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.

Sunnybrook is a town without a cheerleading squad. First came the car crash killing two girls. Then there was the murder of two more members of the squad. When a fifth member of the squad dies under tragic circumstances the squad is disbanded.

Now, five years later, the school is working on planning a memorial and the last thing Monica wants to do is remember what happened to her sister, especially while dealing with the upheaval in her life as it is. But when Monica stumbles on to a mystery she can't help but be drawn in. Who was her sister talking to the day she died? Did her step-father, a police officer, shoot the correct murder suspect?

I loved <i>Little Monsters</i> by Kara Thomas and was hoping that this title would be super enjoyable as well. I was not disappointed. This book drew me in and kept me turning the page long after I should have gone to bed. I had to know what happened to Monica's sister. And I had to know who the real killer was.

Thomas is really good at making you believe that you know who the guilty party is and then turning everything on its head. Often I can figure out the way these stories are going to play out, but not so with this one. It kept me guessing until the end.

Damn. Arc provided by NetGalley. 4 stars.

I was actually surprised by the twisty ending in this mystery. So, 5 years before the story begins, 5 cheerleaders die in 3 separate incidents. Two in a car crash, two were murdered, and one killed herself. The one who killed herself’s name is Jen, and was the sister of the lead character, Monica. Around the fifth anniversary of all their deaths, Monica stumbles upon something that makes her suspect things weren’t as they seemed.

The author captures the high school environment pretty well; I thought it veered away from those kinds of cliques mostly, especially with Monica. She is a strong and complicated character, who really grows in this book. Some of the middle parts were a bit slow with the development of the mystery, but the conclusion really brought it home.

The minor side characters sometimes blended together in their same-ness but it wasn’t distracting. Good, intriguing mystery with strong lead.

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!

Monica is a teenage girl whode older sister, Jennifer, had killed herself five years prior to the telling of the story. Just a few months before that, Jennifer‘s two best friends were killed in a car accident, and the other two were murdered. The police did not link the five deaths of all these cheerleaders together, but when Monica starts noticing discrepancies in the stories of the people involved, including mysterious letters in her step father’s desk drawer, she sets out to solve the murders.

Kara Thomas is a master at crafting a dark, delicious story full of surprising twists and turns that the reader never suspects. She also creates multilayered characters that feel real and genuine. The ending of this particular book was not only shocking, but highly satisfying in a strange way. It also answers quite a few of the questions that were left openended, and gives the reader a conclusion that will stay with them long after they close the book.

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 fun YA book. It is a quick read and an interesting plot about a high school girl named Monica. Her sister and some of her friends died a few years earlier and Monica starts investigating what happened. It is an interesting premise and an enjoyable read. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a good clean mystery.

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 spent a lot of my time reading this book annoyed with the main character. I didn't agree with a lot of her choices and I think she did some unnecessarily risky things. She also alienated herself from her friends while trying to solve this case, which I understand since her sister was involved, but what bugged me was when she'd notice something off about them she wouldn't say anything and just let it go. There was also a weird super small romantic subplot with the main character that I don't think was necessary. I think the story could have done without it.

This book was kind of lacking in the mystery thriller element. To me, the identity of the murderer was pretty obvious and a little cliché to be honest. The ending was good though and pretty satisfying.

Overall this was a pretty average mystery story. The writing did pull me in and I needed to know how the book ended but I felt nothing for most of the characters and was annoyed more often than I would have liked. Still, I'd recommend it for those who want an addicting read that's predictable.

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