Four Found Dead by Natalie D. Richards

Published on 01/10/202503/08/2026 by Charli

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This book may contain material that is disturbing to some readers. Please Google for a full list of trigger warnings. Thank you!

Four Found Dead by Natalie D. Richards
Published by Sourcebooks on 01/10/2025
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / General, Juvenile Fiction / General, Young Adult Fiction / Horror, Young Adult Fiction / Mysteries & Detective Stories, Young Adult Fiction / Thrillers & Suspense / General
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley

A terrifying thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Five Total Strangers and Seven Dirty Secrets!

The last show has ended, but the nightmare is just beginning.

Tonight, Riverview Theaters is closing forever, the last remaining business in a defunct shopping mall. The moviegoers have left, and Jo and her six coworkers have the final shift, a shift that quickly takes a dark turn.

First a stranger arrives with a chilling accusation. Then the power goes out and their manager disappears, along with the keys to the lobby doors and the theater safe, where the crew's phones are locked each shift. The crew's tension turns to terror when Jo discovers the dead body of one of her co-workers.

Now their only chance to escape the murderer in their midst is through the dark, shuttered mall. With its boarded-up exits and disabled fire alarms, the complex is filled with hiding places for both pursuer and pursued. In order to survive this night, Jo and her friends must trust one another, navigate the sprawling ruins of the mall, and outwit a killer before he kills them all.

Four Found Dead was one of those books that took me a while to read – mostly because it was a case of “right book, wrong time”. I tried several times to read this book and just couldn’t stay interested. Last night, I decided I’d give it one more try before giving up[mfn]The book was released almost 2 years ago now…[/mfn] and I’m glad I did. I started it at 10PM and finished at 3:45AM the next morning.

Once I was able to properly get into the book[mfn]Trust me, it was ME not the book[/mfn], I could not put the book down. I had to know what was going to happen next. While we didn’t get to know all of the characters well, I have to say that my favorites were Naomi, Hudson, and Jo. However, I would like to have gotten Jo’s name a bit earlier in the book than we did[mfn]Full disclosure, we actually could have gotten her name well before I noticed it[/mfn], but it is what it is. And I would like to say that I hated Clayton from his first entrance into the story. So there’s that.

Four Found Dead is quite fast paced – it would have to be, considering that the events take place over the course of about 9 hours. Once it pulls you in, you’re hooked. You need to know how these people are getting out of this mess they’re in.

I found the little “intermission” notes interesting. They left me wondering exactly who it was who was telling this story, or at least, who was giving their two-cents between some of the chapters. You will find out at the end, and trust me, it wasn’t anyone I was expecting.

The ending is great and quite interesting. There are some things that are foreshadowed earlier, but then you kind of decide that can’t be the case later… only to have it thrown in your face that it was true all along.

I gave this one 4.5 stars – it was a great book and now I’m planning to find other books by Ms. Richards as well.

If You Can Hear This by Faith Gardner

Published on 06/21/202403/08/2026 by Charli

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

If You Can Hear This by Faith Gardner
Published by HarperCollins Publishers on 11/19/2024
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Mysteries & Detective Stories, Young Adult Fiction / Performing Arts / Television & Radio, Young Adult Fiction / Thrillers & Suspense / General
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
IndieBound
Goodreads

The twisty, intricate mystery of I Killed Zoe Spanos meets the whip-smart sleuthing of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder in the newest novel from acclaimed author Faith Gardner, in which a club of misfits must come together to solve a dangerous mystery--and learn to lean on each other all the while.

Posey Spade loves asking questions--it's what's going to make her a fantastic journalist someday. And ever since her best friend and crush chose someone else, Posey's only focusing on her future career.

Unfortunately, she's just moved to the small town of Wild Pines--which doesn't provide a lot of groundbreaking journalism opportunities, only a scrappy AV Club full of self-proclaimed slackers . . . who Posey must somehow inspire to greatness.

She never thought that inspiration would come from the disappearance of the club's beloved sponsor and teacher, Ms. Moses. But as the days tick by with no answers, Posey and the AV Club take it upon themselves to dig into the mystery.

From a nepotism scandal to a local cult, Posey learns a lot about her new town. And as she spends more time with the AV Club, she also learns that friendship is just as necessary to solving a mystery as lots of questions. Good thing Posey has both.

