WOW. Super gripping and dark YA. Abortion, murder, suicide, a death list, statutory rape, drugs and partying, dance team, parents just don't understand, and somehow it didn't feel too busy or jam-packed in. I think it loses a star because the climax was a bit rushed for me.

Five years ago, five cheerleaders died, two in a car accident, two were murdered by their creepy neighbor, and the one remaining committed suicide. The cheerleading squad disbanded and the families were left to pick up the pieces.
Monica's sister, Jennifer, was the cheerleader that took her own life, and Monica still hasn't come to terms with her death. She finds Jenn's phone and tries to understand what happened those last few days of her life.
This is a great mystery! The point of view alternates between current events, and the past, leading you down the path to the truth. The twist is one I did not see coming, and I was very surprised by the ending.

After reading both “The Darkest Corners” and “Little Monsters” by Kara Thomas, it’s safe to say I was a big fan of hers. When I saw that she had a new novel coming out, I HAD to get my hands on it! However (and I’m sad to say this)...this novel feels like her weakest one so far, in my opinion. I didn’t feel like the story line was super plausible, and it felt a little cheesy to me. I gave “The Cheerleaders” 3 stars because it was decent, but it definitely didn’t capture me like her previous books have done.
**Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for allowing me to read this novel!**

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this title! 3.5 Stars.

It’s been five years since Monica’s sister Jen died, a suicide that never seemed to make sense. Five years since the car accident that took the lives of two other cheerleaders, and the murderer of two more. That was the last time that the high school even had a cheerleading team.

Monica, now sixteen, is having trouble with the anniversary of her sister’s death coming up, and is also having some issues of her own. She chose to terminate her unexpected pregnancy after a summer fling (with a teacher - but nobody needs to know about that), and can’t seem to let go of the past or shake the depression that’s plaguing her. With the help of a few new friends, Monica decides to look deeper into the deaths of the five cheerleaders, hoping that maybe some sense can be made of all the tragedy.

This mystery had a fair amount of twists and turns, lies and red herrings. It was well-written, and I can absolutely believe it was from the point of view of a sixteen year old girl, given the amount of rumors and hearsay that were seen as clues. (“A said that B was dating C, and D said that B didn’t know that A said that....”) Overall, an enjoyable read.

I absolutely loved this book. I gasped aloud towards the end and postponed my plans for the evening because I had to know what was going to happen next! This book does a great job of bringing suspense in, and gives away just enough details that the reader can make guesses with the narrator.

Deeply satsfying mystery with cheerleading! Pure pleasure to read.

Pretty standard teen whodunit mystery that's elevated above the rest by strong writing and good characters. Nothing particularly memorable to point out here, but a good recommendation for teens who seek this kind of thing out.

I could not put this book down! The Cheerleaders, told primarily though the point of view of Monica Rayburn, follows her investigation of her sister's presumed suicide and the death of four other cheerleaders during a short few weeks span five years prior. Two of the other cheerleaders were in a car accident and the other two were murdered. Monica navigates her way through contacting estranged connections of her sister's, tracking down a kid who'd been expelled, tricking a police officer into giving her access to a police database. Monica is crafty, determined and desperate to find out the truth, but nothing is quite what is seems on the surface and the truth may be more than Monica wants to find out.

A much more involving and less trite mystery than I feared it would be from the title. :-)

This is a hard book to review. It is one that begs to be read in one sitting because it has a certain soap opera-y, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink drama to it. At the same time, this book deals with many sensitive issues and does not always do so with finesse.

After reading Little Monsters I could not wait to read The Cheerleaders and it did not let me down.
Ms. Thomas knows how to weave a tale that is believable and realistic.
This store will keep you hooked from the first to the last page.

I really enjoyed this title, yet is was still torn at the end on how to rate it. I love a good mystery/thriller here and there and this definitely hit the spot, but there were a few flaws that made me cautious to read more from this author.
I really liked the characters and the writing that created them. Monica and Ginny are great female leads that are well developed and interact wonderfully. Even minor characters, like Alexa or Mike, are three dimensional and fully involved in the story. I really related to the whole story and all the characters. I didn’t feel as if any of them were lacking or underdone which is quite rare in a young adult novel.
The writing was fantastic. Thomas’ language was spot on and kept the book flowing easily. I was transported to the suburban town and could see what the characters were doing as the story went on. There were no dragging points for me. Everything got faster and faster as the mystery grew and grew.
The couple of bothersome attributes were mostly minor and didn’t fully diminish the story for me, but mostly dealt with character relationships. I did not understand Monica’s sudden aversion to her friends. I know that it mirrors her sister from five years ago to be avoiding those closest to her, yet it doesn’t seem fluid for Monica. And her and Ginny’s relationship is too trusting, too quickly. Without a more concrete reason (in my experiences, most girls talk to their friends about romantic relationships, not strangers) than Brandon, Monica’s dependence on Ginny seems pushed. Once this happened although, I was able to push through and accept it for the story’s sake.
I was not satisfied with the ending either. The whole reveal was somewhat predictable, as this character only showed up enough to keep him on radar and followed a common trope in YA thrillers, but was mostly enjoyable to read. The follow up from Ginny’s past was an even better twist and gave a great insight into the girl’s lives. What bothered me is that Monica wanted to know what happened with her sister and we never really get an answer to that. There is a small nudge to accept things the way they are, but no real explanation is given.
On the whole, I liked the book a lot and hope to see it being checked out by my YA mystery readers. I will recommend as it is fast paced and well written. I’ll need to read another from this author to see the differences and similarities, yet I look forward to it.

