I love young adult mystery thrillers. This one had a lot of twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and I loved the mysterious aspect.

'I'll leave you with the first confession: I killed Colton Crest.'

When high school sports captain and honour student Colton Crest disappears, his small town is quick to jump to conclusions. But when he returns two months later, unharmed, the town breathes a sigh of relief - until days later, when his best friend, Elliot Parker, discovers Colton's body in a local lake.

Elliot receives a note not long after, from someone claiming to be Colton’s murderer. Each note gives insight into the dark secrets that Colton was keeping. It becomes clear that Colton had a secret life separate from Elliot.

Elliot begins to wonder... is he hunting the killer? Or is the killer hunting him?

Much in the nature of 12 Reasons Why, the story breaks down how Colton got himself into trouble. While it wasn’t necessarily an original story line or structure, it was a well written story that was (while dark) easy to read.

The plot twist at the end got me - I didn’t expect the reasons that Colton really died. I always enjoy a book that keeps me guessing until the end!

Interesting book and I really loved the writing style. Hadn’t read anything by the author before but will definitely be looking for more to read.

I tried super hard to read this book. It sounded really interesting but I was only ever able to get a couple chapters in before my interest started waning again. sorry

This was one of the books that I've loved on wattpad and it is great too see it being published. I've loved the story and the killer chase and that remains intact. That said, I don't think much changed in the published version. It was all the same.
The thrill was in point although at times it did get boring. Some instances made very little sense and it did seem silly at times.
Nevertheless, I think this is one of those good thrillers that has a good start but not a good ending. The ending was sloppy and sad, and just didn't make sense. I feel like there could've been so many alternatives but the author chose a very silly way to end the goose chase.
It is well written though, and will surely interest some people.

Confessions about Colton by Olivia Harvard was an amazing debut that explores the ravages of grief and betrayal through the eyes of a teenage boy and was another Wattpad book that I wasn't expecting to enjoy and loved immensely.

Confessions About Colton by Olivia Harvard, 360 pages. Wattpad Books, 2020. $18.
Language: R (127 swears, 12 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Elliot, 18-years-old, has been friends with Colton for forever, and Elliot knows that Colton is keeping secrets about what happened when Colton disappeared for a while. With Colton back, Elliot hopes that things will go back to normal. But then Elliot finds Colton dead. And the murderer is giving Elliot clues to learn all the secrets Colton was hiding.
The suspense grates on the reader as much as it does on Elliot -- everyone on edge to see how all the clues will come together. However, all the secrets and intrigue were unsatisfying to me in the end because there was no way for the reader to figure out what happened without the explicit confession of the killer. Yes, the identity of the killer lends understanding to the hows and whys, but I was disappointed that the ending felt so abrupt. The mature content rating is for underage drinking as well as mentions of drugs and sex, and the violence rating is for murder, gun use, and mention of abuse.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

I thought this book started off well. It was pretty thrilling to wonder what was happening. However, I don't think I could quite connect with it. It was sometimes hard for me to get through. However, I liked the unexpectedness of it all. It wasn't for me, but I could see how other readers could love it.

Confessions About Colton caught my attention first because of the sound of the description. I love a good mystery and when you put that in a teen or young adult setting, I feel it gives it a new, interesting spin. Confessions About Colton did not disappoint me.

Right off the bat, I love Elliot. He is an interesting character and I liked how this story was from his point of view. Author Olivia Harvard did a great job of getting into a teenage boys head. His behavior and reactions are spot on. The story itself was unique and one I had not read before. The idea of a killer sending notes to a kid and making him follow clues to find the killer of his best friend? I was suspect of EVERYONE. I had guessed so many characters were the killer throughout this book, yet I never guessed the person it ended up being. Mind… blown!

I love how Harvard gave you enough information to make you think you knew what was going to happen or who the killer was, but you really never knew. Not for sure anyway. I loved all the supporting characters and the parents. I liked the different types of grief Harvard showed us from different characters and how they related to Colton.

While you may think this is just another YA Mystery, I must say I found it better than a lot I have read. It was deep. It was emotional. It was suspenseful. Everything a good mystery should be. It made me think and gave nothing away. My hat is off to Harvard. Lovers of YA or lovers of mystery and suspense should definitely check this out.

<b>Edit: 4-20-20</b> (kinda spoiler-y)
I only have three things to say. (2.5 stars rounded).

1. The main plot did not change: it is still about Colton. However, in the Wattpad version, they don’t outright say he was murdered. I loved that aspect of it. And they don’t have the weird main character part where he knew Colton wouldn’t kill himself and such.

There were more changes, but I don’t want to outright make a spoiler review. You do learn this within a reasonable amount of the beginning.

2. While I have read this book on Wattpad, it was when I was a young teen, and it hadn’t had an ending so I never got to the middle of it, waiting hopefully until it did so I wouldn’t be stuck waiting chapter-by-chapter. That’s how good the writing and mystery was and still sort of is.

3. The ending hurt. After so many years and this to reminisce with, I didn’t like the changes and perhaps that is why the ending didn’t stick well with me. It felt rushed and like a soap opera twist: too much excitement and thus too much to believe. No one is that meticulous, that ‘perfect,’ and things don’t just work in people’s favor to that extent where the ending happens. I did really like the book, but I think the past story was full of youth and I was full of awe for the website and authors telling people anything they wanted. I still hold this to my Wattpad heart, but this version, it wasn’t for me.

