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allyhoo811's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Overall, I found this to an engaging YA mystery. The characters and their secrets/motives were pretty cliche and easily guessed, but the overall character development (especially with Addy) was wonderful and I would definitely recommend this one to most people. It gave me huge Breakfast Club vibes and I think fans of 80s/90s teen movies would especially enjoy the nostalgia factor even though it has a contemporary setting.
I did not love the ending/epilogue,
My 2 Big Issues (contain major spoilers):
1. Simon killing himself was a really interesting (if somewhat predictable) twist, but the portrayal of Simon as someone suffering from depression was unfortunate. Many people (teens included) suffer from depression, but they don't create elaborate, evil revenge plots to take out everyone who ever looked at them funny. Most people with depression have a hard time getting out of bed. And Simon had been destroying people's lives for years, portraying him as someone who was depressed and felt like an outsider when he was actually probably suffering from some severe personality disorders puts a bad light on depression, especially in a YA book.
2. Jake's character arc. This is a thriller trope I hate, and I hate it even more in a YA mystery. Jake the "perfect" boyfriend with some controlling tendances turns into a psycho killer at the end of the novel. This is just so overdone and not logical. Yes, people who attempt to control their partners are more likely to engage in emotional and physical abuse. But Jake had gone months without the slightest indication that he was escalating after he found out about the cheating (and kept it to himself). His mask didn't even slip once. And by the end we have a crazy action sequence where he is trying to kill two people without any hesitation. It felt forced, and I think Addy's character arc would have been better served without the killer boyfriend trope.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, Outing, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Transphobia, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, and Stalking
leahlovesloslibros's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
After Simon Kelleher dies in detention with only Bronwyn, Addy, Cooper, and Nate present, the four students are totally shaken, and all of them insist that they didn't do it - but the police are convinced that it had to be one of them. That is until the killer starts sending cryptic messages via a Tumblr post. Now, the four unlikely comrades must band together to prove their innocence before one of them is pinned with murder.
This multiple POV story was quick-paced and kept me guessing all the way through. The characters were quirky and definitely had flaws, yet they were still likeable. The high school setting was realistic as well. There were lots of twists in this book, and while I did figure out the killer a little bit ahead of time, I still enjoyed reading about their motives through the end of the story. I had a hard time putting this book down, and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good YA mystery/thriller.
Graphic: Death and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Chronic illness and Sexual content
oliviaferlazzo's review against another edition
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Mass/school shootings, and Murder
Minor: Chronic illness
bookbitch111's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Bullying, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Mass/school shootings, and Outing
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Gun violence and Car accident
mackadams's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Murder
Minor: Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Grief, Car accident, Outing, and Gaslighting
readwithde's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
While there are clear Breakfast Club vibes, the "Bayside Four" don't begin investigating until over 2/3rds through the book, once they're secrets have been revealed and they are mitigating the damage.
I liked their personal stories and growth, but it felt a bit like a Bait-and-Switch when you are sold a closed-door murder mystery, followed by 100 pages of teen drama before the investigation.
All that to say, I still liked it. It was fun, tense, surprising, and I didn't realize they weren't investigating because the narrative was so engaging -- I couldn't put it down.
So, if you're expecting a tight mystery, skip this one, but if you're interested in coming-of-age stories wrapped around a murder, this will be perfect for you.
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, and Gaslighting
Minor: Cancer and Chronic illness
creepypiespice's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, Murder, Outing, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexism, Sexual content, Medical content, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, Racism, Car accident, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
steppecreature's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Bullying, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
sapphoslover's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Homophobia, Suicide, Murder, and Outing
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, and Xenophobia
Minor: Addiction and Car accident
erica_noelle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexism, Suicide, Murder, and Outing
Moderate: Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, Mass/school shootings, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Dysphoria