Category: LGBT

Horror, LGBT, YA Fantasy

My Review: Sawkill Girls: by Claire Legrand

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Release Date: October 2nd 2018
Number of Pages: 450
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Genre(s): Young Adult (YA), LGBTQ, Fantasy, Mystery, Horror

Total Star Rating: 3 Stars

One of the worst things of being an avid reader is that it ruins a lot of other books for you. You’ve read so many amazing stories with rich, complex worlds and memorable characters that you followed with along their journey, and seeing anything that either feels like a copy of that or isn’t possibly up to the same standard as that last book that made you fall in love with reading just falls flat in your mind…

This title was recommended to me by a friend, and we’ve read a lot of the same titles and enjoyed them for the most part, so of course I snagged a copy of this when it arrived into the bookstore one day. I had high hopes that I’d found something spooky that would keep me up late into the night and make me jump at every shadow that I thought even slightly moved, but this one just didn’t do quite that.

It’s by no means a bad book at all; any book that has any sort of fanbase with those that are able to explain what they liked about it can be considered a great book to read. Certain writers, of course, are better than others, but thats another topic to get into some other time. The point I’m trying to make from earlier is that I didn’t connect with the book as much as I’d hoped.

Everything about it led me to believe that it would have everything necessary for me to absolutely love it: the beautiful cover design, the exciting blurb, and the personal recommendation from my friend. Unfortunately, for myself at least, it just wasn’t fully able to live up the hype.

What It’s About:

Marion Althouse moves to Sawkill Rock with her mother and older sister, Charlotte, as a way for them to hopefully move on in life after the unexpected death of her father. Sawkill Rock is an island town off the East coast (I believe), and the very day she steps foot on the island, Marion discovers that beneath the seemingly perfect, pristine town hides a deep, dark, terrible secret that goes centuries back into the past, a malevolent presence thats infiltrated the land from its wide trees to the stones and decay. Any sort of hope that Marion had for her and her family is swiftly taken away through the night when Charlotte goes missing, just like the others…

Zoey Harlow, the police chief’s daughter, is continuously haunted by the sudden disappearance of her best friend, Thora, that happened a year ago. Determined to find out what happened exactly happened, she makes the startling discovery that there have been disappearances of girls from the island for many years, and somehow it’s overlooked and covered to the point that hardly any of the townsfolk seem to notice. Somethings not right, and Zoey starts to suspect the elite Mortimer family who may know something, or even be involved…

Val Mortimer has been brought up in wealth and privilege with the generations of women in her family, but beneath the luminescent pearl necklace, the flawless hair, sharp smiles and the spotless, silky exterior hides a secret that they’ve kept hidden that could not only threaten their welfare, but the fate of everyone should it escape…

Beware of the woods and the dark, dank deep. He’ll follow you home, and he won’t let you sleep.”

– Claire Legrand, “Sawkill Girls”

The mysterious, hungry presence has preyed upon the young women of the island for so long, devouring them in its long, scythe-like claws, and it’s been slowly gaining strength to untether itself from its willing host and be able to freely walk on this world in which it doesn’t belong in. It’s a campfire story, a child’s folktale, a myth of an insidious monster that lurks in the shadows of the trees and is always watching, and is always hungry…

What I Liked:

  1. The LGBTQ+ Representation! The three main characters are on the queer spectrum of sexual identity! Zoey is ace (asexual for those not with the lingo) along with being black, so she’s representing multiple groups within the story, and it’s revealed that both Marion and Val become openly queer as well and develop feelings for each other. Their mutual attraction felt somewhat out of the blue, but was still satisfying nonetheless.
  2. The Mortimer Reveal Right Away! So there’s an actual big reveal of Val and her dark family secret rather early on in the story, and part of me was questioning as to why the author would have something like that not wait until later to make a shocking reveal, but as you read the story, it makes more sense for how it develops and Val’s character evolution, which is actually pretty amazing because I felt like her character had the most development within the story, even with her interesting initial position.
  3. The Connection of the Three Girls! They didn’t know it at first, and neither did we to a degree, but the girl’s fates were all connected in a strong way that grew along with the story as more and more happened. All three of them have an initial connection– having lost something close to them from the monster (Marion – her sister, Zoey – her best friend, and Val – her freedom), but also learn that they’re connected in other supernatural forces that play a huge part in how things play out. A theme that sticks out is female friendship amongst these diverse characters, and the author illuminated that in a beautiful, if unorthodox way.