In my quest to work through my NetGalley queue, I started reading If You Can Hear This by Faith Gardner. I have another book by Ms. Gardner in my NetGalley queue as well, so I was hoping that I would enjoy this book. I did – immensely.

What do you get when you mix a group of misfit kids who make up an audio/visual club, a missing teacher, and an apathetic town? You get If You Can Hear This. And believe me, this is a book you won’t want to miss.

Our main characters – Posey, Sal, Jeremiah, Athena, Yash, and Lexy make up the Wild Pines High School AV Club. They each have their own unique perspectives on life and what’s happening.

Posey is a girl who came to Wild Pines from San Francisco. She’s the new kid – she’s weird, quite a bit on the bossy side, and to be honest, obnoxious. I found myself wanting to reach through the screen and swat her upside the head, telling her to relax.

Sal is an enigmatic character, about whom we find out quite a bit. He’s mysterious and can seem suspicious at times, but he’s got a good heart and he cares about people.

Jeremiah isn’t seen as much but he’s an interesting character, what we do get to see of him.

Athena is the actress of the group but she’s got her own issues. I liked her quite a bit because she seemed more real than most of the other characters.

Yash is another character who is more or less in the background – we find out bits and pieces about him, but not much.

Lexy is seen fairly often in If You Can Hear This, but she’s another background character whom we don’t learn a lot about. I do wish we’d learned a bit more about her – especially considering she’s an activist at heart.

I loved the plot for this book. A teacher goes missing and her students set out to figure out what happened to her and where she went. They also want to raise awareness as it seems no one in authority wants to actually do anything about the missing teacher. It shows what students can do when they set their minds to it. It also shows some of the realities of people being on social media and what can come of social media use.

I gave this book a solid four stars because I thought it was a really good YA Mystery/Thriller. The start was a bit slow and it took a few days for me to really get fully into the book, but once it got going, it was awesome. I can’t wait to read the other book by Ms. Gardner that is in my queue.

Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington

Published on 07/04/202312/31/2024 by Charli1 Comment

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This book may contain material that is disturbing to some readers. Please Google for a full list of trigger warnings. Thank you!

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington
Published by Simon and Schuster on 07/25/2023
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Social Themes / Class Differences, Young Adult Fiction / Social Themes / Prejudice & Racism, Young Adult Fiction / Thrillers & Suspense / General
Pages: 416
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
IndieBound
Goodreads

A Black teen desperate to regain her Ivy League acceptance enters an elite competition only to discover the stakes aren’t just high, they’re deadly, in this searing thriller that’s Ace of Spades meets Squid Game with a sprinkling of The Bachelor.

You must work twice as hard to get half as much.

Adina Walker has known this the entire time she’s been on scholarship at the prestigious Edgewater Academy—a school for the rich (and mostly white) upper class of New England. It’s why she works so hard to be perfect and above reproach, no matter what she must force beneath the surface. Even one slip can cost you everything.

And it does. One fight, one moment of lost control, leaves Adina blacklisted from her top choice Ivy League college and any other. Her only chance to regain the future she’s sacrificed everything for is the Finish, a high-stakes contest sponsored by Edgewater’s founding family in which twelve young, ambitious women with exceptional promise are selected to compete in three mysterious events: the Ride, the Raid, and the Royale. The winner will be granted entry into the fold of the Remington family, whose wealth and power can open any door.

But when she arrives at the Finish, Adina quickly gets the feeling that something isn’t quite right with both the Remingtons and her competition, and soon it becomes clear that this larger-than-life prize can only come at an even greater cost. Because the Finish’s stakes aren’t just make or break…they’re life and death.

Adina knows the deck is stacked against her—it always has been—so maybe the only way to survive their vicious games is for her to change the rules.

Content Warning: Blood, Gore, Violence, Assault, Racism, Classism

Their Vicious Games is nothing short of amazing. Think Squid Games meets The Hunger Games but in this case, the stakes are more than you might think.

I’m going to say this now, Adina and Saint have my heart for the female characters. They’re strong, resilient, and while they may take crap at the beginning of The Finish, the certainly won’t take it forever. As far as the male characters go, the only one we see a lot of in the story that I actually like is Graham. He may be misguided and blinded by his love for Pierce, but he also appears to truly care about Adina at the very least. The rest of the characters honestly made me want to reach through the pages and slap them a few times. And can someone please tell me how you’re supposed to pronounce Penthesilea’s name?

