paigedc's review against another edition
4.0
I absolutely love the Truly Devious series! Stevie Bell is such a great character, and her group of friends are wonderful, natural, fun additions to her crime-solving, hare-brained schemes.
This story is a somewhat standalone one, compared to the three-book set from Truly Devious. Stevie and her friends go to summer camp with the purpose of solving a murder from 1978, when 4 camp counselors were brutally murdered in the woods. They must investigate the camp, the survivors, the sleepy town, as well as become counselors themselves and care for children.
I found the ending to be a little hokey and unrealistic; there was literally no way anyone could have figured the ending out, and I always like to have at least a fighting chance when I read. But it was really great to revisit the world of Stevie and her friends getting back to solving crimes.
This story is a somewhat standalone one, compared to the three-book set from Truly Devious. Stevie and her friends go to summer camp with the purpose of solving a murder from 1978, when 4 camp counselors were brutally murdered in the woods. They must investigate the camp, the survivors, the sleepy town, as well as become counselors themselves and care for children.
I found the ending to be a little hokey and unrealistic; there was literally no way anyone could have figured the ending out, and I always like to have at least a fighting chance when I read. But it was really great to revisit the world of Stevie and her friends getting back to solving crimes.
ckilpatrick475's review against another edition
2.0
I was a little disappointed in this *please don’t hate me because I wanted to love it*
This one just fell flat in my opinion, the mystery was interesting but the new characters weren’t well developed and the romance literally had no plot at all, NATE is my favourite by far.
The last fifty pages was just a diary entry and I didn’t feel like she solved any of it??
Hmmm sorry
This one just fell flat in my opinion, the mystery was interesting but the new characters weren’t well developed and the romance literally had no plot at all, NATE is my favourite by far.
The last fifty pages was just a diary entry and I didn’t feel like she solved any of it??
Hmmm sorry
crunchy__carrot's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
tchrisgb's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
aclopez6's review against another edition
5.0
Wow -- I was very impressed and surprised by this book. I read the first three Truly Devious books (same characters, one main mystery) and the main flaw with those was that they were a slow build, with not as much happening in each book in terms of plot.
In this book, Johnson has already established our main characters: Stevie, Nate, Janelle, and David, and does a fantastic job of introducing new characters, such as Carson -- owner of a BoxBox subscription service (it is what is sounds like...they send an assortment, of boxes) and budding podcaster, Patty -- a baker and person with a whole lot of past in a small town, and Nicole -- an intimidating camp organizer who wears a whistle. This mystery is presented, and similar to Truly Devious, some information/clues is shown through flashbacks and journal entries, but it feels intentional, and it adds to the story, rather than making it drag.
5/5 stars for this book--I would certainly recommend to students (I teach high school/middle school), even as a standalone, and would consider using excerpts to study author's craft with humor and suspense building.
In this book, Johnson has already established our main characters: Stevie, Nate, Janelle, and David, and does a fantastic job of introducing new characters, such as Carson -- owner of a BoxBox subscription service (it is what is sounds like...they send an assortment, of boxes) and budding podcaster, Patty -- a baker and person with a whole lot of past in a small town, and Nicole -- an intimidating camp organizer who wears a whistle. This mystery is presented, and similar to Truly Devious, some information/clues is shown through flashbacks and journal entries, but it feels intentional, and it adds to the story, rather than making it drag.
5/5 stars for this book--I would certainly recommend to students (I teach high school/middle school), even as a standalone, and would consider using excerpts to study author's craft with humor and suspense building.
rj_novotny's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
tthe_cancerian's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this instalment of the series.
The mystery and the reveals were well done; I did not expect it.
Nate is my favourite character, he was so witty and funny in this one.
It was a fun read. The audiobook was well produced.
The mystery and the reveals were well done; I did not expect it.
Nate is my favourite character, he was so witty and funny in this one.
It was a fun read. The audiobook was well produced.
anne1tje's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75