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readsbymeens's review
4.0
!! arc review !!
The Simmonds House Kills–Meaghan Dwyer
Release date: Nov 14th
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tropes:
~ YA murder mystery
~ Academic rivals to lovers
~ Revenge plot
~ A Good Girl's Guide to Murder x One of Us is Lying x Knives Out vibes
“The Simmonds House: a pathetic title covering up the corruption lingering right below the surface.”
Emma is the newest member living in the Simmonds House, the infamous house on Lakeside U’s campus. Not only is Emma now a part of an exclusive club (even though none of them truly accept her), she moved in with her own vendetta. Her original plan gets derailed when another house member is poisoned to death on Emma’s first night. After the police rule it a suicide and the other house guests seem unfazed, Emma enlist Henry’s help; the campus’ notorious criminology student who wants to be the next Sherlock Holmes. Even though Emma and Henry have butt heads in class before, she doesn’t know who else to turn to.
Without giving too much away, I was really impressed with this book! After reading so many mysteries and thrillers, I tend to be able to guess “whodunit,” especially in a YA book, pretty quickly; but that did not happen here!! It truly had me guessing up until the very moment the murderer was revealed. I also loved the underlying romance between Emma & Henry; as he said perfectly, “He figured if it was meant to be, she would come into his life again somehow. He never thought it would be through his first murder case; how perfect!” I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a murder mystery but don’t want anything too graphic.
Meaghan–thank you SO much for the advanced copy! This was perfect to get me into the spooky season vibe ◡̈ Can’t wait to read more from you!
The Simmonds House Kills–Meaghan Dwyer
Release date: Nov 14th
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tropes:
~ YA murder mystery
~ Academic rivals to lovers
~ Revenge plot
~ A Good Girl's Guide to Murder x One of Us is Lying x Knives Out vibes
“The Simmonds House: a pathetic title covering up the corruption lingering right below the surface.”
Emma is the newest member living in the Simmonds House, the infamous house on Lakeside U’s campus. Not only is Emma now a part of an exclusive club (even though none of them truly accept her), she moved in with her own vendetta. Her original plan gets derailed when another house member is poisoned to death on Emma’s first night. After the police rule it a suicide and the other house guests seem unfazed, Emma enlist Henry’s help; the campus’ notorious criminology student who wants to be the next Sherlock Holmes. Even though Emma and Henry have butt heads in class before, she doesn’t know who else to turn to.
Without giving too much away, I was really impressed with this book! After reading so many mysteries and thrillers, I tend to be able to guess “whodunit,” especially in a YA book, pretty quickly; but that did not happen here!! It truly had me guessing up until the very moment the murderer was revealed. I also loved the underlying romance between Emma & Henry; as he said perfectly, “He figured if it was meant to be, she would come into his life again somehow. He never thought it would be through his first murder case; how perfect!” I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a murder mystery but don’t want anything too graphic.
Meaghan–thank you SO much for the advanced copy! This was perfect to get me into the spooky season vibe ◡̈ Can’t wait to read more from you!
madsisreading's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
dinoqueenreads's review
3.0
please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: yes
spice: no spice, very mild steam but this isn’t a romance
TWs: death on page, murder, mentions of suicide, abuse, bullying, death of a parent (recounted)
standalone: yes
final thoughts: this was a quick, fun read that I liked trying to figure out who the killer was! This started as a great closed-room murder mystery was, in my opinion, closed too quickly! We were told who the killer was with a good percentage of the book still to go so you lose the sleuthing on your own but it was still fun to follow along.
read this book if you love
😬 angst
🌀 plot twists
❓ mystery
🤫 hidden secrets
🏫college setting
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: yes
spice: no spice, very mild steam but this isn’t a romance
TWs: death on page, murder, mentions of suicide, abuse, bullying, death of a parent (recounted)
standalone: yes
final thoughts: this was a quick, fun read that I liked trying to figure out who the killer was! This started as a great closed-room murder mystery was, in my opinion, closed too quickly! We were told who the killer was with a good percentage of the book still to go so you lose the sleuthing on your own but it was still fun to follow along.
read this book if you love
😬 angst
🌀 plot twists
❓ mystery
🤫 hidden secrets
🏫college setting
herthrillingreads's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
arthur_ant18's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ebonwilde's review
mysterious
fast-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
3.5
i think this has so much potential. i loved the dark academia-esque atmosphere, and the idea of a murder committed by a secret society is intriguing. i enjoyed the pacing; there was always something happening and not very many slow moments.
the main thing i didn't like was the characterization and the dialogue. they come off as very strong and exaggerated; it detracts so much from the storyline. sasha, holden, and aurora were basically caricatures. i simply can't imagine someone being so obsessed that not only do they say these absurd things out loud, (i'd expect most people to have more couth, but perhaps rich people don't) but also every single time they speak. i truly cannot see someone actually uttering the words, "we're both seriously rich, which is important." or "we got along because she was just as wealthy as i am." honestly, this could work as satire, but that's not what it was marketed as, so i'm not reviewing it through that lens.
another thing i didn't care so much for was the romance, specifically how it started. overall, it was one of the more well written aspects of the story, but i.. just don't understand how it happened. emma spent the first few chapters calling henry obnoxious and unaware, but then she randomly decides she likes him in one chapter out of nowhere. i can say they were pretty cute towards the end, so perhaps i'd enjoy it more if we could see their relationship developing on page.
overall, i liked the narrative (is that what you call the non dialogue portion of a book?) and it is quite fascinating thematically. i also enjoyed the twists and it does make for a good mystery. with a little more editing, i think it could be great.
the main thing i didn't like was the characterization and the dialogue. they come off as very strong and exaggerated; it detracts so much from the storyline. sasha, holden, and aurora were basically caricatures. i simply can't imagine someone being so obsessed that not only do they say these absurd things out loud, (i'd expect most people to have more couth, but perhaps rich people don't) but also every single time they speak. i truly cannot see someone actually uttering the words, "we're both seriously rich, which is important." or "we got along because she was just as wealthy as i am." honestly, this could work as satire, but that's not what it was marketed as, so i'm not reviewing it through that lens.
another thing i didn't care so much for was the romance, specifically how it started. overall, it was one of the more well written aspects of the story, but i.. just don't understand how it happened. emma spent the first few chapters calling henry obnoxious and unaware, but then she randomly decides she likes him in one chapter out of nowhere. i can say they were pretty cute towards the end, so perhaps i'd enjoy it more if we could see their relationship developing on page.
overall, i liked the narrative (is that what you call the non dialogue portion of a book?) and it is quite fascinating thematically. i also enjoyed the twists and it does make for a good mystery. with a little more editing, i think it could be great.
beesreadingshelf's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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