Pretty Dead Queens is a YA mystery/thriller that kept me enthralled in the story and guessing throughout. Highly recommend to fans of Pretty Little Liars and anyone who loves a good YA thriller! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pretty Dead Queens is a fast-paced murder mystery with so many twists and turns that I didn't see coming. While at times the story veered a little off course for the sake of character development, it offered dynamic characters with hidden motives that kept me guessing. However, the story skipped over a lot of the genuine connections between those characters in favor of insta-love and trauma bonding. It was also really contemporary, with lots of pop-culture references that became a little cringey at times. Overall, a cute read that delivers what it promised.

I had really high hopes for this book but it just didn’t do it for me. Maybe because it’s very YA? I did not like the main character at all and thought she was just a pot stirrer. She talked about not wanting to stay in this town but then forced herself into everyone’s life. It just wasn’t a book for me.

The writing itself was great and flowed really well.

Pretty Dead Queens is an interesting and fun YA murder mystery. While I suspected the identity of the killer from the beginning, nothing could've prepared me for that final twist!

When Cecilia's mother dies, she has to live with the grandmother she's never known in a small town where everyone is in your business. Her grandmother Maura is a local celebrity. She's a best-selling author who got popular from writing about the homecoming queen being murdered when she was in high school. No one seems to think it's tacky she turned her friend's murder into fiction and profited from it, haha.

Early on, Cecilia compares herself to Bella Swan but only in looks and not in an entirely favorable way. Well, she has no idea how apt that is. The second she goes to her new school, she happens to fall in with the elite clique. And she immediately falls for one boy and is attracted to another. Those are the similarities that stood out.

As for the clique, if you quizzed me on their names and the unique traits each character has that sets them apart, I couldn't tell you. They're all thrown at you at once and they're all exceptional people whose parents are all a Big Deal in this small town. And as for the not-even-a-love-triangle, it was really unnecessary but I get it. She's new to town, life turned upside down, grieving for her mother. She needed a distraction.

Which is why when a copycat killer has murdered a candidate for homecoming queen not long after Cecilia's arrival, she takes it upon herself to investigate. She questions if one of her new friends is capable of murder. Everyone the victim knew had a motive since she wasn't very nice at all to put it mildly.

Over the course of the investigation, Cecilia's suspicions change constantly. But to be fair, she isn't privy to the intricacies of everyone's relationships. She can only go with where the clues are taking her. And obviously everyone in this town has something to hide..

Overall, I enjoyed Pretty Dead Queens. I liked Cecilia as a protagonist and how the plot progressed. It was just every instance involving romance I could do without. Those were the times she became extremely naive and lost common sense but again, I get it. Also I'm pretty sure I felt a possible sequel was hinted at in the end. There's certainly potential for one and if so I will definitely read it.

Thank you Random House Children's/Crown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

I really enjoyed this wild ride of a YA mystery told masterfully by Alexa Donne. This will be a perfect book for spooky season this fall. I really enjoyed the writing style of this book and really feel like this could be adapted to a movie extremely well. As for the story itself. I liked our main character Cecilia, and I could sympathize with her grief. The setting of the small town, along with Cecilia's grandmother's creepy manor really helped the spooky ambiance be front and center. The mystery kept me guessing and I really did not expect the ending at all! I would recommend this to fans of YA mysteries or anyone looking to enjoy a spooky time.

This was a pretty good fast read I really enjoyed the suspense and everything going throughout the story. It was a bit predictable but I still enjoyed it a lot everything going throughout the story. It was a bit predictable but I still enjoyed it a lot

I really enjoyed reading this book, it was a great mystery novel. I was hooked from the description of the book and the cover. It was what I wanted from a mystery young adult novel, and I was trying to solve the mystery from beginning to end. The characters were great and I enjoyed going through this mystery with them. I can't wait to read Alexa Donne's next book as I enjoyed this book.