This story had a very interesting plot going. You were never quite sure what would happen next – what was each portion of The Finish going to be? What would happen during it? Who would die? Because let’s face it, if you’ve read the synopsis, you know someone is likely going to die. But the plot is executed in a manner that just blew me away. Part of that plot involves racism and classism, so be aware of that.

The writing style is awesome. Fast paced, easy to read, not too dry and not too flowery. This was exactly what a thriller version of The Hunger Games/Squid Games should be. I wouldn’t change a thing about Joelle Wellington’s writing style.

Now let’s discuss the ending. It was brilliant. I never would have seen it coming and but it is completely understandable. But who all lives and who all dies? Well, I’m not going to tell you that. But you’ll be surprised at who lives… because some of them you wouldn’t expect to make it.

If you’re looking for a YA Mystery/Thriller that borders on horror[mfn]Personally, I would classify this as horror.[/mfn], I highly suggest Their Vicious Games. This was a thrilling 5 star read and one that I hope to reread.

As a note – I’d love a “prequel” to this – perhaps the story behind it actually being started by the Remington ancestor who founded The Finish? I mean, I’d love to know if The Finish we read about in Their Vicious Games was The Finish the founder intended.

Kill Joy by Holly Jackson

Published on 02/28/202312/31/2024 by Charli

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Kill Joy by Holly Jackson
Also by this author: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, Five Survive
Series: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder #0.5
Also in this series: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
Published by Delacorte Press on February 28, 2023
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Mystery, Young Adult Fiction / Thriller, Young Adult Fiction / Thrillers & Suspense / General
Pages: 208
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: NetGalley
Amazon // Barnes & Noble // IndieBound
Goodreads

Pippa Fitz-Amobi is not in the mood for her friend’s murder mystery party. Especially one that involves 1920’s fancy dress and pretending that their town, Little Kilton, is an island called Joy. But when the game begins, Pip finds herself drawn into the make-believe world of intrigue, deception and murder.

But as Pip plays detective, teasing out the identity of the killer clue-by-clue, the murder of the fictional Reginald Remy isn’t the only case on her mind …

Find out where it all began for Pip in this prequel to the best-selling A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and Good Girl, Bad Blood.

I’m back with my third review of a Holly Jackson book. This time it’s for Kill Joy, the prequel novella to the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder trilogy. If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m a big fan of Holly Jackson’s books. So suffice it to say, yes, I liked this one a lot. So let’s get into the review.

Kill Joy – Characters

There are several characters in Kill Joy – seven characters that we’ll be dealing with for the majority of the story.

Pip

Pip is our main character. She’s one of those super serious, super studious girls that if you ask her what her idea of fun is, she’ll tell you doing her homework or planning out a project. She’s that annoying girl who has to be right all the time, but yet you still manage to like her. I like Pip – she’s obnoxious, but she’s also a cool character.

Connor

Connor is kind of hard to get a read on. The problem is that he’s in character for most of the book, so you don’t get too much of an idea of what he’s normally like. But for what I was able to see of him in this novella, he’s an OK kid.

Jamie

Jamie is Connor’s older brother. Again, he spends the majority of the novella in character for the murder mystery party, so you don’t get too much of a read on him either. But he wasn’t an unlikable character by any means.

Lauren

Lauren was kind of annoying. We got to see more of her out of character than we did Connor or Jamie. She’s the kind of girl who has to be glued to her phone and in contact with her boyfriend constantly. She kind of grated on my nerves because I don’t have patience for that kind of girl.

Cara

Pip’s best friend. You get some glimpses of her out of character. From what I can tell, she puts up with Pip because she simply knows how Pip is. Then again, that’s kind of the feeling you get from all of Pip’s friends. Cara can be a smart-ass, which is nice to see and balances Pip out.

Zach

Zach is another character who spends most of the novella in character. You get a few shots of him out of character and you realize he’s just that good friend/neighbor that everyone is just used to having around. He’s part of the friend group because why wouldn’t he be? He’s a pretty cool guy.

Ant

Ant is the character that annoyed me the most. He couldn’t keep his mouth shut – he makes a couple of annoying outbursts that just grated on my nerves. He’s the friend in the group that makes you wonder why they’re willing to hang out with him as obnoxious as he is. Not a big fan of him.

