Reviews

By the Time You Read This I'll Be Gone by Stephanie Kuehn

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librarianryan's review against another edition

emotional mysterious slow-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

3.5

Murder she wrote is back in for a new generation. Jessica Fletcher is technically still around but not solving murderers anymore. However, her great niece is the new resident writer and mystery solver. Beatrice Fletcher lives in Maine in a town that is part residents and part elite boarding school. Beatrice spends her spare time writing for a true crime website all about local stories of the state of Maine. When her best friend goes missing one night, she’s sure something foul is a fight and it’s up to her to figure out what it is. This was a nice fun, cozy mystery. In the vein of the original Murder She Wrote books and television show. For as light as this book is, it drags on in the beginning, and you’re waiting to get into the mystery. This book, while about the mystery is much more about be the type of young woman she is and becoming and the life around town. This was a fine mystery that’s approachable for middle grade and up. It falls in the cozy as there is no blood guts, no horror, etc. it’s not a bad companion to the original stories, but it’s not the best mystery for the age group that’s out there. I have a hard time determining if I care to read the sequel. Not every mystery is solved in book one, there is a mystery that will arch into book 2. But one mystery is satisfactorily resolved. If you have kids who want to break into reading mysteries and may not be ready for more adult titles like Karen McManis, E. Lockhart, Tiffany Jaxon, etc. then this is the series you start with.

rcarey18's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.75

jackbauer12's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense slow-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? Yes

4.0

ellehawk's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

I actually really liked this one. Probably because it was a Murder, She Wrote spinoff and I'm a big fan. It is definitely a YA read, yet it kept me guessing just as much an an adult mystery would. I liked the main character, I thought she was written well, for sure a well-rounded, dynamic character. I liked the actual mystery piece of this book - it was a bit convoluted, blike almost too convoluted, but it definitely kept me turning the page. I plan on picking up the second one when it releases in October.

Spoiler

My only qualm about this book is that there were a few loose ends I wanted to be wrapped up better. Like, did Eden actually drown in a lake or was she murdered, like the MC thought? Why was the library burned down - it couldn't have been just because it was part of the game? What happened to Jackson at the end? Did he leave town for good? All of the Murder, She Wrote episodes wrapped up with a nice bow on them, but this one did not end cleanly. If the author will pick up on these issues in the next book, great, but it didn't sound like it.

rants_n_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous funny informative mysterious 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? No

4.0

sweetandsauerbooks's review against another edition

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4.0

A YA thriller that was super fun, as an adult born in the early 89s and grew up on Murder, She Wrote eith Angela Landsbury, this was a very good homage. The setting was in Maine and was very well described. There is a nice little mystery from the past that intertwines with the present, something I just love. It was a quick read and fun mystery. Characters had trauma from their past, and it was a little sad, but it makes them relatable. And loved that Jessica Fletcher lives on as the great-aunt. Looking forward to the next book.