I found this to be a clever whodunit, mostly because of good use of misdirection, red herrings, and multiple suspects to obscure the fact that the clues needed to solve the case were there all along. This is one of those mysteries where I feel readers could figure it out, not because it's super obvious, but because they've been paying attention. (More attention than Mac, who has some plausible blind spots important to the story.) Ryan drops clues all over the place without smacking you upside the head with them. And normally I roll my eyes at the whole "teen finds a clue the police missed!" plot, but this was set up to be as credible as possible. Like, I kinda bought it. Mac's investigation also makes him hella paranoid, as he starts to uncover all kinds of secrets in his small town, and that translated well to making me paranoid for him as I was reading.
Mac, with his survivor's guilt and the break-up of his close friendships after Connor's death, is isolated, lonely, and unable to move on, even with strong family support. He's also awkward, easily embarrassed, but generally sweet to people, so I found him likable. While his so-called friends have intriguing things going on in the background of his investigation, they aren't strong characters are their own; still, their history with Mac and Connor is what's important to the story. Quill, Mac's love interest and partner-in-sluething, is also less well-realized, though who doesn't love a sweet gay romance in the middle of their murder mystery? And of course Quill does bring an important perspective to both the investigation and to Mac's sense of self-worth.
Finally, Ryan makes great use of the windswept coastal setting, complete with eerie sea caves and night-time beaches, and the claustrophobia of small towns in general to enhance the tense, paranoid mood. What can I say? I enjoyed this a lot. I forgot how satisfying it can be to read a normal mystery. I immediately went out and looked for books other readers recommended as similar, like Caleb Roehrig's books. I hope I enjoy those as much.
First line from my Booklist review: "In this tense, compelling mystery, a gay teen mourning his best friend’s murder turns amateur detective upon discovering new evidence."
I found this to be a clever whodunit, mostly because of good use of misdirection, red herrings, and multiple suspects to obscure the fact that the clues needed to solve the case were there all along. This is one of those mysteries where I feel readers could figure it out, not because it's super obvious, but because they've been paying attention. (More attention than Mac, who has some plausible blind spots important to the story.) Ryan drops clues all over the place without smacking you upside the head with them.
Spoiler
(If you're surprised at the end, go back and find all the times Ryan made it super clear that Connor was a manipulative dick from almost the first couple of pages.)Spoiler
I do think the resolution between the police officer and Mac and his friends was pat, a way too easy and a simple fix to tie up loose ends that should have had more impact, but well, I did want that happy ending.Mac, with his survivor's guilt and the break-up of his close friendships after Connor's death, is isolated, lonely, and unable to move on, even with strong family support. He's also awkward, easily embarrassed, but generally sweet to people, so I found him likable. While his so-called friends have intriguing things going on in the background of his investigation, they aren't strong characters are their own; still, their history with Mac and Connor is what's important to the story. Quill, Mac's love interest and partner-in-sluething, is also less well-realized, though who doesn't love a sweet gay romance in the middle of their murder mystery? And of course Quill does bring an important perspective to both the investigation and to Mac's sense of self-worth.
Finally, Ryan makes great use of the windswept coastal setting, complete with eerie sea caves and night-time beaches, and the claustrophobia of small towns in general to enhance the tense, paranoid mood. What can I say? I enjoyed this a lot. I forgot how satisfying it can be to read a normal mystery. I immediately went out and looked for books other readers recommended as similar, like Caleb Roehrig's books. I hope I enjoy those as much.
dark
mysterious
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Eerie! Very much gave me A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, which I also enjoyed. The final confrontation/showdown didn't really do anything for me, kinda anticlimactic, but I also wasn't following the audiobook super closely.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Murder
Tense and fraught, Keep This to Yourself is a page turner of a YA thriller, with twists and turns that even the most jaded of mystery/thriller readers won't see coming.
dark
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:
No
MAYBE:
•Quick story, some pacing issues
•Exciting mystery
•Cardboard characters
•Forced insta-love
•Predictable and pretty unbelievable ending (particularly the sheriff's reaction to the identity)
•Quick story, some pacing issues
•Exciting mystery
•Cardboard characters
•Forced insta-love
•Predictable and pretty unbelievable ending (particularly the sheriff's reaction to the identity)
Big yikes. This read was a slog, and I knew who the killer was halfway through, and then had to force myself through 150 more pages of tedium as the sniveling, law-breaking main character figured it out at a glacial pace. Thank u, next.
I wanted so badly to love this, since it’s canadian* AND queer, but it kinda felt like a series of plot points instead of an actual story? I enjoyed some of said plot points, but usually they were too short and didn’t really go anywhere.
The romance was cute enough, but somewhat also suffered from the same lack of cohesiveness as the rest of the story.
*Its not an explicitly canadian setting but the author is canadian
The romance was cute enough, but somewhat also suffered from the same lack of cohesiveness as the rest of the story.
*Its not an explicitly canadian setting but the author is canadian