Kill Joy – Atmosphere

For a mystery/thriller type book, Kill Joy didn’t really have too much of the spooky, creepy vibe to it. For the most part you’re just in the dining room of someone’s house with the exception of when they get up to look for something or investigate something. Some people might not think it’s a great atmosphere, but for this novella, it works and it works well.

Kill Joy – Writing

By now we should all know that I love Holly Jackson’s writing style. She keeps the plot for Kill Joy moving along and doesn’t let it drag out. Dragging along is one of the things I don’t like about most novellas – too many of them are just a chore to get through. But Kill Joy is easy to read – I think I read it in a couple of hours at most.

Kill Joy – Plot

Ok, the plot to Kill Joy is fairly simple. Pip and her friends are having a murder mystery party and they’re going to solve a “murder” in the course of a couple of hours. It’s a fun, simple plot designed to be a vehicle for how Pip decides to do what she does in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. It’s well written and fun. What more do you want or need?

Kill Joy – Intrigue

So when we start looking at intrigue for Kill Joy, the biggest part of it is wondering about the murder mystery the friends are going to be solving. The game is meant to be sort of a live-action game of Clue. You’re kept wondering what’s going to be revealed next and who committed the murder. I really enjoyed this as you don’t actually see too many books or novellas built around these murder mystery games.

Kill Joy – Logic

Now logic is where Kill Joy kind of loses it – but it is that way to further the story and help set up A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. Once you understand that, you realize that there’s a ton of logic in the way the story is set up and the way it ends… it’s just not entirely obvious at first.

Kill Joy – Ending

The way this ends will tie everything together in a nice little package. The ending is what really ties this to A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. The murder mystery party is a fun way to set everything up, but the ending really brings it together. I loved the ending to this.

Conclusion

If you’ve read A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, I highly recommend you read Kill Joy. It gives insight into what prompted Pip to take a second look into the murder of Andie Bell. It’s quick, fun read that will leave you wanting to read[mfn]Or re-read[/mfn] A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and its sequels.

Tell Me What Really Happened by Chelsea Sedoti

Published on 02/23/202312/31/2024 by Charli

We all know I love a good mystery/thriller, especially YA ones. Well believe me when I say Tell Me What Really Happened is a good one. A really good one. In fact, it is done in a really neat format – it is all interviews with the victim’s friends. Intrigued? Read on for my review.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This book may contain material that is disturbing to some readers. Please Google for a full list of trigger warnings. Thank you!

Tell Me What Really Happened by Chelsea Sedoti
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on 04/04/2023
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Mysteries & Detective Stories, Young Adult Fiction / Social Themes / Friendship, Young Adult Fiction / Thrillers & Suspense / General
Pages: 416
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads

There are stories about the woods around Salvation Creek and the people who have gone missing. Now their friend is one of them. A riveting, fast-paced YA mystery told entirely through first person police interviews of four teens over the course of a few hours.

It was all her idea. They would get away from their parents and spend the weekend camping. Down by Salvation Creek, the five of them would make smores, steal kisses, share secrets.

But sometime around midnight, she vanished.

Now the four friends who came back are under suspicion—and they each have a very different story to tell about what happened in the woods.

The clock is ticking. What are they hiding? Who is lying? Dark truths must come to light if their friend is to be found...

Told entirely through first-person police interviews, this riveting mystery asks: what really happened that night?

Perfect for:

Fans of Holly Jackson and Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Mysteries and police procedurals

People looking for young adult books best sellers

Also by Chelsea Sedoti:

The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett

As You Wish

It Came from the Sky

Praise for Chelsea Sedoti:

"Easy to read and hard to put down."—VOYA on As You Wish

"A dark, comedic mystery about a girl's quest for proof that ultimately helps her discover some truths about herself." —Justine on The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett

"[A] quirky, intelligent novel." —Booklist on It Came from the Sky

CW: Death, Guns, Shooting, Murder, Blood

Tell Me What Really Happened: Characters

In Tell Me What Really Happened we have five characters to go with – the victim and her four friends. Let’s start with our victim.

Maylee

We don’t actually get to meet the real Maylee. She only speaks when one of her friends tells about something she said. From what I could gather, she’s kind of a pain in the ass. She can be rude and abrasive, manipulating and cold. But she can also be warm and loving as well. She’s definitely a dichotomy. I’m not overly fond of her, which is kind of sad, but I have to be honest.