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. The Book Unraveled Along with my Interest…The book started off with a bang; it brought up the main conflict almost within the first couple of chapters of the story, but really became a slow burn towards the middle, and I found myself struggling to keep going on for a lot of it. It’s not exactly a long story, but it took me so much longer than expected to actually finish it. I think honestly that it was because that most of the twists were revealed so early on in the story, and some were kind of predictable too. Everything after that, up until the climax, felt more like repetitive filler. I hate to say it, but part of me was considering to add it to my DNF (Did Not Finish) pile on several occasions. I just lost so much interest in it; it was like how I felt whenever I was assigned a book back in school. Somehow the required reading assignment always made me subconsciously want to read the book less.

Conclusion:

Overall, It wasn’t my favorite book, but it does hold quite a bit of potential, and my lack of excitement about it doesn’t mean it’s a bad book, or not worth checking out! The author’s style of writing is gorgeous and so well done in some areas, but this story just felt like it was missing something, like Claire Legrand needed to go another step further with it. I wish I could say what that was exactly, but unfortunately I can’t. All I can say is that I just didn’t connect with it as much as I’d hoped, which makes sense since it doesn’t exactly fall under what I normally read.

I recommend this book to anyone who’s looking for a thriller with strong diverse female lead characters, anyone wanting to add to their LGBTQ stacks of books, or those looking for a great feminine read.

Thanks For Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

LGBT, YA Contemporary Fiction

My Review: The Foxhole Court (All For the Game #1): by Nora Sakavic

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Publish Date: March 31st 2016
Number of Pages: 251 Pages
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing
Genre(s): YA, Contemporary, Sports

Total Star Rating: 3.75 Stars

Upon my epic quest to find more LGBTQ literature, particularly of the Male-Male variety, I saw this trilogy pop up on several lists I’d seen on Tumblr that implied that it would be a great addition to that line of fiction. It’s a lesser known, self-published set of books that has indeed gotten some small hype for being an LGBTQ centric YA fiction, but with it being a top 10 seller on Amazon, that makes it pretty hard to ignore.

What It’s About:

The Story Revolves around Neil Josten as he gets hand-selected by the Head Coach of (fictional) Palmetto State University to play on their Division 1 “Exy” team. Exy is a fictional sport the author created that looks like a kit-bashed version of Lacrosse and Soccer with the same level of aggression as Hockey or Football. Anyways, it’s an opportunity that others would kill for, but for someone like Neal who’s on the run because of his father being a murderous Mob Boss nicknamed “The Butcher,” he has his reservations about the exposure it’d bring.

Of course, he does eventually go to Palmetto and meets the rest of the team who are basically a college sports team version of the Suicide Squad. They are a bunch of rejects and junkies; I mean seriously, they are some pretty shady people, and they are all allowed to play a contact sport against other teams. Andrew Minyard in particular is a real piece of work, and Neal doesn’t get along with him at all. While they try to not come to blows, Neal also has to be careful around another teammate and star athlete, Kevin Day. Neal remembers him from his past, and worries that if Kevin recognizes him that his cover would be blown and he’d have to once again run away and start over somewhere far from there. Neal quickly begins to learn that he’s not the only one keeping secrets, it’s just pretty stressful when those secrets could get out and get him killed…

What I Liked:

  1. Neal As The Protagonist! He is an incredibly withdrawn, anti-social and distrusting person, and with good reason. Having a mobster as a father, he’s experienced some pretty messed up things that no kid should ever have to, and has the physical and emotional scars to prove it. It was really endearing to read how weary he became of others when they tried to help him or offer him stuff like money or clothes. There was a particular scene at the end of the book when he does something that no one saw coming, but it gained him a lot of respect from his teammates was probably when I knew I liked him and am no rooting for him.
  2. The Extra-ness Of It All! Much like a certain guilty pleasure of mine, the CW’s Riverdale, this book is over the top, overdramatic; it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense in certain aspects, and just becomes super trashy…but I’m low-key here for it. Like, I know it’s trash, but I can’t help it but be entertained by it at the same time? Don’t ask me to explain why…but there are some pretty outrageous things that happen that can cause you to be like “What the hell am I reading?” A couple examples are how underclassmen are ushered into nightclubs, The NCAA allows a violence-prone student be able to play under the condition of being stoned on antipsychotics, being able to drive a long distance while dealing with a stab wound, or a player having knives on his person during an actual sanctioned game. That’s only a few of what goes down, and there’s still plenty more.
  3. The Raw Subject Matter! So, this book has a lot of problematic behavior that is probably not suitable for sensitive or easily triggered readers: the word retard is used multiple times, there is definitely assault and violence, toxic relationships, drugs and alcohol, someone is drugged without their knowledge, and then kissed/groped while drugged without giving consent. The author wasn’t afraid to touch on these darker themes, at least not condoning them. I know certain readers would be turned off by all of that within the story, but I personally like the grittiness that it added. First of all, it’s a work of fiction, and I can differentiate between that and the real world. Second, that stuff actually happens in real life too, whether we like it or not. Boycotting it or having it “cancelled” isn’t going to make it go away anytime soon, plus I’m about to be real straight with y’all… boys at the age these characters are (18-24) actually do some of these things…not all of them, but it isn’t that far fetched, at least from my perspective.

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. The Aimless Midpoint…It’s a mainly character driven story for this first book in the trilogy, and while I normally love those kinds of novels, for this one I felt like it really limited the plot. From what I’ve read, a whole lot more happens in the next two books. Unfortunately, this one seemed to drag for certain parts; I mean, the plot seemed to be Neal just getting to know his teammates and learning how to act and react to them in order to stay under the radar. The book doesn’t really pick up until the very end, and while I’m interested enough to keep going along, I can see a lot of other readers turned off to this along with the problematic subject matter listed above.
  2. Underwhelming LGBTQ Representation…While there is certainly some representation shown in the book, especially with the character Nicky being way into Neal…that was about it. It felt like Neal could possibly be Ace, since he mentioned early on that he doesn’t really date or act on anything. Again, a lot more will probably happen in the next books, but why have readers have to wait until then? Why not give a little more right off the bat? It’s a fragile line to go down; a gamble that could result in losing reader’s interest that way…
  3. Andrew’s Psych…Andrew Mulyard is absolutely psychotic, and is in a situation where he breaks his parole if he’s sober…as in he needs to be high on his ‘chill’ pills in order to stay a regular member of society, and even participate in Exy games. Everyone treats him like he’s this powerful, intimidating boss-like character, like “Andrew gets what he wants, and no one ever crosses him.” He’s actually pretty awful, and I can say he does a lot of the problematic actions mentioned above. His drug plan doesn’t seem to make any sense at all, nor does how his personality changes from either being on his drugs or off, and the withdrawals…it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, and seems like the author didn’t plan it out that well, its mainly used as a plot device in order to make him seem like some unhinged, lunatic antagonist for Neal.

Conclusion:

Overall, it’s not too bad of a first book for an interesting premise of a trilogy. While there is an openly gay character, it was disappointing to see a lack of the representation there, especially since it’s advertised as a LGBTQ repped series. It mainly sets the scene for the world that the story takes place in, with some VERY interesting scenes to end on a high note and revive my interest in the whole story. This book was alright, but I’m hoping the next books are great.

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

LGBT

My Review: Into?: by North Morgan

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Publish Date: May 22nd 2018
Number of Pages: 363 Pages
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Genre(s): LGBT

Total Star Rating: 3.5 Stars

Let me start off by saying that this book was kind of a buzzkill…not that it’s horrible and not worth reading, in fact, I knew it was going to be a sort of darker tone going into it based off of other people’s reviews on Goodreads. I would say it’s subject matter really makes you stop and think to realize some things in your life; social status, the conflicting importance of social media and how we use it, the shallowness of “insta” fame and reputation; those themes are all so totally emphasized, but in the end, how meaningful is it all, really?

