A review by michelle_pink_polka_dot
A Good Idea by Cristina Moracho
3.0
3.5ish Stars. The cover made me think this book would be creepy, and in no way was that the case. This isn't a horror, it's a mystery-- and not a very thrilling one at that. The characters are chemically induced for the entirety of the book and the last 50 pages provided nothing new or interesting. I didn't hate it, and found it completely readable, but I was still expecting so much better.
This book is total cover bait. I thought I was going to get a creepy, horror-type book, but this was NOTHING like that. This was a standard YA Mystery with a lot of sex, drugs, and nothing that thrilling happening.
While I didn't hate the book, I think that going into it with expectations of having creepy scenes in the woods threw me off. The tub on the cover is mentioned briefly in the book, but plays no role in anything.
Here's what the book IS about: Finley is visiting her Maine hometown for the first time since her best friend has gone missing/presumed dead, and she's ready to set the town on fire (literally). In a drug induced haze, she sets out to prove that Betty's ex-boyfriend, Calder, killed her.
Here's why this is a 3 star book instead of 5 star mystery: It's not even a mystery!! We know what happened to Betty and nothing new comes to light as a result of Finley's antics. There are drugs like WOAH. Everyone is pill popping in this book-- and I'm no straight-edge, but it got annoying. The last 50 pages were YAWN. Nothing new or exciting happened and I was SO BORED.
I had major issues with the "love triangle" because it just didn't feel all that "loving" on any of the sides. Serena could've been a really interesting character (she's a girl who crushed on Betty and Finley develops feelings for her), but she felt like a placeholder. Owen (a guy Finley looks at like a big brother, but also has sex with) didn't do it for me either. Maybe it was all the drugs?? Maybe they just weren't good people?? Something was definitely missing there.
OVERALL: Confusing cover for a non-horror book. I was expecting creepy, but got a sub-par mystery. I'm going to give it 3 stars because I did want to find out answers, but I was hoping for shocking revelations that never came. I say read if you like YA that doesn't hold back on the drugs and sex.
My Blog:
Pink Polka Dot Books
This book is total cover bait. I thought I was going to get a creepy, horror-type book, but this was NOTHING like that. This was a standard YA Mystery with a lot of sex, drugs, and nothing that thrilling happening.
While I didn't hate the book, I think that going into it with expectations of having creepy scenes in the woods threw me off. The tub on the cover is mentioned briefly in the book, but plays no role in anything.
Here's what the book IS about: Finley is visiting her Maine hometown for the first time since her best friend has gone missing/presumed dead, and she's ready to set the town on fire (literally). In a drug induced haze, she sets out to prove that Betty's ex-boyfriend, Calder, killed her.
Here's why this is a 3 star book instead of 5 star mystery: It's not even a mystery!! We know what happened to Betty and nothing new comes to light as a result of Finley's antics. There are drugs like WOAH. Everyone is pill popping in this book-- and I'm no straight-edge, but it got annoying. The last 50 pages were YAWN. Nothing new or exciting happened and I was SO BORED.
I had major issues with the "love triangle" because it just didn't feel all that "loving" on any of the sides. Serena could've been a really interesting character (she's a girl who crushed on Betty and Finley develops feelings for her), but she felt like a placeholder. Owen (a guy Finley looks at like a big brother, but also has sex with) didn't do it for me either. Maybe it was all the drugs?? Maybe they just weren't good people?? Something was definitely missing there.
OVERALL: Confusing cover for a non-horror book. I was expecting creepy, but got a sub-par mystery. I'm going to give it 3 stars because I did want to find out answers, but I was hoping for shocking revelations that never came. I say read if you like YA that doesn't hold back on the drugs and sex.
My Blog:
Pink Polka Dot Books