I wasn't able to download this book at the time but I did recently read it from my community library. I wish I didn't read it though. I wasn't missing out on anything. In my opinion, S.T.A.G.S was like watching a really really bad made for TV teen movie.

Mystery
13-16
What is it about boarding schools that both fascinates and horrifies? I suppose the nostalgia of stories from Enid Blyton to J.K. Rowling’s Hogwarts lets us imagine them as a place of besties and grand adventure; the reality of spending every waking moment with the bullies and beasts that populated my high schol is probably more realistic! This novel definitely skews toward the nasty. The subtitle on the North American edition of this British mystery says it all: “Nine students. Three blood sports. One deadly weekend.” From the start, we learn someone dies, and that someone is Henry de Warlencourt, leader of the school’s prefects known as the Medievals. And our protagonist calls herself a murderer, or at least one of them. Social outcast Greer, at the prestigious school in a scholarship rather due to her bloodlines, is excited to learn she is one of just three students (the identities of the other two surprise Greer as they are regularly picked on) invited to Henry’s family home with the six Medievals, for a weekend of “huntin’ shootin’ fishin'”. There are so many clues as to the Medievals’ true intentions it is no surprise to the reader. Greer is likeable enough as long as you look past her incessant movie references, which quickly grow quite tiresome, and the toffs are two-faced liars and boors with almost atavistic behaviours – “chattering” and “shrieking” like monkeys when under the influence of wine. It’s too bad; Bennett’s decision to make the Medievals so offensive results in a heavy-handed morality tale that reads quickly enough but with no realy mystery to reveal, other than the obvious realization that the true horror in this story is not the weekend itself but rather in how the elite think they can get away with it. My thanks to Random House for the advance reading copy provided digitally through #NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
More discussion and reviews of this novel: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35154365

I honestly hated this book. It was really stupid. I mean the main character was just this ditzy dumb ass. I don't think she actually knew what being a feminist actually means for one thing. She kept saying that whenever she looked at a guy and appreciated his good looks that she was a bad feminist. Ummm okay?
This is just a stereotypical weird plot for a weird book. You figure out what's happening like immediately in the book. But it takes the characters like two and a half days to figure out what's going on. And (spoilers) someone dies and the three main characters are like "OH MY GOD WE ARE MURDERERS". They didn't even do anything.

A really intriguing and thrilling ride of a book! Excellent for everyone who enjoys a great mystery to curl up with.

S.T.A.G.S. by M.A. Bennett is a young adult thriller that takes place at a boarding school where Greer has been sent on scholarship, only to find she has no friends until the most popular kids invite her for a mysterious weekend of huntin’ shootin’ fishin’. But is Greer finally fitting in? Or is something more sinister going on?

I really liked the boarding school setting of this book, and it was a really unusual boarding school because there, where the students are really focused on the British upperclass, the most popular kids shun technology. As a result, the story is an interesting mix of the past and present. The story is very well-written and just felt articulate in a way that makes me feel like readers of adult as well as young adult fiction would enjoy it. That said, the pace, especially in the first third of the book, is slow. I’m also not sure about Greer telling the story in retrospect, I think having some more surprises might have helped with the action. I did find there were a few too many references to movies, which are Greer’s passion, but sometimes it felt like the story relied film references rather than really showing how Greer was feeling.

There’s a really interesting mix of characters in S. T. A. G. S., and I especially enjoyed the complicated dynamic between Greer and the most well-loved and feared student, Henry. There’s a dark and creepy undertone to the book, which reminds me of a book like Dare Me by Megan Abbott. There’s a foreboding sensation to the whole book, since you know something terrible is going to happen. The last quarter of the book really fulfills that sinister promise, and is packed with intensity and action. I especially loved the ending; pay attention and you just might catch that great twist. I’ll be very curious to see if there’s a sequel!

I’ve wanted to read this book since it originally came out in the U.K. in the summer. It was definitely worth the hype.

From the beginning of the story, we know how it will end. Greer will somehow kill someone at her weekend away. The whole story was building up to this ending, which was already revealed. But we don’t know how it happens. It was very well done. I was excited to read the whole thing and find out what happened. And the ending didn’t disappoint.

