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confessionsofabibliophile's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
🔴Might contain spoilers.🔴
Upon reading the first few chapters of this book, I was sucked in. It gave me Pretty Little Liars vibes with a splash of The Breakfast Club thrown in. Unsure if in the future when the "Bayview Four" are named the Murder Club if this was McManus paying homage to the 80s classic, even if it wasn't a little Easter Egg it made me laugh.
The book takes place in an area of California, I know all too well. Which gave me the ability to immerse myself more into the read. We follow in the first few chapters 5 students: Bronwyn Rojas; very girl next door, top of the class and squeaky clean or so we think, she reminded me of Molly Ringwalds character in The Breakfast Club. Adelaide "Addy" Prentiss; miss popularity dating star athlete the perfect pair, everyone knows who she is by name and by who she is dating but not who ADDY is which let me tell you at the start I really didn't care too much for her she seemed like filler until her story and personal development begins to unfold. She gave me a mix of Hannah from PLL. Cooper Clay; all American golden boy, with the perfect life, grades, MLB scouts pick and the perfect girl, but Coop is hiding a secret that he is worried might end his perfect facade. He is the male counterpart to Emily from PLL. Next, we have Nathaniel "Nate"' Macauley; is the bad boy, down on his luck, guy from the other side of the tracks the only one without a squeaky clean past. He screams a hybrid of Caleb Rivers (PLL) and John Bender (TBC)! Lastly we have Simon Kelleher, he is the school gossip app specialist, secret digger and lie detector. The homecoming court prince that no one seems to think much of. Simon screams A from PLL!!! We start with 5 then someone dies and then the Bayview Four is born and our Murder Club strangers become the unlikely friends that solve the mystery behind the murder.
The characters were well written and I felt connected to them. I think Addy was one of the best character development progressions I have seen for a character set up like Addy. The plot flowed well with no holes that I could find. The story had a good pace, it felt smooth and effortless as it progressed and you begin to unravel the truth about the murder and the Bayview Four. With that being said the ending that was supposed to be a twist and shock, it was to an extent but I had thought about the possibility earlier on in the story, though it didn't change my Oh My God moment.
All in all it was a great quick read that took about a day. Definitely going to read her other books in the series and absolutely will watch the tv show! I totally recommend this YA murder mystery/thriller with a slice of life setting!
Upon reading the first few chapters of this book, I was sucked in. It gave me Pretty Little Liars vibes with a splash of The Breakfast Club thrown in. Unsure if in the future when the "Bayview Four" are named the Murder Club if this was McManus paying homage to the 80s classic, even if it wasn't a little Easter Egg it made me laugh.
The book takes place in an area of California, I know all too well. Which gave me the ability to immerse myself more into the read. We follow in the first few chapters 5 students: Bronwyn Rojas; very girl next door, top of the class and squeaky clean or so we think, she reminded me of Molly Ringwalds character in The Breakfast Club. Adelaide "Addy" Prentiss; miss popularity dating star athlete the perfect pair, everyone knows who she is by name and by who she is dating but not who ADDY is which let me tell you at the start I really didn't care too much for her she seemed like filler until her story and personal development begins to unfold. She gave me a mix of Hannah from PLL. Cooper Clay; all American golden boy, with the perfect life, grades, MLB scouts pick and the perfect girl, but Coop is hiding a secret that he is worried might end his perfect facade. He is the male counterpart to Emily from PLL. Next, we have Nathaniel "Nate"' Macauley; is the bad boy, down on his luck, guy from the other side of the tracks the only one without a squeaky clean past. He screams a hybrid of Caleb Rivers (PLL) and John Bender (TBC)! Lastly we have Simon Kelleher, he is the school gossip app specialist, secret digger and lie detector. The homecoming court prince that no one seems to think much of. Simon screams A from PLL!!! We start with 5 then someone dies and then the Bayview Four is born and our Murder Club strangers become the unlikely friends that solve the mystery behind the murder.
The characters were well written and I felt connected to them. I think Addy was one of the best character development progressions I have seen for a character set up like Addy. The plot flowed well with no holes that I could find. The story had a good pace, it felt smooth and effortless as it progressed and you begin to unravel the truth about the murder and the Bayview Four. With that being said the ending that was supposed to be a twist and shock, it was to an extent but I had thought about the possibility earlier on in the story, though it didn't change my Oh My God moment.
All in all it was a great quick read that took about a day. Definitely going to read her other books in the series and absolutely will watch the tv show! I totally recommend this YA murder mystery/thriller with a slice of life setting!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Classism
hmbird's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
4.0
It was good, but hard to pick up again after I set it down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Suicide, and Murder
Minor: Blood
pictureframe's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Homophobia
rory18's review against another edition
I already deal with enough of people assuming I'm/people are grateful to be disabled because we're lazy in real life, and enough demonization of "scary" mental illnesses. I don't need to deal with that in this book 🙄
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Death
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
stobo1kenobo's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
4.0
Such a good teen drama book. The different perspectives from the main characters made it even more interesting. Easy and fun read! <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Minor: Emotional abuse
katerinamckenna's review against another edition
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? Yes
0.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol
lover97's review against another edition
4.0
One of us is lying
This isn't exactly an unheard of storyline. A bunch of kids from different cliques forced together around a mystery. Now let me say I have read the book before and seen the first season of the show, so I already knew the twist. This means I can't really comment on its predictability, but other people certainly have.
What I do want to talk about is the characters.