"“My staff and I are working tirelessly to explore all avenues of inquiry,” he says. “We ask for everyone’s patience and remind everyone to please not disturb the scene of the crime.” His hard gaze sweeps across the bleachers, lands on me. I shift in my seat, shame burning up my neck. But the sheriff moves on. He can’t know what I’ve been up to. There’s no camera by the pool’s back door. I checked."

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Pretty Dead Queens by Alexa Donne is a fun high school whodunnit rife with drama, lying, backstabbing, and sexual tension. Essentially, a copycat murder has happened in a small town that has yet to move on from the original, which was immortalized in a crime novel written by the famous grandmother of the main character. Cecelia, new to town after her mother's death, gets wrapped up in investigating the crime. One problem: literally EVERYONE is a suspect, as the titular pretty dead queen had more than her fair share of enemies.

I suspected the killer straight away, but then got wrapped up in the sleuthing and ended up suspecting practically every character before my initial suspicions were finally confirmed. Some of the suspects had interesting and complicated motives, so I was a bit disappointed that the suspect with (IMO) the most obvious, straight-forward motive was the real killer. It was very entertaining nonetheless, especially as the leads started piling up.

My sole complaint is that the focus on the investigation was so heavy, while literally timeskipping over bonding moments like the movie date, so I never really felt the connection between Cecelia and her "friends." In most of their scenes together, Cecelia is silent while they interact/infodump, or else she's accusing someone, questioning someone, or pressuring someone into doing something they don't want to do for the sake of the investigation. And then suddenly she's saying that Seaview is her home and she has loyal friends? I just didn't get it. (On a side note, I don't love conflict that relies on cheating/lusting or being suspicious of one's partner for cheating/lusting, but I suppose it's fitting for high school drama, so I'll let it slide).

The writing style was polished and entertaining, and I really enjoyed myself. I can't wait to devour The Ivies next!

I didn’t like this one as much as the ivies , but it was still good. It was slight slow for me in the beginning…..the pacing picked up thought! Relatively predictable, but I would still recommend if you like the genre

For fans of: Mean Girls, Pretty Little Liars, High School Drama, Secrets from the Past, Love Triangles, Small Town Vibes

Pros: Immediately got wrapped up in the story! The setting. The characters. The drama.
Loved our main character, Cecelia. I found her relatable and easy to like.
Her grandmother Maura was just fascinating! And super interesting to get to know. Don't we all wish we had a rich & famous author for grandmother...or do we?
The writing is witty and fast-paced. Super easy to read, a lot of fun!

My only con is that I wished we got into the murder stuff a little bit quicker.

4 stars! :)

Pretty Dead Queens is a fast-paced thriller. I enjoyed the tenacity of the main character, Cecilia, and all the twists within the story. I know my high school students will love this one!

I enjoy amateur detective books, especially with teens investigating murders. This was so easy to fall into and all the small town secrets kept me guessing to the end. I love when there are other shady things going on that aren't part of the murder. It keeps the plot entertaining and me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what will happen next.

Cecilia did not hesitate to jump into an investigation, even though she barely knew these people she was questioning and accusing. She made some mistakes along the way and put herself into danger, but it felt like that's how a real teenager would go about things. Though we didn't get to know the side characters very well, I did like the crime fiction author, the mean rich girl, and the various townspeople with things they'd rather keep hidden. It was a fun setting and made me wish I lived in a coastal town in the fall.

I thought the pacing was quick and ramped up to a fun climax at the end. This was a great mystery to dive into.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Crown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the copy

I enjoyed this book so much! It immediately reminded me of Nancy Drew and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, but I loved the believability of the main character. Cecelia isn’t just automatically good at sleuthing, and the pieces don’t just perfectly fall into place.

Cecelia’s mother has passed away, losing her battle with cancer; and shortly there after she finds herself moving into her estranged grandmother’s home. From the big city, to a sleepy shore side California beach town…mystery lurks around every corner and nothing is what it seems.

