Thank you so much to NetGalley and Trish Lundy for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The One That Got Away with Murder coming out April 16, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I thought this was a really good debut novel. I loved that Lauren was a complex character with a darker past. It made things more interesting. She had a complicated relationship with her mom. The plot was intriguing and I thought most of the characters were really good. I enjoyed the writing. I think the only thing was the ending was a little predictable. I’ve read a lot of murder mysteries. I thought the climax was resolved a little too quickly. There wasn’t much of a struggle and things were wrapped up. I would’ve liked to see a little more struggle and resolve.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA murder mysteries!

Robbie and Trevor Crestmont have a dark history of lethal encounters with their ex-girlfriends. Wealthy and attractive, the Crestmont brothers seem untouchable, shielded from consequences even as suspicions mount in Happy Valley. First, soccer sensation Victoria Moreno, Robbie's ex, tragically drowned at their lakeside retreat. Then, a year later, Trevor's girlfriend perished from a dubious overdose.

While the book began with promise, my interest waned as it progressed. Several characters proved unlikeable, and even their attempts at redemption fell flat for me. Some actions felt exaggerated or unrealistic for teenagers. As the plot twist and killer were unveiled, I found myself skimming to reach the conclusion.

Many thanks to NetGalley, MacMillan Children's Publishing Group, and Trish Laundry for providing this e-ARC.

I don’t typically lean YA, even though I love a good mystery/thriller I stick to NA w/ open door…. That said I REALLY enjoyed this book, the plot was amazing and I did NOT see the twist coming and I normally can call one from the first half of the book!

This is a GREAT YA book and I’d recommend for a wide range of readers.

There’s a lot of character growth for the two leads. There were so many points where I just couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed the break from romance driven plots and 10/10 recommended!!

I didn’t know what to expect from this book since it’s the author’s debut novel.

As a YA book, it was a bit too spicy for me. It literally begins with the main character hooking up with a boy she wants no relationship with. Yes, I know and understand how teenagers work, but it doesn’t need to be in their face all the time. It was gratuitous and unnecessary. Just my opinion.

Anyway, it turns out that our main character has moved to a new school, but we don’t really know why for a very long time (it is revealed in bits and pieces).

She joins the soccer team and learns about the guy she’s been hooking up with through her teammates.

That leads to the mystery part of the story. It was very reminiscent of One of Us is Lying or A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. Same type of amateur teen sleuth story.

The writing was good and it was entertaining. I just felt like I had read it before. The end was no surprise for me, but I can see why some would think it was a twist. I still don’t really understand WHY, though. Overall, not a bad debut!

A very fast paced YA case of who dunnit. I really enjoyed it because it was a quick read. It is a standalone and ties all loose ends.

There are some serious issues brought up but all of it I definitely feel possible in a high school realm.

Thank you to Netgalley and Trish Lundy for the ARC. I will say at some points I felt lost because there was a need for a chapter break or a section break with lines or something. It would jump from being in a house to just being at school all of a sudden.

I loved this book so much! I loved the characters and the plot and I didn’t see the ending coming which is fantastic! I can’t wait to read more by this author

The One That Got Away with Murder by Trish Lundy is a debut young adult thriller novel. With this being a young adult thriller it’s certainly on the darker side and probably geared towards to more mature readers the young adult genre with things like drinking, smoking, drug use, sex, eating disorders, suicide and of course murder to name a few.

Lauren O’Brian is the new girl in town after her mother choses to move them across country and away from Lauren’s troublesome past in California. Lauren’s mother has a new boyfriend and Lauren is happy for her but only requests that they wait until Lauren is out of the house to officially move in together.

After moving to her new town Lauren met Robbie Cresmont and has begun a secret affair with him. Robbie volunteers at the same hospital Lauren’s mom works at so she has been meeting up with him there. When words gets out at school though Lauren learns the Cresmont boys have a very dark and dangerous reputation some even saying they have murdered their exes.

The One That Got Away with Murder by Trish Lundy was a solid debut thriller novel but for me it wasn’t without some flaws too. I think the pacing was the biggest thing I noticed with this one with it sometimes crawling along but then when you get to the end it seemed to wrap up really really quickly. The story is one that is typically found in this genre so it wasn’t an overly surprising ending to me being an avid reader but that said I would still rate this one at three and a half stars and give the author another try if she writes more in the future.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This book packs a punch, especially with the twists and turns that I didn't see coming.

When Lauren moves to a new town, she quickly gets involved with the wrong people, 2 brothers known for their homicidal tendencies. As she works through what is wrong in this town, be ready for some surprises!

Out April 16, 2024!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

I’ve been having a lot of fun with YA thrillers recently, and this one really kept me guessing! I can’t say much without spoiling one or another twist, but I do wish the ending had a bit more of an explanation of a motive.

Exactly what you want from a new student, in her senior year, who has a tragic past, and somehow finds herself in the middle of a multiple murder mystery!

This book was incredibly readable and I NEEDED to know what happened both in Happy Valley and California!!! Also, completely unrelated to the plot but the food and drinks all sounded incredible (except maybe one thing at the end). Also, the way that Trish Lundy described Lauren in all of her soccer star-ness made me want to go for a run...which is so strange for me to say about a book, but I loved it?

This is a perfect book both for the spring/summer if you're in the need for a beach read. HOWEVER, it is also the PERFECT book for fall and spooky season. I really really enjoyed it.

