This is an exceptionally well-written YA book that I wholeheartedly recommend. I was a big reader of YA thrillers as a kid (Christopher Pike was my favorite!) and one of the things that was most important to me was that the adult writer not "talk down" to me for being a kid. I wanted my YA books to sound like they were actually narrated by other young adults. McGinnis is *fantastic* at this. She does not underestimate her young readers' intelligence or capability of understanding mature issues. I would have totally devoured this as a kid when I was fully immersed in some of the issues the kids are going through here, and I also really enjoyed it as an adult. Also, it's really great to listen to a book where kids act and talk like kids actually do - sometimes swearing, sometimes talking about sex, sometimes doing other stuff kids do that adults would prefer they not do, and sometimes completely dark, as adults can be. The use of social media was also very authentic and did not have the feeling of "stodgy adult trying to explain how kids use The Face Book."

I don't want to say too much about the plot because I think it's best to let it unfold, but I will say.....

*Stefan voice* YA's hottest new book "The Initial Insult" has everything: a "white trash zoo," secret drug deals, a compelling lead, a potentially shady best friend, missing parents, prose that is almost poetry, a mysterious, moneyed town where everyone has secrets, and a spooky poetic cat narrator. (Wait, what? Yes, seriously Not the whole book, don't worry.) As you may gather from the spooky cat, the book is influenced by Edgar Allen Poe, so if you are a Poe fan, you will have some guesses at different directions it could go, but will still be surprised. This is a totally unique and interesting book.

I was not sure how my experience with a synthetic voice audiobook would be, and it was completely fine. I think I was imagining that it would be a TV-robot type voice, but instead the voice sounds more natural. Of course, it does not carry the acting and vocal performance an audiobook reader will give to it, which primarily impacted the end of the book in my opinion - but it was an interesting new way to listen to the book. You have to sort of picture different emotions in your head with the words so it takes a bit more work and may not be for everyone. I predict the actual audiobook will be way more sinister.

I am definitely going to read the second book. The ending was so great and creepy that I can't imagine what might happen next, and will love to see where the series will go from here.

4.5 stars. Thanks to Harper Collins, Mindy McGinnis and NetGalley for this totally original and fun YA read.

I really wanted to love this one because I'm a huge fan of Mindy McGinnis. I also was looking forward to a Poe-inspired YA novel that had me on the edge of my seat with chills and frills.

The pros:
-I loved the premise. I found it so interesting that this poor girl's parent's disappeared and the only person that knows what might have happened to them is her former best friend.
-I also loved gruesome storytelling that Mindy was able to portray with these characters.
-Finally, I love the "white-trash zoo" that was featured and the fact that there was a panther let lose and hunting the humans.
-I appreciated the inspiration that came from Poe. The darkness, the tragedy, and the mystery.
-I also enjoyed the three character perspective---Tress and Felicity, as well as the CAT! So cool!

The cons:
-I felt no connection with any of the characters, which was personally hard for me to relate and/or root for any of them--even the tragic main character, Tress. However, I did feel bad for both her and Felicity because both suffered a trauma that night Tress's parents disappeared.
-I listened to the audiobook through Netgalley and the voice they used for the "ALC" was a synthetic voice, so I felt like I couldn't get the full experience of the audiobook. I think I would have liked it better if a robot wasn't reading the book to me. This book had a lot of emotions, which were not evident from the horrendous synthetic narrator reading the ALC. I WANTED THE REAL NARRATOR--how do you review an audiobook without hearing the audiobook narrator?? ugh!
-I wasn't a fan of the pacing. I felt like the story was jumping around and I honestly couldn't wrap my head around time, person, or even place in which the story was being told. I think reading this book in a visual format would be best.
-There were several moments I was just like "What? Come on! Not necessary!" --especially with the dog dying and all the nonchalant comments about kids using hard drugs/addiction.
-Finally, it ended on a somewhat cliffhanger and I still don't know what happened to Tress' parents, which I don't like. We find out secrets they had, but not really how they disappeared. I also might have missed it, which is why I plan to go back and read again. You really have to pay attention to every detail of this book.

Overall, I wanted to love this book so much more than I did and honestly I might re-read it when it officially comes out--maybe check out the real audiobook so that I can change my review to showcase more positives and a review of the narrator who may make the story better! However, at this time, I don't think I'd continue on with the duology.

I'm still a fan of Mindy McGinnis and can't wait to see what else she comes up with. Not every book from an author you love isn't going to "hit the spot" every time.

Thanks to Harper Audio and Netgalley for giving me this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
Initial Insult follows two girls-Tress and Felicity throughout life. They were friends, then they were not.
Initial Insult is marketed as a thriller on Goodreads, however it is NOT a thriller at all. Yes, Tress’ parents disappear, but we don’t really go in why they disappeared and what really happened. There is one time Tress calls the tip hotline and that is it. That’s the only way it goes into it. I didn’t like how Felicity and her mother looked down on seizures and how horrible they are. Yes, they are deliberating, but the mentality they share is a bit disgusting in my opinion. They think it will make them lesser people and that she will never get married or have anything if she shows others that she has seizures. I really didn’t like that and how they just talked about it. The beginning is really juvenile. I found it hard to follow at times because the book jumps time periods and point of views, so jumping in mid chapter was confusing. This is a character driven novel as well. I did like the friendship progression and see the hardships they went through separately.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced audio copy. 

This was my first audio book with a synthetic voice instead of narrated by a person. It took a little while to get used to but after that it was fine. I didn't like the fact that I couldn't rewind, fast forward, or exit the book without it starting the whole chapter over. I added bookmarks to try to stop it and it still started the whole chapter over.  

This book was pretty good, I finished it in about 24 hours because I really wanted to find out what happened. I liked that it was told two/three perspectives but I didn't enjoy the panther one as much. (Except in the room) That being said I did not enjoy the ending at all. It went so quickly I literally had to listen to the last 5 chapters again to see if I missed something. I am still in shock by how much we don't know by the end. The whole poemy talk for the last few chapters really threw me off as well and I didn't really like it. Hopefully this is the first in a series and we get to find out what happened with everything/everyone because it left off with NOTHING being answered and I NEED to know what happened. I have so many questions and I am not happy with the ending at all. There were also a lot of things that were not adding up. For example why would both of her parents take the her friend home in the middle of the night, while leaving their small child at home alone? Why was Tress living in such nasty conditions when she clearly had other family or friends she could live with? Why was she so mad at a girl that couldn't remember what happened when she was just a child? Mad enough to torture and kill her?!
It has been 2 days since I finished this book and I am still left wondering what the heck I listened to and wanting to know more.
I am giving this a 3 out if 5, if the ending wasn't so rushed it would have been at least a 4.

At first you might think you’ve heard this one before: A friendship unravels. One ex-BFF becomes the pillar of popularity while the other is viewed as town trash. Drama ensues.

It’s not quite what you think it is.

But maybe you HAVE heard this one before. Or a story like it. A story you may have read a long time ago:

Told through alternating perspectives, The Initial Insult is a sad and disturbing book. Tress’s parents disappear while driving her best friend, Felicity, home and Felicity claims she has no recollection of what happened to them. Tress now lives with her one-eyed alcoholic grandpa and his animal oddities while the beautiful Felicity leads a charmed life. But Tress is determined to get the truth out of Felicity. In an effort to scare her former friend into a confession, Tress begins, brick by brick, to seal Felicity into the wall of a basement underneath the raging noise of a loud Halloween party. Oh, and as luck would have it, there is a panther on the prowl in the neighborhood.

Aside from the most obvious nods to The Cask of Amontillado and The Black Cat, this book has a number of Poe story and poem references creatively woven into the narrative. You don’t need to be a fan of the deceased author to appreciate this modern tale, but if you do love his work, your dark heart might brighten a bit, as mine did!

The reader gets to see both girl’s perspectives vividly. I found myself sympathizing with these characters, but I did feel a greater pull toward one girl over the other, once I understood her point of view. It was interesting to see how differently both characters processed the same situation.

The Initial Insult is the first book in a duology. The story carefully foreshadows a dark possibility but the cliffhanger conclusion was far creepier than I could have ever predicted. McGinnis has masterfully left me hungry for more.

