Years ago, I read and enjoyed The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond. I noticed the author's new release, The Wonder Test, on NetGalley this month and requested it. I'm not exactly sure why I haven't gone back to read more of her books, but after this one, I will push myself to do it. In this release, Lina travels back to California to clean out her father's home after he passes away from cancer, within weeks of her own husband's deadly car accident in New York, near their home. She's taken temporary leave from the FBI after a minor mistake, and she brings her teenage son with her. What could go wrong?

The Wonder Test is the standard exam for all the schools in her new living location. It's a competition for everything: fame, funding and fortune. Oddly, a few kids have been kidnapped in the past from this area. All were returned, but they were different afterward. She's not worried about her son's fate, mostly because the ones who were kidnapped tell him he's safe. But why? Could it be that his scores are off the chart? Who's behind these strange kidnappings: school administrators, other parents, the Chief of Police?

The plot is actually quite simple. Skip my next line. While it might be a spoiler, I think it's mostly obvious that the reason the kids are kidnapped is so they intentionally miss the tests -- they will bring the school's average down. The real mystery is what does it all mean? And what happens to these kids? When Rory, Lina's son, meets Caroline, he's found puppy love. She adores him too, but then she's suddenly ghosting him. Why? Is she part of the reason for the kidnappings or has she been taken herself? Her French diplomat parents are also curiously missing the entire time.

I enjoyed this one a bunch; it took 1 day to read, a few hours in the morning and then again at night before bed. My primary concern is that a lot is discussed about another FBI case Lina's assisting with, plus she's still grieving her husband's death, and she's got to deal with her late father's house. None of these sub-plots were wrapped up in a way that made me feel like I read a complete novel. Sure they weren't the prime focus of the overall book, but they probably took up 25% of the consolidated text, so why not give us a bit of a real ending? I'm probably asking for too much, but that's what kept me from pushing this from a 4 to a 5.

I think this will do well, but I also liked The Marriage Pact more. It had a bit of darker, sinister components. I felt the fear and suspense whereas here, it felt more like... "Okay, Lina, solve this before your son is kidnapped. And have some run-ins that make us shake in our boots." Didn't happen, but the writing was good and the characters had nice substance. Onward we go... I think it's time to read one of her early books next!

I really enjoyed this book! This is the second book I've read by Michelle Richmond and I eagerly await whatever comes next from her. The Wonder Test has an unusual premise and the action was non-stop with many surprising twists and turns. Lina, the first person narrator, is totally kick-ass, take no prisoners, awesome! I highly recommend this title and envy new reader's who have yet to experience it. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this digital arc.

This was definitely a slow burner, but gives you a great perspective on a heavy topic. It was a bit long and drawn-out and I had a hard time connecting with the characters. However, this could be because I am at a totally different stage in life. Overall, interesting read.

Michelle Richmond’s “The Wonder Test” is a wonderfully subtle satirical thriller that exposes the Silicon Valley culture that mistakenly focuses on children’s advancement and prestige instead of their wellbeing. To this end, Richmond highlights the lengths FBI agent, Lina Connerly will go to protect her son.

Like many issues in education, standardized testing is a controversial topic. On one hand, it purports to provide an accurate measurement of student performance and teacher effectiveness. On the other hand, there’s evidence to suggest that it affects students’ physical and emotional well-being. Richmond uses this controversy as fuel to propel her plot. Fifteen-year-old Rory Connerly is enrolled in a posh public school in the wealthy Silicon Valley suburb of Greenfield, California. His high school is focused on maintaining their standing – always first in the country.

This stepfordesque thriller is basically a race to save Greenfield teens from their own parents’ ambition. It exposes the obsessive greed and the lengths they will go to appear to be providing the best for their children as well as what their community will do to maintain its seemingly perfect exterior.

Yes, there are too many characters to keep straight. Yes, the questions at the start of each chapter detract from the enjoyment. Yes, there are some implausible events. BUT, if you are looking for a book with mystery, adventure, lots of twists and turns, missing people, and written by an author with a creative flair who chooses to focus on morality, responsibility and trust, this is for YOU.

Publishes July 6, 2021.

I was gifted this advance copy by Michelle Richmond, Grove Atlantic, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Nicole has just finished sharing “sandwiches” with a friend on a deserted beach when she sees “it” approaching.
A shape, moving like an injured animal, ashen white and glowing. A student, who had disappeared weeks ago, now shaved bald, and traumatized....