You guys. Wattpad books is a publishing company and from my teen times on there years ago, this picture represents my Wattpad times.

There was no difference between the copyright page and the writing itself. I know it’s an ebook and I love that books can be so readily available, but it just reminds me of the time I had on the site. Ahhhh, good times. Honestly, the writing was so good though. It was mysterious, not too detailed when slow, and detailed when faster paced. I loved how colloquial it could be for a mystery novel. I honestly am stoked for this.

<a href='https://postimg.cc/xJWprVzp' target='_blank'><img src='https://i.postimg.cc/xJWprVzp/69133-CF2-6-E11-4-C95-97-ED-F37-BE43-BF172.png' border='0' alt='69133-CF2-6-E11-4-C95-97-ED-F37-BE43-BF172'/></a>

Or https://i.postimg.cc/Rh0kHMVm/69133-CF2-6-E11-4-C95-97-ED-F37-BE43-BF172.png

Edit: moved things down.

YOU GUYS! I completely forgot about this being a Wattpad book and when I requested this one Netgalley, I knew it sounded familiar! I never finished this on Wattpad, so I am ready to finish this one after my exams!

<i>I was gifted an ebook copy of this book in advance in exchange for a review. These are my honest feelings. Thank you Netgalley, Colourlessness and Olivia, and Wattpad (because I do not believe I would have been as interested because the writing as I remember it was really good, but the blurb sounds like a typical mystery).</i>

This book had a very promising start. The narration was well done, and it was really fast-paced. It built up to a crescendo and then just fizzled into a bizarre ending. I will step back and explain from the beginning. Our narrator Elliot is an intriguing person. He is very realistically portrayed, and it is easy to empathize with him for the most part. 

This story, however, is about his friend Colton. Colton vanished in his final school year for a while, and no one knew where. After his untimely death, Elliot gets one letter after another urging him with confessions about Colton's truths and declaring him/herself the killer. What follows is a very tension wrought time with Elliot trying to solve the puzzle without getting into trouble, and things start to get both more apparent and murkier in equal measure. All of this was done very well and increased my expectation of the result because I could not imagine who the culprit could be! Then the ending and the revelations happen, and however, I tried to get my mind around it, I just could not find the train of thought and action believable. In the simple non-spoiler format, I would have to say the killer defeated the purpose of killing Colton by doing what he/she did. This last bit did not let me enjoy the book, but I would still recommend it to others (who are not as picky as me) because the writing and pacing stay consistently good throughout.

I received an ARC of the book in its latest version thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved the concept of this book, but the execution left me wanting more. I feel the characters were very well written but the plot just seemed to fizzle out. I started off super into it, but I just felt like something was missing. Even though the characters were well written, they also seemed to lack depth.
This book is full of twists, and I really enjoyed that... I just wish there had been more structure.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

I really enjoyed this good old fashioned murder mystery - except with a twist in that it’s set around the life of 17yr old Elliot trying to work out who killed his best friend. The murderer taunts him with a series of confessional letters which he has to find following a series of clues. As with every good murder mystery there’s red herrings aplenty and a whole bucket load of secrets that are exposed through Elliot’s investigation. This was a gripping, fun read and I really enjoyed Olivia Harvard’s writing style - I’ll be looking out for more of her books!!

Riveting. Can't wait to see what this debut author comes up with next. This story will have you guessing until the very end which is the best compliment to give such a well written story. Happy reading!

I received an arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The book had me on the edge of my seat all the way through. The author really deftly weaves twists and turns throughout the book, with plenty of red herrings, suspects and clues. The medium of including the letters as clues made was great, and tied together with who the murdered turned out to be, however the ending and big reveal felt a little expositional, and the events could have been set up a little more in the main body.

Overall though, a really decent read, it certainly kept me turning pages.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! After Colton's death we're cast into a scavenger hunt of clues and confessions about his life and death. There are so many twists and unexpected turns that it keeps you on your toes throughout.

An ARC of this novel was sent to me by NetGalley for reviewing purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I read this book as it was coming out on Wattpad when I was younger- and I am extremely thrilled that it is being published. It is an amazing and captivating book, and I recommend it for anyone who likes mysteries.

Rating: 2.5

I liked the main character but the mystery got boring to me at about 50% of the way through. The concept sounded interesting but I don't think it was executed very well.

(Also posted on my GR acc)

3 solid stars!

Confession About Colton is a page-turning book where you can (and should) devour it in one sitting. It has a unique section naming and I totally love the ending.
However, it also suffers from boring-middle-problem, but picks up again in a satisfying twist.

Confessions About Colton is a solid thriller with plenty of twists and an engaging plot. When Colton Crest is found brutally murdered by his best friend Elliot, his world is already falling apart. At the funeral, someone puts a note in Elliot's pocket claiming to be the killer. Now Elliot is on the search for more of these notes to figure out the clues given and who killed his best friend after all. Secrets are revealed and plenty of twists are abound. Highly recommended to readers who enjoy mystery/thrillers and a good whodunnit.