I love all McGinnis books - and am excited to read the next installment! I thought this was a well crafted mystery that took the reader along for a ride. The difference between the two main characters was so fun to read and I enjoyed how she wrote both characters. Like most McGinnis books I would say this is high school and older.

Despite the subject matter this wasn't as dark as I've come to expect from Mindy McGinnis's books. That's not to say it wasn't full of twists and turns as Lydia and Bristal uncover their sleepy little town's sordid history. The ending was especially great. I'd recommend this for fans of Courtney Summers and Maureen Johnson.

When local golden child Lydia Chass suddenly finds herself a credit short of graduating (in spite of being on track to be valedictorian), she’s furious. She’s spent her entire life trying to work hard enough and build an impressive enough resume to get out of Henley, a tiny town where everybody knows everybody else’s business. And their secrets. In order to garner the missing history credit, Lydia decides to beef up her (admittedly dull) podcast by covering The Long Stretch of Bad Days, when the town was hit by a tornado AND a flash flood in a matter of days, as well as its one and only murder, which still hasn’t been solved. If she can crack a cold case, Lydia can essentially write her own college acceptance letter. But of course it’s way more complicated than that.

Lydia enlists the help of fellow almost non-graduate Bristal Jamison, whose family is equally as infamous as Lydia’s, but for all the wrong reasons. As soon as they start digging into the Long Stretch, they realize that something isn’t quite right - and not just about the murder of Randal Boggs. In all the destruction and chaos, there may have been a second murder.

After reading The Female of the Species, Be Not Far From Me, The Initial Insult… I’ve come to expect a certain level of pull-no-punches brutality when it comes to Mindy McGinnis’s stories. This one feels…almost quaint? It’s a slow burn mystery - almost too slow at times. And although the twist at the end is pretty easy to see coming, the ending itself is a little too neat. Not that I’m complaining about the lack of gore. I’m still a little traumatized by The Initial Insult.

I’ve seen a couple of other early reviews lament the somewhat slow pace - and I’ll agree that I noticed it too. Again, I think I’ve come to expect a different pace from McGinnis’s writing. Be Not Far From Me was so incredibly stressful that I flew through it in a couple of days. This one I kept picking up and putting back down. I was never tempted to give up on it completely - I wanted to know how it would end - but I mostly found myself picking it up when I had nothing else to do, rather than being excited to get back to it.

On the other hand, I feel like McGinnis probably pretty accurately captured what it’s like to dig into a case like this. It’s been 30ish years since the Long Stretch - it’s not like researching something from 100 years ago, but material still isn’t quite as easy to come by. You talk to people, but no one’s memory can totally be trusted, and everyone seems to be protecting someone’s secrets (or their own). You hit dead ends, you think about giving up, you start to think that maybe everything is just as straightforward as it appears and there isn’t really a big story…most true crime podcasts leave out this part (and even more probably never made it past this phase). There’s some interesting processy stuff happening, and it’s nice to see a character actually do the work.

Overall a solid 3-star outing.

Received a free ARC from NetGalley.

Mindy McGinnis does it again. I couldn’t put it down.
Lydia Chass, the class president, and Bristal Jamison, the girl with the bad reputation, have a problem. The school guidance counselor did not do his job so neither girl has enough credits to graduate high school. The principal offers a compromise to Lydia- she’ll create content for her podcast and will receive credit to graduate. She recruits Bristal to help her, even though they are not friends, but figures that she might have knowledge or connections that Lydia doesn’t. They decide to cover a historical event from their small town’s history. In 1994, the town had “A Long Stretch of Bad Days” where there was a tornado, a flash flood and the town’s only murder, which is still unsolved. As the pair investigate further, not only do they slowly become friends, they also discover an unsolved missing person case that received no notice during that same week. Is it tied to the events of A Long Stretch of Bad Days? Will they figure out the mystery now that they are being threatened by random townsfolk?