I want to note that I listened to the review audio copy, narrated through a synthetic voice. This was not the finished product. With that being said, I think I may have enjoyed this even more if I had not indulged in that format. The story jumps around to a lot of different time periods, which disrupted the flow, and I was sometimes confused. I suspect that I would have connected it all better if I’d been processing the story visually. It’s impossible to say for sure.

The Initial Insult is a story of friendship, misunderstanding, prejudice, and loss. There is a mystery at its center but there is also a cleverly crafted horror underneath all of the other layers. So far, this is the best Poe inspired tale that I’ve read and while I can’t even imagine what new terror awaits me in part two, I’m looking forward to finding out!

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Initial Insult is due to be published in February 2021.

I am so sorry but I didn't realize this was an audio book. I requested and was approved for the digital print copy which I will be reviewing.

I wasn't sure where this story was going to go and I was surprised and pleased with the resolution. Tress and Felicity have both been through some terrible things and are two sides of the same coin. Tress has a right to feel hurt and betrayed by Felicity, she was the last person to see Tress' parents alive and abandoned Tress when she needed her most. She also ignored her and was involved in bullying Tress.
On the other hand, not everything is as it appears for Felicity. She doesn't have the greatest home life and is hiding a severe medical condition. She didn't really mean to be cruel to Tress, she was caught in a difficult position and let her mom and friends pressure her into acting a certain way.

I wanted to know more about this flu that spread to everyone at the party. Is it more serious than we've seen or not? There were some gross scenes and beware if you have a problem with excessive vomiting, yuck.

The ending was crazy and I wonder what will happen in the second book? I'm sad I have to wait so long to find out!

I received this ARC audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I am SO excited for this book, however the synthesized narrator for the audiobook ARC did not work for me at all. I also requested the book ARC and I'm really hoping I get approved for that because Mindy McGinnis is a favorite of mine lately.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I loved this book! Not for the faint of heart, this keeps you hooked from the start. With Poe-esque overtones, narration that alternates between the two main characters tells a comprehensive tale of mystery and revenge. Not all your questions will be answered, not everything gets wrapped up neatly - if you’re not into that, this will frustrate you. That being said, if you like a fast-paced mystery/thriller, this book delivers

Thank you Netgalley for this audiobook of The Initial Insult by Mindy McGinnis.

Note about the narration: What the heck Netgalley? Give me an audiobook read by a synthesized voice? I gotta sit through that for how many hours? Nah dude, I'll wait until the human person can read it, thanks so much.

What in the Tale Tell Heart did I just read?! This book is ca-razy pants.

When Tress loses her parents, she also loses her status, her comforts, and her loving environment. Now she lives with her one eyed uncle at what has been deemed the "white trash zoo," equipped with Panther and all.

Felicity does have it all, including a huge amount of guilt every time she looks at Tress, who was once her friend. But now she knows too much about Tress's parents, things that no one else knows, and there's no way she can tell Tress. Unless she's forced to...

I saw that this is a part one of a series? I truly hope that is the case because otherwise this is just one big panic attack with a pretty cover. The amazing thing is that even though the premise is total batcrap nuts, it works! And it totally had Edgar Poe vibes and I can't wait to read the next one.

This was fast-paced and gripping and heart-wrenching. The Cask of Amontillado is one of my favorite Poe stories and Mindy McGinnis knocks it out of the park with this retelling.

*I received an audiobook copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Mindy McGinnis is an auto buy author for me. She never fails to give me something different and a little out there and that's why she is one of my favorite authors.

The Initial Insult is one of those books that left me wanting more and in this case, that's a good thing. I wanted to hear more about Tress and Felicity's relationship because it was sad, intense and very real. I think a lot of people will relate to the friendship and also the falling out between the two. I wanted to hear more about Hugh, Ribbit and Brynn. Hugh especially, he was genuinely nice and cared for both Tress and Felicity and it wasn't in a sexual way.

There is a lot of emphasis on having the right last name. I think McGinnis does an wonderful job capturing the small town politics and showing just how important it is and if you grew up in a small town you know, last names mean everything.

Mindy McGinnis does an excellent job with her characters, it always leaves me wanting to be apart of the world she has created even if situations are not ideal.

The audiobook had a computerized voice so I can't really give feedback on a narrator. The computerized voice was a little difficult to get used to but ultimately to content of the book was great.

I would recommend this book to everyone!

Thanks to the publisher for providing an audio galley of The Initial Insult in exchange for an honest review.

This was weird. I mean obviously a YA, 2 book adaptation of The Cask of Amontillado is bound to be weird but oh my god was this weird in the best way possible.

Told in 3 points of view, 1 belonging to rich, popular Felicity, another belonging to her ex-best friend Tress, and the 3rd belonging to a panther. Still with me? Cool.

So basically Felicity and Tress used to be best friends but had a falling out and now Tress wants answers from Felicity that Felicity won't give her. If you've read The Cask of Amontillado you already know what comes next. Logically, Tress decides to chain Felicity up underneath a halloween party (putting Felicity in a 'sexy clown costume' was a really fun nod to the source material by the way) and slowly entomb her in an old mine chute by closing it up with bricks. And somehow it all makes sense?

Felicity and Tress are both believable characters with believable character motives. We switch between their present and their memories and it gradually becomes easier and easier to figure out what led to the night of the Halloween party. Past and present collide in a conclusion that has me dying to find out what happens next. Not to be dramatic but my jaw literally dropped.

Will Tress kill Felicity? Will Felicity tell Tress what she wants to know? What's going on with that third panther perspective I mentioned earlier?

This is the kind of story best experienced if you know as little as possible going in so I'm just going to leave you there.

It took me a bit to get used to the computerized voice used for the audiobook. But once I got past that I was very Enthralled. I like that the narrator was very real, and I like that even the perfect pretty rich girl had problems. Being someone who suffers from seizures myself, I really identified with her character. It’s not often you see a character with seizures in a YA book. Love the diversity of that. Also the fact that the main character is not a spoiled little rich girl. The market is getting saturated with the same thing over and over, Rich Poshe New York fashion models, not enough real girls that the every day person can identify with. Thank you for giving our teams someone like themselves that they can read about. It is so rare to find a book that the main character lives in a trailer park. But realistically there is so many teens who are in the situation, and who can feel embarrassed by it. I like the empowerment this book is giving to them.

I literally FLEW thru this audiobook. Once I got started, every spare second I had was spent listening to this.
Can I just say it’s SO REFRESHING to hear a story about a girl who isn’t rich and gorgeous and has everything she could ever want?! About time some of the Lower income characters get a main stream title!!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Katherine Tegan Books for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Interestingly, this was my first audio book with a synthetic voice instead of narrated by a human voice actor. While not as good as an actor, it didn’t take away from listening to the book.

Tress and Felicity are best friends until Tress’s parents go missing while driving Felicity home in the middle of the night during a sleep over. Felicity has no memory of what happened. Seven years later, Tress buries Felicity in a coal chute trying to get her to remember what happened. The story goes between Tress, Felicity and a panthers’s point of view (yup, a panther) and back and forth in time.

There were so many plot holes for me. Why would both parents drive home a guest in the middle of the night and leave their young daughter home alone? Why would no one in town, including Tress’ other relatives, intervene to help her from the awful and unsafe living conditions? Why is Tress so mad at Felicity?

I was insanely excited to get my hands on an early copy of a Mindy McGinnis novel. But sadly, I could not listen to it because the audiobook would not download on my phone. I will not be requesting any more audiobooks from now on.

The build up to the end was masterfully done and the town delightfully dysfunctional. But the end! Please tell me there will be another installment. I have so many questions.

Book 190 towards my goal of 280! 4.5/5 stars for this YA Mystery read. Like the Tiger King, plus more family drama, plus a mystery thrown in! Loved the characters and the story! Definitely recommend once it releases! Already wanting book 2!
*I received this book in exchange for honest review from Netgalley*

This book was so good but the end just fell flat. Maybe this this the first of a series. I loved the two perspectives, the cat not so much. Definitely would love to find out what happens to these characters.