Title: #murdertrending
Author: Gretchen McNeil
Genre: YA/horror
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

In a near-future where society is obsessed with social media, followers, and apps, The Postman app is the newest big thing. Alcatraz 2.0 takes convicted killers and puts them in a suburbia setting on Alcatraz, where serial killers hunt them down and kill them in graphic, theatrical detail for those watching on the app.

Dee’s sister, Monica, was obsessed with the app, so when Dee wakes up in a deserted warehouse, she knows immediately she’s been sent to Alcatraz 2.0 for the murder of her sister. With social media buzzing with bets on the quickness of her demise, Dee decides she’s not going to just roll over and die.

Instead, Dee takes on the notorious serial killers, determined that this princess is going to rescue herself—and prove her innocence. She just has to survive the worst the island has to offer.

#murdertrending was, to me, a scary look at a future that wouldn’t surprise me at all if it came true, considering how our culture is changing. The characters were a bit underdeveloped, and the identity of The Postman didn’t surprise me at all—the foreshadowing was a little heavy-handed—but it was a quick, easy read. If you’re squeamish, you might want to give this a pass, as it’s pretty graphic.

Gretchen McNeil is a trained opera singer, former circus performer and voice over artist, and current author. Her newest novel is #murdertrending.

(Galley provided by Disney/Freeform in exchange for an honest review.)

Basically a horror movie in print format, and I am not a fan of horror movies. It's got a great premise, though, and despite plot holes aplenty, the fast-paced story kept me reading all the way through instead of DNF. The decision to start the story in the middle of an execution scene made for a lot of flashback exposition and that got the book off to a slow start, but it picks up quickly. There is a copious amount of death and gore, but the characters are pretty one-dimensional, so there's not too much angst as they are picked off in various gruesome scenarios. I will definitely hand this one to horror fans and reluctant readers.

Thanks to Freeform Books for the free advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

When I saw the cover for this one, my attention was immediately caught. I then read the synopsis and had to dive in! #MURDERTRENDING is a very a unique read with some memorable characters.

Dee wakes up in a warehouse and knows the worst is about to happen. Millions of people are tuning in to watch her die. She has been convicted for a gruesome crime that she didn't commit - the murder of her stepsister. The Postman App like streams life on what is being called Alcatraz 2.0. Convicted criminals are sent there and are then murdered by different killers on the island. Justice being served, right?

I will say that I really enjoyed the different killers and their gimmicks. This definitely made me think of THE RUNNING MAN by Richard Bachman (Stephen King). Not necessarily in what they did, but the fact that there were different character names and methods for each killer. As Dee tries avoiding death on Alcatraz 2.0, she meets other teens that were convicted of murders they didn't commit.

I will always love seeing social media being incorporated into thrillers. The author did a great job illustrating the impact that The Postman App has on the public. Many justify these killings because it is justice being served and these are criminals. There are the others that are convinced this is all a big set up and have their conspiracy theories. If you're looking for a YA thriller novel with a unique concept and some memorable characters, then I would highly recommend this one.

I give this 4/5 stars!

If The Hunger Games was written in 2018, it would be this book. A gory, twisting dystopian horror novel that's also strangely political. An ex-reality star as the incompetent President of the United States? Hmmmmmm.

CW: murder, gore, and more murder and gore. Don't read this if you can't stomach any Halloween movies at all.

In #MurderTrending, Dee is framed for her stepsister's murder and sent to an island where serial killers with secret identities can kill you at any moment, while the whole thing is televised for entertainment. Fandoms, cults, and pop culture form as the reality show takes off across America and is apparently the "solution" to the crime problem in the country. Dee and her friends form a Death Row Breakfast Club, or, as the followers irritatingly refer to it, #DRBC, to solve the mystery of the island and its true purpose. And yeah, I guessed almost every plot twist in the whole book.

I loved loved loved McNeil's Ten, another mystery thriller set in a creepily specific stranded island. I went into this deliciously unique novel expecting something similar... and was sorely disappointed. I've been hitting so many poor ARCs recently, and it's discouraging. This book took me so long to read, I couldn't understand it. It was a bit slow for the first 1/3 or so, but as it picked up I found myself wanting to read it more often--but then I would read and read and only a few pages would go by. I still don't understand how science explains that inconvenient and frustrating concept of reading. It's the worst, and did cause me to drop a star just for the unpleasant reading experience.

I think my least favorite part of the entire novel though was the ridiculous fandom part. I was reading an e-ARC with poor formatting to begin with, so I could not understand the stats, tweets, or any of the multi-media format. I'm not even sure it adds anything to the story besides red herrings or further expanding of the digital aspect of the island. And why all the ridiculous villains? It just didn't make much sense to me, and I don't care for confusing or unrealistic plots.

As for the characters, I didn't care about any of them at all, except for, ironically, Mara. The romance wasn't well-fleshed out either, and the ending was absolutely cheap and made me angry. Complete set-up for an unnecessary second book. So why the two stars? I found the middle to be actually interesting and paced well, so I read that in one sitting. The rest of the book took thirteen days. I wouldn't recommend this book, but Ten is excellent so read that instead. It has less of an appealing cover but won't feel like a waste of time afterwards.

Thank you to Netgalley and Freeform for sending me a digital ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinions.

It's some time in the near future and someone has come up with an app to live stream criminals getting killed in brutal ways by other killers for all to see. It's called the Postman App and it seems a lot of people like to watch this app.

There are two different stories that intertwine as the story progresses. Dee was kidnapped when she was eleven and has PTSD but things where going okay for her until her step sister is killed and she finds herself in Alcatraz 2.0. The only thing is is Dee knows she is innocent, she didn't killer her sister and it looks like Prince Slycer is coming for her, but she grabs something and wams him and he ends up dead.

Nobody kills the killers and it was done on live streaming and because of how she is dressed up she is called #cinderellasurvivor and in a whole lot of trouble. Nobody really wants anything to do with her but the ragtag bunch she works with (yes they have jobs) at I Scream the ice cream shop. They eventually get called the Death Row Breakfast Club because it's an oddball group.

Eventually Dee realizes that the postman wants to punish her by going after her new friends of sorts because can you really trust others in Alcatraz 2.0. The postman has an agenda and staying alive is not going to be easy.

So it's pretty much your typical slasher style read but there was times when I got super bored with it towards the middle and thought the author could have cut about 50 pages or so and made it a bit action packed. I wasn't a huge fan of any of the characters mainly because I was never sure if one was a bad guy and I kept thinking one is going to be bad, so I never allowed myself to like any of them. Especially since I knew somewhere going to die. They are your typical teen group, the jock, the nerdy guy, the macho girl, etc. Dee becomes sort of the leader of the bunch and I thought it was super amazing how she could take down all the killers who are adults and obviously been killing for a long time, but hey I went with it.  It was real easy to figure out who was doing things and I am not sure if it was meant to be that easy or I just read to many of these types of books. 

The ending was left open and at the time I was a bit confused about how it ended then I found out there will be a sequel called #murderfunding so that made the ending better. I will probably try the next one as I am curious what is going to happen to those left on the island. 

3.5 stars Don't have room on my blog this month so I am posting it next month but I will be mentioning it on my new booktube channel this week.

#Murdertrending is both creepy and engrossing at the same time, and I don’t know if this is related to the deepest horrors of human psychology.
I found myself reading this quicker than I normally would have (if we’re not counting the days I procrastinated), and while I should have turned away from this book in horror instantly, I didn’t. Maybe that says something about me or human nature in general. 🙈

#Murdertrending gives off Hunger Games vibes
We have Dee Guerrera, a girl who is supposedly guilty of murdering her stepsister and is sent to Alcatraz 2.0, a prison for those who are convicted of murdering someone. The entire prison is full of killers, and they never know when they’ll be the next person whose murder will be publicized for all to see. It’s Hunger Games without fighting amongst the inmates, or rather capital punishment for the entertainment of millions of people.

(And Death Row Breakfast Club, which is a fitting name for Dee and her friends.)

I can’t tell if I’m disappointed in the last few scenes.
#Murdertrending gave off that video game vibe sometimes – Press X and get a reagent! – as Dee found herself facing off against the government-sanctioned killers who are in charge of killing the inmates one by one. Fortunately for Dee and the reader’s cruel enjoyment, she still has some obstacles in her way.

To be honest, this felt tied to current politics in the US
Maybe this is me being very critical and overthinking, but McNeil’s latest book felt really relevant to what is currently going on today (added on with the social media snippets). Only this one is more fictionalized and brutal with a lot more death and blood. And heads rolling, among other disturbing things.

#Murdertrending is very plot-driven
If you’re looking for character development, there won’t be much of it. McNeil’s latest novel is plot-driven to the core, fast-paced and action-packed.

That ending though…
I did NOT see that coming – I mean, I should have, but I didn’t. McNeil kept me distracted from what was really going on in the story – there is so much going on that I didn’t focus on being a step ahead and putting it all together before the story came together on its own.

This smells of a sequel?!?!?!
I have no clue if this is true or not (sounds like it is according to various sources and Google searches), but I am all for a sequel if it happens since I am immensely curious about what happens to the characters who survive the first novel. (Do I sound like a horrible person now?)

#Murdertrending is deliciously dark and twisted – it’s very plot-driven and action-packed that will keep you turning the pages despite how gross it may make you feel.

This was not my typical read, as I’d say it’s more in the YA horror vein, but it was really fast-paced and a lot of fun to read. Characters and backstory were a little underwhelming but the speed and interesting premise made up for it. Some of it was pretty cheesy but I couldn’t put it down so it fits in great with summer reads. I received an advance reader’s copy from Netgalley and Disney Book Group for my honest review. This book took me 4 hours to read.

I received #MurderTrending from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Released August 7th, 2018.

I am going to do a quick review of this book, because it’s better to know very little when going into it.

#MurderTrending was so dang good! I was sucked in fairly quickly. It felt really fast paced, which I love. Lots of different things going on and a lot of mystery behind it. Some things I did figure out, but it was exciting saying “I knew it!!”. It also kept me guessing a lot too and that was fun. I loved the characters and was rooting for them the entire time. It gets pretty gory at times, but I actually like that kind of thing. #MurderTrending was right up my alley.

Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this one. I loved that it was fast pace, kept you guessing, and had great characters AKA the Death Row Breakfast Club. :P It was hard to put down and I would #HighlyRecommend reading this one.

**Thank you so much to Freeform for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review!**

In the past, I've read and loved some of McNeil's other novels, like 3:59. That's why I had such high hopes for #murdertrending, plus it has a sort of science fiction/dystopian feel to it, which made me even more excited.

what i liked

-The concept. I loved the idea of there being an island where felons are sent to, yet they live a sort of normal life while there. They have jobs, they have a nice house, they get to hang out with friends. Yet, everything is broadcast through an app called The Postman where the entire world can watch and see who is going to be murdered next. It's sickening yet so intriguing.
-The cast of characters. I learned to love Dee and everyone she met, which kept me so interested and helped to keep my attention throughout the entire novel. I really couldn't put it down. Even the executioners were interesting, like Prince Slycer.
-It was creepy! It was sort of a cross between a thriller and a dystopian, so there were definitely some parts that were creepier than I thought they would've been. I've also never been able to thoroughly enjoy thrillers that have a slight mystery to them, like #murdertrending does. Yet, I couldn't see the plot twist coming in this one which I definitely loved! It was a nice surprise for me.
-THE ENDING. I obviously don't want to go into it, but you'll be surprised!!
-This would so easily make a great movie. I picture it like The Purge, but on a whole new level.

what i disliked
I-t's not part of a series but I wish it was! I want to know what else is going to happen in this world that McNeil created!

Very cool concept, but very predictable. With some additional twists and turns, this would have been a wild ride.

I can’t believe that I finished this book in only two days. I’m actually surprised I finished it. The description of this book intrigued me but when I started reading, I wasn’t sure if I’d like it. It’s intense, suspenseful, and gruesome at times. I just couldn’t stop! I would recommend to teens who are not afraid of horror movies. Warning: this is not for the faint of heart!

This book was tailor made for me. A darkly comic story about murder? Drag queen serial killers? Ridiculous and unnecessarily elaborate murders? All of it topped with a razor sharp wit and heart? Sign me up.

#Murdertrending follows seventeen year old Dee Gutierrez, who after being convicted of murdering her stepsister is sent to Alcatraz 2.0, a suburban prison populated by other murderers and government sanctioned serial killers who dole out capital punishment streamed live for all to see.

McNeil is known for her thrillers and I appreciated the dark comedy angle she took with this book. It offers commentary on voyeurism, ratings, and the desire for recognition. And while a lot of it has been shown in other books, #Murdertrending is such a fun, creative, premise that even if I've seen the messages before. The Death Row Breakfast club were great characters and I felt that

My only real qualm with this book was the serial killers themselves. I felt that we never saw enough of them. For a book with so many serial killers there wasn't a lot of blood and gore, which wouldn't be such a bad thing if it wasn't one of the main draws for the book. We're told about the elaborate murders the Painaics do, but almost never see them, which I wish we'd seen them on page or something. Most of the book was dedicated to the mystery around Dee and the commentary, which I enjoyed but if there was just one or two super dramatic, campy, and over the top death scenes it would have really made this spectacular.

**Thanks so much to the publisher for sending me an e-ARC via Netgalley! It did not change my opinion of the book at all!**

WARNING: THERE IS QUITE A BIT OF GORE IN THIS NOVEL. Like, it's actually YA horror and not the fake kind?? So, it brings the gore and the gory descriptions. There is, um, also a lot of murder. If you didn't catch that already.

I think I have to be one of the most contradictory person when it comes to horror things. I refuse to watch horror movies because I can't deal. My paranoia for scary stuff is already at an ultimate high, and seeing things with actual jump scares? Yeah, no thanks. However, give me a horror book? And I might be down. And for this book? I was really down.

If I had to describe this book, I would call it The Purge meets Scream Queens with a dash of Disney Princesses? If that even makes any sense? But honestly, that's the only way to even describe it. This story brings in a wonderful message of just how much we are sensationalizing violence and gore in this country in kind of a cool and unique way that just happened to feature my beloved Disney ladies.

This story tackles our obsession with violence and the sensationalism that comes with it. It also had some interesting notes on what is happening in America right now especially regarding the presidency. It was certainly an interesting look, and to tell the truth, the story got a little scarier page by page because I could honestly see this becoming a thing in our future which each passing day. Which made this a bit of a scary read, tbh.

I thought everything about the premise was really interesting. I thought the villains were unique and so morbidly intriguing. There were just so much creativity between each one. Basically there was so much creativity just jam-packed into each and every thing in this book. I can't even begin to describe everything, but McNeil managed to think of a lot and bring a new game to horror.

Also, the writing was pretty good. As always, I could have done without the gory descriptions - which I did quite often - but I know they are a key point in the horror genre. Besides that, McNeil did a wonderful job with creating suspense, intrigue, and more. As I said, there was a ton of creativity and some humor which was super fun. I could have done without some things and the past moments I wasn't a fan of even though they were a bit crucial to the story. There were some good plot twists in the story as well and I didn't fully get everything that was happening.

The characters were okay. I think that's a lot where the 4 crowns come in instead of the 5. I liked them. I thought Dee and the sidekicks were good...but they weren't great. I mean, I never really connected with any of them. They were a lot of just being there and being okay. I rooted for them, but I mean, I was never invested in them. They definitely quite a bit flat despite being likeable. And Gris totally felt like way too much of a cliche at parts for me. But again, I rooted for them and liked them.

Um, also, THERE WERE SO MANY MENTIONS OF DISNEY PRINCESSES. Like, this is a horror book from Disney publishing, but I never expected all the Disney Princess horror. One of the killers dresses his victims up as Disney Princesses and him their prince, and our MC gets stuck as the "princess" character on Murder Island. GUYS AND GALS, I JUST CAN'T. SO AMAZING. Can they be in every horror novel?????

Overall, this was such an interesting, quirky read that was YA horror done right. If you are not a fan of gore or horror, this book is not for you, but as a person that usually hates it, I did very well with it - enough for a four crown rating! It definitely was so intriguing and unique and I was in SO deep with it. It takes a hard look at the way our culture is going with violence, but it does so in the most interesting way. Plus, Disney Princesses. DISNEY PRINCESSES IN HORROR. 4 crowns and an Ariel rating!

Summary: Sometime in the future, Alacatraz 2.0 (former home to the original Alcatraz prison) is now an island where prisoners convicted of a heinous crime are shipped. AND they are killed off by serial killers released on the island. AND all these criminals running from serial killers on and island is also a reality show produced by someone known as "The Postman." When Dee Guerrero is wrongly convicted of murdering her stepsister and is shipped to Alcatraz 2.0, she knows that the conspiracy theorists must be right about Alcatraz 2.0 being a set up...because she knows she is innocent.
My initial reaction upon finishing: Holy #%@*! Somebody give me another book by this author.
Five reasons why I like this book:
1.) This is a truly original plot. Serial killers set loose to kill...other killers? Come on. When was they last time you heard that one? Not only that, but the serial killers all have a theme. For instance, there's the Barbaric Barista, who dresses like a hipster and kills in a coffee shop, and Molly the Mauler, who uses animals to aid in her atrocities...I could go on, but I don't want to spoil it.
2.) What happened to Dee in the past is just as creepy as Alcatraz 2.0.
3.) All of the characters are at least a little bit suspicious. It will keep you asking "Whodunit?" until the very end.
4.) Many chapters are preceded by fictional social media posts. While the story is definitely fictional, the trolls that abound in these particular posts are quite on point. It makes the reader feel more involved in the story as they start to take sides with the authors of the posts.
5.) Again, this is a pretty far-fetched story. (Hence, fiction). But! There is quite a bit of social commentary underlying the main story. For example, the decision to allow a wealthy, anonymous producer serve his own form of justice to convicted criminals comes from the POTUS and the Justice Department. #realitycheck.
Recommended Reader Age: 12 and up

Quick Summary:

This is a thriller set in the near future where a reality TV star is elected President and agrees to let a producer film executioners killing dangerous inmates sent to Alcatraz 2.0 and stream it live for the world to see. After being framed for killing her step sister and sentenced to the island our main character starts realizes theres more going on then justice being served. Now her only hope is to stay alive long enough to prove her innocence and get off the island, but will she able to stay focused once her past comes back to haunt her.

My Thoughts:

Once at the island our main character Dee is at a disadvantage having never watched the live killing of inmates. It reminded her too much of the time she was kidnapped as a child. While working through her trauma and anxiety she decides to get friendly with a couple other inmates to get more information about the island. Dee was resourceful and smart, but the other female characters werent very good. I know the producer wanted them to fit in certain roles, but we dont really get to see them develop past that. Besides the main character the love interest was probably the one who had the most personality.

I loved the concept with the different excutioners having their own unique style of killing. One of them uses animals to maul the inmates while another uses DIY stuff. It was all pretty unique. I also liked seeing what the watchers were saying in the chats. I thought it was interesting how all the inmates got their own house and job while on the island. I guess that makes for better entertaining then watching them in a cell all day. Theres all kinds of places they can work at like the grocery store or the ice cream store. If they want money to spend at these stores they need to show up for work. No money means no food.

For the most part, I thought the plot was compelling, if a bit too convenient. Things just worked out way too perfectly. I dont understand how characters could forget their only weapon or split up when their in a dangerous situation. I also ended up predicting the big twist which isnt really a good thing when reading a thriller. However there was some minor things I didn't expect. I did find myself wanting the story to hurry along at times so the pace wasnt super gripping. The writing was quick and easy. I didnt expect this to be a duology, but Im intrigued to see how the sequel will play out. With the way things are going politically it wouldnt surprise me if someone tried to make this happen which makes this story even creepier.

This was such a fun book! It was a unique twist on this popular plot. I was hoping for a bit more character development but overall I really liked the characters and their dynamics. Plotwise, the book was really engaging and fast paced. I haven't read any of the author's previous books but I'll have to look into them at some point.

Oh man, did I hate this book. So many times I was tempted to give up and call it a day, but I am not a quitter when it comes to reviewing books. The synopsis of this novel caught my attention immediately when it was announced, and I was so excited to have been approved for the arc, but now I regret having wasted my time. The idea of changing the criminal justice system in this way stuck out to me as something that seems realistic in our future, but the tone and the setting were very much set a decade behind our times.

The story is told from a third-person narrative, which makes it less thrilling and more cliche. At the end of most chapters we get sneaks into the reality show aspect, showing tweets from viewers remarking on what had been streamed. Most of the time I skipped reading the comments because I found them unimportant to the development of the story, and I was already becoming so detached from the plot that I just didn’t care.

Our main character Dee is your typical character in a dystopian - starts off as unimportant and then of course she becomes the centre of everything and all of her friends give up their safety for hers. She was such a boring character to read that didn’t see any gradual development, and instead just seemed to change overnight. For the first while of the novel she was timid and shy, flying under the radar, and the next minute she’s leading her posse ready to start a jail break. There was no transition, so development, and no interest from me.

This novel was so unrealistic and over exaggerated, and the only reason it was so long was because the author used the same descriptive sentences over and over and over again. Overall, this was a terrible read and I have to (regrettably) say that I won’t be picking up another one of Gretchen McNeil’s works in the future. I was so looking forward to finding a young adult horror/thriller author, but this was beyond juvenile for my taste. I really wanted to enjoy this, but without the proper depth and development, it’s not worth the read.

Thank you for providing me with this review copy. I won't be sharing a starred review on Goodreads or my blog since I am unable to give this book 4 or 5 stars.

This book was not for me. I had anticipated something significantly more dystopian and perhaps an indictment of the privatization of mass incarceration in this country. Instead, this was halfway satirizing that (which was awesome), but also halfway about one deranged killer with a lot of wealth and power. Honestly, I couldn't find my feet in this novel.

The murder itself was darkly comedic. It was grotesque, but also kind of funny because it was mapped onto familiar locales in San Francisco. If this book had maintained that tenor and truly taken on a reality TV show for the sake of reality TV, that would have been cool.

Instead, it turns out that this whole thing was orchestrated by one psychopath... that's where the book lost me. I didn't really ever care about Dee's kidnapping, and it ended up such a major reason Why in the book.

Leave it to McNeil to deliver something as exciting as it is frightening. With her unique take on murder mysteries and exploring the unknown and most of the time, horrifying, I can always count on her for an action packed and somewhat bizarre read.

Set in a very much realistic time and place, #murdertrending was something that you could see happening today in a world full of social media and reality TV, which is also what made this such an interesting and hard to put down read.

With twists and turns and danger literally around every corner, this was something fun and thrilling and completely different and I couldn't get enough of it.

Fans and new fans alike, old and young, will all be able to get lost in this one and enjoy it up until the very last page.

Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars

How to summarize this book in one sentence:

The Purge meets Deadman Wonderland meets Saw meets the The Breakfast Club.

Despite reading and watching similar storylines in various forms on media (i.e. Btooom, Battle Royale, The Hunger Games, and all the ones previously mentioned), McNeil still manages to engage the reader with this gruesomely fun read. The fact that I had such a hard time putting this novel down is why it's deserving of such a high rating. I'm a sucker for themes revolving around prisons, convicts, and jigsaw kill schemes; I'm not quite sure what that says about me - but McNeil is a author after my heart after using all the horror tropes I approve of. She's become an #automaticbuy for sure.

#Murdertrending was refreshing, creepy, and suspenseful in just enough ways to have me on the edge of my seat (which doesn't happen to me often tbh). I do wish we could have seen more interactions with inmates outside of the #DeathRowBreakfastClub and had a more elongated ending, as it felt rushed compared to the rest of the novel. I also think scenes with the serial killers could have been amped up a bit to make the situation more challenging as they were kind of easy to circumnavigate toward the end.

I don't know if you caught on, but all my criticisms have to deal with wanting more from the novel because it was already that addicting.

I highly recommend this book to people in need of a fast-paced, action-packed, and tension-filled read. People who are squeamish about gory scenes should probably hold off on reading this though, just fyi.

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with an ebook version of this story. Yet another awesome read urging me forth to purchase the actual physical copy.

#ReaderStruggles