When I receive an ARC, I do my best to read the entire book, out of respect for the author. I made it to the halfway point on this one, then stopped.

My favorite thing: I love the setting of an amusement park in a smaller town, and it is well-crafted. It brought back memories of the park I used to go to as a kid (Knoebel’s Grove in Elysburg, PA). This is a fantastic setting for a YA mystery!

My least favorite thing: the characters don’t seem real enough, which - for me and many readers - is, like, THE MOST important thing, right? For example, if a character’s father is an immature, chauvinistic *insert expletive here,* then I want the main character to acknowledge it, at least in her own thoughts. Or the narrator. This is what allows the reader to believe the narrator and the story. If it doesn’t happen, we suddenly see the facade and realize that everything is contrived and made up.

Ugh, I hate being negative because I know how hard it is to write a book. There is so much potential here, there really is, but I think it needed stronger editing before it was published.

Overall, I thought this book was entertaining. There were a quite a few lulls where I had to wonder how all the plot lines made sense together and why Ivy was snooping around but the ending made it worth the wait. In fact, I thought the ending was the best part to this book. The reason I gave this book three stars instead of four was because despite just having finished it, I had to look up the main character's name and honestly I felt she wasn't that memorable. That being said, the author did a great job making it seem like there was something off about the whole ordeal from the beginning. Ivy's dad said something about her "pretty pink mouth" and I knew something was off which is what kept me reading.

This was a YA mystery/thriller novel. The main character, Ivy, starts asking around after an employee from Fabuland dies suddenly. Fabuland is an amusement park where she works, which is also owned by her dad. At first I wasn't very sure about this book. It was a little slow, and detached. Then suddenly I felt myself getting more into it. It was pretty obvious for me what was going on, but it was still a fairly enjoyable read. I have found myself gravitating farther away from YA, but those who truly love this genre may enjoy this wholly.

So, I’m one of those people who reads reviews before I start a book. I don’t know why, it’s just a craving I have. I have to know what others think and if I think the same. I don’t really think it messes with my interpretation of the book. Especially not in this case. The reviews I read said it was predictable and they knew the bad guy from chapter 3. I did not.

Ivy was a likable main character. She seemed genuinely concerned about her best friend, Morgan and solving Ethan’s cause of death. They said he fell, but not everything adds up. She had feelings that I think I would have at 17. She was my favorite character.

The side characters were all interesting and likable too. She had a unique relationship with each of them that seemed well thought out. She seemed like a real girl, which I really liked. Ivy was someone you’d meet in highschool any day.

Ivy’s dad was the worst. He was misogynist, creepy, and said the worst things. I hated seeing him on the page. I cringed every time and just could not fathom having any family member like that. Like, he was the literal worst. He was gross. I just can’t say enough about how much I hated him.

There ended up being two mysteries, neither of which I really figured out. I kind of had an idea about Morgan’s mystery, but not Ethan’s. It was a fast, easy read. It just didn’t quite stand up to other YA mysteries I have read recently.

I was really exited to read this. Unfortunately, it was another disappointing "thriller. It was pretty obvious just three chapters in that the dad was a creep. I still don't understand how the main character didn't notice or just pretended it wasn't a problem. She also seemed emotionless throughout the whole book and I don't get why, considering what her friend was going through. Nothing much happened and the writing felt really stilted and the dialogue was cringey.

My favorite part about this book was how it was set around an eerie amusement park making the murder mystery that much more intriguing to me. 

Unfortunately, that's where my interest started and stopped. 

The writing style just wasn't my cup of tea. It felt a little staggered and missing pieces. I wasn't sure where the plot was going and the dialogue felt too choppy to keep my interest on the mystery of it all. The story overall just felt deflated and awkward at parts. 

I ended up giving this one 2 out of 5 stars. It had potential but just not enough execution.

Enjoyed the carnival backdrop and atmosphere. This one gives you all the summertime vibes with lots of curves as to where the story is going. Enjoyed this one!

