Page-turning mystery!

5 cheerleaders in a small town die, in 3 separate incidents, within a month’s time. Is it a coincidence or is there something sinister going on in the town of Sunnybrook?

“Some people say a curse fell over our town five years ago.”

The Cheerleaders is a compulsively readable YA mystery with a strong, intelligent female lead.

When Monica Rayburn finds her sister’s phone hidden in her stepfather's desk, she begins searching for clues about what might have led her sister, Jen, to commit suicide 5 years ago. No one in Monica’s family likes to talk about what happened to Jen, so she begins to look for answers on her own. As she begins to put the pieces together, not only does Jen’s death seem suspect, she realizes something is off about the deaths of 4 other cheerleaders.

Told primarily from Monica’s POV, as she finds clues about the deaths of the girls, perspective shifts to Jen in the weeks that lead up to her death. Monica’s character is dynamic; she’s appropriately angsty but at the same time sincere. I thought Thomas did a good job of painting a realistic picture of a high school junior struggling to find out who she is and what she stands for, while at the same time capturing small-town dynamics.

The Cheerleaders is a dark, traditional mystery that uses social media to enable Monica to gain a glimpse into her sister’s life before her death. This a tension-packed read filled with some inappropriate and creepy characters. I figured out some events early on, but I didn’t know the why of what happened. The ending felt a little a rushed and the final chapter had me groaning. For me, this would have been stronger if some loose ends remained unsolved. With that being said, I still recommend to those who love a good mystery!
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I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Random House Children's/Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review.

I could not put this down. Amazing twists and turns!!! Characters started the action going right away, and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for an ARC copy of the book. As always, an honest review.

My rating is actually 3.5 stars, but since there aren't half stars I always round up.

The Cheerleaders is a fun, yet dark young adult novel that captivated me from beginning to end. In the span of a few weeks, 5 girls from the local high school cheerleading team were dead. Murders, accidents, suicides, but is that what really happened?

The book quickly drew me in and held my attention throughout. I absolutely flew through this quick read. Definitely something you could read and still comprehend while tired or in a noisy place. I also enjoyed that the narrator is one of the dead girls' younger sisters. Monica and her friend Ginny were likable and smart, making the story work well. I find that if I don't connect with the main characters or at least understand their motives, I rarely enjoy the book. Not an issue at all in The Cheerleaders.

However the plot trope of teenagers trying to solve a crime that the police can't or got wrong has been done a lot. It's easy to overlook in this book, but it's worth noting. Also, every characters has a distinct role in solving the mystery. Which in theory sounds great, but left me feeling as if certain characters were just being used for what they could bring to the solving the mystery, instead of actual relationships or character development.

Overall, The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas is worth a read in my opinion. Fun, serious, with a mystery that will keep you turning the pages. Perfect for those hot summer days when you want to escape into a book for awhile.

Well, I enjoyed this but it started to get blah toward the end. I had fun trying to figure out what was going on and I did enjoy this but it was just okay. Fun quick read but don't expect it to be amazing.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Five of the Sunnybrook High cheerleaders mysteriously and eerily died within days of each other five years ago. Colleen and Bethany died in a horrific car accident. A few days later, Susan and Juliana were murdered at a sleepover. Last was Jennifer, who committed suicide soon after the deaths of her teammates. The cheerleading squad was disbanded after the tragedies, and Sunnybrook High hasn’t had one since.

Monica Rayburn, Jennifer’s younger sister, was in middle school at the time of the deaths, but was great,y affected by the loss of her sister. Now a junior at Sunnybrook, she is on the dance team, which takes up most of her time, but her life takes a different turn when she starts looking into the deaths of the cheerleaders. Did the girls really die in a freak, random fashion, or are the deaths connected? Monica is determined to find out what happened to her sister and the other girls, no matter what the cost.

Reading Kara Thomas’ The Cheerleaders is like peeling away the layers of an onion. The protagonist, Monica, doesn’t believe her sister died by suicide, nor that the deaths of the other girls are coincidental ... and she is going to get to the bottom of this mystery. Readers are taken on the hunt as Monica uncovers clues, and tracks down people who were in her sister’s life, much like a modern day Nancy Drew. Intermingled with the suspense are vignettes on self-worth and friendship, making The Cheerleaders more than just a teenage thriller.

If The Cheerleaders has a fault, it lies within the last quarter of the book. Things begin happening at a rapid pace, leaving the reader puzzling over how they got to this point. Furthermore, not wanting to make the book longer in order to investigate these plot points, Thomas lets the characters explain them away, which is a personal pet peeve of mine. Lastly, Jennifer is brought to life through flashbacks, and we get a first-hand glimpse into the weeks leading up to the deaths of the cheerleaders. However, we don’t really get a clear, detailed picture of her emotional state at the time, and the waters there are left kind of murky about her perpetuated suicide.

In all, The Cheerleaders is a well-written psychological thriller for young readers, which will also appeal to adult readers who don’t mind going without the tightly woven twists and turns and heart-stopping revelations that are often worked into adult suspense.

A quick and easy read for psychological thriller fans. Following the mysterious deaths of a group of cheerleaders, the sister of one of the cheerleaders tries to solve the murders as the fifth anniversary of their death approaches. Thomas does try to interweave a lot of different elements into the story and it is pretty predictable, but still kept me engaged until the end.

This was an absorbing "junky" teen novel that kept my attention. There were a few problematic parts but overall it was a great distraction read, not too heavy, not too twisty, nicely predictable, and no emotional investments.

This book kept me on my toes and guessing. The multiple distractions and multiple deaths kept me interested the entire time. The story also had a lot of depth for a YA murder mystery. Many of the characters discuss how to move on after a tragedy. It also reflects on the idea that good people may do bad things in life. I want to recommend it to all of my high school students to read. I worry about the backlash from parents about the main character recovering from an abortion in the first ten pages of the book. It's after the fact and discussing the feelings of the choice, but I think I'll have to recommend to select students. I would absolutely recommend to all of my adult friends.

Posted to Goodreads: For a more in-depth review watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvvAQ5FWZcU&feature=youtu.be

Sunnybrook High doesn't have a cheerleading squad. They used to then everything happened five years ago. First, there was the car accident where two cheerleaders were killed then came the murder which killed two other girls and finally there was the suicide. Now, five years later Monica has decide it's time to find out what really happened to the Sunnybrook cheerleaders because Monica's sister was the one who committed suicide and Monica knows there's no way her sister would take her own life. But as Monica investigates what happened all those years ago she finds herself in serious danger.

This book felt like a very basic mystery but it worked. The story of what happened to the cheerleaders and Monica's investigation was incredibly readable and compelling. Monica's journey through her sister's past was was well plotted with the mystery unravelling perfectly. The ending did seem to tie everything up a little to neatly however the rest of the book worked so well that the issues didn't really impact my opinion. The book is definitely a must read for fans of YA mysteries.

This is my first Kara Thomas book, and after having read it I can't say I'm going to go back and read her backlist. The Cheerleaders is about connecting dots. Five years ago, three separate incidents resulted in five dead girls and the disbandment of the high school's cheerleading team. The mystery is rooted in how nothing seemingly connects the incidents--except the fact that all the girls were cheerleaders and they happened in quick succession: a car accident, a double homicide, and a suicide. So, what connects the dots? Monica, sister of the cheerleader dead by suicide, is determined to find out.

There are a suitable amount of red herrings tossed around which kept me turning pages, but the book feels lopsided. Monica spends most of her time trying to solve the murders, hoping that if she can find the true killer she'll be able to connect them to the accident and the supposed suicide, thereby proving that coincidences never happen. Ultimately, a killer is revealed (in a twist you can see coming a mile off), tying off the murders well enough, but the book can't seem to dedicate enough time to why Monica's sister killed herself and hastily explains the accident in a coda that feels unfinished. Ultimately, the book is never about connecting dots. It's just that horrible things happen, often time in threes, and sometimes to people who knew each other. Is that satisfying? Maybe for some, but for a book that kept me hooked on a premise it never intended to deliver, I feel a little cheated.

As far as the characters, I had a hard time distinguishing the dead girls from the living girls--all the Rachels and Colleens and Bethanys...who the heck knows who is who? And then there are social problems. The book opens up on Monica's abortion, which is a bold stroke but is immediately dropped the second it stops physically hurting. Then there's the statutory rape, which the book allows Monica to blame on herself. These are some heavy plot points, but the book doesn't do anything with them. They're just there, and everything works out in the end, so move on, okay?

So, eh. Kept me reading, but the simplicity and mental leaps annoyed me in points and didn't make me want to read anything else by the author. Good for fans of occasional mysteries.

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas- This is the same author who wrote the riveting Little Monsters, & she is still on a roll with this one. Almost five years have passed since 5 cheerleaders died in one school year. Monica's sister Jen was the last to die when she apparently committed suicide. Monica has a feeling the deaths weren't as unrelated as they seem & her suspicions skyrocket when she discovers her sister's old cellphone & several letters with a pic of the lost girls stating "connect the dots". I will definitely be ordering this one for VHS. Keeps you guessing until the very end.
#TheCheerleaders #NetGalley

This gripping page-turner from Kara Thomas is perfect for fans wondering what to read now that they've finished One of Us is Lying. A must buy for YA collections where thrillers are popular.