50 years ago, the homecoming queen died under mysterious circumstances. The small town is put on the map when a book turned movie brings attention to the murder. Ever since, the town has become a tourist destination for lovers of the best selling author, and the gruesome story that made the author and the town a household name.

Cecelia has barely been in town for a few weeks when a copycat killer strikes, utilizing her grandmother’s book as a way to take out the current homecoming queen. Questions begin to emerge about the original homecoming queen death from years ago. With a town full of liars, who can you trust?

Just as you believe you’ve figured out the whodunnit, Donne expertly twists and turns you. The final piece of the puzzle was a phenomenal last twist. I highly recommend this read if you were a fan of the Good Girl’s Guide!

📌 Pub Date: October 4, 2022

I was given a copy of this story to read; but thoughts and opinions are all my own. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the chance to read this book!

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles. I really not the opportunity!

I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

I really liked this book! It was fast-paced and kept me interested. A few big twists that had you guessing until the end

3.5 rounded up

not as intriguing as donne's pervious work, the ivies but still an interesting story. i guessed about 3 chapters in who the murderer of the original case was, but i wasn't completely sure who the copycat was until just before the reveal.

Pretty Dead Queens
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: YA Thriller
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 10/4/22
Author: Alexa Donne
Publisher: Random House Publishing
Pages: 336
Goodreads Rating: 4.19

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Random House Publishing and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: After the death of her mom (screw cancer), seventeen-year-old Cecelia Ellis goes to live with her estranged grandmother, a celebrated author whose Victorian mansion is as creepy as the murder mysteries she writes. Once the homecoming queen is murdered, it’s revealed that she’s not Seaview’s first pretty dead queen. With a copycat killer on the loose, Cecelia throws herself into the investigation, determined to crack the case like the heroines in her grandmother’s books. But the more Cecelia digs into the town’s secrets, the more she worries that her own mystery might not have a storybook ending.

My Thoughts: I adore YA Thrillers and Romances, two of my favorites from the YA category. The story starts as a slow burn mystery, however, it then evolves into a fast paced thriller. This story pulled me in and invested me into the characters, the storyline, the plot, the whole concept. The characters were developed seamlessly through the story with depth, they were mysterious, charismatic, and intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, twisty, kept me engaged, and was so descriptive that I could not only clearly envision the scenes, but also felt like I was there with Cecelia solving the deaths. The story had a great build up to the plot, very predictable and clever twists, and brilliant ending, after the first part that was a slow burn, story building, was a page turner that I loved. This story reminded me of an evolved Nancy Drew in the current times. I loved this author and will be reading any future novels she puts out.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children's, Crown Books for Young Readers for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After the death of her mother, Celia’s moves to Seaview to live with her estranged grandmother, Maura, a famous crime writer whose most popular novel is based on a real murder of the town's homecoming queen. When a copycat killer murders another queen, Celia starts investigating, she uncovers countless secrets that the locals would prefer to stay hidden.

This was a YA mystery so I would add a star if you are actually a YA. For adults like me who read YA but have adult expectations, this fell a little flat for me. You really have to believe that the local police are TERRIBLE at their jobs to miss things that the protagonist stumbles upon. That said, there were several interesting twists that kept things exciting.

I beyonddddd enjoyed this book. I will admit that it did start a bit slow and did take a few attempts for me to return to and finish it, but once it hit cruise, it really flew. The twists while partially suspected, but still surprised me with their complexity. I enjoyed the writing thoroughly and would recommend for any thriller enthusiast.

I really wanted to love this book, because it was a fun read. Unfortunately, it was entirely too predictable for me.

Ben was predictable. I figured him out very early on. Natalie was predictable. Cecelia was predictable and a terrible friend. I wish there was more mystery.

The only thing I did not 100% get right was Cecelia’s grandmother, but I did figure out most of her.

This is still a fun read if you like small towns with a lot of secrets and some murder thrown in.