This is an 'One of Us is Lying' wannabe. It's so predictable. The main plot is so reader-I-let-you-know-who-killed-who. Boring, bye.

This book was just ok. Ok cast of characters, ok plot line.... just ok. There was just too much going on maybe? Too many red herrings tossed around trying to throw you off of a very obvious twist at the end. I think there just wasn't enough character development for me to make me care about the outcome enough. Very good premise that just fell flat in the end.

I was so excited to read this book, but it turned out to be a big disappointment. This is definitely not a thriller and definitely nothing like Sadie by Courtney Summers. The description is very promising and intriguing, but the content is not. I was bored most of the time. This book is written more like middle grades but I can't recommend it for middle grades because it contains sexual assault.

I was immediately drawn to All the Pretty Things based on the premise - expecting a YA mystery/suspense. Instead what I got was a lack luster read, with the "mystery" solved within the first few chapters of the book. Admittedly, I had a hard time getting into this one. I didn't connect with Ivy as a character and found her relationship with her parents unrealistic and annoying.

The author does a great job in building things up - so great that when the "big reveal" came it fell completely flat. I kept waiting for a twist and ultimately was disappointed.

There were some things about this book that I really enjoyed and some things that really rubbed me the wrong way.

The atmosphere of this story was on point! Almost every scene of the story takes place in the Fabuland Amusement park and the sights and sounds are described very vividly. Amusement park settings are always fun for me to read so I loved this aspect of the book.

The plot was okay…a boy is found dead at the bottom of a bridge and the amusement park owner’s daughter goes on a mission to find out what happened the night he died. The “do it yourself detective” work is a trope that I really don’t enjoy. It’s just very unrealistic and ridiculous to me.

The victim in the story had down syndrome but did not display the characteristics of anyone that I know or have known with down syndrome (he seemed to have more traits of someone on the autism spectrum). I work with many students with special needs in my job.

I was very concerned about a scene where a character chugged a beer, felt lightheaded, then got in their car and drove. For a YA book, this seems very irresponsible to include. I was waiting for there to be some sort of discussion on how this was not safe but it never came. (I understand that it’s not an author’s job to teach readers and in most cases I don’t want that, but this scene almost condoned underage drinking and driving.)

Overall, the atmosphere was the only strong point in my opinion.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Delacorte Press to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I've been a big fan of Arsenault's writing for years now and I greatly enjoyed this one - her second foray into the young adult world. It's an engaging read with characters that all come vividly to life. Ivy, the seventeen-year-old narrator, returns home from an early summer trip to visit relatives and has to quickly catch up on all that she missed - including the death of a coworker at Fabuland, the amusement park that her divorced father purchased only a few years ago. While juggling the tasks that her boss/father sets for her, Ivy also begins asking questions about Ethan, the boy with Down's syndrome that died. Tensions mount and it seems that Ivy's questions lead only to more questions - and to more drama.

This book quickly becomes hard to put down. And while Ivy is a likable and sympathetic character, like in many YA books, the adults don't get the same treatment here. Some of the plot's twists are easier to see coming than others - and I think that this will especially be a discussion starter amongst its female readers of all ages. Be warned - this is a dark novel, despite the contrasting lightheartedness of the carnivalesque setting. Ethan's death is at he heart of this story, and I can see it being too much for some more sensitive readers. And though this is marketed to young adults, I really can see this being a YA novel that easily appeals and crosses over to adult readers as well. I really had a hard time doing anything other than reading this one - I like Arsenault's writing style a lot and I am looking forward to seeing what comes next from her!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this in advance.

TW: sexual harassment, domestic violence, self harm, substance abuse, death (obviously) Let me know if I missed some.

--

So I did enjoy the the setting a lot. I've never read a book with an amusement part setting. It was fresh and different and it made me want to pick up any other book with a similar setting. Added with the small town "everyone gossips" setting. It fueled my mystery thriller loving soul.

I did read the entirety of this in a single day. It was really easy for me to read large chunks of this book in a setting. The story was quite addicting. The book did start a little abruptly for me. I would have liked to get the know the characters more.