This was a very suspenseful, gripping read. I stayed up half the night to finish the book and see who really killed the Sunnybrook cheerleaders. I have always been a fan of mysteries and thrillers, and to read one targeted at teenagers was very refreshing. I know there are other such teen mysteries such as One of Us is Lying, and after reading The Cheerleaders I am likely to start reading others of the same genre as well.

The cover of the book is what drew me to this story. I love a good thriller, I am used to reading adult thrillers so this is a much less gruesome read.

I thought the characters were pretty believable and having the additions of her sister's POV added to the story and understanding what happened.

I enjoyed the twists and turns in the book as she tried to figure out what really happened to her sister and the other cheerleaders. I was not expecting it to turn out the way it did after reading the first chapter, I probably should have but didn't.

I love it when a mystery keeps me guessing until the very end. The Cheerleaders did that, and I was completely surprised by the ending. I was hooked from the first page to the last. Definitely a great read for high schoolers who like a good mystery and for fans of books like One of Us is Lying.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.
I have previously read Little Monsters by Kara Thomas about 2 months ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm very picky with mystery/thriller type books because I have read so many that I have gotten very good at guessing the ending or what is predictable. The Cheerleader is about a girl named Monica whose sister was a cheerleader and died 5 years ago. She was only one of five cheerleader's who died in weird or accidental ways all within one month. Since those death's, the school has not had a cheerleading team and Monica is on the dance team and is a junior.
The book starts at the start of the school year after Monica has just had an abortion, which is only known by her mother and herself. She had a fling with a guy named Brandon when she worked at the Country Club over the summer and then at the start of the school year he is the new track coach. Don't worry their relationship does not continue but it is extremely uncomfortable for Monica. One day Monica is in her stepfather's office who is a police officer and find's her older sister Jen's cell phone from five years ago. Keep in mind that her sister supposedly killed herself 5 years ago after the accident that took two cheerleaders lives and another brutal murder of her two best friends that were also cheerleaders. Monica starts to wonder if there is more to the story than her stepfather has let on. They supposedly found the killer of Susan and Juliana. He was a neighbor Jack Canning and was acting suspicious when the girls were found, and the police followed him inside where he appeared to be reaching for a gun in a drawer, so he was shot by Monica's stepfather. As Monica starts looking into things that don't add up she texts an unknown phone number she found on her sister's old phone who was the last person to call her before she died. This person turns out to be Ethan McCready who tells her she should start to look more in depth to what happened between the murder, her sister, and the previous car accident which killed two senior cheerleaders. Throughout this time frame she starts to become good friends with a girl named Ginny who is also on the dance team and yearbook who helps her dig into the mystery.
The style of writing switches back between five years ago from the sister Jen's perspective when she was still alive starting from the accidents and back to Monica's perspective that is currently happening now. This helps the reader connect the dots between what is going on that happened and what the sister discovers. Kara Thomas' books have not been predictable, and I love it. She takes you through all these different possible suspects and the last 10% is usually when the protagonist figures out who it is and the reason why they murdered someone. That isn't the only shock though the very end you will get one last surprise before it is concluded. This was very well written and it was a great quick read.

I will post this review on Goodreads two weeks before the release and on my blog. www.sehuffreviews.wordpress.com

don't want to give too much away with my review... but this book is fun, creepy, and mysterious! It follows Monica (present day) and her late sister Jen (5 years ago). Jen's story is told the few weeks and days before her death, and Monica's is as she attempts to figure out exactly what happened to her sister's friends-- "the cheerleaders," who all ended up mysteriously dead in a matter of months.

I would recommend this to HS readers who enjoyed books like Choker or People Like Us

This was a fast read. The story was unique and interesting. The characters were good, and I liked them. I just wanted to keep reading to see what happened. It does tackle a couple of tough issues, but real issues nonetheless. I highly recommend it!

This book is so good and engrossing. I couldn't put it down and read it in a day. It reminds me of the first book in the pretty little liar series, and exit, pursued by a bear.