Widowed FBI agent, Lina Connerly and her teenage son, Rory are living in her father’s house, temporarily, leaving the ghost of her husband behind in NY. She gets pulled into the investigation when she learns that the boy found on the beach is a student at Rory’s new school-one with a strange curriculum. There are no classes-just seminars on subjects that will prepare them to ace a standardized test called “The Wonder Test”.

The town is obsessed with having their school score highest in the State, and in the Country!
Their motto: “ Prepared for the test-prepared for life, every student counts!! “

Each chapter opens with a “Wonder Test” question such as :
“Is artificial intelligence truly artificial? Is it intelligence? Give examples and discuss.

This book was a 3.5 ⭐️ for me, and and I can give examples and discuss why I could round it up, and why I could round it down!

Based on that synopsis, I requested expecting SUSPENSEFUL with a dose of FREAKY but, I could see where this one was going to go almost immediately- and I was right. Not suspenseful or freaky. Round down?

What this actually is-an FBI procedural with a LIKABLE and CAPABLE lead in Lina-and the set-up for this to possibly be book one in a series. A bit of a slow burn, (448 pages!) and about 75 pages too long-but well written. Round up?

I am going to round up with the ⚠️that this is recommended for readers who enjoy investigations-but maybe not for those like myself, who expected a creepy mystery...

Thank You to Atlantic Monthly Press for the ARC gifted to me through NetGalley! It was my pleasure to offer a candid review! Available July 6, 2021.

I loved this book. Loved the questions from the Wonder Test at the beginning of each chapter. Great story that kept me interested throughout. Great read. Thanks #netgallery.

This book wasn’t for me. I thought the synopsis was interesting so I requested it. After the first chapter I knew this book wouldn’t be one of my favorites. I persevered through it all, but it is a total miss for me. I couldn’t connect with Amy of the characters. I found the scenes droll and without a spark.

This took a while. By that, I mean it probably could've benefited from another couple editing runs and being cut down around 10-20%. That being said, I really loved the little 'Wonder Test' question excerpts at the beginning of each chapter. I think that the kidnapping mystery portion was really creative (and I would've like more of that, if not at least less of Lina's background). I enjoyed the mother/son dynamic in the story as well.

3 for neutral, as I was unable to finish. Will update if able to finish at a late date! As I am a moody reader. Which may be why it didn’t grab me/

This one was tough for me. I really loved the premise, but the characters felt a bit flat, and i just couldn't get into the plot. I think a couple extra rounds of edits to clean up what was going on, and add some depth, would have gotten this book to at least four stars.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book and for about the first half I was very intrigued. Unfortunately, that was about as far as it got for me. There were questions at the beginning of each chapter that were supposed to be questions that were seen on The Wonder Test, but they made absolutely no sense and I honestly quit reading them. My main issue with the book was the sheer number of characters that were introduced. There were multiple times that I had to go back to try to figure out who was who. The plot was so convoluted and confusing you basically needed a poster board to try to connect all the characters together. I'm all for a who done it with some twists and turns but I don't need to go through 50 characters in order to get to the main guy. My other big issue was how incredibly not real this plot was. In no way shape or form is an FBI officer on leave going to investigate a case that isn't hers!!!!! She constantly overstepped the lines and literally solved the whole case while on leave. Sorry, but that isn't policy or procedure and just made the entire thing seem so fake and unrealistic.

This thriller presents worthy themes of what good education is, how valuable standardised tests are, and how far some parents are willing to go to satisfy their ambitions, The beginning is slow, but ultimately worth the wait.

Lina, an FBI agent on leave, and her son Rory temporarily move into her father's old house to clean out his belongings after his death. The school Rory attends is heavily focused on the Wonder Test, an aptitude test in which his school always scores first in the country. Lina is asked by local police to assist in the disappearance and the reappearance of another high school boy the year prior, and it begins to look like the disappearance has something to do with the test. This wasn't bad, especially if you suspend some disbelief, but I didn't love it. 3 stars.

It is a compelling suspense novel, my first book from this author.

Mother and son is moving back to her home town in California to start a new life. Everyone at the boy’s new school is so obsessed with preparations for a so-called Wonder Test as if their lives depended on it. You have this weird feeling about the town: Stepford pops into mind, with their cyborg wives. And as much as the locals care about the outcome of the test, they completely ignore the fact that every now and then a kid disappears just to show up days later in a shocking state.

A test question is quoted at the beginning of each chapter which I find an original idea. There are a few loose ends at the end of the book, but it was a truly entertaining read.

Let me start by saying that I love Ms. Richmond's writing. The setting is near where I grew up and it's fun to read about the places I've heard of all my life. That said, I'm sorry to say that I could not get into this story. The first few chapters really drug on for me. I felt like I was getting nowhere with it. I tried several times. I did not finish this book.