Petra

Petra is Maylee’s best friend. She is absolutely a control freak. She’s obnoxious, abrasive, rude, and feels like she has to make sure that every little detail is scheduled. She made me want to reach through the screen and slap her more than once. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing to be honest.

Nolan

Nolan is Petra’s stepbrother. They love each other despite not being blood related. Nolan doesn’t care much for people, except for his online friends. Most of the other characters don’t believe he has real-life friends, although Nolan swears he does. He’s a bit of an odd duck. I don’t particularly like Nolan, but I don’t dislike him either. I know, that doesn’t make sense, but there it is.

John

John is Maylee’s boyfriend. There’s a lot of commentary from him and a bit from Petra, regarding the fact that he’s Black[mfn]Always stated with a capital B[/mfn]. Of course, the interviews are being conducted by unseen, unnamed police officers. However, since it seems that all four friends were being just as scrutinized as he was, it didn’t make sense to have the constant reminders of his race. He was a character that, like Nolan, I didn’t like but didn’t dislike either.

Abigail

If I had to pick a favorite character, it would be Abigail. She’s a lot like me – gets talking and gets off the subject, then has to be brought back to the subject. I do that all the time. There’s also the fact that she just seems to have a decent life but others don’t want to believe it because of who her dad is and where she lives. I admit, I really do like Abigail.

Tell Me What Really Happened: Atmosphere

The atmosphere in Tell Me What Really Happened is hard to pin down. The characters are sitting in interview rooms at the police station, that much is clear, but the rooms are never described to us. Instead, all of the atmosphere ends up being the woods in which Maylee disappeared.

Now if you’ve ever been camping you know that the woods can be pretty darned creepy at night, especially if you’re not used to going camping very much. The woods in Tell Me What Really Happened are just as creepy as you’d expect. There’s a sinister vibe to the woods that is only elevated by the stories being told by the four surviving friends. All in all, it’s a great atmosphere and a perfect setting for a disappearance.

Tell Me What Really Happened: Writing

The writing style Chelsea Sedoti used for Tell Me What Really Happened was very interesting. Have I read books where a victim’s friends/family are being interviewed? Yes, I absolutely have. But have I ever read a book in which the entire book is nothing but those interviews? No, I have not. This was a great way to handle the book. The writing is easy to read and easy to follow – at least as much as it can be. After all, these are “witness” interviews and so can be a bit – messy at times.

Tell Me What Really Happened: Plot

Ok, so here’s the thing – the plot for this book is hard to pin down at first. We know there’s a missing girl and we’re getting what her friends are saying happened. Then you realize that the plot is exactly that – the differing, mixed-up stories of the surviving friends! It’s actually brilliant because the plot is so well hidden, you don’t realize you’re in the thick of it from the beginning. Well done!

Tell Me What Really Happened: Intrigue

A mystery/thriller has to have intrigue or it wouldn’t be a mystery/thriller. This one has plenty of it. From Nolan’s cryptozoological conspiracy theories to Petra’s constant complaining about everyone and every thing, I found myself wanting to know what was going to be said next. The twists and turns and backtracking in the interviews is amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Tell Me What Really Happened has some amazing intrigue – and you’ll never guess what’s happening next.

Tell Me What Really Happened: Logic

Ok, so with this particular story and plot, logic goes straight out the window. This isn’t a bad thing – it just means that with four different people telling four stories and contradicting each other one moment and agreeing the next, logic doesn’t play a huge part in Tell Me What Really Happened.

Tell Me What Really Happened: Ending

Ok, the ending to this book may be polarizing. Some people will love it, others will hate it. There are parts of the story and information revealed that will make no sense. There are also parts of the story and information revealed that will make all the sense in the world. The problem is… how will the story actually end? That my friends is the best part… because the ending is absolutely unexpected. I loved it.

Conclusion

I gave this book 5 stars because I was captivated. I didn’t want to put this book down. It was so good and I just kept wanting to see what the friends would say next. If you love mystery/thriller books, you should pick this one up. Even though it’s a YA novel, trust me, you’ll love it.

How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine

Published on 09/06/202212/31/2024 by Charli

I received an advance copy of this book from BookishFirst to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This book may contain material that is disturbing to some readers. Please Google for a full list of trigger warnings. Thank you!

