For some reason I had trouble with the tone of the writing in this book, not sure if it was because it was more of a YA title.  I found a lot of it to be boring, and I had to skip forward a bit.

This book had a lot of potential. The storyline was very intriguing and had me very invested. The characters were very well worked out and I felt I knew all of them and had my favorites and my did not likes. I was shocked when I looked at where I was in the book and realized that there was just not enough to hash out the story well. It fell off way to dramatically and just ended. Several questions I have were not answered and I am left wondering about several of the characters. It almost felt like the author just ran out of time and wanted to end it quickly. With that said, I did enjoy the story, just wish the ending was a bit more. 3 stars. Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

This was a good read and something I haven’t read before. The writing was really good, although at times a little slow. I really enjoyed the characters.

Welcome Back! 


This is such an exciting time here on the blog! I spent a lot of time this past weekend making a ton of updates and changes to the blog and I am loving how everything is turning out so far. I have a bunch more changes planned and I intend to keep rolling them out as the week goes on. I am excited to see how the final product looks as I finish bringing the changes to the site in the near future! If you see any new features you like (or any you would like to see) definitely let me know in a comment. While I was working on all of these changes, I was of course listening to an audiobook! I saw this audiobook on my Hoopla and decided to jump on the chance to listen to it, it was only about four hours (meaning I could finish this in one sitting, which is a huge plus for me)!


SPOILERS AHEAD


A group of high schoolers decides the play a game, but this is not your normal game. They decide to break into each other's houses when their families are away. There are only a few rules to the game. Only break into people's homes who are in the group, only 1-2 people at a time will participate in the break-in, and they will only take things that can be easily replaced. The game worked out for a while until one robbery goes wrong and a pair almost gets caught. After this mishap, most of the people in the group decide to stop playing the game. However, one member refuses to let the game come to an end.


I was really interested in reading this book. I thought the plot sounded super interesting and that when things started to go wrong we might even dive into thriller type territory. However, things fell a little flat for me in that aspect. I felt like we spent a lot of time building up to the robbery that went wrong and then we had very little time on the action of the plot. Something I did enjoy about this book, was the main group of characters. My favorite characters were the narrator as well as her sister (I honestly wish we got more time with both of them and that the plot had been extended a bit, maybe we got more time with the action). If you are interested in giving this book a try for yourself check out your Hoopla or Libby app through your library!


Goodreads Rating: 2 stars





**Thank you to the publisher for the Netgalley copy

A brilliant thriller book and a must for all thriller fans. Well written and full of shocks and surprises....you need to read this!

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

Started off promising, but in the end I lost interest.

I devoured the whole thing in one gulp. The story follows a group of six bored high-schoolers who rebel against their wealthy parents by robbing each other's homes. The narrator is Harper, a tough, edgy bad-girl. She's not entirely likable at the beginning , but she has her reasons for acting the way she does. As things go awry and the tension builds, her character is forced to grow and confront her own mistakes. I was rooting for her wholeheartedly by the end

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy!

Did not finish - I could not connect with the plot or writing so I decided to put it down.

The Last to Die by Kelly Garrett is the story of six rich teenagers who are trying to find new ways to have a thrill. It's the story of what happens when those thrills end and someone is bitter about it. It's the story of going too far and revenge.

A group of friends decides that they want to have a bit of fun so they come up with the idea of breaking into each others houses when they are away on trips. It's really fun and exhilarating at first but it starts to become boring. So they up the ante. Breaking into other people's houses? Maybe. But what happens when someone wants even more excitement and almost gets one of them caught? What happens when some of them decide it's not worth the risk and wants to call it quits? What happens when someone does want to let them quite and ups the ante even more. What happens when the bodies start piling up?

As a little side note, I have absolutely no idea what the cover has to do with the book. I understand the house representation but the fact that it's in the middle of what looks like water with a lone girl looking out the window really confuses me. I normally don't talk about the covers outside of my initial rating in the book information above because authors usually don't get to pick their covers but this cover just.... what?!

In the end, this book was good but it didn't have a real ending and we all know how much of an annoyance that it. We never find out what happens with the biggest plot point of the book and THAT KILLED MY SOUL.

Overall, I gave the book 3/5 stars.

The Last to Die felt like a heist horror story. The synopsis had me hooked immediately and I went into this book with fairly high expectations. I enjoyed what I read but I wasn't absolutely blown away. I did really like the isolated setting and the small cast of characters, but I never really found myself connecting to any of them, unfortunately. I did, however, really enjoy Kelly Garrett's writing and I'd definitely pick up another book from her in the future!