Lina Connelly is a widowed FBI agent who goes to California to sell her father’s house in Greenfield, Ca. This Silicon Valley community is filled with upper middle class families whose children attend a competitive high school. The entire academic program is based on the Wonder Test, a standardized test that ranks the school as one of the best in the country. As Lina learns more of the disappearance of students over the past two years, she becomes involved in the investigation. And then this thriller goes into unexpected territory. This is one readers don’t want to miss. I see a possible television series in the future! I highly recommend this page turner, once I started I couldn’t put it down! Thank you to Atlantic Monthly Press, Michelle Richmond and NetGalley for the arc.

A mother/son thriller twist I enjoyed in ‘The Wonder Test’. Lina’s recent losses of her husband and father send her on sabbatical from the to San Francisco area. When Rory (son) classmates start disappearing, Lina can’t wonder what the Wonder Test truly entails.

3.5 stars.

I was hesitating over this books rating for a while, as there was so much I loved but an equal amount which I disliked.

The idea of the book is genius. Richmond takes a cynical approach to the standardised testing system and the deep inequalities it creates, an approach which is relevant now more than ever in light of the Olivia Jade revelations.

The characters and their relationships were also fundamental in shaping the narrative. I was as drawn to the relationship between the mother and the son as I was the plot - as much as the writing is cynical, this is also a book centred around healing and rebuilding.

However, unfortunately, the actual execution of the plot I found lacklustre. For a ‘thriller’ I found almost all of the twists predictable, I guessed the link about ten pages in - there was not a singular moment in this book that shocked me which is what I look for in books of this genre.

Overall, an interesting read. I enjoyed it, it just wasn’t necessarily what I hoped it to be.

Many thanks to NetGallery for the ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

I loved this book from start to finish! It is original, imaginative and very hard to put down. The characters are very well developed and the author’s style is uniquely refreshing. I was drawn in from the start and could not put it down! I look forward to more from this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Wonder Test is an engrossing and a surprising read.

In this book, the female protagonist, Lina Connerly,, an FBI agent and profiler, is dealing with the recent tragic losses of both her husband and her father. Still reeling, Lina uproots her teenage son Rory temporarily from their home in New York to the hilly elite suburbs of San Francisco to settle her fathers estate.

The atmosphere at Rory’s new high-school is very strange, with teachers, parents, and the broader community all placing a weird and prodigious amount of attention on the achievement of excellent results in an high-tech intelligence assessment tool, called the Wonder Test, that all students must complete in grade 10. In this strange new world the proximity of Silicon Valley has resulted in the permeation of the tech influence and mantra everywhere - giving the new school setting an almost robotic achieve-at-all-cost morality that is creepily disconcerting.

Lina learns of a mystery that no-one is talking about surrounding the disappearance and subsequent traumatized re-appearance of students from Rory’s school, each occurrence a year or so apart. On hiatus from her FBI duties, Lina cannot help but feel the pull, allowing herself to be drawn into solving the crimes. We follow her on a nail-biter of a path as she draws on her considerable FBI problem-solving, people-deciphering skill-set to get to the bottom of it all.

I guessed the solution to the mystery early on, as most readers likely will, but surprisingly, (yes, we’re finally up to where the surprise comes in!), this didn’t affect my enjoyment of the plot at all. As it turns out, this book is about so much more than the resolution of the crime itself.

The author does a wonderful job in crafting the character of Lina, who is a strong female protagonist in a fictional world where there are not too many women standing alone and not as a partner or appendage of an equally capable male counterpart. Smart, brave, independent, dedicated to her sometimes horrifying and always all-consuming work, Lina is deeply worried about her son Rory as they both struggle to adapt to their new circumstances. This relationship between Lina and Rory, (and even more compellingly, between Lina and her own self) against the backdrop of the crimes and their ultimate resolution, forms the substance of this book.

Recruited into the FBI years ago directly from literature graduate school, the turmoil of this alienating setting compels Lina to turn inward, picking away layers of pain and shame to re-claim her own narrative thread, now thin and tenuous but just strong enough to be woven into a true cord of connection between her past and her future (and that of her son Rory).

Overall, I found this book a great read. The plot is fast-paced and well-written and along the way the author also manages to explore a few other interesting themes including parental responsibility, extreme careers and work-life balance, morality, achievement, authenticity, the omnipresent rise of technology (particularly the mega tech companies) and trust.

A big thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author, for an advance review copy of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.