#Prettyboy Must Die is an easy-to-read, uncomplicated young adult spy novel, set in a high school with all the usual suspects.

Peter Smith is an unassuming student in the last year of high school. That is, until his cover is blown when a local school girl snaps a photo of him on a late night run and posts it over social media with a snappy caption that sends the post viral. Shortly after, the high school is taken hostage by unknown hostiles and Peter’s identity is compromised and he’s forced to be who he really is - a recruit from the CIA’s early intact program, and the hostiles are after him.

There’s nothing complicated in the storytelling of this book, and it’s a lot of fun. Due to the nature of the story, we don’t spend a lot of time delving into the personal lives of the characters, and you’ve got your stereotypical few in there, along with a healthy dose of representation (which is fantastic to see). Peter/Jake is determined to succeed and become a staple figure within the CIA, if only he can fix a few mistakes he’s made along the way.

The plot is nothing to write home about, and there are a few parts that drag in the middle, but nevertheless, it has all the elements you’d want in a teen spy novel, that’s focusing more on the characters and the humour than on the thriller aspects.

While not groundbreaking, it’s definitely entertaining, and I gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

#Prettyboy Must Die was a fun and high stakes novel. There were some ups and downs to this book, but overall, it was a very entertaining story.

The main character, Jake/Peter, was the best part of this book. He was such a funny and charming character! His voice always felt so realistic and relatable. I loved hearing from his perspective and watching him deal with all the obstacles that were thrown his way. However, there were some characters that I didn't connect with as well. Some of the characters felt a little flat and predictable. There were also some characters that felt TOO perfect. However, Jake/Peter made up for most of it!

I loved the overall idea of the plot of this story. There were so many exciting and quirky elements to this story. I really appreciated how much effort the author put into making the plot unique and so much fun. There were some plot lines that felt a bit ridiculous and cliche, but they still added some exciting elements to the story. 

Overall, this was a creative and unique novel! If books about a spy is up your alley, then this is the book for you!

3 / 5 Fangs

*This ebook was given to me in exchange for an honest review. *

The marketing for this book ruined it. Prettyboy is being sold as YA, but the writing is very middle grade. Juvenile and a little outlandish.

Now, this story had a lot of potential. Rogue CIA agents and espionage, and POC main characters. But the main character is kind of a jerk? And the story just unraveled and wasn't very realistic. 

I have a mini-rant - discounting girls just because they're girls is sexist. I don't care how old your character is, it just doesn't work. Blatant sexism within the first couple of chapters, and I was pretty much done with the story. 

I know there's a lot of chatter about how crazy the plot for this book is, so I won't go into the multiple plot holes. You know when you want to read a book, but your brain won't shut up? Protesting that the plot is just a bit too farfetched? That's what it was like reading #Prettyboy Must Die

#Prettyboy Must Die, by Kimberly Reid is a contemporary action-suspense young adult novel with an underlying romance interspersed through the story.

Jake Morrow is a former foster-kid turned CIA operative. Due to an incident on his first mission, Jake is sent back to high school as Peter Smith with his new job on hold. However, his CIA cover is jeopardized when his photo accidentally goes viral online and #Prettyboy becomes his new nickname.

During an average day at high school, hostiles drop through the ceiling to trigger various suspenseful and unusual events. Jake is forced to determine his friends versus his enemies, from his best friend and his girl crush to his teachers and classmates, as well as his new fan club. By the way, one of #Prettyboy's fans is highly entertaining. :) While trying to survive, Jake (also known as Peter) is attempting to keep his job, save his school and possibly the world.

Even though the story dispenses reality, it was an enjoyable and suspenseful story with various twists throughout the book. I'm intrigued to read more, yet I didn't see a sequel mentioned on Goodreads.

#Prettyboy Must Die is ideal for those who are interested in unusual romances amidst a contemporary action-suspense story, particularly geared towards junior high and high school ages (and those who enjoy YA books).


