Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

43 reviews

luminareads's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Car accident, Kidnapping, and Chronic illness

Minor: Alcohol

booklover26's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

3.5

I liked this book overall, but the first half was slow. The present was boring, while the past was interesting.

But after Hayes died, things started to ramp up and get interesting.

I read the majority of the second half in one day. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Cursing

Minor: Child death, Drug use, and Alcohol

mia_reads_books1119's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Death, Drug use, Alcohol, Cursing, and Panic attacks/disorders

samchase112's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I'm not a mystery girl, but I figured I'd give this one a try after a recommendation from a coworker — and the season, of course! It was definitely fun, and I enjoyed the mysterious world it set up for sure. The characters were diverse and interesting, and there's a lot going on that I did enjoy. The only reason I'm not continuing the series is because I've heard the ending is disappointing, and I'm not interested in getting into another How I Met Your Mother situation — you know. A fun foray into YA mystery that I don't regret!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Alcohol, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Child death and Death of parent

Minor: Classism and Racism

blewballoon's review against another edition

funny mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I wasn't sure quite what to expect from this, I knew it was a popular YA thriller and I had been a little disappointed with The Inheritance Games and I thought this might be a little closer to what I wanted from that. I do think that's the case. Stevie is an interesting, flawed protagonist that is still charming and even funny. The cast of surrounding characters at the school provides camaraderie and intrigue. I enjoyed the chapters from the past about the original disappearances at the school as well. The romance felt a little strange and forced, but that's not unusual for YA.

The cliffhanger ending was frustrating, but I did know this was a series so I wasn't entirely unprepared for that.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Child death

Minor: Alcohol

alyvia_jeane's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Alcohol

itsheyfay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Stalking

Minor: Gaslighting, Transphobia, and Infidelity

rylin_marie's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

oh. my. goodness. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Murder, Cursing, Torture, Alcohol, Child death, Stalking, Kidnapping, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gore, and Gun violence

booksawyer's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I’ve heard so many great things about Truly Devious, and I am glad to say it did not disappoint! 

Truly Devious follows Stevie Bell, a true crime and mystery novel enthusiast, as she begins her first year at Ellingham Academy, a private school for gifted students known for a series of murders that occurred in the 1930s. Stevie arrives at the school, determined to finally solve the case, but does not expect that another crime may take place right in front of her.

This mystery is solved over the course of a trilogy, so the pacing of this book is slower than standalone mysteries I have read. Although I typically don’t enjoy slower placed books, I actually really loved this choice! It was really great to get to know Stevie, her peers, and the school as a whole.

This novel kept me engaged the whole way through, and I am so happy the sequel is out so I can read it very soon!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Child death and Kidnapping

Minor: Alcohol

m4rtt4's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

A good start for the series, though it was very obvious from the text that it's a part of something bigger and doesn't really work as a standalone. The characters felt pretty shallow and stereotypically one-dimensional, but I could brush that off as the book's focus was more on the murders and the atmosphere really managed to creep me out at times — also the surroundings of the boarding school were well created and described. I'm excited to read the sequel, but I seriously hope it's got some more depth and action in it🤞🏻

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Grief, Kidnapping, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Alcohol, Mental illness, and Child death