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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The mystery is pretty easy to suss out early on if you're a fan of the genre. The characters sometimes made really stupid choices but I give the writer credit for creating teenagers who actually seem like teenagers. It made me laugh the way Iris kept referring to her friends as "the Agency." It was very shades of Kristin Amanda Thomas and the Baby-Sitters Club.
One thing that was frustrating is that there were so many callbacks and allusions I was starting to think this was the second book in a series and I'd missed the first. But that's not the case.
Audiobook narration was excellent and probably at least 60% of the reason behind finishing it
Justice for poor Aunt Meghan!
One thing that was frustrating is that there were so many callbacks and allusions I was starting to think this was the second book in a series and I'd missed the first. But that's not the case.
Audiobook narration was excellent and probably at least 60% of the reason behind finishing it
Justice for poor Aunt Meghan!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Blood, Vomit
Minor: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
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
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
3.5 Stars
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC! This was pitched as a great book for those who love A Google Girls Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson and I definitely agree with that.
This is a YA thriller following Iris whose sister went missing over a year ago, her case never solved. Now Iris’s ex-girlfriend is missing and she is determined to solve this case when she couldn’t solve her sister’s. She teams up with her “agency” and also, albeit reluctantly at first, an enemy. As the group dig into the case they discover an entire web of secrets concealed in their small town.
This was very enjoyable and addicting. There were a lot of twists, unfortunately I did predict who the culprit was but not other aspects of that particular twist so I wasn’t mad about it. Also I read a lot of thrillers so I’m suspicious of everyone so don’t let me guessing who it was put you off reading this. The plot itself was well crafted and interesting, it didn’t lag at any points and new information was given at regular intervals so I wasn’t left frustrated.
There is a lot of LGBTQ+ rep in here which I loved and the supporting characters were really loveable. It was also written really well for a YA thriller and is a brilliant debut! If “YA” writing bothers you then still check this one out because the writing does not feel YA. I’m really excited to see what this author does in the future.
My gripe with this was the constant use of “my ex best friend” or “ex girlfriend” when their names could have just been used instead. It got annoying rather quickly. I also wasn’t the biggest fan of Iris as a main character, she was kind of selfish and her motivations for solving the case didn’t help to change how I saw her considering it was entirely to prove something to herself. She lies to her good friends about some really big stuff that actually really affects them and then turns it on them which bothered me to no end. So yeah, didn’t like her at all.
Overall I recommend this if you want a good, twisty and addictive YA thriller that you can’t put down. It came out on 21st September so you can read it now!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC! This was pitched as a great book for those who love A Google Girls Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson and I definitely agree with that.
This is a YA thriller following Iris whose sister went missing over a year ago, her case never solved. Now Iris’s ex-girlfriend is missing and she is determined to solve this case when she couldn’t solve her sister’s. She teams up with her “agency” and also, albeit reluctantly at first, an enemy. As the group dig into the case they discover an entire web of secrets concealed in their small town.
This was very enjoyable and addicting. There were a lot of twists, unfortunately I did predict who the culprit was but not other aspects of that particular twist so I wasn’t mad about it. Also I read a lot of thrillers so I’m suspicious of everyone so don’t let me guessing who it was put you off reading this. The plot itself was well crafted and interesting, it didn’t lag at any points and new information was given at regular intervals so I wasn’t left frustrated.
There is a lot of LGBTQ+ rep in here which I loved and the supporting characters were really loveable. It was also written really well for a YA thriller and is a brilliant debut! If “YA” writing bothers you then still check this one out because the writing does not feel YA. I’m really excited to see what this author does in the future.
My gripe with this was the constant use of “my ex best friend” or “ex girlfriend” when their names could have just been used instead. It got annoying rather quickly. I also wasn’t the biggest fan of Iris as a main character, she was kind of selfish and her motivations for solving the case didn’t help to change how I saw her considering it was entirely to prove something to herself. She lies to her good friends about some really big stuff that actually really affects them and then turns it on them which bothered me to no end. So yeah, didn’t like her at all.
Overall I recommend this if you want a good, twisty and addictive YA thriller that you can’t put down. It came out on 21st September so you can read it now!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Repetitive phrases and some oddly constructed events definitely took me out of the novel more than once, and the reveal was truly beyond belief. That said, most of the character building was strong, and the ending was better than some from more practiced authors. I'd probably have loved the book more if I were in the target age-group, but do look forward to see what else Wlosok comes out with.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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