Note: I received this book from NetGalley, which is a program designed for bloggers to write book reviews in exchange for books, yet the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

When I requested this one I hadn’t heard much about it, I saw it floating around but then I stumbled upon it on Netgalley and the premise really intrigued me so I decided to go for it. I love all spy everything, it’s just something that’s always fascinated me, especially when it has a side of comic relief, it’s the perfect mix which this is so eventhough I kept my expectations low, I still hoped I’d love it. But I sadly did not. It has enjoyable elements, but overall, #Prettyboy must die let me down and I will tell you why.

The writing is simple and fun although it got a little rough around the edges at times. Let me explain. The narration is Jake’s thoughts as he gets them, unfiltered, which served a purposes in some parts, especially when he’s trying to figure out clues but for the rest of the novel, it was giving unnecessary information I didn’t really care for. Furthermore, this being an espionnage novel, there are a set of emotions I think should be conveyed through the writing, like fear, anger and urgency and that sadly wasn’t the case here, I think the fun overtook the rest and I couldn’t take any of it seriously. There was also phreaking instead of freaking multiple times and…what’s up with that? I just? Did not compute? In addition to ableist language like cr*zy, ps*cho, and sociopathic.

Don’t get me wrong, the story is still enjoyable, if you can get over the ridiculousness of most of it and read it for the light, silly read it is. I unfortunately could not do that because it threw me off from the start. Jake’s first cover was as a tunisian boy named Pierre…I mean, tunisian, yes. But Pierre, REALLY? Pierre isn’t a tunisian name, it’s a french name so that cover is blown because it’s innacurate but it somehow lasted weeks. And this is a pattern I’ve noticed through most the novel,.

Most conclusions Jake draws are based on assumptions instead of facts (which I suspect an operative wouldn’t do) and hints that fall in his lap way too easily which made the whole plot flimzy and easily take apart. The biggest example is the thing that started all of this. It’s a tweet. And he’s a hacker. He could’ve taken it down in the blink of an eye and even if that’s acknowledged, we’re never given a reason and I think that a trained operative would definitely take care of that first. So the whole foundation the story was built on was kind of wobbly.

That’s not saying that the plot is predictable through and through. It has some predictable elements sure, but it still managed to surprise me multiple times which kept me on my toes and made me enjoy it a bit despite disliking a lot of elements, some situations and twists were really pleasant and the humour was cute and placed in moments that needed it.

Jake is an effortlessly likeable character, his voice is enjoyable and personality perky. He’s a black teen CIA operative, smart, funny and very impulsive at times which puts him in less than desirable situations. I love the friendship he striked with Bunker, it felt really genuine and was heartwarming especially because he wasn’t supposed to care about anyone. Bunker is quite a funny character but I thought he was very two dimensional. Along with all the other side characters to be honest. Even Katie, with whom there was some kind of romance I didn’t really care for. <Spoiler>For the whole time, they’re fighting evil people and next to nothing happens between them besides a few exchanged words but by the end they’re both like “well now there’s something between us, isn’t there” and I felt like there was no build up to it </spoiler>

All in all, if you can read this mindlessly for the light, not-to-overthink, read it is, go for it but if not, maybe don’t. I still enjoyed bits and pieces of the story like I said, but I wish there was more substances and credibility to it.

Jake Morrow, aka Peter Smith, is a foster kid turned CIA operative and since he epically failed his first assignment he's been given a pity mission at a school. He's trying to keep a low profile (there are terrorists out there looking to get bloody revenge), but when a classmate snaps his #Prettyboy photo during a jog around the track and uploads it to social media he becomes a viral sensation. Before he knows it, the school is under attack and he's stuck in the building with psychotic killers (and fans). This #Prettyboy's going to have to put all of his skills and training to the test if he doesn't want to be a #Deadboy.

