This book is fun, if a little juvenile. It read almost more like an MG novel than a YA. I also was able to predict much of the plot. Other than that, I greatly enjoyed the story.

Unfortunately #PRETTYBOY MUST DIE wasn't my new favourite book. It felt like Gallagher Girls, but with a more unrealistic plot and the caricature villains and cliches at every corner really sank my boat. I did like . Peter though, even if he spent 60% of the book telling us he's been "trained for this" and then promptly flaps about and gets locked on the roof. Ah, bless him. But he tries!

(And I unfortunately have no idea who "Alex from Target" is, even though this is supposed to be inspired by that??)

However there were many things to like, including the love interest, Katie, who ended up being a badass and capable and confident British teen agent. I loved how she took no shenanigans from anyone and always had an answer to a problem. (The lipstick taser gun was a bit cringey though.) And I only wish Peter hadn't been so freaking sexist the whole book, absolutely undermining EVERY woman he met. Peter, my man, no. It was really enjoy to dip this book lower in my opinion, knowing all the girls had to PROVE themselves to the narrator.

I also very much enjoyed the diversity, and it's epic to see black teens leading action/adventure stories! Plus the cover is absolutely awesome.

Peter and Bunker's friendship was also a lot of fun, with some banter and backup there. They looked out for each other and Bunker was surprisingly useful despite being totally awkwardly dorky. (However his backstory of being raised underground for 15 years was another example of the unnecessary levels of ludicrous that went down.)

It heavily featured slapstick comedy, which isn't my thing. And you really had to suspend ALL disbelief to get through the terribly convenient plotlines. And often cringey!? Aren't we past villains monologuing their evil plans so the heroes can get away?! And for being secret agents, I would've expected more efficiency and less bumbles.

All in all, I think this would be a fun one if you like comedic spy movies!

I attempted to read this and got maybe twenty percent in before accepting the fact that this was not a book for me. Unfortunately I ended up putting the book down.

It had all the bullet points for a good story. Teenage spies, attractive MC, intrigue, romance, and all that jazz.

My problem? It was written foe a teenage reader and I really couldn't get past the writing style.

I wanted to love #PrettyBoy Must Die and I did NOT. It's not even entirely easy to pin point where it went wrong and why I am not here salivating over its goodness? It's got a teen CIA agent who is undercover, a mystery and some twists. My issue was that even though so many exciting things were happening in the story. I was not invested in the happenings. I did not care about the main character or the secondary characters and I didn't really care about what was going on.

I didn't passionately dislike or like the book so I basically have no idea how to rate it. Objectively, its not a terrible book but I do think that the writing might be part of the reason why I had 0 investment in the happenings of the novel.

The writing made me feel like I was reading a never-ending essay and to be entirely honest, I am not sure why I didn't DNF the book? Its short and yet it took me an abnormally long time to read because I kept having to read paragraphs again and again when I lost focus. I think there was never any real showing within the novel and I kept feeling like I was being told things?

Basically, I don't have as much to say about this book which sucks because I have no real strong feelings about it. Which means I CANNOT BLATHER ON ABOUT ANYTHING. Wow, reviews are hard. Anyway, I do think that in terms of whether or not you should read the book, it is a choice you should make on your own because the premise is amazing and maybe the book might just work for you where it didn't work for me. I do hope we'll get more CIA agents in YA though because I think we DESERVE THEM. I WANT THEM. SOMEONE GIVE ME THEM. Anywayyyyyy... I am off to hunt more books with teen agents/teen detectives.

First and foremost I loved that the main character was black. Even better that he was just a regular black kid with none of the stereotypical problems black characters are given in books these days.

It was an easy read though not at all thrilling for a book about Spies. The characters seemed to spend a lot of time stopping and talking instead of doing which I found very infuriating.

The story itself was pretty decent but there was no level of danger for the characters or a sense of anticipation for them achieving their goals - which is essential for a novel of this genre.

This is going to be a short and sweet review as I find I don't have much to say about this book.

The cover? Meh.

The overall story? Predictable and flat.

Props for diversity. We need more of that.

In the end, I was just left hoping for so much MORE, that I was quite disappointed. I think this could have been a great book. I think this could have been a suspenseful book with lots of intrigue and "spy"-ness, but it just really .... wasn't anything.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for granting me an eARC of this book!

When I learned this book was a spy novel, I was super happy. I love going through a mystery with a protagonist, and try to solve it. But, unfortunately when I knew the 'mystery hacker' from the beginning of the book, and the CIA trained boy couldn't, I was totally let down. 
I loved the idea of the book, the concept and it sounded really fun, easy read. The writing wasn't bad, it was simple. The plot was a little messy, and I think the main character needed to be a lot more clever. If he was a spy, I would expect him to be really comfortable with what he's doing, which was not the case. 
Good character building could have saved the story, but I couldn't relate to any one of them. Jake/ Peter himself, his best friend Bunker or Katie. 
So, unfortunately, the idea was very good, and I wish the plot and characters met this very good idea. 
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of the book.