Bronwyn, who's the resident super nerd and winds up falling for the bad boy. Not a shocker, but her relationship with her sister is a strong plot point and maeve honestly, is much more entertaining.
Nate, the criminal. He has the most fleshed out backstory, and you can't help but feel bad for him once you learn about his childhood.
The two of them are sweet, and I enjoyed the way they got to know each other over the phone. It feels like a genuine connection, plus there's Stan the lizard, and I love that.
Then we have Cooper, the star baseball player. I know Nate draws the short straw in terms of the mystery, but Cooper is forced to tell people he's gay before he's ready, and it's definitely my least favourite twist in the book. Not because he's gay but because we as readers get his POV and are unaware of this until everyone else knows. We already knew he was cheating. There was no reason not to say who with. It robbed us of scenes between him and Kris that would have helped flesh out the relationship more.
My favourite of the four is Addy. The princess. Except she's not really, her mams horrible to her, and her boyfriend is a piece of shit. She has the best development of the four. You get to see her go from controlled to doing what she wants, and you can tell from her POV that she feels lighter as the book goes on despite the situation. I also really liked her relationship with her sister and how they reconnect.
The plot was interesting. I had forgotten that there's never really a point in time when they suspect the others of actually killing him. It certainly makes for an interesting whodunit when they don't have any suspects they just know it wasn't them. The scene in detention was really well done. With all the POVs and emotional reactions, it felt very real.
In a surprising turn of events, I may actually prefer the ending in the show. Spoilers if you've not seen it
.
.
.
.
Rather than Simon killing himself, the plan, if I remember correctly, is to frame them for attempted murder but jake takes all the epipens, and Simon dies.
This allowed the show to stick to the rough ending but eliminate the issues people have with the way the ending can be interpreted as villianising mental health. It certainly doesn't paint suicidal individuals in a great light if you just look at simon, but I do think it shows the importance of having people and offering help, even if it's just asking how someone is doing.
Janae, who's also struggling with her mental health, finds a friend in Addy and then in the rest of the four. I liked their friendship. It shows a compassionate side to addy as well as introducing a way to see Simon as something other than a gossip.
But also Addy had her sister, and I think there's a decent representation of what it's like to be in and then get out of a controlling relationship.
All in all, the mystery made more of an impact in the first read, but I think I appreciated the development of Addy and Nate more this time around. While the plot isn't the most intense mystery, you have to be somewhat impressed by the planning Simon put into his grand scheme.
This isn't exactly an unheard of storyline. A bunch of kids from different cliques forced together around a mystery. Now let me say I have read the book before and seen the first season of the show, so I already knew the twist. This means I can't really comment on its predictability, but other people certainly have.
What I do want to talk about is the characters.
Bronwyn, who's the resident super nerd and winds up falling for the bad boy. Not a shocker, but her relationship with her sister is a strong plot point and maeve honestly, is much more entertaining.
Nate, the criminal. He has the most fleshed out backstory, and you can't help but feel bad for him once you learn about his childhood.
The two of them are sweet, and I enjoyed the way they got to know each other over the phone. It feels like a genuine connection, plus there's Stan the lizard, and I love that.
Then we have Cooper, the star baseball player. I know Nate draws the short straw in terms of the mystery, but Cooper is forced to tell people he's gay before he's ready, and it's definitely my least favourite twist in the book. Not because he's gay but because we as readers get his POV and are unaware of this until everyone else knows. We already knew he was cheating. There was no reason not to say who with. It robbed us of scenes between him and Kris that would have helped flesh out the relationship more.
My favourite of the four is Addy. The princess. Except she's not really, her mams horrible to her, and her boyfriend is a piece of shit. She has the best development of the four. You get to see her go from controlled to doing what she wants, and you can tell from her POV that she feels lighter as the book goes on despite the situation. I also really liked her relationship with her sister and how they reconnect.
The plot was interesting. I had forgotten that there's never really a point in time when they suspect the others of actually killing him. It certainly makes for an interesting whodunit when they don't have any suspects they just know it wasn't them. The scene in detention was really well done. With all the POVs and emotional reactions, it felt very real.
In a surprising turn of events, I may actually prefer the ending in the show. Spoilers if you've not seen it
.
.
.
.
Rather than Simon killing himself, the plan, if I remember correctly, is to frame them for attempted murder but jake takes all the epipens, and Simon dies.
This allowed the show to stick to the rough ending but eliminate the issues people have with the way the ending can be interpreted as villianising mental health. It certainly doesn't paint suicidal individuals in a great light if you just look at simon, but I do think it shows the importance of having people and offering help, even if it's just asking how someone is doing.
Janae, who's also struggling with her mental health, finds a friend in Addy and then in the rest of the four. I liked their friendship. It shows a compassionate side to addy as well as introducing a way to see Simon as something other than a gossip.
But also Addy had her sister, and I think there's a decent representation of what it's like to be in and then get out of a controlling relationship.
All in all, the mystery made more of an impact in the first read, but I think I appreciated the development of Addy and Nate more this time around. While the plot isn't the most intense mystery, you have to be somewhat impressed by the planning Simon put into his grand scheme.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
jessicayaun's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Homophobia, and Suicide
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Outing, and Alcohol
creativeworld's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An easy read and a fun mystery. The ending was satisfying, although I hate Nate the rest of the characters are good. Exactly the kind of book I was looking for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Grief, Car accident, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Mass/school shootings, and Suicide attempt
tetedump's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
fast-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Suicide, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Outing
severe allergy reaction