4.25/5 ⭐
why do i feel sick.

finished it in one day after the worst reading slump so i'll take it. it's always holly jackson bringing me out of my slumps.

anyway, i know the book is over but everything worked out too well for them. i don't buy it. ig that's YA mystery for you?? also i kinda knew it was charlie from the start. but the story was pretty insane. i couldn't stop reading. still, i have a weird pit in my gut after reading this and i don't know why.

another thing - i like how they dealt with the very mini romance subplot. bel and ash had chemistry and an okay ending.

i wrote that at almost 2 am so here are my thoughts now that i'm awake, but not well-rested. i think this book was a good read but it was a little obvious. it was pretty easy to guess who the "killer" was. just get into holly jackson's head. who would make the most plot-twisty killer? charlie. and you're done. i remember thinking that it would be pretty shocking if it wasn't charlie. but that's just me.

i was kinda hoping it wasn't, not just for the shock factor, but also cause i didn't want all those people to be right for bel's sake 😭

i was a little disappointed because my favorite part of reading mysteries is gasping at the plot twist which didn't happen this time around.

however, the way the story unfolded was super interesting and had me hooked. i really enjoyed reading it and i can't wait for her next book! ( )

I'm unsure how I feel about this book. While I found the storyline fun and interesting, it was challenging to get into overall. One of the main reasons for this was my dislike for the main character, Bel. I found her rude and arrogant, and I believe that if her personality had been different, the story would have been more compelling. I wish we had seen more interaction between her and Ash, or that Ash could have balanced out Bel's poor attitude, but that didn't happen. A good portion of the beginning and middle felt like filler, making some parts difficult to get through. Despite this, I really enjoyed the end of the book; some twists caught me off guard. I will definitely continue reading Holly Jackson, as I have loved all her other works so far.

3.75 Stars ( )

4.5⭐️ Another out of the park from Holly Jackson. I started yesterday and had to force myself to put it down and go to bed at 1am. Woke up this morning to continue.
Lots of going back and forth on who done what and how. I didn’t know who to trust because you just know that everyone is lying. Full of page turning twist and definitely things I didn’t see coming, but left me satisfied in the end. ( )

3.5 ( )

“Family first", Bel said. Not a threat, but a promise.”

ooh this one was so good, dark and twisty and shocking. I thought I knew this story, I thought I knew where it was going, but the twists and turns were so well placed and so quick - that I just spent the story trying to keep up.

Bel's mom has been missing for 16 years. They've already tried her dad for her "murder" but he was found not guilty. They've been living their lives, trying to keep the limelight off themselves and just surviving, missing their mom/wife and wondering what happened and trying to move on.

But suddenly, one day Rachel Price - mother and wife - turns back up, saying she's been held captive and suddenly, he just let her go. I loved the set up - the missing footage and the day Rachel was gone. It was so well set up, I could picture it.

I really liked Bel. She's a little gruff but she's been through a lot. She's prickly and pushes everyone away - maybe before they can leave her first. Rachel's return was shocking and I was 100% with Bel and her concern and worry. I thought the town's reaction and the family's were all realistic and interesting. I never guessed where this would go and I loved it! ( )