What It’s About:

The story revolves around the main character, Konrad Platt, who is a 34 year old circuit-gay man who is the kind of guy on social media that everyone loves but also hates: he’s got a great body, he’s always traveling to exotic locations, at the craziest parties, Coachella, and he’s a blond/blue eyed model-esque stud with a pretty decently sized following on Instagram. He is moving to Los Angeles to get away from his ex and his new boyfriend. Konrad continues the urban gay party scene, but admits to himself over and over how he wants something more out of his life. He wants to settle down, find love, and be happy, but the problem is his own insecurities and constant obsession with his filtered image that keeps dragging him back in. No, I’m not talking about the Clarendon filter either…

What I Liked:

  1. Konrad as a Protagonist! He is a likeable character with his admissions of how meaningless the whole gay party scene is; you want to cheer him on and hope he finds someone. It was just so frustrating when he would go back to old habits; taking drugs, obsessing over the next party, stalking hot men on social media to messaging guys on Grindr, and lots of random sex with other hot guys as an attempt to fill the void he feels, or just because he’s bored.
  2. The Abuse! Now, before anyone labels me as sick, awful, or sadistic…hear me out from a simple storytelling standpoint. Konrad meets a special someone through a decent chunk of time; they message each other, he goes and visits him (not without making sure they take a shirtless picture on the beach together and post it on the ‘gram), and eventually move in together, but it takes a turn for the worse. What was truly heartbreaking about it was how Konrad was unaware of it for a long time, even with a ton of red flags popping up with the guy. He thought he’d finally found someone to be serious with, but it really went the wrong way, kind of like Sansa Stark back in Season 1 of Game of Thrones, when she was betrothed to Joffrey Baratheon…and look how that turned out…While tragic, this has to be one of the more meaningful and emotionally impactful parts of the story, one of the parts that really make the whole book stand out.
  3. The Darkly Realistic Undertones! While some can get into the story because its a novel about the gay urban party scene , the real impressive part comes from its dark underbelly in terms of themes. Sexual Attraction, Lust, Self Destruction, The Human condition and finding our meaning in this world is what will make this book haunt reader’s minds after they put it down. It seems shallow on the outside, but there’s something deeper and much darker than what is primarily seen on the surface.

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. The Urban-Gay Scene Insider Scoop…This book allows the reader to kind of see inside the inner mechanisms how how the gay party scene goes, and while it was still informative to a degree for anyone interested in the topic, the book still casts a pretty dark shadow over it all. I’m what Konrad refers to as a “non scene” gay and it seems like they just get written off as boring and not worth any time. If someone wasn’t a “masc” partying gay man with muscles and a good social media following, they’re not worth it. Like I said before, Konrad is aware of all the shallowness and insignificance of it all, but he still lets it consume his life and make it seem like the most important thing. 
  2. The Writing Style…Konrad is the narrator of the story, but it’s very non-descriptive to the point of is it intentional to focus on the idea that he doesn’t pay attention to any of that? to which, it’s ironic since he’s all about how he appears…he describes others with barely any physical descriptions if any at all. The writing is also in a style that I’d compare to an entry in a diary. “We did this, then we did that and this happened, he said this to me and then we….” There are some areas of actual dialogue, but not a huge amount to be honest, just mostly run on sentences, like Konrad is retelling all of this to a friend.
  3. The Importance of Social Media…I mean, we all sort of already know that Social Media isn’t something to take all that seriously, that it’s only a small glimpse into someone’s life, and it’s heavily filtered on the positive side to the point that it looks like a big bragging contest. But the more interesting aspects were these unspoken rules people, especially gay men, have to follow on messaging people. Konrad messages several guys through the story, some that are already in relationships, and at one point he thinks to himself like: ‘he said this’ so he actually means ‘that’ like it was some secret code, or you have to wait a certain amount of time before you respond so to not look desperate, and in all honesty…it makes me depressed about the possibility of trying to be a gay man dating in this society now a days.
  4. Romance is Dead…This book gave me anxiety about how unaware I was about how dating worked in the gay scene, especially with social media so heavily involved, and makes me worry about myself in ever finding someone. In the story, Konrad wonders at one point if being a gay male in this world means he’s stuck in a constant stream of polygamy and partying; never actually settling down and meeting someone meaningful, but still will go on Grindr to find a random hookup, or take someone home from the gym, and I sincerely hope that’s not the case…I think you just need to seriously separate yourself from all that, and try to find something else to give your life meaning. If someone you meet can’t do that, then maybe they aren’t worth the time, as sad and disappointing as it may be sometimes.

