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witcherswife's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
- Genre: YA Crime Thriller
- Main Theme: Small-town murder mystery
- Setting:Little Kilton, UK; 2017
- Brief Overview: Pippa Fitz-Amobi, an A-grade senior at Little Kilton Grammar School, chooses a five-year-old murder case for her final year project. The case involves Andie Bell, allegedly murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh. While the town and police believe Sal guilty, Pippa is convinced of his innocence. She teams up with Ravi, Sal's younger brother, who is certain his sibling is blameless. Determined to uncover the truth, Pippa pursues every lead, knocks on every door, and compiles a list of suspects. Despite receiving threats from the apparent killer, she persists. She constantly puts her life at risk but she won't rest until she proves Sal's innocence and brings closure to the Singh family.
Personal Reflection (Contains Spoilers):
Pip has a large friend group, but most of them are irrelevant except for Cara. One thing that bothered me was how one of the guys in her group seemed to have a crush on her, but that was never pursued or brought up again, which seemed odd. The story could have done without the large group of friends, except for Cara, for obvious reasons. What purpose do these characters serve? Absolutely nothing. Introducing so many characters only confuses the readers, and I had to make a mental tree to keep track of who was connected to whom.
Pip’s fearlessness is admirable, but it often lands her in dangerous situations. I hated how she would deliberately put herself at risk with potential murderers, especially when she followed Howie and then called Ravi to barge into his house. The leverage she had over Howie seemed almost comical. He’s a drug dealer—you don’t just walk into a criminal’s house, threaten them, and come out alive. The fact that Howie let her go made me question whether he was poorly written or just a very dumb drug dealer.
The book’s structure was interesting. Part 1 was fast-paced and engaging, with plenty of leads and possibilities. I loved the diary entries and little diagrams scattered throughout. However, Part 2 felt slower and a bit repetitive—they were going in circles, and it could have been shorter in my opinion. Part 3 picked up the pace again, but the ending felt rushed. I was surprised by the twists, especially the revelation about Becca, although I had my suspicions. The family dynamics gave clues: one sister is praised for her looks, while the other is criticized. I thought Becca and Daniel might have been involved together in the murder, but I was wrong. Daniel was brought up far too many times, along with Stanley, and their connection with Howie was left unresolved. Even Nat’s involvement felt incomplete, but since I haven’t read the other books, this might be a setup for future instalments, which is clever in a way. It leaves questions unanswered, making me eager to read more.
One thing that felt unrealistic was how a 17-year-old girl and a 20-year-old boy were able to solve one of the town’s most mysterious cases without being seriously questioned by anyone—except the killer, who periodically sent threats. Ravi’s parents, for instance, should have been questioning him, and they should have been introduced earlier in the story, not just at the end when everything was already resolved. Also, Pip was handed a lot of information very easily. How is it that everyone agreed to be interviewed, even people she stalked on Facebook and had no prior connections with? It felt unrealistic, but since this book is written for a young adult audience, I’ll give it a pass.
What I can’t overlook is how Andie was portrayed as a horrible person throughout the book, making it difficult to sympathize with her or feel bad about her murder. I felt worse for Becca, and the fact that her storyline was rushed left me unsatisfied with the ending. Additionally, Cara and Naomi suffered major losses due to Pip’s investigation, yet there wasn’t much focus on how it impacted them or how Cara and Pip repaired their friendship. Cara was massively overlooked, even though she was a very important character. She lost her mother at a young age and then had to face the possibility of losing her sister and ultimately her father. That’s deep trauma that deserved more exploration. Considering Cara was supposed to be Pip’s best friend, her part should not have been rushed.
The overall writing and pacing of the novel were good, and I loved how it touched on various social issues like racism, bullying, drug use, drink spiking, and sexual assault. The mystery was well-maintained throughout, and I enjoyed how Pip’s mind worked as she pieced things together.
Would I read it again?: I’m not sure. But since it has been adapted into a Netflix series, I’m definitely eager to watch it and compare the two.
Who would I recommend this to?: Teens and young adults who are relatively new to mystery thrillers will likely enjoy it. However, readers who binge-read thrillers for fun might have read more compelling works and might not find it as appealing.
Rating: 3.5/5
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Car accident
Minor: Violence and Sexual harassment
rylin_marie's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
esv_'s review against another edition
- 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? No
4.25
Graphic: Death, Drug use, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Car accident, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Vomit, and Death of parent
spellbindingtomes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
kyriannaj's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Animal death and Alcohol
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction and Death of parent
clynns's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
natashian's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Blood, Vomit, and Stalking
allydoessomereading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Cancer, Cursing, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Blood, Dementia, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism
sophs_mood_reading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Pippa is a senior student preparing her major project for school and of course chooses the obvious topic, the murder of a fellow student 5 years prior.
We thus head into a Nancy Drew-esque drama as Pip does her “research” / meddling / investigation / recklessly endangers herself all to clear the name of the supposed killer (who is also deceased).
Obviously I can’t say much more as it will give away the “who done it” but there are some great twists and false leads that keep you guessing until the end. And I did not guess correctly.
As in many a murder mystery (on book or screen), I got extremely frustrated when Pippa would go into situations such as the woods at night or to confront someone by herself, seeing that’s a great way to get yourself killed. Plus it’s highly unrealistic that someone who this they have figured out the cold blooded killer, would then just stroll up to them and be all “so I know what you did”. But is suppose we wouldn’t have the drama if she didn’t.
As it is set around teenagers it is a very teen thriller vibe book. But all the same I enjoyed the twisted path it took me on.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Racial slurs, and Racism
hiraethtales's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Also Cara is just the best character
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Self harm, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment