I absolutely loved this book! The premise immediately hooked my interest and it was filled with twisty characters and such intense plot!

In the midst of all the young adult thrillers that are coming out off the back of the success of Karen McManus, Holly Jackson and other authors I think this one stands out as one of the best. I really hope this becomes a series so I can read more of Alice and Iris solving mysteries.

I requested this one back when I was still giving YA Mystery a go because I was beginning to think I no longer found them enjoyable (trust me this kills me inside).

I tried giving this one a go and I just really struggled. I just don't think YA mystery is for me anymore. I'm so sorry!

A fun ya thriller and it draws you in. Characters are great as is the storyline great for younger teen pupils

A brilliantly quirky YA book, that is definitely suitable for all ages. I really loved the banter and plot of this one.

Loved this, really addictive read!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A fantastic murder mystery full of twists and turns. Perfect for fans of Karen McManus or Maureen Johnson!

🔎🔎 The Agathas 🔍🔍

The most popular girl in school is dead. And everyone’s blaming the wrong guy.
After falling from grace last summer, Agatha Christie-obsessed Alice Ogilvie needs to stay out of trouble. While smart and reclusive Iris Adams just wants to get the hell out of Castle Cove.
But now they have a murder to solve. There are clues the police are ignoring, a list of suspects a mile long and some very dangerous cliffs.
Amateur detectives Alice and Iris are about to uncover just how many secrets their sleepy seaside town is hiding…

This book intrigued me when I read a post about it and instantly searched on @netgalley for it, it was there and luckily my request was accepted!!
This is a YA murder mystery featuring an Agatha Christie obsessed teen whose friend, Brooke, is tragically found dead at the bottom of the local cliffs. At first it’s treated as non-suspicious but then Brooke’s boyfriend (Alice’s ex) is charged with her murder. Alice does not believe this to be true and sets out with her new friend, Iris to prove his innocence and discover the truth to what really happened.
I really enjoyed this entertaining novel, there are some light moments in this emotional book and the mystery is written really well, it nearly caught me out, only nearly!!
The characters, if not all likeable, are brilliantly written and the local town is perfectly described.
There are a few Christie references tucked in for fans, characters names etc and I think this is a great example of a modern Murder mystery.
Perfect for YA readers and adults who enjoy reading them and obviously for Christie fans too!
It gave me Mean Girls/Clueless meets Nancy Drew/Murder She Wrote vibes and I was here for it.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Many thanks to Netgalley for my ecopy

An engaging and well-written novel that would be suitable for fans of Karen McManus and Kathleen Glasgow.

This story is full of red herrings, and leaves you thinking you've solved it - only to find out minutes later that you're completely wrong.

Gripping and compelling. A very intriguing read.

I really, really wanted to like this and it seems I am in the minority with my opinion but I found this book insanely slow and I wasn’t a fan of either of our main characters.

I love a mystery but this book felt kind of predictable and I didn’t feel like I was on the edge of my seat. I do feel like some parts were drummed up to be very big deal and it really wasn’t.
I also felt like there wasn’t much in terms of character development, particularly as we get into the middle of the book. Both girls were the same as when we started reading and I didn’t like either of them when we started, so…
I have read books from KG before (both 4.5 or 5 stars) which is why I was surprised to see how slow this was and how mediocre the writing felt.
I just don’t think this was the book for me!

I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In the small town of Castle Cove, the topic of conversation is always the girl who disappeared last summer, only to return 5 days later - alive, unharmed, but unwilling to say where she went. That is until a new girl goes missing.
Alice is the pariah of Castle Cove after her vanishing spell had everyone worried, but now her ex-best friend Brooke has disappeared too. Alice knows Brooke would never pull the same stunt she did, and she also knows her ex-boyfriend (and Brookes current boyfriend) Steve would never have hurt her. So she enlists Iris to help her solve the real mystery, taking inspiration from her new literary hero Agatha Christie.

I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book so much!! I loved the dual point of view and thought both characters were great protagonists. They were clever and witty and complex. I loved reading about their friendship and watching that develop, and how it took centre stage over any romance that might have been brewing.

Mystery wise, I definitely did not see the ending coming. There were a lot of threads of the mystery, each one was compelling and had me desperate to read on, but I thought it was a clever and intriguing mystery.