I enjoyed that this story kept me guessing and engaged. I felt like I was close to figuring out the circumstances behind how all these deaths connected, but was proven wrong. This story did feel haunting, and when violent crimes/suicide/abuse is involved, it certainly isn't an easy subject (can be triggering for some). It does help bring some closure to main character's family and the older sister's friend/romantic interest who is wrongly judged for the role he played. Simply, this was a good story, but I wish there was more character development with Monica, and it left an unsettling feeling, because there is always more to the story and details omitted for fear of judgment. I did like the chapters that were in the older sister's voice, because it helped me gain insight about what events contributed to her death.

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas is a book that you'll want to complete in just one sitting. This story had me riveted from the very first chapter. The story is told in both the present day as well as 5 years in the past and alternates between Monica and her sister, Jen. Jen and four of her fellow cheerleaders all die in three separate tragedies over the span of one month. Monica is now old enough to begin questioning whether the three accidents were really all random or whether there is a connection between them that no one has yet discovered. This book has lots of suspense and a great ending. Read and enjoy!

A twisty thriller for the YA set. Typical teen girl drama gets in the way as Monica tries to figure out if the string of cheerleader deaths which ended with her older sister's suicide five years ago were what they seemed? Her biggest motivation is proving her sister did not commit suicide and in the four cheerleaders who died in the weeks before are all tangled up in the same web. Ginny Montero is a new girl on the dance team with Monica and becomes a lifeline for her -- a source of support and a help in tracing down leads. Through it all, Monica forges better relationships with her mom, stepfather and baby brother. Took one point off for a plot thread that seemed largely ignored regarding Monica's previous summer relationship.

I received a digital ARC from Random House and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A fabulous YA thriller!

I feel like thriller/mystery in YA is a vastly underrated genre, and The Cheerleaders proves that. This book was absolutely thrilling and truly keeps the reader guessing until the last pages. The narrator isn’t a cookie-cutter perfect American teen but you can’t help but be on her side. Really enjoyed this one!

Several years ago many cheerleaders died. While there deaths seem unrelated, is it possible that they remain unsolved murders? Monica was the younger sister of the last cheerleader to die. While her sister’s death was ruled a suicide, Monica cannot believe that her perfect sister would ever take that action. In the wake of the anniversaries of these deaths, Monica begins going through her sister’s things and investigating leads from the time. She must keep this dangerous investigation hidden from her police officer stepfather, while talking to some rough characters.

There were many red herrings in this novel and any one of them could have legitimately contributed to the deaths of the cheerleaders. I wasn’t shocked by the ending, but I also wasn’t entirely convinced who-done-what until the ending was revealed.

Although very determined, I never got a sense of what type of girl Monica was. The other characters also lacked development and nuance. The plot moved quickly which was good but the story was not special.

Great murder mystery! Relatable characters, enough clues for readers to make predictions, but not completely predictable, and kept me reading long into the night. Good stuff!

This book is being touted as a young adult thriller and THRILL me it did. Wow. I ended up finishing this one in a day because it was that good and I couldn't put it down. From the very beginning, I was hooked:

"This house was made for someone without a soul. So I guess it makes sense that my mother wanted it so badly. I can imagine how her eyes lit up when she walked through the five-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath new construction. I'll bet she thinks this house is the answer to what's wrong with us."

Those are the opening words and you just sit there with a foreboding feeling from the get-go.

Kara Thomas provides some realistic leads and your suspicion is constantly changing. She throws in a number of red herrings which I appreciated because I can't stand when I'm reading a thriller and have guessed the "killer" or "solved the crime" before I'm even halfway through the book. So, thank you for this. Speaking to this, the killer is someone who makes sense for the story. The person is not just some random character thrown in by Kara Thomas.

As a protagonist, Monica is a character that I liked for the most part. She didn't really annoy me at all though it drove me crazy how she was with her mom (or how her mom was with her). But, this is very realistic of the relationship between a teenage girl and her mother. The only thing that did bother me, and seemed pointless to the story, was the whole abortion-being-alluded-to-thing. Was it really necessary to the story? I understand the point, I suppose, but necessary? No. I don't think so. I'm not at all against the inclusion of a young protagonist who is dealing with an unwanted pregnancy followed by an abortion (that's a very real reality in today's world) but I don't think it was purposeful for the story, honestly. So that would be one of the things that I'd change.

I think this is going to be a book that my students are really going to enjoy in the young adult thriller genre. I can't wait to introduce it to them!