Conclusion:

This book is a unique read; it has a unique subject matter on the gay partying scene, but if anything, this book also showed me how I have even more determination to never get into it. I would recommend this story to anyone, straight or queer, because it does have an interesting amount of deep thinking ideas of the struggles of dating in modern times, the human condition, attraction, self image, self destruction, and finding acceptance and meaning in your life, and it makes you wonder what’s truly more important; our mental and physical happiness or how influential we are with our online presence.

Thanks For Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

LGBT, New Adult Romance

My Review: Red, White, and Royal Blue: by Casey McQuiston

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Publish Date: May 14th 2019
Number of Pages: 423 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre(s): Contemporary, New Adult Romance, LGBT

Total Star Rating: 4.25 Stars

One thing that I love to see is that there is so much more LGBTQ representation in literature nowadays. Identifying myself as a part of the queer community, it really is uplifting and feels like I’m not only acknowledged, I feel like I’m more understood and accepted amongst in this world when there are authors that write these stories, there are publishers that release these stories, and there are fellow readers who also enjoy these stories.

Representation truly matters. People who are different and who don’t fit into the typical social criteria need to feel like they are seen and that they matter, because they do! They need to feel like that when they read stories with characters that are just like them. It normalizes the exposure of LGBTQ+, and thus, helps create a society that realizes that there is no social agenda, only a want and need for unity and respect for our differences.

Yes, books are powerful tools if they can be tools to help us achieve that!

This is a debut novel, so some could say that the writer’s style reads similar to a royal romance fan fiction, but it’s still a great love story that is receiving a surprising amount of publicity as being the big queer romance story of the summer! One of the main aspects of the story is politics, which was expected when the two main characters is the bisexual fictional half-latino son of the president and the (fictional) gay prince of Wales.

I am by no means a big fan of politics, in fact I only skimmed the parts of the story where there’s a substantial amount of information about how it all works, I can still say I immensely enjoyed this title despite all that. Compared to the love story, it’s truly such a small aspect of this book, so don’t let that be the reason to deter you from picking it up!

What It’s About:

It’s a sweet, hilarious, and thoughtful love story between the son of the President of the United States and the second born Prince of Wales.

Alex Claremont-Diaz, along with his older sister and best friend, are the “White House Trio,” the marketing strategy designed by his mom, President Ellen Claremont (Yes, a WOMAN president). They are America’s version of royalty, and are treated as such with the paparazzi that follows them around, and the rumors written in Us Weekly and People. They get invited to the Royal Wedding overseas, to which Alex is less than enthused about because it means he’ll have to see Prince Henry, his long time rival. It turns out worse than expected, and a confrontation leads to an international scandal.

With re-elections on the horizon, President Claremont issues a fake friendship as a PR stunt in order to do damage control, but Alex unintentionally starts a bigger news story; he falls for the royal prince. They begin a hot and heavy secret relationship, and everything Alex thinks he knows gets blown out of the water and he questions everything: Is it all worth it? How can you do the things you still want to do with everything stacked against you? and What can you do to be remembered in history?