The thing about this book is that it's pretty fun to read. Jake, aka Peter, aka #Prettyboy, is fun to get to know. He's scrappy and he's a survivor. He's also whip-smart (although perhaps the story behind that is a little too mysterious), and he's the type of guy you'd want to hang out with if you were in high school. Or even college. He's FUN.

But ..... well ..... there is a teensy problem with Kimberly Reid's story: it is completely implausible.

Could something like this happen in real life? Yeah, sure. I guess it could. It probably has, for all I know. But it doesn't read like it could. The book reads as if Reid writes with a wink and a smile, nudging you with a raised eyebrow to strap in and enjoy the ride. You get the feeling that she doesn't want you to take this all that seriously.

And that's a problem sometimes because of where she takes the plot. You kind of have to buy into Jake's ability to do what he does in order to keep reading. Fortunately, the way Reid draws Jake, you want to spend time with him and see where his paths take him.

The ending feels a little open. You get the feeling that Reid (and her publisher) wants to see how we receive Jake before she commits to a follow-up book. I can't say I'm counting the hours till I am reunited with him, though. I liked this book, but I was okay when it was over.

#Prettyboy Must Die did not take long for me to read, which is one of the few points in its favor because I just really didn't care for this book. It's okay, but it's not really great. I can look past the idea of the CIA recruiting teenagers for covert ops because, let's face it, that would probably not be the worst thing our government has done. But the main character was arrogant and annoying and probably should have been killed at least twice, but because he's the POV character you knew he was never in any real danger.

The writing is basic; we know whatever the main character is thinking, and I wish we didn't a lot of the times. I can often overlook simple or even bad writing if the story is fun, but this really wasn't that fun. I kept thinking that the premise would make a good movie, and then I remembered that they already made this movie. So if you find yourself wanting to read this book, you should watch Masterminds with Vincent Kartheiser instead.

Thank you for the chance to read this book. Unfortunately it wasn’t for me. I’m not sure what it was that I couldn’t connect with but there was just something. 

Sorry.

I really enjoyed his story. It reminded me of the movie Agent Cody Banks, which was one of my favourites when I was a kid. It was also about a teenage secret agent.

I liked the beginning of the story. It throws us right into the action in the Ukraine. Then, the majority of the book is about a lockdown in Peter’s school. I wish there was some more background on how he became an agent. It would have also been nice to see him in more situations than just the one day at school.

Peter is a diverse character, but that isn’t obvious from the boy on the cover. When I started reading the book, Peter mentions that he is black. However, the boy on the cover doesn’t necessarily look black. Perhaps if his whole face was shown, it would have been more obvious, since only part of his face and hands show his skin.

This is a great book for fans of spy novels in a school setting.

In full disclosure for a really long time as a youth when I grew up I wanted to be a spy. So when I saw the description of this book I was SOLD, I got Gallagher Girl vibes and I was here for it. Teenage spy boy’s cover gets compromised when a picture of him goes viral on the social media AND it takes place in an elite high school? Sign me up! The tone of the book was on point, it really read like I was in the head of a teenage spy prodigy. Bunker our ex-bunker-boy sidekick/best fiend was probably my favorite part of the story! I did find that there were a lot of convenient happenstances at high tension points in the book, rescuing out hero from having to work too hard for most things. But other than that it was a fun ride with just the right amount of ridiculousness!

This was such an entertaining read! I loved how light and funny it was, and the spy theme was also very cool! It's perfect for reading when you just want to sit down, relax and have a good time.

I loved the comedy and the scenes in this book. The unique storyline was fantastic and very fun to read. This is the first book I have read by this author and it won't be the last. Some parts of this book made be laugh out loud. Thank you for allowing me to read this book and write about it.

#Prettyboy Must Die is an action adventure spy novel in a high school setting. Peter Smith, CIA operative, is undercover as a high school senior trying to find an international hacker that he’s tracked to this campus. While running late one night with his buddy Bunker, he’s caught with his shirt off, on camera by a freshman girl who posts it on Picturegram. (think fictional Instagram) Unbeknownst to Peter, the photo goes viral and blows his cover. Peter figures out he’s in trouble when a team of terrorists break through the roof of his chem lab and take his school hostage. How will Peter (real name Jake Morrow) save the day?

It was pretty obvious to me that this author’s inspiration was the Jason Bourne films and novels by Robert Ludlom. Matt Damon looked pretty young in the first movie, and that was the face I put to Peter Smith while reading this book. As Peter and his friend Bunker race around trying to save the other students in the school, as well as find the terrorists and incapacitate them, it was Matt’s face that helped give the visual more impact. The writing was fun, the action sequences written for a movie, but the characters fell a little flat. I think the action took away from the characterizations and unlike with Jason Bourne, I didn’t care too much what happened to Peter. (Although, I did like his friend Bunker a lot. HE was interesting!)

#Prettyboy Must Die was not a bad book though. The writing was great and there was some good dialog. It had a lot of promise but not a lot of heart. ❤❤❤
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest!

