May Book Reviews

My Review: This book has a very interesting concept. I liked how it balances the competition amongst students to get into a top school, which is a more "relateable" situation, and a murder case that’s motives tie into the goals of the students, something less "relateable". One thing about this book that really stands out to me is the characters. They’re all morally gray, having both good and bad qualities. For example, the main character, Olivia, investigating the murder of her friend Emma. Even though she is astonished after finding out what the rest of the Ivies have been doing behind her back and attempting to make amends with the students affected, she still enables the harmful behaviors, and even participates in it. Avery, one of the main suspects is another example. She’s seen as the most ruthless Ivy, willing to do whatever it takes to reach to the top. However, she also becomes a good friend to Olivia during a portion of the investigation. I also like how the setting impacts the story, as the combination of the investigation and final exams create a uniquely stressful tone in the book. The mystery itself is also very well done, as there are many possible suspects, which motivates one to continue reading.  Even though I really liked the book, I feel like it has a tendency to sensationalize behavior such as targeting people, bribing school staff and cheating on/faking test scores. Even if it is seen in a negative manner, something about how it was portrayed it just felt a bit off. Overall, I would recommend this book to readers who like murder mysteries, as well as students in general.

My Review: This book was okay. In the beginning, it seemed pretty hard to follow along with the story. Despite the tension of the RV being shot at by the sniper, leading the main characters to be trapped in the middle of nowhere, the story went by quite slowly. Around the middle of the book was when things took a turn. As the stakes get higher, the characters begin to reveal their secrets. I enjoyed how interesting the secrets were, especially the ones that had other confessions tied to them. Even though it is hard to follow along and a little all over the place at times, the main mystery is interesting too. All of the characters have motives that could cause them to be the reason for the situation. I also like how the tensions rise as secrets are revealed, leading to unpredictable behavior. For example, Oliver, who tries to act as leader to the group, acts very irrationally when the protagonist, Red, confesses that she might be the reason they're trapped. This not only leads him to target Red, but also causes him to spiral, showing parts of his true nature. The ending is very unique as well, offering both set and open endings to certain characters. I would recommend this book to mystery lovers who like books with lots of twists and turns.