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine
Published by Penguin on 08/30/2022
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Family / Siblings, Young Adult Fiction / Horror, Young Adult Fiction / Thrillers & Suspense / General
Pages: 304
Format: Hardcover
Source: BookishFirst
Amazon // Barnes & Noble // IndieBound
Goodreads

Scream meets Happy Death Day in this terrifying stand-alone horror novel from YA scream queen Danielle Valentine.

"This terrifying book reads like a horror movie. No, wait. It has the suspense and shocks and screams of TEN horror movies in one. Great nasty fun!" —R.L. Stine, author of Goosebumps and Fear Street

Alice Lawrence is the sole witness in her sister’s murder trial.

And in the year since Claire’s death, Alice’s life has completely fallen apart. Her parents have gotten divorced, she’s moved into an apartment that smells like bologna, and she is being forced to face her sister’s killer and a courtroom full of people who doubt what she saw in the corn maze a year prior.

Claire was an all-American girl, beautiful and bubbly, and a theater star. Alice was a nerd who dreamed of becoming a forensic pathologist and would rather stay at home to watch her favorite horror movies than party. Despite their differences, they were bonded by sisterhood and were each other’s best friends.

Until Claire was taken away from her.

On the first day of the murder trial, as Alice prepares to give her testimony, she is knocked out by a Sidney Prescott look-alike in the courthouse bathroom. When she wakes up, it is Halloween night a year earlier, the same day Claire was murdered. Alice has until midnight to save her sister and find the real killer before he claims another victim.

CW: Murder, Gore, Death

If there is one thing I can honestly say about “How to Survive Your Murder” it’s that while it isn’t a totally unique concept, the execution is pretty amazing.

The reason I say the concept isn’t totally unique is that it has the “going back in time to fix things” trope – something found in books like “Again, But Better”. I know some people don’t care for that particular trope, but I don’t mind it if it’s done right. Trust me when I say it’s done right in this book.

One of my favorite things about this book is the main character – she’s a horror-movie loving nerd, an expert on Final Girls. Thrown back in time to try to figure out who the real killer was and maybe save her sister, she runs up against some very interesting twists and turns.

This is one of those books where you’ll come to a point and say “I know who did it!” but trust me, you don’t. You absolutely don’t. Not until it’s time for the final reveal and then you’ll know. Danielle Valentine knows how to keep the suspense going and how to put in enough twists and turns that you’re never quite sure what’s going on or who did the deed.

I highly recommend this book for mystery/thriller/horror fans who like to be kept guessing and love to have lots of twists and turns in their books.

The Violent Season by Sara Walters

Published on 07/04/202212/31/2024 by Charli1 Comment

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Violent Season by Sara Walters
on 10/05/2021
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Social Themes / Emotions & Feelings, Young Adult Fiction / Social Themes / Violence, Young Adult Fiction / Thrillers & Suspense / General
Pages: 288
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: NetGalley
Amazon
Goodreads

The unputdownable debut thriller you will never forget.

There is something terribly wrong in Wolf Ridge. Every November, every teen is overwhelmed with a hunger for violence...at least, that's the urban legend.

After Wyatt Green's mother was brutally murdered last Fall, she's convinced that the November sickness plaguing Wolf Ridge isn't just a town rumor that everyone ignores...it's a palpable force infecting her neighbors. Wyatt is going to prove it, and find her mother's murderer in the process. She digs up every past brutal act she can find from Wolf Ridge's past—from car wrecks, suicides, and unnamed victims turning up in rivers—and even reaches out to an out-of-state journalist that seems to believe her. But all of her digging leads to nowhere. Everyone in Wolf Ridge accepts that the November sickness is real, and absolutely no one will talk about it.

As Wyatt's best friend Cash turns on her, and her friend is almost killed in a tragic accident, Wyatt panics—how can she keep her friends safe, and find her mother's murderer, when no one believes her?

As the evidence stars to disappear, Wyatt wonders: is she just imagining everything? Is the sickness real, or are the people of Wolf Ridge just naturally prone to doing bad things?

Can Wyatt and her friends come out of the Violent Season unscathed, or is one of them going to be the next victim?

