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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Really enjoyed this mystery novel, found it very compelling and fast paced :)
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
I was drawn to this book by the funny title and interesting premise, but by the time I was halfway through, I was just annoyed. The story had a lot of potential, but it wasn't told in a suspenseful or interesting way.
- The main character's narration voice was annoying - not funny, just ~quirky and quippy but falling flat.
- The whole story was told with an overwrought sense of drama which removed any kind of tension from the "scary" developments.
- As other readers have noted, the main characters all acted like teenagers instead of being in their late 20s. None of them had mature lives, just entry-level jobs and a lot of drinking (and some pot). I don't buy any of them as nearly-30-somethings; they all act like university students. (Why would a 29-year-old be doing the blushing denial dance with her roommate of equal age? For god's sake).
- Kirby was an incredibly pathetic journalist. I do take this personally as I'm one myself; that's why I know that a "trained journalist" (her words) wouldn't be learning about basic tenets of journalism from the editor at her second paid job. She also wouldn't have been kept at a job where every single story she pitched was rejected (she wouldn't even have been hired there). The idea that she would be 29 and considered too green to cover anything more than banal local stories by her editor is ridiculous. Again, she reads more like 19 than 29. She would also have some vague sense of journalistic ethics and not decide out of the blue that starting up a social media channel and pointing a phone aggressively at people made her a hotshot reporter.
- There was potential here for a genuine critique of TikTok "sleuthing" culture but it was so, so botched.
- The constant references to ~relatable shows and people were grating.
- There was genuinely good potential in the setup, in Kirby's character, her past in London, in her family background, but all of it was just executed badly.
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Kirby Cornell hates her life. She spends her days cleaning up after chaotic singles in Magaluf, watching them party ’til they puke. One day whilst fishing half-empty beer cans out of the swimming pool, she receives a message in a long-abandoned group chat from Esme, one of her old housemates. Which is very strange as Esme died a year ago. Thinking nothing of it, Kirby continues to slack off in the Magaluf sunshine. Then a second notification appears telling her Max, another housemate, has left the group. With her interest piqued, Kirby decides to Google Max, see what he’s up to these days. Only to discover Max has died. Shocked and saddened by her ex-housemate’s untimely death, she reaches out to the rest of the group for comfort. But the only person to reply is Esme and this time she’s not messing around. This time Esme means business, murderous business: ‘Everyone in the group chat dies’…
Everyone in the Group Chat Dies is a funny, easy to read mystery which I devoured in two short sittings. Told in the past and the present, the reader gets to see what happened twelve months earlier. Why Kirby left her journalist career behind and ran away to be holiday rep in Magaluf. Bit by bit, we discover the secret the former friends hold and the reason why Esme may have returned from the dead to wreak revenge in the group chat.
Crowhurst, in the home counties, is a mundane place to live. Famous for, well, a spree killer who murdered five teenagers in 1996 and not a lot else. But it’s home to a disparate group of flatmates, thrown together only because they were looking for somewhere fairly cheap to live. Clare ‘Kirby’ Cornell is a journalist at the Crowhurst Gazette. Seema is a dental nurse. Dylan is a chef at the local pub. There’s Dave. No one’s really sure what Dave does. Max is pretty much absent from the get-go but he’s still on the tenancy agreement, which immediately qualifies him to be the first to die. And then there’s the new arrival, Esme. Esme is a true crime influencer on ShowMe – a bit like TikTok but WAY cooler. London-based Esme arrives in Crowhurst to investigate what really happened that fateful day in 1996 when Peter Doyle murdered five teens. One minute Esme is there. The next, she has vanished into thin air which causes Kirby a lot of anxiety. So Kirby takes it upon herself to use ShowMe to discover what happened to the influencer.
Back in the present day and unfortunately back in Crowhurst, Kirby notices a new notification in the group chat. Another former housemate has left. Based on everything that happened to Max, that can’t be a good thing. Can it?
Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Everyone in the Group Chat Dies is a light-hearted, murder mystery with a cast of intriguing characters. I couldn’t help but warm to Kirby who leads the way from start to finish. She has her flaws but she’s well aware of them. The other supporting characters are well-formed and play their parts well, helping to move the story along. Was I able to tell whodunnit? Nope, not at all and it came as quite a surprise too. I loved the small-town vibe of the setting. A lot of Brits have either lived in or know a town like Crowhurst with its odd local traditions, and often stranger local residents. The dual timeline worked well. I think (and I haven’t checked to be sure) we spend a lot more time in the past than we do in the present. I felt, for me, the main mystery in the book was what happened a year ago to cause the group to break apart and lose touch with each other. Rather than who was killing them off one by one in the present day. That might just be me though. All in all, I enjoyed Everyone in the Group Chat Dies. It’s a laugh-out-loud, easy to read murder mystery. Quite different to the books I tend to choose. I read this straight off the back of a long historical horror novel. It was the perfect palate cleanser. Refreshing and lots of fun! Recommended.
I enjoyed this book and story took some unexpected and shocking turns. The twists were good too and I like the back and forth in time POV. However, my main issue was with the immaturity of the group. They were supposed to be in their thirties and acted more like teenagers. However, I looked past this and read it for what it was - a thoroughly entertaining read that was also quite funny.
Kirby Cornell is hiding out in a cheap holiday resort, avoiding the consequences of her and her flatmates actions a year ago. She has no plans to go back to Crowhurst, until a message pops up in an old group chat 'everyone in the group chat will die'. Even more odd, the message was sent by her old flatmate Esme, who died a year ago.
I heard some good things about this one from Booksta so was looking forward to reading. I definitely enjoyed the read, but did find a few drawbacks too, hence the 3 stars.
I thought Chilton did a decent job with character development. I had a very good sense of who Kirby was, as well as Esme and her other flatmates. That didn't mean I particularly liked any of them, but they were certainly well defined. I found Kirby to be very immature for her age though, very impulsive and not thinking through consequences of any of her actions. I found her very frustrating.
The plot was interesting, it's action packed and whilst I had some suspicions throughout the story, I hadn't guessed on who was the culprit. The idea of ShowMeSherlock and the Watsons was fun. As a whole people are living out more and more of their lives online, and I could totally see something like this happening in real life.
As a whole the book was a fun read. Despite being a murder mystery it wasn't too serious or dark. The main thing that kept it to three stars was that to me it felt very much like a young adult read rather than adult fiction. I had a hard time believing that Kirby and her friends were nearly 30, because they all acted much younger, and that had quite an impact on my feelings towards the book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
I heard some good things about this one from Booksta so was looking forward to reading. I definitely enjoyed the read, but did find a few drawbacks too, hence the 3 stars.
I thought Chilton did a decent job with character development. I had a very good sense of who Kirby was, as well as Esme and her other flatmates. That didn't mean I particularly liked any of them, but they were certainly well defined. I found Kirby to be very immature for her age though, very impulsive and not thinking through consequences of any of her actions. I found her very frustrating.
The plot was interesting, it's action packed and whilst I had some suspicions throughout the story, I hadn't guessed on who was the culprit. The idea of ShowMeSherlock and the Watsons was fun. As a whole people are living out more and more of their lives online, and I could totally see something like this happening in real life.
As a whole the book was a fun read. Despite being a murder mystery it wasn't too serious or dark. The main thing that kept it to three stars was that to me it felt very much like a young adult read rather than adult fiction. I had a hard time believing that Kirby and her friends were nearly 30, because they all acted much younger, and that had quite an impact on my feelings towards the book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
This was a fun, quirky and mysterious little mystery. First time reading this author and I was hooked from the start. The early chapters were reminiscent of the time I flat shared years ago. The banter between the characters was great. This story takes us on one hell of a ride and definitely keeps the reader guessing throughout.
Really enjoyable read!
Really enjoyable read!