#Prettyboy Must Die by Kimberly Reid sounded like it would be so much fun, like a combination of #AlexFromTarget (remember that guy) meets the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter and Spy Kids with a great sense of humor. The concept behind this is very promising and the story starts off well enough. The author drops us right into the action from Jake/ Peter's point of view. Reid keeps the pacing fast and light, and she does a decent job of writing action scenes. Unfortunately, as the the story moves on the plot just begins to get silly and ridiculous - forget about suspending your disbelief. Good characters could have saved the story, but I couldn't relate to anyone here, from Jake/ Peter himself, his best friend Bunker, Katie the hot girl with a secret of her own, or anyone for that matter. Jake/ Peter is the most irritating of them all - he is very arrogant, treats his one friend like nothing more than his flunky (are they only friends because Bunker doesn't know any better after living in a bunker with only his dad for company for fifteen years of his life?), and constantly underestimates girls and women (if they're good looking they can't be much more than an airhead space cadet, right?) even when they clearly have talent. I'll admit, there are some fun moments, but for the most part what I just mentioned overshadows all of that. If it's supposed to be funny, I must have missed it.

Overall, I really wanted to like Kimberly Reid's #Prettyboy Must Die, but it just wasn't for me. I was actually close to DNFing it, but I kept pushing through it. It's one of those novels where the concept behind it sounds incredibly promising, but the execution does not live up to your expectations.

I guess that it was okay. Yeah, this is not the great start ever. I know, I know. Sadly this novel left me with little to say. Or too little impression to actually elaborate a long review.

The book looks like an interesting read, a funny action packed young adult. It's that for sure. But I was looking for more? I don't mean that I started this one waiting for the next more impressive young adult thriller but the plot, the character, the story... none worked for me.

It's a really short read and that should help all the other readers that are looking out for something fun and fast, something immersive maybe, but my reaction of the whole was just no. At a certain point, while reading, I asked myself when this was gonna end, losing my interest a bit a after a bit.

So, talking about the plot, I was not that impressed. What I mean is that the story can be perfectly fine for the book itself but a lot of things happened. And there was no actual depth how the characters, main character in this case, felt towards the situation. Well there are some details but all of them seemed to be wrapped around the plot so much that the result was a empty one.

And I don't feel that there's more to say. Things happened, things that don't always make actual sense. Everytime was easy, too much easy and really bad organized. Putting aside the fact that the villains were totally childish, expect for one of them. Kind of.

Another bad thing is that I almost got immediately who was the main antagonist. Yes, I'd  few doubts during the reading because the fact got messed up and messed up, situation and alliances changed, but yes, the first impression was the right one.

Talking about the characters, I didn't like Jake. He's kinda sexist and swallow. Like a typical stereotyped teens. He likes a girl mainly because she's pretty and with an accent. Something else, thank you? I followed his narration but I didn't connect with him. In the end it was me reading what he was saying, all sure of himself.

I was hoping to like much more the secondary character Katie and Bunker but I cannot say that I did. Neither I hated them. They just go with the flow and had really little pages, all related to Jake. And from other sides one remains the strange nerdy guy that always need to be saved and the other is the pretty, perfect girl who can does everything. I would be fine with this if I could have seen something more about them. Showing their POVs' would have helped a lot.

In the end #prettyboy Must Die let me down quite a lot, but I enjoyed it a bit. Just a bit. I'm probably going to read other books by the author to see some changes.

Fast Paced at every turn. You'll never guess what happens next or who you can trust in this contemporary thriller.

This was a very enjoyable YA read.

Peter is a spy for the CIA, and as such he ends up going undercover to Carlisle Academy in the hopes of catching a world-class hacker. But things don’t go according to his plans. Soon his cover is blown, and he ends up having to save himself and the whole school from dangerous men that break into the school.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a light, actiony read that you can get through in one sitting. 

Peter is smart and determined to fulfill his mission. He is also caring and worries about the well-being of others. He doesn’t want to see anyone getting hurt because of his actions. Despite his training, he is scared and has a pretty realistic understanding of what he can and cannot do, which I thought was a nice touch, since teenagers in books often overestimate their abilities. All in all he was a very likable character.

The same goes for his friend Bunker, who has a very interesting history. He was probably my favorite character. He is quirky and just a lot of fun. 

The dynamic between the two boys was fantastic. 

There was a tiny bit of romance in the book, but it is definitely not the focus of the story, and it stays in the background for the most part. 