Speaking of characters, none really stood out to me. I did actually get confused with all the basic white boy names (Ben, Tim, I think there was an Ethan?) The main character's father obviously was a pretty predominant figure. I absolutely hated him, but he wasn't supposed to be likable so kudos to the other for enticing this reaction. There was also one boy that I wanted to see more of, I think it was Ben. He was interesting to me but I'm not so sure where his story ended up.

I liked Ivy's investigative vibes but I don't think she stood out more so than any other character in the book. I actually found her a little insensitive to Morgan's traumas. Especially the reveal towards the end.

I do think the ending was a little underwhelming. I saw one of the twists coming from a mile away and the other twist was more of a "huh? ok I guess that makes sense". I usually don't care if the reader can guess the twist early on but the story itself was a little too obvious for me.

It was entertaining for sure but it was a very standard YA mystery thriller.

You might like this book if you enjoy:

- small town secrets
- Nancy Drew type protag
- a little slice of life
- family drama

* I posted an edited version of this to Goodreads

An awesome roller coaster of a ride. Buckle in and enjoy the ride. Engrossing from the very first page. Happy reading!

Actual Rate: 2.5 Stars

Opinion:

Wow.

I mean…

…

…what the actual f**k?

There were about a dozen different ways I saw this story going, but the way it DID go?

Wow.

This lovely little tale is told by Ivy, the daughter of the owner of the Fabuland amusement park. After her grandparents had successfully opened multiple chains of their popular doughnut shop, her father decided to think bigger and purchased Fabuland. Now Ivy works every summer at the park in the cotton candy booth, surrounded by smells of fried food and the screams of terrified and joyous park-goers zipping by on roller coasters. It is usually always a summer to remember, and this summer is no different. While out of town with her mother, Ivy gets a call that a well-known young man and Fabuland employee, Ethan, had been found dead. The police suspect that he had fallen off the train trestle in a nearby park on his walk home, but when Ivy’s best friend Morgan alludes that something more shocking may have happened, Ivy begins digging for answers.

Who doesn’t love an amusement park and a little murder, right? The smell of freshly popped kettle corn, fried dough, and colorful cotton candy mixed with elated screaming from a roller-coaster drowning out the real screams of someone being killed?!

*Drip. Drip. Drip.*

Is that rain I feel coming down?!

Nope! It’s the blood draining from a body!

(Really?)

No.

…

That’s not how this story goes at all.

“Sometimes I wonder if you’re scared of the wrong things.”

All the Pretty Things was NOTHING like I expected. Even more than halfway through the book I was assuming it was going to turn out one way, and then it veered off the tracks and plummeted into a crowd of chaos and epicly wretched confessions. I wasn’t blindsided per se, I was just…left completely speechless. But even after I sat there in my super uncomfortable chair with my mouth a little agape from shock, and slightly hinged to the side from disgust, I knew I was going to have trouble expressing my feelings on this one.

*Sigh*

Here goes.

Ivy is seventeen. She seems chill, seems responsible, and seems patient as hell with a dad like that. But that’s pretty much all I know about her. Yeah, no s**t. That’s about it. Sure, I knew her parents were divorced, and that her brother didn’t come back from college that summer to work at Fabuland, like he normally did. And okay yes, I also knew her best friend Morgan was the one who found Ethan’s body in the park (YUH–IKES). But apart from that, the girl really doesn’t have much of a personality or any scheme of emotions other than blasé and MORE BLASÉ.

I’m almost offended on Kristen Stewart’s behalf for me even putting this Kristen Stewart gif in here, as if I’m assuming Kristen Stewart has no personality.

…

(Kristen Stewart gif)

Which I’m not…

I just really needed a gif of a girl in a carnival.

But the point is this: Ivy is a little bit dull, and honestly, it’s okay that she is for most of the book. But by the time that shocking ending came around, I NEEDED the girl to give me SOMETHING! But instead, she had BARELY. ANY. REACTION. to what had just happened. All I got was a little bit of shocked realization, her going to get closure from a friend, and a confirmation of some past childhood memories from her even more under-developed mother. Suffice it to say, the characters in this book are about as interesting as cardboard. They are developed just enough to be passable in a story, but you never make a connection to anyone or end up caring about their well-being. There’s no substance, no feeling and no emotion.

But what I really need to talk about, is Ivy’s father.

“I always knew you wanted to stay small.

Just a small person, I guess.”

The guy is a jackass and had me cringing five pages in. He is written in such an awkward way that doesn’t seem at all intentional, and every time he had a “scene” my face smooshed itself up into this formation of disgust, annoyance and perma-confusion. It was like the author was trying to make him cool and witty, but was failing miserably at it. He’s just that type of person that has so many personalities but can’t seem to pick one to run with. And I kid you not, the entire page of notes I have written for this book is all about her dad and my feelings on him from beginning till end, and that’s all!

Here, let me show you:

Ivy’s dad is legit f***ing creepy and disgusting.

He just drooled over a twenty-year-olds ass…nice.

He is super annoying and all over the place.

He legit just called his employee a dumbass. Twice.

So. Much. Crude. S**t.

Okay this guys is seriously so f***ing creepy, I can’t stand him.

What an asshat.

His offhand comments are so random and weird, it makes me super uncomfortable.

IS THIS GUY EVEN A PERSON?!?





Oh.

Look. I know this review probably doesn’t make a lick of sense to you, but don’t worry. I don’t even know what I just read. Which is upsetting, because it’s not like this is a horrible book by any means. It was just…strange. The characters felt thrown together, the premise was not even the actual premise because it was just a cloak and dagger show for what the real premise was, and the ending didn’t give me enough clarity or leave me feeling like it was securely tied up. I think the only thing that saved this book for me was that it was set in an amusement park, and I was so curious to figure out how Ethan died.

But at least there were some good quotes.

“It had been here from this perspective the whole time – creaking away in the background, behind all the good-natured screaming. I’d always heard it, humming along in the distance, day in and day out.

I was just afraid to open my eyes and look.”

this honestly wasn’t the book i thought it was going to be. there could have been a lot that wasn’t in the book and it could have been a lot more suspenseful. i think i actually enjoyed about half of this book. half of it was boring and a lot of the protagonist just doing stuff. it also took me almost a week to read, so that could also affect my feelings for it. the beginning and the end were the best parts, in my opinion. there was too much with the amusement park, i think.

with that said, the writing was very good and i would definitely read the author again. it was easy to read and flowed very well. it was just not as much of a mystery as i’d been expecting.

I had really high hopes for this because I’ve read books by Emily Arsenault in the past and really enjoyed them. Unfortunately, I found myself really let down by this one. From the beginning, a body is discovered and the person who could aid in solving his murder is found hiding and basically blubbering nonsense. We are led down many paths trying to figure out who or what did it, but it doesn’t matter because pretty early on it’s really obvious who the culprit is. Once you figure it out, it kind of takes away the enjoyment and mystery of it all.

When I decided I wanted to read this book, I thought it was a YA thriller. While it does fit into that genre, I would say to fully enjoy this book, you have to be willing to go along with the ride. (Theme park joke? Yes.)

What worked for me:
-Once we hit the climax, I was interested and invested in the book.
-MC is fairly competent.

What didn’t:
-This book has a pretty big cast of characters, and they’re easy to mix up.
-I’m still on the fence on whether I enjoyed this ending or not. No spoilers from me here, though. I will say, I wasn’t shocked by any means at the reveal.
-I do think it’s important to mention that this book includes mention of a sexual assault of a minor. I didn’t know that going into it, and that’s sometimes a difficult topic.

This is an incredibly well-written mystery/thriller/ya. It's a little hard to read in terms of the character being forced to see the real world with all its scars, but I highly recommend it. The twists work well, they're foreshadowed but not obvious and the characters are all full and dynamic. There is no cute ya romance subplot, which is refreshing in this genre even if I personally would've liked a light note.