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zuzubaloox's review against another edition
4.0
During the summer party, a girl, Lola, is found washed up on the beach - dead. When everybody comes back to school after the summer holidays, Ivy, now a prefect, finds out she has to share her room with the new girl, an American, Audrey. Ivy and Audrey don't initially get along, mainly due to Ivy. Still, as the year draws on, both girls find themselves being drawn into the drama and investigating the circumstances of what happened to Lola the night that she died. Will Ivy and Audrey be able to strike up a friendship? And will the circumstances surrounding Lola be revealed?
“I won’t cross the magpies, and the magpies won’t cross me.”
I enjoyed this book, although it ended on a cliffhanger. We didn't even end with a conclusion, and it left more questions than it answered. I guess we will find out more in book two.
Audrey is an exciting but strange character. She was hiding something that happened back home in Georgia. Finding out what Audrey was hiding and running from took a long time, and her small snippets weren't helpful. I find it rather weird that she was willing to for a girl who was nothing but rude and nasty towards her. Her interactions with Teddy are somewhat strange,
I don't know what I think about Ivy. One moment, Ivy is acting like she has no idea about Lola’s death, and then she is
I did enjoy the transcripts from the podcast, though. I thought they added more mystery to the book and introduced the different theories into the story. I'm not sure why so many people were willing to talk openly to an anonymous person, though, especially the police. I don't think the police would openly talk to some random over the phone about a case, open or closed. I can't say I saw the brother coming like that, though, I wish the podcaster was kept anonymous for longer than they were. Their identity was revealed by about halfway.
The end was a bit weird, though. Clover has
I hope book two answers the questions left unanswered in this book.
“I won’t cross the magpies, and the magpies won’t cross me.”
I enjoyed this book, although it ended on a cliffhanger. We didn't even end with a conclusion, and it left more questions than it answered. I guess we will find out more in book two.
Audrey is an exciting but strange character. She was hiding something that happened back home in Georgia. Finding out what Audrey was hiding and running from took a long time, and her small snippets weren't helpful. I find it rather weird that she was willing to
Spoiler
ditch and blackmail a guy that she was interested in, despite what he didSpoiler
especially regarding the date on his boat. That went from 0-100 super fast. I'm not sure why Teddy went from having no sexual interactions with Audrey, not even a kiss, to thinking it'd be okay to be in his boxers dressed as a pirate for a date, but okay.I don't know what I think about Ivy. One moment, Ivy is acting like she has no idea about Lola’s death, and then she is
Spoiler
acting suspiciously, and it seems to be almost implied that she had something to do with it - to the point that at one point I thought she was linked/connected to Voice Unknown.I did enjoy the transcripts from the podcast, though. I thought they added more mystery to the book and introduced the different theories into the story. I'm not sure why so many people were willing to talk openly to an anonymous person, though, especially the police. I don't think the police would openly talk to some random over the phone about a case, open or closed. I can't say I saw the brother coming like that, though,
Spoiler
with it being revealed that he was paying Clover to do her podcast to keep Lola fresh in people’s minds and find out the truth.The end was a bit weird, though. Clover has
Spoiler
been taken, but she still manages to upload a part of her podcast. Either that was part of their plan, or she has very understanding captives.I hope book two answers the questions left unanswered in this book.
paperbackbiss's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
tamisiobhan's review against another edition
3.0
It took me 5 sittings to read this book. Easy to follow, even with two authors writing each of the characters they blended well together. The mystery kept me going and does make me want to read the next installment, when it comes out. However, I don't feel it was gripping enough to not want to put it down or to keep to read time and time again.
j4n1n2000's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
billie97's review against another edition
OK, so this book is not for me. I can't even put one star for this story. I didn't like it, at all. I felt like I was reading some mix between Wild Child and some mystery death...
flotrenza's review against another edition
4.0
3.5/5 **rounded up for GR**
“Dolores in Spanish means sorrow. One for sorrow.”
NONE OF YOU WARNED ME!
Okay, where to start? I hadn’t realised how this book would pan out. I love a good whodunnit it though so here are my thoughts.
Audrey is the American new girl in a British private boarding school. She’s rich and on the first day meets Ivy, her roommate. Her first meeting with Ivy doesn’t go so well and then she hears about the infamous but dead Lola, who lived in the room she’s currently boarding at and passed away last year.
Audrey is lovable, she’s cute and though spoilt, is making her way through life trying to learn again after a tragic accident which happened in her home town of Georgia. Ivy though, it felt like she was jumping from one personality to the other.