While this is a fun and enjoyable read, don’t go into this book thinking that you are going to get much more than the synopsis promises. This is a story full of action, but the plot itself will probably not blow you away. In fact most of it is very predictable, and I was able to guess a lot of the twists in the story. 

So if you are looking for a light and fast read for yourself or your teenager, this might very well be the right book for you.

3.5 stars
Quick moving YA read. Seems perfectly written for the Hallmark Mystery Jr channel. Seriously, I can easily see this as a movie. With the right casting, the tweens would go crazy. I twigged to the villain but I've read a lot of mysteries.

#PrettyBoy Must Die is a cute book. It's not earth shattering or groundbreaking, but it doesn't have to be. You don't pick up a book with a hashtag in the title expecting the Citizen Kane of Literature, but that doesn't mean it's frivolous. Peter Smith is a CIA agent who's cover is blown because he's just so attractive he goes viral. That is a hilarious premise and a clever one at that. Most of the book is a sort of cat and mouse game between Peter, other operatives, and obsessive fans. And the ride is just fun, it's a fun quick read that isn't that dark or twisted or intense, but a nice adventure that's just thrilling enough to keep the smile on my face and the page turning.

I can’t lie – when I saw the title for this book, I was dying to read it. I thought it would be a fun spy caper, kind of like Alley Carter’s books. I had mixed results with this one, mainly because of the protagonist. And you definitely have to suspend disbelief, because some of the plot is so over the top it is hard to swallow.

Peter Smith aka Jake Morrow, is a spy. Part of the CIAs Operation Early Bird program, the former hacker has been given a new lease on life. Instead of serving time, the teen was given the opportunity to work for the government whose computer systems he hacked. Intelligent, fluent in several languages, and supremely confident in his abilities, he was almost killed on a mission that went south. Now, disgraced and only in the CIA until he’s finished with high school, he feels he has a lot to prove to his superiors. And to do that, he is determined to take down the dangerous hacker he believes is going to a private school in Colorado. Requesting a transfer to Carlisle Academy, which is known for its stellar STEM program, he settles  in and relentlessly pursues clues on the identity of the hacker.

The book primarily takes place during one day, when the bad guys from the mission that went bad in the Ukraine take over the school and take all of the students hostage. Peter / Jake, through a stroke of good luck, was not in his Chem class when the terrorist arms dealers drop down from the ceiling and take control of the classroom. When he discovers what’s going on, he knows that the bad guys are after him, and that they want him dead. He also knows he can’t trust anyone, and that he has to move quickly to save his classmates. All of this ruckus makes him forget about the picture a classmate took of him and posted to Twitter, and that is now trending in Colorado. Talk about the end of a career in espionage. If his boss didn’t think he was a dufus before, she isn’t going to be happy to have his cover blown with the hashtag prettyboy plastered all over the internet.

I guess my biggest disappointment was Peter himself. This guy can do no wrong, at least in his own mind. He came across as self-centered, and his easy dismissal of the students helping him save the day drove me nuts. He is so hard-headed, and even when he’s wrong, and he knows he’s wrong, he still keeps blindly charging forward. And he thinks that Katie, the resilient girl he has a crush on, is impatient and careless, even when she saves his bacon so many times. Ugh. Peter’s ego gets in the way of his dreams of being a CIA operative, and he is so focused on himself he almost puts the entire world at risk by thinking that the only reason for the school take over is to kill him.  It’s not, but he doesn’t figure that out until it’s almost too late.

While this didn’t totally work for me, it’s still a fun read. The teens do end up saving the day, despite the adults interference into their rescue mission. I loved Katie, and hope that if there is another book, she will feature prominently in the action, at least to keep Peter humble.  Peter / Jake needs the back-up, even if he doesn’t want to admit it.

[1/5]

*sigh* I wish I didn’t have to do this.

Here’s the thing about this book: the concept is great. Teen spy on the run from revenge-thirsty ex-soldiers? Might be cliche, but I really enjoy these types of stories. I started this book filled with excitement, expecting some serious thrill and action to be heading my way.