"Holy sh....... Can I just say that? Can that be the review? Technically yes, but I **NEED** to say that this is without a doubt and by far one of the best books I have read this year!"—Brittney Green, Netgalley Reviewer

"A freaking INCREDIBLE debut for Sara Walters. I have not felt this pull to a book in a hot minute. PREORDER IT, ADD IT TO YOUR TBR, AND WAIT IMPATIENTLY FOR OCTOBER BECAUSE THIS BOOK WAS ★★★★★"—Tiffany Clark, Netgalley Reviewer

"Be prepared to be captivated after the first sentence."—Rachel Milburn, Netgalley Reviewer

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I’ve been sleeping on The Violent Season by Sara Walters and I have to say, I am not proud of that fact. I really am not. So let’s see why it is a bad thing that I slept on this book for so long.

First, a quick trigger warning – murder, sexual assault, suicide, death, gore, fire, depression. If you choose to read this book, please be careful to protect yourself.

Characters

There are three characters I want to talk about here…

Wyatt

Wyatt is our main character. She’s still reeling from her mother’s brutal murder the year before our story takes place. She still wants answers. She’s broken and that is very apparent from the start of the story. She isn’t super likable, but she isn’t horrible either. I’d probably have been friends with her in high school, if I’m being honest.

Cash

Wyatt’s love interest – at least in the beginning. I don’t like him. He seems like a huge jerk to me[mfn]I’d put it another way but I like to keep my reviews as family friendly as possible.[/mfn], and I honestly think Wyatt can do way better than him. He seems sketchy and as the story continues that feeling doesn’t get any better.

Porter

Porter is the final character I want to talk about. He’s a popular boy, a jock, and honestly, even though he was never the type I went for in high school, I love him. He sees Wyatt in a way that most other people don’t. He doesn’t shy away from her or her issues. He’s nowhere near as arrogant as you’d think a popular jock would be and that makes him special.

Atmosphere

The story takes place in the tiny town of Wolf Ridge, Vermont. The vibes this town gives off are fairly creepy. It has that usual “everyone knows everyone and their business” vibe of a small town, but it also has an enormous death rate, especially in the month of November. You can’t help but feel the chill run down your spine and the gooseflesh pop up on your arms when you really start thinking about this town. While we don’t get huge descriptions of the town, the bits we do get are enough to keep one wondering how anyone still lives there with all the tragedy every year.

Writing Style

Sara Walters’ writing style can best be described as perfect for thrillers/suspense novels. She has a way of making you wonder what’s going to happen next while also making you question what is actually going on. You might figure out who did it, but you’ll question whether or not you’re right at just about every turn. She writes with a combination of action packed and slow burn that makes this book stick out in my mind.

Plot

I think this book has a rather unique plot. The idea of a town that has an abnormal amount of death in one particular month every single year, with a main character who personally experienced one of those tragedies the previous year who is wondering what really causes these deaths. Is it a sickness, is it a curse, what is it that makes this happen every year? Add to this the main character searching for answers about her mother’s death and you’ve got a recipe for a great book.

Intrigue

If you’re looking for a thriller/mystery book that is going to leave you guessing and wanting more as you continue to read, this is it. Like I said above, you might think you’ve figured out who did it… but then something will happen or something will be said and you’ll start questioning your decision. I know I did – while I did ultimately guess who had done it, I also second guessed myself at many points.

Logic/Relationships

The relationships in this book – one is toxic as all get out, the other is sweet, funny, and sometimes a bit alarming. Wyatt and Cash are toxic and it’s obvious, even if Wyatt can’t or chooses not to see it. Wyatt and Porter are sweet, funny, and a little alarming because Porter follows Wyatt no matter what she’s thinking – even if he isn’t fully on board with her plans. To be honest, I love Wyatt/Porter and I want to slap the daylights out of Wyatt for ever loving Cash.

Enjoyment

I really did enjoy this book. It took me a little less than 24 hours to finish, but I should preface that by saying that I do read relatively fast. I didn’t want to put the book down and the first time I did was because I really needed to go to sleep. The only times I really put it down were because I had to do other things like sleep, eat, etc.. The Violent Season kept me on the edge of my seat, wanting to know more about what was happening, the town’s violent history, and what was going to happen next. I had a driving need to get to the end.

I will admit, I was a tad disappointed with the ending as it leaves too much up to the imagination. It felt like the ending was left that way because the author might not have known exactly what to do for the ending – or possibly because she’d originally planned there to be a sequel that as far as I know, has not come to pass.

Regardless of my feelings about the ending[mfn]The epilogue actually.[/mfn], I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good, creepy thriller, especially if they’re more interested in YA than in adult books.