Tradition is a major theme in this story. When I went to England, I loved that everything was very traditional. There are large families in the story who trace their origins back more than a thousand years. The school STAGS also has historical origins.

The death occurred well before the end of the story, so I was surprised that there was so much left to happen. I thought the story was finished when they showed the death, but it continues right to the last page. I really liked the ending.

After I started reading this story, I read that it might be made into a movie. That’s so exciting and I’d love to see this story on the big screen!

I had an immense amount of fun with this book. It had just the right amount of thrill and suspense to keep you on your toes!
I enjoyed Greer as a narrator and MC in this book. She was quirky and intuitive. She was also foolish and at one point I really want to knock her outside of the head. But she redeems herself! I absolutely loved that she brought up references to the films she and her dad loved to watch and how she inserts her personality and likes into the narration of the story. It really showed off her nerdy and quirky self and her grand ability to make connections and put two and two together!
I also loved Shafeen! Although he is not in most parts of the story, he is still very much a present. And when he is there, he is there. Every word that came out of his mouth, priceless. Every move he made turned tables.
The Medievals a.k.a the white, rich (psycho) kids who brought down their wrath on the previous characters mentioned. I wasn’t thinking of mentioning them because I really hated them, so let’s just say I enjoyed hating them very much.
It was a very bloody book in that Huntin’ Shootin’ Fishin’ fostered danger, elevated the stakes and made the characters act in ways that were feral and wild. I really enjoyed the twist of the games and how they brought characters together and wreaked havoc too.
Greer was retelling the story to us. It’s that kind of thriller, where the reader goes in and they are given this mini-introduction, so they have a foggy idea of how the book is going to end or where the direction of the story it headed. I especially loved it when Greer would add in her own little comments about what was happening and how she should have acted differently.
What really struck me about this world though, was experiencing the consequences of the power and privilege bestowed upon these teenagers that were almost lethal. They controlled everything and everyone. They got away with everything they did. And it’s not a far fact from how it is in real life. How far money and power can take you. How much money rules the world and the extent to which it can bend the will of a person. Scary stuff.
And the ending.....WOW
Just one tiny problem:
There were twists trust me and some of them I saw coming. This really stems from the very beginning of the book and how Greer introduces the problem. I already knew going in that deaths would be inevitable and I was kind of thinking that everyone was going to die. And while I don’t mean to sound sadistic, one person died and it was a little anti-climatic. You have an idea of who dies and why they die and who kills them. So I felt that the intro given by Greer gave too much and it took away from the reader.
Overall, it was a great book. For a non-thrillerish gal I thoroughly enjoyed it very much. It was fun, fast, and quite a ride. It makes you think about the consequences of money and privilege and also the effect of living in a world where everything is on the internet.

S.T.A.G.S honestly surprised me. It is a very eerie story with a twisty plot and an intelligent main character. The story definitely strays from the classic private school book I was expecting. Although this book is a thriller, I feel like there isn’t enough action, and I would have enjoyed more suspense.

It’s so hard to describe this book without spoilers, but basically, it tells the story of a girl who is invited to the annual weekend trip with the most popular kids in school. She is skeptical, since she is considered an outcast, but goes on the trip anyways. As expected, the trip takes a dark turn, and she finds herself trapped in a house with no adults. It was originally the private school aspects that drew me to this book, but we don’t get to see a lot of the actual school. Also, I found that the book lacks action for the kind of story that is is, and everything happens at the end. The idea is very creative, but I just feel like it falls a bit flat.

I really enjoyed Greer’s character in S.T.A.G.S. As a scholarship student in a school for the rich, she doesn’t fit in with the others. However, on the trip, Greer is resourceful and clever, and she is good at manipulating those who are trying to manipulate her. She is also quick to defend her newfound friends, which I loved. The one thing I will say is that the constant movie references do get annoying, but other than that, she is likeable.

S.T.A.G.S. is a darker take on a private school weekend trip. The main character is likeable, and the concept is intriguing. However, I would have liked more action in this thriller, and a faster paced plot.