I would have liked to have gone in a bit deeper to Alice’s disappearance in the summer, and some parts I did have to suspend my disbelief that lawyers and cops would give that much info away to nosey school kids, but that didn’t affect my reading experience!

I had such fun reading this book! It’s not out until May, but I definitely recommend getting a preorder in as I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I did!

🌿BOOK REVIEW🌿

The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow

“An English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections. Also known as the bestselling author of all time. Also, one bad bitch.”

Last summer after her boyfriend Steve dumps Alice, she dissapears for five days. No one knows where she was during those five days and her reappearance rocked the small town. Now in the present day, Steve’s current girlfriend, Brooke, has disappeared at a party and it doesn’t look like she will be coming back to. Alice teams up with Iris who is meant to be tutoring her to improve her school grades to get to the bottom of Brooke’s disappearance.

Throughout the book we switch between Alice and Iris’ perspective as they both are working through their investigation, and their own personal problems. This was a classic piece of YA mystery but with some darker themes around domestic abuse and gambling. I thought Iris was a fantastic character and her storyline was written in a very emotive way.

There are so many twists and turns in this story that keep you hooked until the very end, but it isn’t too confusing that you forget what has happened!

Absolutely recommend for fans of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and One of Us is Lying!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

⚠️CW// domestic abuse, murder, physical abuse, bullying, cancer, child death

Author: Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Age Range: Young Adult
Format: Paperback
Published: 5th May 2022
Pages: 395
Rating: 4 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Last summer, Alice Ogilve’s basketball-star boyfriend Steve dumped her. Then she disappeared for five days. Where she went and what happened to her is the biggest mystery in Castle Cove, because she’s not talking. Or it was, at least. But now, another one of Steve’s girlfriends has vanished: Brooke Donovan, Alice’s ex–best friend. And it doesn’t look like Brooke will be coming back. . .

Enter Iris Adams, Alice’s tutor. Iris has her own reasons for wanting to disappear, though unlike Alice, she doesn’t have the money or the means. That could be changed by the hefty reward Brooke’s grandmother is offering to anyone who can share information about her granddaughter’s whereabouts. The police are convinced Steve is the culprit, but Alice isn’t so sure, and with Iris on her side, she just might be able to prove her theory.

In order to get the reward and prove Steve’s innocence, they need to figure out who killed Brooke Donovan. And luckily Alice has exactly what they need—the complete works of Agatha Christie. If there’s anyone that can teach the girls how to solve a mystery it’s the master herself. But the town of Castle Cove holds many secrets, and Alice and Iris have no idea how much danger they're about to walk into.

Review

Trigger Warnings: Domestic Violence, Loss of a loved one, Death, Murder and Violence.

This review may contain spoilers.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of this year as the synopsis intrigued me and I loved the cover. I actually received an arc of this via NetGalley however I picked up a finished copy while in Waterstones, so I read the physical copy. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and as someone who reads mystery/thriller novels frequently, it took me by complete surprise with some of the twists. From the very first page of this novel, I was completely drawn in and I was kept gripped throughout, therefore I found this hard to put down at times as I really wanted to know what happened next. Another aspect of this novel that I enjoyed was the formatting – there are text messages scattered throughout the story which really added to my enjoyment of the novel. I also thoroughly liked the characters in this novel, the story is told from two POV’s Iris and Alice. At the beginning of the novel, Alice isn’t close with Iris however their friendship develops throughout as they work together to solve the case and I loved seeing them grow closer. As previously mentioned, the twists in this book took me by complete surprise especially the reveal of who had killed Brooke, I hadn’t been suspicious of that person at all. The ending implied that there could potentially be a sequel so I have my fingers crossed that it happens because I would absolutely love to read more of Alice and Iris along with their friends solving another case.

Overall, this was a great YA Mystery/Thriller that had me drawn in from the very beginning and had great twists.

Can totally see the appeal to others if this one but sadly did not finish as I didn’t get on with it- sorry!

a well told, if slightly meandering, story about a murdered girl and a small town's wrath for justice. i liked the friendships within this book, didn't feel drawn in by the love interests, and overall thought it was a decent high school crime story

This book kept me entirely on my toes! I had no idea who could possibly be the villain, and I constantly worried that we weren't being told the entire story! This mystery of a small town of the rich vs the poor, the popular vs the unremarkable, felt fresh and new. I'll definitely be recommending this to anyone who wants a new YA mystery to sink their teeth into!