So this book setting takes place at a prestigious private school. Our main character is a male named Peter Smith or is it…? I as predicted was not able to really connect on a deep level with our main character because of the fact that he’s male. I really couldn’t put myself in his shoes but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t love him. Just because I couldn’t connect I didn’t find that as a barrier like I normally do with books that are told from a male’s perspective. I absolutely love Peters character he’s funny he’s witty and he’s the pretty boy. most of this book takes place over one day. So much happens in that day. 

Then you got like my favorite character of all time Bunker. He is Peter’s best friend in this book and he is so funny cute and adorable you want him as like your best friend but at the same time, I think it’s made like a really cute boyfriend.

The way this author writes this book it’s so consistent. There’s never a slow moment in this book it keeps you engaged the entire time. I could not see any of the twists and turns. I find books like these can get a little predictable. This book was not predictable at all it was so good.

Why I liked it

Badass spy book
does not really have much to do with romantic relationships
I love bunker. He’s like by far my favorite character
Action
Fighting
Badass female operative
Wasn’t slow
I think it is set up for another book

This book was such a fun read and I really flew through it! It was such a fun thriller. I normally loved books about teen spies and this book was prob the most realastic books of them I have read recently. I like the POC lead in this story but also how it was not the "focus" of the story. I thought the story was such fast pace advenure. I loved all the various twists and and turns. I really loved the lead character a lot. I would love to see sequel one day :)

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

My Rating: 1.5 Stars DNF (65%)

I HATE not finishing a book. It takes a lot for me to DNF something. Generally, even if I strongly dislike a novel, I will skim read to the end. But I just couldn’t convince myself to finish #Prettyboy Must Die.

Normally, when I don’t finish a book, its because the writing was poor, or there were grammatical errors that just drove me insane. That wasn’t the case with this book. I actually liked the easy flow of the author’s writing style. I even enjoyed the pacing of it, there really was never a dull moment.

Unfortunately, that’s where the positives ended for me. The first thing that really bothered me was the cover. The main character, Peter, is described as a black teenager. So…why is there a white guy on the cover? Additionally, Peter came off as a HUGE misogynist to me. When trying to figure out who the hacker was, he eliminated a suspect because she was female, and the majority of hackers are men. Then, when another suspect presented themselves, he was once again focused on the fact that they were female. Why does that matter at all? I mean, he even mentioned her nails as a reason he was surprised. REALLY?

The other major issue that I had with the plot was that it was just ridiculous. The blurb for the book was interesting – I thought it was going to be a funny story about a young CIA operative, but the entire thing was taken too seriously. It was strange and unrealistic in every sense of the word.

My Takeaway: I really really wanted to like this book. I enjoyed Kimberly Reid’s overall writing style, but was not impressed with the main character and plot of the novel. The main character came across as extremely misogynistic to me.

I picked up this book because it has everything I love: spies, exclusive high schools and a pretty boy! The first chapter was a little hard for me to get through but once I did - I couldn't put this book down. The idea of teenagers working for the CIA is so fantastical but amazing. I mean, that would have been like my dream as a teenager. Peter's voice throughout the book is great and the action is perfectly paced. My only question is: when does the next book come out? I need more Peter Smith!

NOTE: I received an ARC of this via Netgalley. This in no way influences my opinion.

When I first saw this on Netgalley, I decided to request it because it looked like a quick, fun, cheesy read - something that would just cheer you up and let you escape for a couple go hours. However, this book did not cheer me up, and I actually ended up DNFing it. The characters, the descriptions and some of the ideas that the author had left me eye rolling pretty hard - to the point where I'm pretty sure that my eyes got stuck in the back of my head.

I'm going to start off with the MC. I struggled to really engage in this story because I found Peter/Jake to be extremely unlikeable. He was constantly complaining and whining and was pretty condescending toward others - whether it was just his thoughts and the way in which he saw people or whether it was things he said to other characters. He was horrible the person who was supposed to be his best friend within this book and it just grated on my nerves. I physically couldn't connect to him as a character because I found no relatable qualities in him whatsoever. Despite his many mistakes etc. he still acted like he was better than everyone else and it really drew me out of the story.

His best friend's back story (Bunker) also seemed completely out there and extremely unlikely. His dad took him underground (for reasons I have forgotten) and he doesn't resurface for 15 years. It then seems unlikely to me that he is able to get into a relatively prestigious school on a scholarship and that he would be relatively sane of mind and pretty current with the times when he has been underground for the past 15 years. Surely he would have various psychological, if not also physical, issues that would confine him to a hospital/unit until he has be rehabilitated into the real world?

I think the biggest issue for me, and ultimately what led me to putting the book down, is the way in which Peter (the author) dismissed the possibility of a character being the hacker he's looking for because: She's English and beautiful and she has an amazing English accent and her hair smells English (Strawberries and Vanilla, who knew? Pretty sure my hair currently smells like coconut, so does this make me not English?), and she kisses super amazing and she's English and Rich as hell... Did I mention that she's English? This is what the book basically read like for me and to dismiss a female character because of these relatively shallow things got on my goat. It made me angry and I actually put the book down because I just couldn't face reading anymore. 

All in all, I was pretty disappointed, and irritated, with this book. I was expecting something fun and cheesy and got quite the opposite. I gave this book 1/5 stars.