What I liked:

  1. The Romance! I am a hopeless romantic at heart, and while I’m not the biggest fan of “fluff,” this story had equal fluff with steam and humor to this a definite worthwhile story. Alex and Henry had a great relationship and were incredibly easy to like and support as they fight for their love despite all that threatened to tear them apart.
  2. The Theme About The Importance of Family! It was a major theme of the story and was shown in many different ways: Alex and his relationship with his best friend along with his sister, Prince Henry and his sister, Alex’s relationship with his estranged father, Henry and his older brother and mother, his friendship with his BFF Pez (picture a flaming male version of Awkwafina in Crazy Rich Asians) even both of their relationships with their heads of security. One of my favorite scenes was one where President Claremont organizes a family dinner one night, and turns off the “power suit” and just switches personas and becomes just their mom again; it was a warm and really touching scene.
  3. There is a Woman President! A female President who’s a badass in the office, and a badass mom who loves her family on top of it, and still makes time for them. I totally picture her being portrayed by Connie Briton if they ever make this into a movie!
  4. The LGBTQ Representation! Like I said earlier, it’s so relieving to see a novel with two gay male characters get so much attention and so much mainstream hype. Back in the earlier 2000’s, it felt like these kinds of books, or any books where LGBTQ was a main aspect of the story, it was pushed aside or kind of taboo, so they didn’t get as much hype, and there was no big excitement over the release of titles like that. Now it’s 2019, and this book is on the New York Times Best Sellers list! I hope to keep seeing this as more and more titles come out in the future.

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. Politics…I’m not a big fan of Politics; while it worked for this story, if they could’ve had parents in different occupations, that would’ve been fine too. This has nothing really against the story or how it was written or even against the author, it’s more just a small personal quirk for me. Luckily, the author didn’t become too technical in matters of terms or explanations behind anything that happens concerning Politics.

Conclusion:

It’s a sweet and sexy romance that’s perfect for the warmer months of summer, and I enjoyed this story so much, it was such a joy to read. Alex is a strong willed, smart mouthed protagonist that I would just adore having as an actual friend. The author crafted such a heartwarming story in the aftermath of the 2016 elections and what it’s done to our country ever since.

I won’t ever really talk about Politics or what my opinions are with anyone, not even most of my family, but it was interesting to read an almost alternate-universe kind of story where a woman actually won and became a great President. Even if it stars two men as the two romantic interests, I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good, well written romance, fiction about politics and stories that showcase the importance of family.

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

LGBT, Mystery/Thriller, YA Contemporary Fiction

My Review: One of Us Is Lying (One of Us Is Lying #1): by Karen McManus

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Publish Date: May 30th 2017
Number of Pages: 361 Pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Genre(s): YA Fiction, Mystery/Thriller, LGBT

Total Star Rating: 4 Stars

It’s John Hughes meets Agatha Christie: The Breakfast Club meets And Then There Were None in this angsty, YA murder mystery debut novel from Karen McManus.

To be honest, I was intrigued to read this title as soon as I’d heard about it because it feels like the mystery genre has been untouched upon for the YA/Teen reading level over the years, and not many titles have been released for Young Adult/Teenage readers. I could totally be wrong on that, but if so, no other mystery titles have had the publicity this book received!

I’m always up for a good whodunnit-style murder mystery, and adding teenagers and modern technology of the 2010’s was something that I hadn’t read really before and wanted to see how it’d be portrayed. The only comparison I could think of that also did it in a really creative and fun way was MTV’s TV show version of the Scream franchise, but that’s more in the horror side, so there’s still a little bit of a gap there to be honest.

As I read this title, I was drawn into the whole mystery that drives the story and how the characters develop as secrets get revealed, unrequited feelings arise, and relationships of all kinds are tested as four students at Bayview High become the prime suspects in another student’s unexpected murder! Sure, the characters start off as the stereotypical character archetypes we’re all familiar with: the brainiac, the bad boy, the jock, and the prom queen. This is where the John Hughes inspiration stops however, because as you read on, the characters continue to prove they are so much more complicated than just the categorization we can’t help but compartmentalize them into.

I had to say that as the big reveal presented itself, I didn’t expect it coming! I truly didn’t know who was behind it the entire time I was reading this story; was it someone else, or was it one of the four main characters who were behind it? The unpredictability of the story was a major plus!

What It’s About:

The story starts out like a familiar 80’s teen flick; five high school students are on their way to detention, but the story really starts when one of them never comes back out alive. The victim, Simon, ran a website of scandals that involved everyone who goes to their school, Bayview High (Yes…it’s very much like Gossip Girl, except everyone actually knows it’s him), and it turned out that the very four others he was in detention with were going to be the topics of his next post, revealing all their darkest secrets to the public. Sounds too good to be a coincidence, right? Well, the cops sure think so, and very quickly, all four of them become the prime suspects in this case. Who could it be?

