A review by stephanieluxton
Quarry Girls by Jess Lourey

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

I believe this is my fourth Jess Lourey book and I can confidently say that she knows how to deliver and exciting mystery. One of my favorite subgenres is small town horror/thriller stories from a kids perspective that takes place in the not too distant past. That's very specific and Jess Lourey does a good job of it.

This book is about 16 year old Heather. She lives in a small town and wants to spend her summer playing drums in her band and spending time with her friends but things get crazy when a girl in town goes missing. Heather has to figure out who around her she can trust and unravel the mystery while trying to watch out for her younger sister, deal with her mom's unpredictable mental health, and struggle with the fact that her friends are growing up faster than her.

This wasn't a perfect story but I like with this authors other books, I found myself enjoying the process so much that I felt I needed to give it a pretty high rating.

Heather is a super likeable character. You can really feel the bond between her and her friends. A lot of Heathers feelings about her friends and growing up are super relatable.

The mystery unravels at a pace that makes you want to read this book in only a few sittings. 

There were some things I didn't like. I felt like the climax of the book could have been a bit more exciting - it almost felt a bit rushed. I also wanted to know a bit more about Healther's mom and the reasoning behind Heathers "accident". There was a lot of things that were hinted at, especially regarding the camps and such. But I felt like I didn't get all the answers. I also felt like the moms should have done more to protect their daughters if there was something sus going on in the town. I have questions.

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