MORAL OF THE STORY:

IF YOU RECEIVE AN INVITE TO GO HUNTIN', SHOOTIN' AND FISHIN', DECLINE!

S.T.A.G.S. was such a fun and thrilling reading experience. A refreshing storyline and a superb character cast made this book a wildly good time!

Greer is a seventeen-year-old girl that isn't quite fitting in at St. Aidan the Great School(STAGS). Filled with pretentious snobs and spoiled rich kids but the Medievals are the real rulers of STAGS. A group teenagers with perfectly coiffed hair and bedazzling beauty. In this group is Henry de Warlencourt, the leader of the pack. It is at Henry's estate where the Huntin' Shootin' and Fishin' party is hosted every year. Greer and 2 other "outsiders" are invited to this extravagant weekend and the games quickly begin!

Bennett crafted a witty and gripping tale that left me both jaw-dropped and amazed. Her writing style had so much depth and crafted such wonderful and unique characters. I also have to point out the epic movie references. As a movie buff myself, I loved every shoutout to all the great flicks and now I feel I need to sit down for an awesome movie night in honour of this book.

I know this may sound like a totally savage thing to say but I would love to see this book hit the silver screen. I think it would make a phenomenal Netflix series! I could totally see Lucky Blue Smith and Amandla Stenberg starring in this!

Though this novel is considered a Young Adult, I think any audience who's looking for a rip-roaring good time would enjoy this book!

"Well, Jeffrey," I said, trying to style it out, "Shit just got real."

I thought I was really going to enjoy S.T.A.G.S. but I was just left very disappointed from beginning to end.

First of all, the book starts off in past-tense from the main character, Greer's point of view. In the beginning, she mentions that a certain individual was killed and that she and a few others were the murderers, then she dives into the story from how she got to the school. Normally this type of thing works really well in mystery novels, where they reveal the killer in the beginning but then start the story and theres always some type of crazy plot twist. Yet this book didn't really have a plot twist, and I honestly think it revealed way too much at the beginning. It left me bored and not wanting to read the book, since I already knew what was going to happen.

The main character Greer, was alright in the beginning, but eventually I just ended up not liking her at all. She talks about how she's different, and she wants to be herself rather than worshiping the medievals and being just like them, but throughout her trip she slowly starts becoming more and more like them, obviously not the rich part, but the snobby, I think I'm better than everyone, evil kind of way. It honestly felt like her character development was going backwards, rather than forwards.

The romance in this book was absolutely horrible! In the beginning of the book, Greer mentions how much she dislikes Henry and the other medievals, but of course she ends up falling for him and his tricks the first moment he shows her any type of affection. Greer was described as a smart girl in this book, but man was she dumb for falling for this guy. Then of course she is so blinded by her love for Henry after he calls her beautiful once, that she can't even see that there is someone who actually likes her for real, until he says it out loud. Even then, it was kind of like where the heck did this come from? It was just not written very well.

The writing was alright, but wasn't the best either. If the book didn't do the "mystery" aspect of revealing that someone dies in the end, the action would have been really good. But of course since it was spoiled, it wasn't the best. The world-building was good, there were lots of good descriptions of the school and the mansion and all the land it contained.

The reason why I'm giving this book two stars instead of one, is because of the ending. I found it absolutely hilarious, even though it wasn't meant to be funny at all. So in the end, Greer realized the mistake she made in trusting someone, who ended up being the "most evil" person in the book. I think this was supposed to be a "plot twist" but you could see it from a mile away!! In this moment, Greer was actually shook when she realized what was really going on, and I thought her stupidity was the funniest thing ever. For an elite school for super smart kids, you'd think they'd figure this stuff out.

Overall, I would not call this book a thriller or mystery at all. Although it was definitely not the book for me, if you've read previous books that sound like this and want to give them a try, then I'd say go for it, but if you find yourself bored in the beginning like I was, just give up.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

In a world of money and prestige, Greer is the odd one out. She is not a rich socialite, she is an average middle class girl that is in the world of STAGS (a prestigious school stuck in the midivil times) on a special scholarship. Although elitist and snooty, the school seemed pretty normal, at least until a strange invite arrives to go "Huntin', Shootin', Fishing'" with the Medievals (the richest and most powerful of the school). From there things start falling apart. Who will survive the weekend? What are they really hunting, shooting and fishing?
Not as exciting as I thought it would be. If I'm honest, I assumed that there would be more action and insane twists in this story then there actually was. With the synopsis hinting at human hunting and a giant hunger-games level drama story, I was pretty underwhelmed. I thought that the build up was too slow for that much of an underwhelming reveal. For human killers, the killers really don't seem that committed to getting things done and done right. They seemed to just settle for just scaring their victims... their victims they had been intending to MURDER! It made no sense. Anyway, didn't love it, but it was okay all things considered so I give it the rating of THREE AND A HALF STARS OUT OF FIVE!!!

I was so excited to get approved for this one. And I really enjoyed this book, but had some mixed feelings about it.
With the tagline, Nine students. Three bloodsports. One deadly weekend, I expected something pretty dark and murdery. Right off the bat, I will tell you it is not at all like that. There are nine students, there are three bloodsports, but as for a deadly weekend, that's pushing it. Regardless, it was an entertaining book that had me riveted until the end.
I loved the setting the story took place in, as well as the era it evoked. The idyllic English countryside, with a huge heaping of Downton Abbey living. It was like stepping into a fascinating new/old world. The description of the bloodsports themselves were also very good, particularly the huntin' one. Had my heart pounding as I read.
Despite a slow and telling beginning, and an equally slow ending, I found this to be a great thriller type story. Even though the reader is literally told from the get go what happens, I still found myself wondering and guessing as to how it would all go down in the end.
This could have been a fantastic book as is if it weren't for two things that lost it some points. One, the constant reference to movies was annoying. "Ever seen _____?" No. Several of them went over my head, since I'd never seen them, while at times there were just too many all at once. It's the kind of thing that works for a contemporary novel, not a thriller. And speaking of contemporary, the voice of the main character killed the thriller vibe a lot. She is too...flippant? Annoying? I don't quite know the right word, but it took away from what darkness the book did have. Especially in the beginning chapters.
3/5

I knew after a few chapters that if this book didn't end terribly, I would be giving it five stars. The plot was better than I expected, the characters were interesting, and the narrative was compelling. The "hunting of the most dangerous of all beasts -Man!" plot wasn't what I was expecting, and was nothing like the Hunger Games like I feared.
Greer is the main character and a scholarship student at an old and prestigious school in the UK. She is an outcast among the rich snobs, but has a sort of resilience against them with her love of movies, and her grounded sense of self. I loved her nickname for her roommate, which I probably would have given her myself if I were forced to live with her. At school. modern conveniences are looked down upon, and a medieval approach is considered to be the best. I'm not sure if I was convinced entirely about the whole school of teens being snobbish about not having phones, but peer pressure is strong I suppose. After nearly a semester without social interaction with anyone other than teachers, Greer is invited with other school outcasts to a weekend of Huntin' Shootin' and Fishin'. While she doesn't enjoy blood sports, Greer does enjoy the attention of her rich, attractive peers and decides to go to experience a lifestyle she will probably never see up close again.
This is more than a thriller,novel. Through Greer, we see the lure of the old classist mindset. She knows instinctively when things are wrong, or dangerous, but her better judgement is swayed by fantasy. She imagines what being a princess or duchess would be like, and expresses her fantasies through popular stories like Pride and Prejudice, or Twilight., only to be horrified by her thoughts. She is compassionate, and willing to admit when she's wrong, and very funny as a narrator. She does get a little frustrating when she continues to doubt people's motives after seeing direct evidence, but her feelings do feel real. Her guilt at the end can be rationalized, but her refusal to do so speaks to the depth of her trauma, which I thought was realistic for a person who has been through what she had. For a book that tackles racism, classism, and institutionalized violence, it was a surprisingly fast and approachable read. Greer grates a little with her constant backsliding on Henry's motives, but I was still rooting for her.
The ending is a little like a movie in that I was expecting an audible dun dun dun music sting at the end, but it was the only ending I thought was believable for a book about how inequality and cruelty are ingrained in the system itself.