cboddie's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
9th & up
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, and Suicide
bekah1210's review against another edition
mysterious
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Infidelity, Deportation, and Suicide
Minor: Drug abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Drug use, and Death of parent
vicwaltz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.25
A very fun, fast story! Similar in vibes to Five Survive but also entirely different. The seven teenagers are all so very teenaged and stupid but in the believable way that makes a reader want to throttle them but also tell them to sit down and have a cookie. Muñoz does an admirable job of creating seven distinct characters (more if you include the side characters) all with compelling friendships and situations. Our primary person, Isadora, is strikingly relatable and the more you learn about her the more you want her to be innocent (or maybe want her to be guilty, choosing violence is sometimes the way).
There are some pacing hiccups - the book starts slow but all the table setting pays off in the back half. Some of the characters really are annoying but again, they're teenagers and if I were also a teenager (the target demo for this) I think I wouldn't have noticed the annoyingness. If this is Muñoz's debut, I'm stoked to see where she goes. It takes a lot for a YA thriller to surprise me with an earned twist and this one definitely did.
--
Thanks to netgalley/Putnam for providing me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
There are some pacing hiccups - the book starts slow but all the table setting pays off in the back half. Some of the characters really are annoying but again, they're teenagers and if I were also a teenager (the target demo for this) I think I wouldn't have noticed the annoyingness. If this is Muñoz's debut, I'm stoked to see where she goes. It takes a lot for a YA thriller to surprise me with an earned twist and this one definitely did.
--
Thanks to netgalley/Putnam for providing me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deportation and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol and Drug abuse
Spoiler
It's a big plot twist but there is mention of an adult/minor relationship with the adult in a unquestionable position of powerstarklinqs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This book was a bit of a slow start for me but once it got started it was great! I think our cast of characters were likeable enough but in the way characters in Succession or The White Lotus or Knives Out are - they’re uber rich (save for our main!) and I don’t think I was really rooting for any of them, but I was also invested in their stories. While I figured out who committed the murder, I didn’t particularly love the end for that character? That and the dad reveal marked off a star for me personally, but overall this book was great! I had a fun time with this murder mystery.
I also adored the flashbacks. It gave us great insight into the characters and provided them their own POV (and motives). It was so much better than just hearing about them in their interviews or through Izzy’s eyes - this made the characters feel more fleshed out and helped me empathize with them each a bit more. I’d honestly love for more murder mysteries to work that way because it’s such a quick but effective way to make me more invested in an ensemble of characters.
This book was a bit of a slow start for me but once it got started it was great! I think our cast of characters were likeable enough but in the way characters in Succession or The White Lotus or Knives Out are - they’re uber rich (save for our main!) and I don’t think I was really rooting for any of them, but I was also invested in their stories. While I figured out who committed the murder, I didn’t particularly love the end for that character? That and the dad reveal marked off a star for me personally, but overall this book was great! I had a fun time with this murder mystery.
I also adored the flashbacks. It gave us great insight into the characters and provided them their own POV (and motives). It was so much better than just hearing about them in their interviews or through Izzy’s eyes - this made the characters feel more fleshed out and helped me empathize with them each a bit more. I’d honestly love for more murder mysteries to work that way because it’s such a quick but effective way to make me more invested in an ensemble of characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Murder, and Suicide
Minor: Drug use, Drug abuse, and Adult/minor relationship
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