A new podcast is created which sends things spinning in Illumen Hall, a podcast called ‘Who Killed Lola’ with an unknown voice narrating it and Ivy needs to get to the bottom of this on the request of her headmistress.
I actually enjoyed this book overall, the setting of this book makes it perfect for Halloween/Fall. I do have to say though, this is more tween than young adult, I think I would have enjoyed it more at 12/13. The writing was fun, the cultural references to Hamilton and Extinction Rebellion gave me a chuckle.
After the introduction, you meet Clover. CLOVER IS BAE.
I loved Clover, I hope book 2 is from Clover’s perspective. A young black girl who doesn’t take any bs from anyone? YASSSSSSSS.
The storyline? At times predictable, but the ending got so exciting that I needed to know, I was speedreading to get my answers. I had answers to all the questions guys, all of them... Now I must wait for book 2.
The relationships/lack of made this book a bit disjointed. It did feel like high school, jumping from one friendship group to another but I wanted more drama or more of a love interest. I was actually shipping the main two after the boat scene.
A lil sapphic romance doesn’t hurt anyone, ya hear?
On the other hand, the way the Podcasts were written and introduced, added a whole new level to the whodunnit. The mystery was kept alive through the podcast, as a fan of My Favourite Murder, I thoroughly enjoyed this aspect. I looked forward to a chapter which started off with WKL.
The number of guesses I had? The number of plot guesses I rewrote. You need to see my notebook…
A solid effort from both and I expect book 2 to be of a higher standard than this one.
*Thank you to Penguin Random House Children's UK Publishers via NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book!*
“Dolores in Spanish means sorrow. One for sorrow.”
NONE OF YOU WARNED ME!
Okay, where to start? I hadn’t realised how this book would pan out. I love a good whodunnit it though so here are my thoughts.
Audrey is the American new girl in a British private boarding school. She’s rich and on the first day meets Ivy, her roommate. Her first meeting with Ivy doesn’t go so well and then she hears about the infamous but dead Lola, who lived in the room she’s currently boarding at and passed away last year.
Audrey is lovable, she’s cute and though spoilt, is making her way through life trying to learn again after a tragic accident which happened in her home town of Georgia. Ivy though, it felt like she was jumping from one personality to the other.
A new podcast is created which sends things spinning in Illumen Hall, a podcast called ‘Who Killed Lola’ with an unknown voice narrating it and Ivy needs to get to the bottom of this on the request of her headmistress.
I actually enjoyed this book overall, the setting of this book makes it perfect for Halloween/Fall. I do have to say though, this is more tween than young adult, I think I would have enjoyed it more at 12/13. The writing was fun, the cultural references to Hamilton and Extinction Rebellion gave me a chuckle.
After the introduction, you meet Clover. CLOVER IS BAE.
I loved Clover, I hope book 2 is from Clover’s perspective. A young black girl who doesn’t take any bs from anyone? YASSSSSSSS.
The storyline? At times predictable, but the ending got so exciting that I needed to know, I was speedreading to get my answers. I had answers to all the questions guys, all of them... Now I must wait for book 2.
The relationships/lack of made this book a bit disjointed. It did feel like high school, jumping from one friendship group to another but I wanted more drama or more of a love interest. I was actually shipping the main two after the boat scene.
A lil sapphic romance doesn’t hurt anyone, ya hear?
On the other hand, the way the Podcasts were written and introduced, added a whole new level to the whodunnit. The mystery was kept alive through the podcast, as a fan of My Favourite Murder, I thoroughly enjoyed this aspect. I looked forward to a chapter which started off with WKL.
The number of guesses I had? The number of plot guesses I rewrote. You need to see my notebook…
A solid effort from both and I expect book 2 to be of a higher standard than this one.
*Thank you to Penguin Random House Children's UK Publishers via NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book!*
gordonk's review against another edition
4.0
When writing a novel, if your starting line makes the reader wanting more then you have sold the book. If your finishing line makes the reader wanting more, you have sold the sequel! Congratulations Zoe and Amy, two out of two. Or should I say two for joy? This story is a fascinating one. There is inspiration from Harry Potter I think here but that’s hardly surprising if you consider the fact that Zoe was an extra in one of the movies. I don’t mean to steer you down the wrong path though, this isn’t a fantasy tale of sorcery or anything like that. This is the tale of a boarding school which may or may not be harbouring a dark secret. It begins with the death of a student, or does it? No, let’s be honest, it began a long time before that.
weardan's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75