Bronwyn: The scholar who’s never late and always has perfect grades, but is tired of the weight of the pressure to succeed?

Cooper: The star athlete who suddenly got a little extra swing into his batting average?

Nate: The rebel with an illegal side job, but it’s secretly for a noble cause?

Addie: The prom queen with a spot free reputation, but can barely hide the cracks that threaten to shatter everything?

What I liked:

  1. The Story Is Told From Multiple Perspectives! The story is told from each of the surviving four teenagers and their take on what happened. Each had their own distinct voice and personality that helped the reader get to know them and see them develop as the mystery moved forward. Yes, all of them have dark secrets that they hoped would never see the light of day, but honestly, who doesn’t? The secrets made each character have flaws that make them feel more well rounded and authentic, and anyone who wouldn’t like them because they made less than noble choices is seriously kidding themselves.
  2. There’s Stereotypes, But With a Twist! The author does rely on the stereotypical teen character tropes as a starting point for the book: the outsider, the brainiac, the jock, the criminal, and the princess, but makes them all do a big 180 spin and completely drops the cliché tropes like a trapdoor.
  3. The Mystery! It’s quite simple; I love a good whodunnit kind of mystery, and this one was an interesting addition.
  4. The Author’s Writing Style! Karen wrote in such a way that I know the younger generations that these characters fall under can understand and enjoy within the story; she really gets how their minds work, how they’d react, what they care about; she really understands her characters, their motivations and uses that knowledge to create a vivid and believable dynamic amongst them.
  5. The Romance! I don’t care what anyone says, I’m a sucker for romance! A relationship develops in the story, and it was indeed one of my favorite parts of the whole story. They say a good romance is when the characters shouldn’t have to kiss in order to prove that they have chemistry, and I think that was done exceptionally well. Their interactions were a big high point for me.

What I didn’t Like:

  1. Back to the Clichés…While I did enjoy the obvious stereotypical characters that completely change as the story progresses, I felt like falling back on those as a base for the characters and introducing them in that manner meant that the author could only go so far with their development, thus limiting herself to anything extremely extraordinary. Some could argue that she tries to stretch away from the stereotypes that towards a point, they seem to not even seem all that realistic of characters? Personally, I didn’t feel that way, but I can see how others could give this criticism.
  2. There’s Nothing Learned…While the book was entertaining to read, that just about the only thing that really drove the story: the entertainment factor. I didn’t feel any different after reading it, nor did I have a deep, meaningful lesson or theme that stuck after I finished other than the typical mystery theme of “everyone has secrets”. It’s almost a guilty pleasure in a way: it’s juicy, exciting and you keep reading to see what happens next, but if it doesn’t do any of that, it could start to feel like soda that’s gone flat compared to a freshly cracked open can. There might not be enough substance for more experienced readers to really consider it incredibly worthwhile.
  3. Cheaters…The author does seem to gloss over the fact that two characters, one of them a main character, are caught cheating on their significant other. Some could complain that it wasn’t called out enough to be considered a worry from the author’s standpoint, and I know that cheating girlfriends/boyfriends is a touchy subject.
  4. The Climax…Maybe I’m just too evolved of a reader for much of YA now, but honestly, the big reveal for the climax fell a little flat. Honestly, *mild spoiler alert*……………….but the reveal of a character turning out to be gay felt like a bigger twist.

Conclusion:

Personally, I did greatly enjoy the story, even as someone in the 18-24 age range when I read it. For me, the main cast of characters and their developing group dynamic was the main factor keeping me interested in reading on. I liked the characters immensely, and really became emotionally involved as I got to know them better, and how they came together in order to solve the mystery.

The only question is, how great can a murder mystery really be when it’s mainly character driven? I will leave this review with this: if you’re newer to reading or YA/Teen centric books, beginner level mysteries, or for anyone who was a big fan of TV shows like Pretty Little Liars or Riverdale, it’s probably a great choice but maybe wouldn’t be enjoyed as much for more advanced readers.

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell