Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read the ARC of this. THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD. I loved pretty much everything about it. The only thing I didn’t like was how difficult it was to read the text messages but I’m sure that’s just a thing that was messed up in the Arc and not the final book. Seriously I loved this. It was an interesting mystery that ends up coming around full circle. It’s all interesting in the whole is it or is it not connected. It was written amazingly. AND THE LAST CHAPTER OMG. It’s just. So good. Go read it.

Good YA thriller - I didn't predict the ending of this one, and that's what I look for in a good thriller. My students will enjoy this one a lot!

This is a great book for fans of "There's Someone Inside Your House" and "Vanishing Girls". It is a well written mix of creepy and suspenseful. This book addresses some really tough subjected, but I think the author handled them really well. Ultimately, I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more from this author.

I really enjoyed this YA thriller mystery. I liked reading Monica's point of view but the majority of the story with little bits told by other people. I had a feeling who the killer might be but wasn't completely sure until I finished the book. It definitely kept my interest. Highly recommended!

A mystery to get lost in with well a well developed lead character!

Five years ago, five girls from the cheerleading team died under mysterious circumstances. Monica, the sister of Jen, the last cheerleader to die, wants answers.
The book deals with some heavy topics, and while it doesn't always do some of them justice, I did find that Monica's grief was well-handled.
A great mystery that will keep you turning pages.

This is a thrilling YA masterpiece. I could not wait to get to the end to see how it all resolves - it was finished within 24 hours. In fact, it was finished in more like 6 straight hours of refusing to leave my bed on a Saturday. The thrill is a slow burn; it feels natural without feeling forced or fake. It seems realistic - like this could actually happen in any small town. The high school scenes are relatable as well; all too often I read stories set in high school that don't involve characters that make choices that I would have. Those characters are impulsive and confident. Monica is not. Monica is unsure, self-conscious, and when she fakes confidence, the consequences are dire.

I did feel that some parts are forced; there is an immediate conflict in the beginning from which Monica is recovering that seems added honestly just for shock value. It doesn't need to be in there, and doesn't come back after the first couple of chapters. It's easy to decipher what happened, but something so heavy, in my opinion, shouldn't be used as just a shocking plot device.

I also read an ARC, which had several continuity mistakes, including one character's name and backstory. I hope this is remediated by the time it goes to publication; it made reading very confusing, and I'd hate for such a masterful thriller to be tarnished by technical errors.

This was a good YA thriller, though I think I liked Little Monsters a bit more. I think the reveals worked really well in this book, it kept you reading. There were some unexpected things that happened that def. had me on the edge of my seat. I also liked how some things were revealed to not necessarily be anything crazy, without spoiling anything for you. The twists and turns didn't stop coming until the book ended, which is always appreciated. I think the idea, in general, is really creative. I like how we have 3 different tragedies that are connected and each has a different answer. I like that this was not full of girl hate and actually had a ton of positive female friendships. We had a ton of strong female characters. They aren't necessarily great people, but realistic people who had each other's backs. I liked how we got the chapters from the past, but I wish we got more of them or they were in 1st person. I think this would have made me connect with her more. I liked the snippets we got from her and just wanted to see more of her. There was something about the ending that felt a bit rushed and that I would have liked it to be a bit longer. Overall, a good thriller with an interesting character, a creative concept, and the right amount of twists and turns

I was frustrated by the way the main character was treated— it seems like she is being blamed for things that are not her fault. There are lots of twists and elements that I didn’t see coming, but I wanted better for Monica.

I love Kara Thomas's true crime-esque books, so I had really high hopes for this one. The story was compelling, but there were some extraneous elements that I feel didn't even need to be included and just felt unnecessary. It was still filled with Thomas's classic twists that keep you guessing all the way through and I can see this being popular among crime solving mystery lovers. I definitely enjoyed it, but not as much as her first two books.

5 cheerleaders die in a short amount of time in a small town, 2 in a car accident, 2 in a murder by a neighbor and 1 suicide. A few years later, a sister of one of the teenagers begins to wonder if the deaths were connected and if the police correctly solved the crimes. Monica finds clues in her sister's old cell phone and in notes she finds in her dad's locked desk. She learns secrets about her sister as she searches for the truth. There are lots of mysteries are along the way in this book.

This one can best be described as a book where a lot of parts went nowhere. Date rape, abortion, suicide, all of these topics are mentioned and rather lightly glossed over. It was fairly obvious that it was a red herring from the beginning. It's aimed at a YA audience but feels more like an adult book of how they'd think teens (inauthentically) act.

1/18/2018
This was my first Kara Thomas read and it was incredible!
We have Monica, who is in denial that her sister committed suicide, and determined to find the person responsible for her murder. While conducting her own investigation, she begins uncovering additional secrets from the past. But what happens when Monica starts digging too deep?
Thomas did a fantastic job of giving us realistic teenagers facing current issues while building the perfect amount of suspense!
Krystle Shepherd
School Librarian

There are some intriguing twists and turns in this YA thriller, and I think many of my students will enjoy the mystery and suspense surrounding the suspicious desths of five high school cheerleaders. The main character, Monica, doesn't know who to turn to or who to trust, a notion many teens may relate to. I gave this three stars because I felt it was lacking action for a murder-mystery-suspense.

Kara Thomas's writing is phenomenal and I adored Little Monsters, but this one was painstakingly obvious on who the killer was and there wasn't any suspense. With the approaching anniversaries of the death of five cheerleaders, Monica befriends Ginny and they conduct their own investigation on what happened since they felt the police overlooked a lot of clues. Monica imitated her deceased sister Jen since she felt isolated from her friends and participated in the same activities, so the theme "history will repeat" applies to this. Nothing stuck out or was jaw dropping. In fact, I read a similar book a few months ago that made me think of this one. The twists and reveals didn't impact me like it should have and I was glad to finally reach the end so I could move on to something else.

HOLY COW!! THIS BOOK!!!
What I loved: All the things. All the twists. All the turns. All "WAIT...WHAT!?!" moments that this author delivered.
What I liked: The author didn't hold back. Not one second did she hold back. She brought up stuff that teens really deal with...the adult decisions they are frequently forced to make.
What I hated: Can't say I hated anything per se. There were a couple of characters that I felt were flat, but nothing that ruined this book.
I can see many opportunities to recommend this one. Definite YA and adult appeal. I feel like this would appeal to readers of "Everything I Never Told You" by Celeste Ng.

This was a fast and engaging read. I was initially concerned because there were very serious topics brought up and I wasn't sure how/ if they were going to be addressed. Some of these include abortion, statutory rape, and date rape. However, most of these are addressed later on in the book.

One incident that was not addressed, which I think should have been is a very brief part that occurs towards the beginning of the book in which date rape at a party was alluded to. This, however, was never further discussed or addressed (or even called rape). It simply stated that one of the girls couldn't remember how it happened. This seems like a missed opportunity to not expand on the concept of date rape. Perhaps a brief mention of providing support to the character would be helpful.

I do believe the handling of statutory rape was well done. It clearly shows how Monica is blaming herself, and how her friend is trying to provide support and explain to her that she is not to blame, since she was raped by a man 8 years older than her. The fact that this man is arrested and shown to be the villain sends a strong message as well, indicating that statutory rape is NOT the victim's fault and the blame should always only fall on the rapist, in this case an adult male who abused 2 teenage girls.

However, the idea of therapy is shown as a threat or a punishment, and it would have been ideal if the MC could have warmed up to this and the story could have shown that it is okay to get help. At the end of the book it seems that Monica still has a long way to go to fully recover from the multiple traumas she has endured, and a line or two indicating that she is open to receiving professional help to cope with this journey ahead of her seems to be missing.

I also appreciated how the subject of abortion was handled. This book starts off right after Monica has an abortion, and the reader learns about the circumstances of said abortion throughout the book. There is no judgement, but the issue is not handled carelessly either. The character is shown to be experiencing significant physical and psychological distress with relation to the abortion, but also shown to have thought about her decision soundly and reached it with the support of her mother. Again, however, this seems like an issue in which receiving outside, professional help (aka therapy) would be of benefit to the character and should not be portrayed as a punishment.

Overall the book was very good. The suspense building was exceptional, and I highly enjoyed the back and forth with the time line- those short glimpses into Jennifer's perspective (and Ginny's perspective).

This teen thriller was rife with the perils of high school life with a murder mystery or two thrown in. The loss of her sister Jen has haunted Monica and when she comes across some information that leads her to believe the murder of girls on the same cheerleading squad may be related, she makes some choices that turn her already turbulent life upside down. What a great read! This author knocked it right out of the park and I can't wait for more of her edgy teen awesomeness!!

Oh my goodness! The Cheerleaders is FIRE! There are multiple stories contained within, taking the reader from past to present. There are red herrings throughout, so the reader cannot really solve the murders. Two cheerleaders die in a car accident on a rainy road. Two cheerleaders are murdered by the man next door, who is then killed in a police action shooting. A fifth cheerleader commits suicide. Or did she? How are the deaths of these five related? ARE they related? I am so appreciative to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to be an early reader in exchange for my fair and honest review. This one is fantastic!

<b><u>Review trigger warning: statutory rape, pedophilia mention, abortion mention </u></b>

Arguably my largest pet peeve when it comes to reading is when a book seems awesome but then it decides to do you wrong and include unchallenged problematic crap.

This book was amazing for the first 75 percent. Maybe a tad heteronormative, but a person can forgive. The writing style was compelling and easy-to-follow, the characters were three-dimensional and relatable, and the mystery was original and had me at the edge of my seat. It was gritty, dark, and dealt with real issues.

and then it had to go on and <b>rUIN IT</b> and it makes me so <i><b>angry</b></i> because this book would have been so perfect <blockquote><img src="https://media1.tenor.com/images/e93c19ef816ea248c8acf7bd620b02ce/tenor.gif?itemid=7816030" width="400" height="200" alt="description"/></blockquote>

six words: statutory rape. victim blaming. pedophilia culture.

In <i>The Cheerleaders</i>, the main character, Monica, had a summer fling with a guy in his mid-twenties, and Monica gets pregnant. The book begins right after she has an abortion, and it’s causing her a lot of physical and emotional grief and trauma. The guy is a capital-D Douchebag.

There’s a conversation between Monica and him that goes like this:<blockquote>”’This is a really bad idea,’ [he says].
‘I know… I know. I’m sorry.’ [sic]
‘What made you do it?’ he asks. ‘What you did. With me.’ [sic]
‘Because I was sad.’
[He] puts his head in his hands.
‘I’m sorry,’ I say. ‘Why did you do it?’
‘Because I liked you.’ [He] laughs. ‘And I told myself that you looked older, and you acted older, so it wasn’t as wrong.’
‘But now you do think it was wrong.’
‘I don’t know. It just feels like you used me to avoid your problems.’
My throat tightens. He’s right – I knew what we were doing was wrong, and I didn’t care.”</blockquote> <b>now hold on just one dang second. </b>

excuse me? <B><I>EXCUSE ME???!!?!?!?</I></b>

can someone <b>please explain to me</b> how this situation is in any way Monica’s fault?? why tf is she apologizing?? she is sixteen!! the guy is twenty-freaking-seven. he got her PREGNANT, for pete’s sake. He is over here acting like this whole situation is Monica’s fault,,,, and she (and the narration) are going along with it,,,,, when,,, it really isn’t her fault,,,, and victim-blaming pisses me off to such extents I mean I was about ready to DNF right there.

but, I mean, like, I thought that this was all going to be a part of Monica’s character development, and that she would eventually grow to realize that this whole situation is not her fault, that he was an adult that took advantage of a minor. but, like, silly me thinking that character development would be a thing in a book!!! like,,, what was I thinking? <blockquote><img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/K6VhXtbgCXqQU/giphy.gif" width="400" height="200" alt="description"/></blockquote> (okay and I swear that I’m not trying to take away from Monica’s character development because her arc having to do with depression and accepting her sister’s death is top-notch, but the internalized victim-blaming?? booooooo)

There’s another quote a good 91 percent into the novel <i>”My pathological need for attention from guys is why I’m in this mess with [him].” I mean,,, like,,, there’s only like twenty pages left in the novel it’s getting a little too late for her to go through character development and realize it’s not her fault. Her “need for attention” isn’t at fault here because the dude is <b>literally an adult who can make his own fricking decisions and KNEW she was a minor but still pursued a relationship and got her pregnant!!!!</b> but what do I know??

All my hope was pretty much lost at this point, but then, hallelujah, <spoiler>the guy got outed as a pedophile at the end of the book and I was like, okay, so Monica, personally, doesn’t get rid of her own internal victim-blaming but, you know what, she’s gone through a lot and she’ll get to that point and at least everyone else realizes that this guy is a manipulative jerk,</spoiler> but just when I was ready to bump my rating up to three or four stars, it does this crap <b><i>A G A I N</b></i><blockquote><i>”’You didn’t do anything wrong,’ Ginny’s voice is soft. ‘He used you…’
‘I used him. I was tired of being numb and I wanted to prove to myself I could feel something.’”</i></blockquote> and I’m just like jfc I can’t freaking breathe without y’all shoving this victim-blaming crap down my throat can I

And, I mean, the outward retribution just didn’t taste as sweet because at no time did the narration/Monica even begin to realize that she shouldn’t be apologizing to this guy’s manipulative, pedophile self. Until the very end, Monica is still 100 percent believing that <b>her pregnancy and the statutory rape that happened to her was her fault</b> and that just did not sit well with me. I didn’t like that. Instead of it making the book seem gritty with flawed characters who have gone through traumatic experiences, which is what I’m pretty sure it was going for, it perpetuated the wrongful blaming of victims of statutory rape. I’m not mad at Monica I’m mad at the book. lol.

And maybe the external arc is enough for some people, but it just wasn’t for me.

If Monica had more growth in this department, this would have honestly been a four- or even five-star read. It was that good. And that disappointing.

<b><u>Book Trigger Warnings: teen pregnancy, abortion, several non-graphic instances of throwing up, statutory rape, violence and some gore.</u></b>

<i>Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for a complete and honest review. All opinions and quotes are taken from an unfinished version.</i>