I received an ARC from the publisher, SOURCEBOOKS Fire in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

The Last to Die starts off with a lot of interesting potential but I felt like it fell flat in the end, like the author was trying to finish the book up quickly.  I do feel that the author has a good writing style and I would be interested in reading more of her work in the future but this book wasn't really for me.

The mystery was intriguing to keep reading but wasn’t anything to particularly write home about. It was pretty easy to find out who was behind everything even though there were plenty of red herrings. 

I loved the setting of this book. A good isolated location with a small amount of characters. Unfortunately I didn’t really like any of the characters enough to care about what happened to them. 

I do think this was a strong debut from a promising author that I will be checking out again. 

Overall, I didn’t hate the book. I just think I’m growing past YA mystery. I can see this being a really fun and exciting read for teens or people just starting out in the mystery genre.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy.

Unfortunately I do not have much to say about this book, it fell a little flat for me and I had to put it down. I couldn't get into it at all. I may try again after some time but it wasn't for me.

This is a great debut YA novel.  Students at the high school level will really enjoy the plot twist and a possible first read of a psychological thriller for this age group.

OK, so this one was hard for me to properly rate, and here's why..

So when it comes to the actual writing, this was a 5 out of 5 star book. It was easily captivating, and had the proper amount of suspense and mystery to create a chilling read. 

What I could not stand was the characters. 

They were written so well that I was completely annoyed by them. First off, they seemed like a bunch of mindless teenagers who thought it would be funny to steal things from each others' houses, no matter the consequences. From the first chapter, I knew they we're going to be problematic for me. 

It was hard for me to want to continue on because they WERE SO ANNOYING to read. 

So as you can tell, it's hard to give a true rating because obviously the author did a great job in conveying her characters, but they were ones that I just could not stand. In the end, I gave this one a 2 out of 5 star rating. 

It was a good book overall, just not for me.

The Last to Die had a great premise and I was looking forward to read it, but it just fell flat for me. It was a decent read, but not overwhelming.

The Last to Die really made me excited to read it based on the premise and the blurb on the front cover, which claimed that it is "a twisty puzzle of a mystery." I really love mysteries and thrillers, and something that keeps me guessing the whole time I'm reading it, so I was so delighted to have the chance to read this book.

I did like this book - reading it gave me a night of guessing and trying to figure out the mystery within its pages. However, I didn't love it - it felt way too short for one, and because of this, so much felt rushed. I feel like there could have been a lot more detail in the book that would have helped to make it seem like a more fleshed out story.

Also, the title seemed a bit misleading.

Anyway.

"One just doesn't go around with an idiotic smile splashed across her face fro no reason. Especially after committing a crime."

Harper and her group of friends are entitled and well off, with wealthy parents and too much time on their hands. Because of this, they come up with a game to make their lives more exciting, and to help them get some extra cash. The game? They break into each other's houses when they are out of town, stealing items that they can sell to get extra money to buy alcohol, drugs, and whatever else their hearts desire.

They only have two rules. The first rule is to only break into one another's houses: not the homes of their neighbors or those with whom they are not friends. The second rule? They are only allowed to take things that can be replaced easily. While money is not an object, they are sure to take things that are easily replaced - no important family heirlooms, for example.

And for a while, this whole arrangement works.

Then they start to get bored, and begin seeking out the homes of other kids in school, breaking in and stealing things that they can easily sell.

Eventually, Harper and her boyfriend decide that they want out of this. Their two friends also decide that they're done, which is great: no more breaking into homes and stealing, and instead they can focus on more important things and find new ways to have fun. Plus, no more risk of getting caught, right?

When Sarah, one of the group, dies from an apparent overdose, things take a dive south - police get involved, things get messy, and it leaves Harper wondering the truth - did Sarah really die from an overdose? Or was she murdered?

When tragedy strikes again, it becomes apparent to Harper that someone is out to get them - but is it who she thinks it is? Or is it someone else entirely? And who will believe her?

The Last to Die didn't have me guessing who the bad guy was - it was glaringly obvious that it wasn't who the author wanted you to think it was, because she put so much effort into trying to pin it on that person. So of course it had to be someone else, right? That's not to say I figured out who it was - I just knew that it wasn't the obvious choice. It took me a while to put some things together, but when you do reach that part of the book, it's a bit of a surprise.

I did mention earlier that I felt like this book was way too short. It was rushed - too rushed. Another fifty to a hundred pages would have made this so much better - too many ideas were introduced here and not explored as fully as they could have been. I also would have loved a few more deaths...it would have added to the suspense.

