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A review by r_happe
Murder on a School Night by Kate Weston
2.0
I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Overall, this book started off pretty strong for me but I lost interest as the book progressed.
I thoroughly enjoyed the period puns and feminist push in this book. This angle in the book was quite funny, relatable, and gave me the warm fuzzies at the normalization of it and how that may positively affect young readers. The death by period products was funny, and I laughed (and cringed) at the ineptitude of DI Wallace when it came to the practical applications of these products.
I initially liked the characters but both Kerry and Annie quickly came to annoy me. Kerry's POV was repetitive and she really didn't do much throughout the story. And without Annie, there really wouldn't be a story in the first place. Annie is the one with all the energy and the desire to solve the mysteries, and I really admired her tenacity to go after what she wants. The thing about Annie that ended up annoying me the most was her crazy desire to be popular. I just don't understand why she wanted it so badly. Annie and Kerry both have the potential to be better characters. I wish that they had been more fleshed out and less like the caricatures they seemed to me to be.
As much as I initially liked the humor, the book started to feel performative, like Disney Channel shows with the big, over-the-top writing and acting. Some things felt very childish and under-developed whereas the murders were a little gruesome (while still remaining somewhat comical). It created a dissonance that never went away while reading.
The reveal of the murderer at the end was a twist, but not really in a good way. It feels like there wasn't really any solid motive and the whole thing came out of nowhere. It just felt off, and the reveal scene itself was incredibly rushed.
Honestly, this book ended up being a let down to me. The plot and characters were lackluster and the things I liked just couldn't overshadow those I didn't. I really admire the way the author uses humor and the characters to address topics like gender, periods, female anatomy, first relationships, and friendship, but at some point I needed more than good intentions. This book just wasn't what I was expecting. I think that younger readers will identify with and appreciate the story more than I could.
Overall, this book started off pretty strong for me but I lost interest as the book progressed.
I thoroughly enjoyed the period puns and feminist push in this book. This angle in the book was quite funny, relatable, and gave me the warm fuzzies at the normalization of it and how that may positively affect young readers. The death by period products was funny, and I laughed (and cringed) at the ineptitude of DI Wallace when it came to the practical applications of these products.
I initially liked the characters but both Kerry and Annie quickly came to annoy me. Kerry's POV was repetitive and she really didn't do much throughout the story. And without Annie, there really wouldn't be a story in the first place. Annie is the one with all the energy and the desire to solve the mysteries, and I really admired her tenacity to go after what she wants. The thing about Annie that ended up annoying me the most was her crazy desire to be popular. I just don't understand why she wanted it so badly. Annie and Kerry both have the potential to be better characters. I wish that they had been more fleshed out and less like the caricatures they seemed to me to be.
As much as I initially liked the humor, the book started to feel performative, like Disney Channel shows with the big, over-the-top writing and acting. Some things felt very childish and under-developed whereas the murders were a little gruesome (while still remaining somewhat comical). It created a dissonance that never went away while reading.
The reveal of the murderer at the end was a twist, but not really in a good way. It feels like there wasn't really any solid motive and the whole thing came out of nowhere. It just felt off, and the reveal scene itself was incredibly rushed.
Honestly, this book ended up being a let down to me. The plot and characters were lackluster and the things I liked just couldn't overshadow those I didn't. I really admire the way the author uses humor and the characters to address topics like gender, periods, female anatomy, first relationships, and friendship, but at some point I needed more than good intentions. This book just wasn't what I was expecting. I think that younger readers will identify with and appreciate the story more than I could.