Reviews

⭐️ 3.8/5

it was such a fun mystery book that would definitely get you out of your slump since it's fast paced and not that complex of a mystery, where you're there more for the romance than the actual plot in my opinion, because all i was thinking about is who avery was gonna choose because my heart is set for jameson.

this book definitely made me realize my type and as much as i love prim and proper blonde men, i love the crazier black/brown haired ones. i'm so SORRY, but jameson was just boyfriend with some secrets and i was begging for avery to be girlboss and own her situation, which she does, but i got thrown off with the whole emily thing / there was a girl before you and everyone loved her, type of trope. it breeds insecurity and comparison, which i avoid the most.

the story is not the 5-star mystery on a plate, but the riddles were frustrating and the overall puzzles were kind of fun to read. i love you, jamie, but i did not want to think at 2 am because of your riddles, though it's adorable and cute, i just found it to be infuriating because my brain shuts down when reading in the evening.

the writing was not necessarily great, it didn't hit my preferences and it gave more of the tell than show vibes. i wanted to get in the mind of avery, especially since it's written in first person, but i guess it was more plot-focused than character-driven, and i just wish the story focused more on the stakes, especially with libby's abuse. or maybe it's because this is the first book to a trilogy / quad series (?) and first books tend to be the most lacking (not all books) since it's just an introduction to the larger plot, but yes. it's definitely a romance-mystery book and i was expecting a more knives out-ish type of vibes, which can be seen, but severely lacks in the depth. it was like i want to be thrilling, but it's still missing so much.

tons of bonus points for jameson. my man. my husband. but i have to remind myself that technically, i am older than 3/4 of the brothers while reading this.