Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Counselors by Jessica Goodman

33 reviews

liciaaaaa's review

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.25

Every character sucked except Imogene, but that’s because she was severely underdeveloped. I feel like Scooby Doo episodes have cleaner wrap ups than this book did. All that for tax evasion? Really?

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Child death, Alcohol, and Bullying

Moderate: Violence, Gaslighting, Grief, Toxic friendship, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Death, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

Minor: Classism, Confinement, Death of parent, and Drug use

writewithapendragon's review

adventurous dark hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Medical content, Murder, and Vomit

greyce_olivia's review

dark funny 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? No

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Medical content, Death, Alcohol, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder

cassiereadsbooks_'s review

adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Grief, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Alcoholism

ktame001's review

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Murder

Minor: Deportation, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Bullying

sophiesbookshelf2's review

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The counsellors is a fun, relatively quick mystery read. I enjoyed the main trios friendship and I feel like the story developed at a good pace until the end where the confrontation just felt a little lackluster and then it was over and we didn't see any of it. Just felt a little meh as an ending, but pretty good YA mystery murder 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Car accident, and Murder

Minor: Sexual content

libraryghost's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Car accident, and Grief

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Alcohol, and Vomit

cady_sass's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is so fun! Very reminiscent of “The Last Time I Lied” by Riley Sager but written for a younger audience. I have some minor qualms with the glorification of an obviously unhealthy relationship, and it’s clear based on other reviews that lots of other readers feel this way too, but let’s remind ourselves that this is YA and we are talking these are circumstances where the kids are just doing whatever their parents say because they’re scared. I can’t say much more about that without spoilers. I think this is very well crafted, the conflicts feel realistic for the characters and their social settings and/or class differences. The villain monologuing at the end to fill in story holes is always a pain point for me, so that’s my only real gripe. I prefer better storytelling and an MC who digs in and figures it out without having to have it spelled out for them in the final pages. That being said, every actual adult in the book behaves as if they don’t have a single brain cell. The parents, the staff, the townspeople. Collectively not a single intelligent thought. So obviously teens will love it. 

(side note- there are a LOT of reviews here that should be hidden due to spoilers, tread carefully if you’re reading reviews prior to finishing) 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, Alcohol, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death, Drug use, Murder, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

This is so fun! Very reminiscent of “The Last Time I Lied” by Riley Sager but written for a younger audience. I have some minor qualms with the glorification of an obviously unhealthy relationship, and it’s clear based on other reviews that lots of other readers feel this way too, but let’s remind ourselves that this is YA and we are talking these are circumstances where the kids are just doing whatever their parents say because they’re scared. I can’t say much more about that without spoilers. I think this is very well crafted, the conflicts feel realistic for the characters and their social settings and/or class differences. The villain monologuing at the end to fill in story holes is always a pain point for me, so that’s my only real gripe. I prefer better storytelling and an MC who digs in and figures it out without having to have it spelled out for them in the final pages. That being said, every actual adult in the book behaves as if they don’t have a single brain cell. The parents, the staff, the townspeople. Collectively not a single intelligent thought. Her mother????? Absolutely inexcusable. So obviously teens will love it.

caffeineandcatnapsreads's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The Counselors, by Jessica Goodman.

3.5/5⭐️⭐️⭐️

TRIGGER WARNINGS-

.

.

.

Murder, drinking, death

Camp Alpine Lake is Goldie Easton's favourite place, her safe haven. Goldie and her two best friends, Ava and Imogen, (who met at camp as kids), are now returning as counselors. Only each girl returns with their own secrets that puts a strain on their friendship. Just as camp is about to start and the kids are due to arrive a dead body is discovered in the lake one morning and it's someone that Goldie knows. Now Goldie is left wondering if Ava had something to do with the death. Could her childhood best friend really be a murderer? 

I found the book to be slowish at times and it kind of dragged on for a bit in certain places.

But... as usual due to her writing style you can kind of predict how the story will go; The plot/story will have some random curve balls in guessing who the killer/killers are and you'll know better then to assume the first person that seems to be it, is probably not the killer.  

I hated the fact that everyone kept telling Goldie that Heller loved her because he kept telling people he felt guilty for having her take the blame yet he never righted any of his wrongs... This left Goldie believing what exactly? That what she and Heller had was actual true love? 

#thecounselors #booklover #bookstagram #bookcommunity #booksofinstagram #bookobsessed #yabooks  #igreads #bookworm #booknerd #bookaddict #booksofig #bookhoarder #bookhaul #goodreads #shelfie #bookrecommendation #bookshelves 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Murder, Death, and Alcohol

cassielaj's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? No

3.75

Love a good summer camp mystery! This was definitely somewhat predictable but made for a good story.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Medical content and Car accident