The idea behind the story was definitely interesting, though! I loved the whole "stealing from each other" bit - it was a brilliant plan that was hatched by some really bored and entitled rich kids to spice up their lives, and it was fun.

The characters were not quite as developed as I had hoped they would be, but because the book is so short and there are six major characters, I couldn't really expect them to all be so detailed. So that's okay, honestly, it's not something I'm going to get upset about. The development of the main character, Harper, was definitely there, and I felt like she learned a lot and truly developed as a person from the beginning of the book to the end, which I was definitely happy about.

All in all, The Last to Die is a quick read with some suspenseful parts that may leave you guessing. It's a great read for those who are just starting to branch out with thrillers or someone who wants a quick read to fit into their busy schedule.

3 for neutral, couldn’t finish.  I’m a moody reader, so could be me, and will update if so.  I did try many times, and was just not grabbed.

Burglaries, Teen Angst, Competition and Murder?!

Why, it’s positively sinful!

Harper and her friends have spent the last weeks of their summer doing what regular teens do. Drinking, beach days, trips to the mall, a smattering of experimental drugs and a casual burglary or two. With strict rules to only steal replaceable items from each of their houses, marking their personal bedrooms as off-limits, the teens take turns stealing items and pawning them off. The rush of adrenaline and excitement to be doing something illegal gives each of them a high like no other, that is until one of them is found dead. Though the police believe it to be a suicide, Harper knows better and searches frantically for the culprit. But as the deaths begin to stack up, she realizes she may be next. 

If you’re looking for a quick-paced book that you’ll have no problem reading in one sitting, this one is for you. 
This group of teens is far from your normal squad wanting to enact in a little rebellion and mischief. They are each a little crass, moody and fairly disrespectful to one another on a daily basis…which makes for some pretty interesting dynamics. There are six friends in total – Harper, Paisley, Sarah, Gin, Benji and Alex. Early on into their Summer, the gang decides they need some excitement and a new game to spice things up. They decide to take turns breaking into each other’s homes, using house keys and alarm codes, and taking items from their parents and selling them in pawnshops. They steal things like luxurious watches, alcohol, subscription bottles and other random decorations. Never personal, irreplaceable items. 

Harper is an interesting character and voice of this story. She has a snide comment and blunt opinion about any and everything, and literally no filter. Most of the time I enjoyed her freedom to say whatever she wanted (f<3ck politeness) but at times I wish she would just get her head out of her ass. Harper is dating Gin who seems to be the most responsible and levelheaded one in the group. Paisley is innocent and sweet and is dating Benji who is laid-back and has the vibes of an all-around good guy. Sarah is the slightly promiscuous and overly catty teenage girl that makes you want to smack yourself in the face, and she is dating the equally cringey and creepy Alex.  The weirdest dynamic here is the one between Harper, Sarah and Alex. Alex makes constant suggestive comments to Harper, which gets a huge rise out of Sarah, which amuses Harper to no end. But the real strangeness is between Sarah and Harper. 

These two are supposedly friends, but oh my gosh do they go at it!! And not just figuratively, Harper literally punches Sarah and they are constantly making comments about how much they hate each other.

Anyways, eventually things go a tad too far (as they always do) and one of the characters turns up dead. Harper has a very strong opinion that they hadn’t committed suicide, and that one of their friends was actually behind it. Needless to say, things get a little wild and you’re left having no idea who to trust. In natural fashion for me, I was blaming Harper herself. But that’s probably because I’ve been listening to WAY too many murder podcasts in my spare time. 

Basically, this book goes by really fast and before you know it, you find out ‘who done it’. Though it WAS a TOTAL blindside, I am still left with a scrunched-up face and thinking the ending was a tad silly and ridiculous. There is that dramatic moment of when the killer explains why they did it, and guys…it was cringey. Call the Soap Opera Awards, because this takes the cake for the most eye-roll worthy forced anger and jealousy award! 

But that painful exchange aside, this was a fairly decent book and one I didn’t hate giving my time to. It had an interesting premise, very quirky and edgy characters, and a special something that we’re all looking for this November – Murder. <3

The book started off mid story with not a lot of back story. The main character was not relatable for me and I did not feel connected with her. She may appeal to a younger audience and my age may be why I just couldn’t connect with her. The concept of the story was interesting and I did not guess what was going to happen in the end. I definitely did not figure out the culprit behind everything. I didn’t hate this one but didn’t love it either. I would give this one 3 stars.