I don’t know if it’s because I myself could be juvenile but I love YA mysteries and have found Mindy McGinnis to be on the top of the great yeah mystery and thriller pile and she did not disappoint with A Long Stretch Of Bad Days. In the story we meet Lydia in Bristol. Lydia is the daughter of the counties defense attorney in Bristol it’s from the family who definitely lives on the wrong side of the tracks. When they’re guidance counselor gets the boo the school tries to sweep it under the rug but they didn’t account for having to go up against Lydia in Bristol who both reacts differently but with the same intense anger. Only Bristol is in your face and Lydia is more manipulating and cultivate her revenge quietly when Lydia finds out she needs a credit to graduate despite her being valedictorian for her graduating class in Bristol announce over the loud speaker that thanks to the alcohol guidance counselor she two needs another credit to graduate Lydia decides to join forces she wants to cover the week in 1994 that the town calls along stretch a bad days that consist of a tornado a murder and a flood.at first Bristol is skeptical but then she agrees to do it what they will uncover will be a missing girl and a murderer but not in that order and it will be easy. This was a very small intelligently written book and something I have come to expect from Mandy McGinnis I do want to say though that have underage drinking and drug use in this book so if that’s triggers for anyone who where and at first I was like why would she put this in the book that the girls mom let her drink but then I thought well hell that happens in real life all the time! Either way this was a great book and I was almost 80% done with the book before I even came close to guessing who did it my guess was wrong but I was close. I really enjoyed the book with you love thrillers and great mysteries you’ll love it too. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review dear voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was my first Mindy McGinnis novel and it was an interesting start to her stories. I always love a good YA crime mystery. This story focuses on two girls from a small town. They both have reputations but they come from two different sides of the tracks. Lydia is a girl from a good family who is known around town as being stuck up and goody two shoes. Her father is a deference attorney who helps out people in town that others are angry about. Bristol is a Jamison and they are known for being bad apples who are violent and get around. Bristol has to make it known to everyone she’s not pregnant. They come together when they learn they are both missing a history credit to graduate high school. They suggest that they use Lydia’s podcast to dig into some local history and decide to cover The Long Stretch of Bad Days which hit in 1994. A disappearance and an unsolved murder are thrown into the mix with the hurricane and flood which hit and the girls are determined to figure out what happened.

This was a slower paced mystery where you think one thing is happening and you are thrown for a little loop. I thought the end was kind of cliche but I liked the direction it went in. I had an even darker twist in my mind but I guess I read too many horror novels. I also liked the way that this book focuses on rumors and how to not judge a book by its cover.

Lydia is like a master detective and sleuth and her becoming a journalist would be amazing. Bristol was a very good friend and I’m glad that she and Lydia were able to become a pair and have a good bond. Lydia’s old friend kind of just disappeared from the picture it felt like and she just seemed like a background character to seem like a smarty pants know-it-all to fight against Bristol. Bristol’s friend also seemed like just a character to teach a lesson as well and then she was pushed to the back.

I’m interested in reading over of Mindy’s books and I look forward to reading The Initial Insult and her other works.

I love Mindy McGinnis! This wasn't quite as gritty and raw as what I expect from her but I loved the characters so so so much. Their friendship was was snarky and troubled but strong. The small town dynamic was amazing and felt true, love the myth of both these families in the town. I also always love a podcast storyline and using it to investigate the title event of this book was so unique and made the story move along in a really satisfying way! I recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Of the three books by Mindy McGinnis I have read (so far), this may be my favorite. I did call who did it about 70% through, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story (I still didn't know why, after all!). This was a very fun mystery story that also covered deeper themes about class and small-town secrets.

Would definitely recommend to fans of McGinnis' previous works, or fans of mystery stories, in general (they are having a moment right now!).

Mindy McGinnis can be very hit or miss, but this is a definite hit. This novel is a slow burn, with there being just enough said or done to make you want to keep reading without giving too much away. The main characters are both well-written with very distinct personalities. You can easily understand why each girl acts and talks the way she does. For Lydia, I can understand her words and actions, though it doesn't excuse them. And for Bristal, I can understand why she has such a chip on her shoulder and is so distrusting of people. