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marym2215 's review for:
The One That Got Away with Murder
by Trish Lundy
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
In this debut Young Adult thriller, the wealthy and charming Cresmont brothers, Robbie and Trevor, have been shunned by the residents of Happy Valley as suspects in a series of mysterious deaths involving their ex-girlfriends. As the newcomer at school and hoping for a new beginning, Lauren O’Brian carries her own secrets from a troubled past. However, her budding relationship with Robbie quickly turns perilous as she uncovers disturbing evidence that might link him to the crimes. Caught in a web of deceit within the elite circles of Happy Valley, will Lauren be able navigate a dangerous path to uncover the truth before she too becomes a victim?
After finishing this book, I had to sit with my feelings for a day before I was able to come up with a way to express them and yet, I am still not sure how I really feel about this book. In the end, I landed on 3 stars so I liked it enough, but there were definitely parts of it with which I struggled. For the positives aspects, I found the story very gripping and enticing. It was well written and difficult for me to put down, finishing it in less than 48 hours.
Unfortunately though, there were just too many off-putting aspects to the story that prevented me from loving it more. First of all, I had a really hard time liking any of the characters. I wanted to empathize with them, but time and time again they made decisions that were so blatantly bad. Lauren’s decision to literally do nothing when she finds a certain piece of evidence fairly early on had me shaking my head in frustration. Also, I really struggle with books being marketed to “young adults” (meaning 12-18 year olds) that focus so heavily on drinking, doing drugs, and sexual content, and this “Young Adult” book was no exception. Maybe I was just sheltered growing up, but it seems like an entirely different world than what I know the average high schooler at my school experienced. Additionally, it was very off-putting to not have a single adult in this book act responsibly. I was shocked time and time again with the lack of care from the parents for their children. I guess it makes sense why the teenagers made the decisions they did with the way the “role models" were portrayed. Lastly, the ending was just too far-fetched for my liking and left me with more questions than answers. I felt it was very rushed and I personally thought it did not really explain the reasoning behind the first killing, which was the catalyst for everything else that happened in the book. I usually love Young Adult thrillers when teenagers have to figure out a mystery but unfortunately this one just wasn’t one of my favorites.
Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an electronic ARC of The One That Got Away with Murder in return for my honest review.
After finishing this book, I had to sit with my feelings for a day before I was able to come up with a way to express them and yet, I am still not sure how I really feel about this book. In the end, I landed on 3 stars so I liked it enough, but there were definitely parts of it with which I struggled. For the positives aspects, I found the story very gripping and enticing. It was well written and difficult for me to put down, finishing it in less than 48 hours.
Unfortunately though, there were just too many off-putting aspects to the story that prevented me from loving it more. First of all, I had a really hard time liking any of the characters. I wanted to empathize with them, but time and time again they made decisions that were so blatantly bad. Lauren’s decision to literally do nothing when she finds a certain piece of evidence fairly early on had me shaking my head in frustration. Also, I really struggle with books being marketed to “young adults” (meaning 12-18 year olds) that focus so heavily on drinking, doing drugs, and sexual content, and this “Young Adult” book was no exception. Maybe I was just sheltered growing up, but it seems like an entirely different world than what I know the average high schooler at my school experienced. Additionally, it was very off-putting to not have a single adult in this book act responsibly. I was shocked time and time again with the lack of care from the parents for their children. I guess it makes sense why the teenagers made the decisions they did with the way the “role models" were portrayed. Lastly, the ending was just too far-fetched for my liking and left me with more questions than answers. I felt it was very rushed and I personally thought it did not really explain the reasoning behind the first killing, which was the catalyst for everything else that happened in the book. I usually love Young Adult thrillers when teenagers have to figure out a mystery but unfortunately this one just wasn’t one of my favorites.
Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an electronic ARC of The One That Got Away with Murder in return for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide
Minor: Eating disorder