If you loved A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, this one is for you! Trish Lundy's debut YA book is fast-paced, twisty, and will keep you on the edge of your seat. There were several times throughout the book where I was convinced I had the killer figured out, but I was wrong every time. I loved the full circle wrap up of everything at the end and will be highly recommending this one to all my thriller lovers!

I got finished this book today and I miss it already at first I thought it really was the brothers. I love them both and John. There was so many twists and turns in this book I could not keep up with who did what and it kept going to different people and some I felt didn’t do anything wrong so I’m glad that worked out lol. The core five I hope are still friends( I want friends like them 🥹) and that Robbie and Lauren are married, I’m hoping Lauren’s mom is happy. Chapter 36 made me bawl my eyes out but in the end I’m so happy our girls got justice. I could see this book as a movie/tv show that’s how good it is. I’ve learned a lot from this book and will forever keep it in my heart🥹.10/10 recommend

3.5⭐️! After a mysterious fire and a series of unfortunate events, Lauren and her mom move cross country to get a fresh start. However, it doesn’t take long before Lauren starts to get tangled up with a whole new set of issues. Turns out, you can’t hide from your past.
Overall, an entertaining read with interesting characters!

Things I did like:
- The overall plot
- John and Robbie
- The twist

Things I didn’t like:
- Lauren’s mom
- Lauren’s only personality trait being soccer
- The timing of the events in the ending

Well this book was not what I excepted it to be!
I definitely thought I had this figured out and was out smarting the book, but boy was I wrong. I never saw the ending coming and it was amazing.
I really loved the group of characters from the very beginning, I think they were well thought out and explained, which helped them to jump off the page.
The storyline was unique as it jumped from referencing tid bits of the past while also staying in the present. I loved the writing style, it was one of those books you can just fly through!
Highly recommend this if you’re looking for a great thriller that you will never see the twist coming.
Thank you NetGalley for my arc copy, I am leaving this review on my own.

“She leans in, making sure I hear every word. ‘Every girl the Crestmonts date winds up dead.’ ”
Here are reasons to read the YA Mystery book:

Transfer student - Lauren is a transfer student who moves with her mom across the country for her senior year.
Running - But in reality she is running from something that she did when she lived in California
New Guy - and even before school starts she meets Robbie, a new guy who she considers just a fling
Ex-girlfriends - When school starts, everyone warns her that Robbie and his brother’s ex-girlfriends both mysteriously died, and they think they did it.

This book seemed right up my alley - YA mystery, school involvement, etc. But check your triggers because there are some very real traumas that are mentioned here. Even though Lauren is no angel herself, she does really want to make sure that her new friends are protected emotionally by helping to solve this mystery. And the author did a good job of building a case against someone and while casting suspicions on others. But even the reveal was so twisty I didn’t even see it coming. This is a solid YA option for a summer read.

Lauren and her mom move across the county to start a new life and forget Lauren's bad decisions that left her boyfriend severely injured. Turns out her first friend in her new town also has a reputation...for murder. Fast and twisty. Great read.

It's been awhile since I read a YA thriller that really kept me on my toes and didn't feel totally immature/unrealistic. This one was marketed for fans of Holly Jackson and Karen McManus, and I fully agree, if you enjoy those authors, you'll love this one too.

The Crestmont boys have a reputation. Both brothers have had a girlfriend die suddenly and suspiciously within the last year, and although no one has been charged, it seems too ironic that both boys would date girls who suffered the same fate. When a new girl moves to town, Robbie takes interest in her, despite the warnings people give her. But little does Robbie know, she has her own dark past and secrets she's running from on her cross country move. Can the two team up to finally put their pasts behind them and find closure?

While I do think the way this ended is the non-obvious, obvious answer, I really was on my feet the whole time, and there were moments where I wasn't sure what direction this was going to end in. I find that YA thrillers can be so far-fetched in the way of, there's no way teens would be doing all of this, but this felt realistically creepy enough for me to suspend my disbelief and enjoy the story.

This was fast paced too - I finished in basically one afternoon because I couldn't put it down without knowing the ending, and as I got closer to solving the mystery I really was gripped in. If you need your faith restored in the YA mystery genre, pick this up for sure!

ARC Review! Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I loved & enjoyed this book so much! I love me a mystery book. I can’t wait for others to read this book.

Lauren has had a rough past year. She and her mom moved across the country after an unfortunate incident her junior year of high school. This is her chance to start over. Unfortunately she soon finds herself friends with someone everyone suspects as a murderer. Senior year just got a lot more interesting.

This book grabbed me from the very beginning. I wanted to read it whenever I had a chance.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
When I read the premise for The One That Got Away with Murder, I went in expecting one thing, and getting something completely different. The blurb absolutely set me up for some kind of revenge thriller in a sense, or at least a potential “escaping a toxic relationship before you die” kind of dynamic. This book is not that, and while I was a bit disappointed, I’ve read books like that before, so I’m also kind of glad this book went in a different direction (and there was still a covert murderer in the guise of a loving romantic partner, even if it wasn’t who I thought). It was deeply compelling, and I savored each twist and turn.
Lauren is an interesting character with a bit of a dark past, and I appreciated how that came into play, even being exploited to threaten her through the course of the story. She’s also rather jaded and hard-edged, a nice contrast to a common trope of thriller heroines being rather naive and innocent. And while there are some toxic family dynamics, including a complex relationship with her mother and stepfamily.
This was an engrossing read, and I’d recommend it to readers looking for more YA thrillers in the vein of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.