Reviews

Suddenly a Murder by Lauren Muñoz

bookly68's review against another edition

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5.0

WOW!!! I didn’t expect to love this as much as I did!! It was a tricky one to figure out, not only who the murderer was, but also other details that contributed.

I love mysteries! But I always think they must be tricky to write them in a way that keeps the reader guessing. Well Muñoz did an amazing job!!

I loved the 1920’s theme, week long graduation party at the house of a famous 1920’s movie on Sparrow Island, which happened to be the MC and her best friend’s favorite movie. It was a fully immersive party, everything authentic from the 1920’s…clothes, food, drinks, etc. I think that would be so fun! But a few days in, one of the seven people there was murdered.

I’d love to say which characters I loved, which I suspected and so on, but I’m not ruining this mystery for anyone. But I will say that these characters were very well written! Lots of rich kids with lots of complex drama in their lives. I didn’t feel like it took away from the mystery either, it actually added to the overall plot, making me wonder about this one or that one’s anger, hurt, etc. I loved the descriptions of the house, the grounds, the sea, etc. I found I could really picture it all in my head. I’d love to see it as a movie!!

If you enjoy mysteries, you must give this a read! It was hard to put down!!

mar006's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

themysterymaven's review against another edition

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2.0

Ehhhhh…I didn’t really like this book much at all

crystal_crescent's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

bookshelfamelia's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

this book was so good, I’ve only watched the first three episodes of gossip girl but these characters give off the same vibes, they’re so insufferable and have so much drama and beef, that it’s entertaining and you end up enjoying the characters anyway. The writing was good and the revel at the end was unexpected. I would have been so shocked about the ending if I hadn’t had it spoiled for me. DO NOT read the review by the user kittynovaaaa on here, they spoiled the whole ending and if I had never seen that review I would have never guessed the plot twist at the end of the book. Definitely recommend!!

once_upon_a_storybook's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This was a quick and fun read, I just expected to love this more. 

Not gonna lie, you can kind of predict who committed the crime but the author does a decent job with trying to throw us off. 

I gave it 3 stars because the ending was a bit of a letdown, I really wanted to see Izzy mom faces the consequences of her actions. Also I really hate the dual times because of them adding unnecessary information that was not needed making the story drag. I really didn’t care for any other the characters including the main character, they were all just very much unlikeable and stupid. Also this book does a really good job at reminding us that teenagers make the stupidest decisions, it drives you up the wall, did these kids did the absolute most. 

Another thing I didn’t care for was the ending. I wished it was wrapped up more instead of ending open ended. 

I enjoyed the romance between Izzy and Marlowe, it was actually so cute. I loved how he has this rare condition that causes him to taste words when he says them and so when he says Izzy full name ‘Isadora’ because it tastes like his favorite memory, that was so adorable 🥰

bwilliams24's review against another edition

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

4.0

amyisreilledup's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

almond's review against another edition

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4.5

Wasn't sure about a rich kid story, but I enjoyed the Agatha Christie vibes. I had a handle on the "twist" fairly early on, although for a while there, I began to wonder if I was wrong. I wasn't. 

Pilar de Leon was my favorite character. She did the Poirot denouement for bonus points!

ninenine's review against another edition

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4.0

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.5
Oh wow. This was a really well done book. I would 100% recommend it to anyone debating reading it.
SPOILERS:
Around half way through the book I was able to guess Kassidy was the murderer but it really could have been any of them. So the reveal of the murderer was sort of expected but was still good. What really got me was when it was admitted that Blaine was having the affair was Izzy’s mom?!? Like what?!?? That really shocked me as I was sure it was Izzy herself having the affair. My jaw dropped and I literally had to stop reading just to process what happened. My mom even has to ask if I was okay!
And then the part when Kassidy committed suicide? I really teared up because oh my god? Can you even imagine? It was pretty heartbreaking.
Also Kassidy and Izzy’s friendship was actually goals, like you could tell they really loved each other (platonically) and how close they were. Like Kassidy literally committed murder for her and then committed suicide. Kassidy was loyal to a fault (Percy Jackson core). I recently have been obsessed with the musical Wicked so their friendship hit the spot.
Also - Blaine was a complete asshole and I’m glad he’s dead.
I really wish the author had included an epilogue. I want to know if Izzy ended up getting guardianship of Caye and if they went to Mexico to stay with their aunt and learn about their dad. Did they ever find Kassidy’s body? Did Izzy’s mom go to jail? Did Izzy go to the university in Mexico or was she able to attend Brown?
I am so glad I finally read this book. It’s been in my list for a while (thank you Goodreads for sending out those “you might like” emails