Hazel was extremely relatable for me - a teenage girl who has already experienced some family trauma, puts up a wall when meeting new people, and an introvert who enjoys people-watching. I think these similarities really kept me interested in the book. I love Maeve and the friendship they build. There are hints of the friendship possibly being more at some point.

I think the ending needed to be just a tad different for me to really love this book. There will be a second book, though. And I will DEFINITELY be reading book two to see how the story continues! I really enjoyed the descriptive writing and idea of In The Trap. Parts of the storyline were predictable but I found myself wanting to continue in order to know for a fact how the story played out.

It’s classified as a New Adult Mystery/Thriller. I definitely agree with the mystery part but would probably describe it as more of a Young Adult than New Adult.

Overall, I liked this book and can’t wait to read book two!

trigger/content warnings (stated at the beginning of the book): discussion of an on-campus murder of a student (off page); mention of the sexual assault and suicide of a family member (off page); depiction of on-campus drinking, drug use; homophobic slurs; harassment/violence against women; discussion of past trauma of a POV character; depiction of self-harm (cutting).