The most popular girl in school is dead – and everyone’s blaming the wrong guy.

Alice Ogilvie’s disappearance last summer was Castle Cove’s biggest mystery. Then, Brooke Donovan, one of Alice’s best friends, disappears and the town thinks it’s a copy-cat situation. But Alice thinks there’s something more sinister at play. Joined by an outsider, the nerdy Iris Adams, Alice sets out to find out what really happened to Brooke.

I loved loved loved this book! Think Nancy Drew mixed with Veronica Mars & Mean Girls! Alice is Agatha Christie obsessed and I loved the sprinkling of Christie quotes at the start of Alice’s chapters. The dynamics between the characters is so well written, particularly Alice and Iris’ initial love -hate relationship and the development of a budding friendship throughout the book. Alice is an impulsive spoilt rich kid completely neglected by her parents. Iris comes from a poor part of town but has a strong relationship with her mother and they are both terrified that Iris’ abusive father will turn up again. Alice and Iris have nothing in common but somehow find a way to work together to uncover the truth. I think the authors did a phenomenal job of bringing these two polar opposites together in an authentic way (including all the squabbles and fights as these two figure each other out!)

The writing was seamless for me and I couldn’t tell that there were two authors as everything gelled together perfectly. Loved the many twists and turns and red herrings thrown into the mix. Plenty of suspects to work through and dark secrets to uncover!

The Agathas is a gripping fast-paced mystery, full of humour, bitchiness and emotional moments. It’s the perfect YA mystery story and I really hope the authors write a sequel! (I need to see what happens next!)

Thank you to NetGalley & publishers for the arc. The Agathas is out now.

One of the main reasons I was drawn to The Agathas is because it’s the story of two young women who, inspired by the novels of Agatha Christie, try to solve a murder in their small town of Castle Cove. I have always been a fan of Agatha Christie and, lately, I have been rereading some of my favorite of her novels (like Death on the Nile, And Then There Were None) so I had fun reading The Agathas.

“What would Agatha Christie do? I try to channel the queen.”

The protagonists of the novel are two teenagers, Alice and Iris. At the beginning of the story, they are not friends. They come from different backgrounds and they have different interests and passions. Alice is a Main (what they call the cook kids at school!). She is rich, beautiful, and, at least until a few months ago, popular. Iris is a Zoner (the not cool kids at school). She lives alone with her mother and she works two jobs. So they have absolutely nothing in common. Although they go to the same school and also attend some of the same classes, Alice is too focused on herself to know who Iris is, until she becomes her tutor. Iris accepts to tutor Alice because she needs to earn enough money so she and her mother can escape Castle Cove and the threat that haunts them.

When one of their classmates is found dead, both Iris and Alice are drawn into the investigation: it seems Iris was the last person to see her alive, while Alice had a fight with her before she disappeared. And when the victim’s boyfriend (who is also Alice’s ex-boyfriend) is arrested, Iris and Alice are convinced he is innocent and decide to start their own investigation – which involves color-coded note cards, whiteboards, and case notes.

I really enjoyed The Agathas. It is a gripping, exciting, and witty read with two fantastic heroines. Iris and Alice form an unlikely friendship. Iris is nerd, resilient, mature with a complicated family situation. Alice is more impulsive and spoiled and she feels ignored by her parents who mostly leave her at home with her former nanny. She is a huge fan of Agatha Christie’s novels and a few months back she had disappeared for a few days (just like her heroine Agatha Christie did in 1926 giving life to an unsolved mystery that still fills the pages of books) before reappearing unharmed and with no explanation, making her the talk of the school. Despite their differences, Iris and Alice work really well together, they have great chemistry, and I wish there will be more books in which the two girls play detective!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed this romp of a novel. Bringing the works of Agatha Christie into a modern mystery plot is a great way to introduce these books to a new audience, although I did feel that Alice perhaps did reference them a little too much...! Regardless, the character and plotting of this novel was great and you felt swept up in the action. I also didn't see a couple of the twists coming, which is always nice! A fun summer read.

I was absolutely gripped by this one! It's right up there with my favourite YA mysteries. The voice of both characters is immediately arresting, and the mystery was engaging and fast paced. I loved the Agatha Christie references, and I hope to see these characters solving more mysteries together!