Tl;dr: Looking for a contemporary young adult novel that's not afraid to go dark? This one's for you. And for you too! A must *must* read.

You Owe Me A Murder seems like a typical ya thriller at first: mc, Kim is in the airport waiting to go to London on a trip arranged for high schoolers with her ex, Connor, and his new girlfriend. She's miserable and dreading the trip and more than a little angry at Connor. Yes, this sounds familiar, I know.

Then we meet Nicki. She's British, on her way home, and even though she's a year or two older than Kim, she gets it. Gets her. They talk, have fun, snd Nicki talks her into doing something that leads to something else and wow, do things start happening.

Unexpected things--not plot wise, not at first, but soon there are cracks everywhere in everyone.

No one, not Nicki, not Connor, and most interestingly, Kim, is not whom they seem to be. I loved that! Ms. Cook takes the ya thriller genre and gives it a good shove (ha! couldn't resist) and what results is a novel that doesn't just dare to go dark--it dives into it.

I was interested when I first started reading, but by about two thirds through, I realized I didn't know how it would end and couldn't put the book down. I had to keep reading! Had. to.

I mean, there's the expected ya ending--the nice neat safe bow-- but I thought "could you Owe Me A Murder go there? Would it?"

It does, and even veteran thriller reader me got chills when I reached the end. There's no bow, no safety, just a mindblowing, fantastic ending.

By the end, I was in awe of Kim and more than a little afraid of her. Of what she did. Of what she'd done.

Of what she might one day do.

Last three lines:

"You know what they say: Travel changes a person."

I nodded and gazed out the window. He had no idea.

Dammmmmmmn. Mind=blown. All the stars for this highly, highly recommended novel that dares to be different. That knows there's darkness in all of us.

What would you do if your boyfriend dumped you for another girl and you had to go on a school trip with both of them? What would you do if while on the air plane a gal you met at the airport said you should write down why you would want to kill your ex-boyfriend but just as a game? Would you play along?
And what would you do if your ex-boyfriend was killed while on this school trip to London right in front of you in the exact manner as you had written down on that airplane? This is the situation Kim finds herself in and she knows who killed him. And now that gal wants Kim to follow through with her kill list. Will Kim do it? Does she have what it takes to commit murder?

I want to preface this review with the fact that for the most part, I enjoyed this book. Murder, mystery, intrigue, and all set in the UK? It was meant to be a winner for me!

The implausibility of the plot and things that occur in the novel, however, kept me from enjoying this book fully. The author does a great job of pacing and of describing and unfolding events themselves, but for me the events of the book just weren't...realistic? However, this book has A LOT to offer teens-I'd market it as a Gone Girl or a Girl on the Train for the younger set. I have a bunch of readers in my library who will eat this title up and ask for more and I definitely intend to purchase it for my library-it just wasn't my cup of tea.

"You Owe Me a Murder" is a fun and suspenseful thriller set to the backdrop of my favorite city in the world: London. Anyone who has traveled as a student, particularly if you've hit up the UK, will relate to the set-up and the group dynamics-- though thankfully none of my previous EF trips have included murder. Similar to a Gillian Flynn novel, "You Owe Me a Murder" is made for younger fans of murder mystery. Perfect for anyone who enjoyed Maureen Johnson's "Name of the Star" or "Truly Devious" series.

What a great read! This is my second book by Eileen Cook and like With Malice, it kept me guessing about how things were going to work out. Kim is heading to London on a trip with other students, including her ex boyfriend Connor. While at the airport she meets Nicki, with whom she instantly connects. After drinking and getting a little wild on their plane ride, Kim creates a list of reasons her ex needs to die. When things take a tragic turn, Kim wonders if Nicki was involved and begins to get swept into a psychological mystery. This was a great read and I know my freshman will enjoy the suspense and mystery of it all. I loved the way the story was told and was very happy with the way the author paced things out for the reader. I am definitely looking forward to another book by this author. Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

I was intrigued right away when I heard about this book because this book by the description reminded me of a book I just reviewed called Now You See Her by Lisa Leighton but this book was way more intense than I thought which kept me on the edge of my seat.

You Owe Me a Murder focuses on a girl named Kim, who just got dumped by her boyfriend Connor for another girl Miriam and she is force to go on a class trip to London with her class with him and his new girl. She catches up with a few of her classmates including her new friend Nancy who becomes her buddie that she vents out to until her ex-boyfriend Connor disappears.

This book will definitely do well in our young adult section and just like Now You See Her they will immediately fall in love with the story and that is why we give it 5 stars!

I loved the ending and the view of human psychology this book offers, but some of the storyline was predictable or a little too convenient. I loved Nicki's character and the psychological torture she inflicts. It made up for the cornier parts of the story.

This was my first book by Eileen Cook and I will definitely be going back for more!. Kim is headed on a trip to London to help her get over a devastating breakup. Unfortunately with her ex boyfriend and his new girlfriend also on the trip, it doesn't seem like she will be enjoying herself in the near future. However, after making a new friend (Nicki) at the airport, it looks like this trip may not be so bad after all. This changes suddenly when Kim's ex-boyfriend falls to his death. Now Kim is trying to enjoy the rest of her trip, create new friendships - and keep her head above water! Kim is a very deep character with so many turns, you can never tell what exactly you're going to see. She kept me guessing, yet completely endeared, all the way until the end. Usually I'm a real stickler for endings but this one by far exceeded my expectations.