… Well, I guess it’s quite disappointing when you think you’re in for a YA, but end up reading what sounds like a middle-grade novel instead. Not that I have anything against those, but why is this listed as YA then? It doesn’t read like one.

Anyway, that’s not the main issue. The main reason why this book was simply too tiring to read is because I really, really don’t care about Peter/Jake. Not only is he arrogant, but he also looks down on pretty much everyone, and assumes girls can’t be more than air-headed side characters. I mean, really? Does he seriously disregard Katie from the suspect list of hackers because she’s a girl? Are you kidding me?!

I really, really can’t stand Peter’s “know-it-all” attitude, especially when the entire plot would be missing had it not been for his mistakes.

What’s up with him treating Bunker – his best friend – like trash, by the way? And why is Bunker so loyal to him? I never understood the friendship between those two, if you can even call it that in the first place. Sure, there are times when Peter is grateful, but most of his point of view is just grumbling about how much of a liability Bunker is.

Let’s play a little guessing game: what do you think is the nationality of the villain?

Yep. That’s right. Ukrainian. 

*sigh* … Really? Do we always have to have this in spy books? Please just give us American villains for a change, and a Ukrainian/Russian hero instead. I’d love that. I think we’re all tired of this stereotype.

Aside from that, I feel like this plot is falling apart. You’ve got these bizarre scenarios going on that don’t even make sense at times, almost like the author just throws in gadgets/solutions merely for the sake of writing clever escape plans. Additionally, the reaction of the students made no sense in some situations. Some of them could be so casual in the danger they’d be surrounded with, and that had me springing up a hundred question marks. I know I’d personally be running for cover, not skipping around school and looking for an attractive guy.

This book had me pausing in confusion a lot, and most of the time, just skimming through. Really wish this were better.

I thought this was a super interesting concept--just unfortunately was not for me.

Mini review:

I received this e-arc via Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

This was a lot of fun! It was action packed and a fast read. I liked all the characters. And the plot was pretty good.

Recommend.

Honestly love this cover, the colours are great and the body in movement is amazing as well. I feel like this book would be great for tweens and teens. As a grown adult wasn’t my cup of tea but I can appreciate the storyline and details the author has added to make this a nice story. Very fast paced and a “who done it”.
Would definitely recommend this to a young person!

I was super excited for this upcoming release, but this was a mayor disappointment to me. I thought the premise sounded amazing and hilarious, but it ended up not being what I thought. In my mind, I pictured a great spy novel, or at least I thought it was going to be like a Cody Banks movie type of thing in book format, and it was so incredibly boring. 

The characters were so flat and plain and sometimes even immature, and they didn't have a development throughout the entire book. They were exactly the same at the end than they were at the beginning. I wasn't a big fan of neither of them, and I found their interactions a bit forced and unecessary in some scenes.

The story didn't grab me either, not even from the beginning. I was a bit confused while reading the first few chapters, because it was a bit fast and they didn't explain a lot of things that were supossed to, and then later nothing was really happening until the very end of the book. The mystery wasn't really that well done, in my opinion, and everything was a bit too predictable for my liking.

I have tried to read and finish this book for months. 
MONTHS
I just could not get into it and could for the life of me like it at all. 

There was nothing that grabbed me, reeled me in, and caught me. 

It was flat. 

I love spies. I need more spy books..... 

This one just didnt cut it

Mare~Slitsread

If you read Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls series and loved it, then Prettyboy Must Die will be your fave new read!
Peter Smith is supposed to be lying low after a CIA op gone wrong, but instead he's searching for the teen hacker employed by the enemy and trending on twitter. #Prettyboy Now his cover is blown, and arms dealers are scouring the school intent on killing him, and maybe everyone else as well. Can he save the day and prove his worth as a CIA asset? 
A light read; good fun, adventure, and romance. I do like that the main character is nonwhite.

This book was a cute spy kids type of boarding school book. I found a lot of it to be a suspend your disbelief situation. The plot was flimsy, but not horrible. I can see it appealing to middle age readers. I think it is to young for high school or adult readers. The Clark Kent/ Superman thing was a tad ridiculous.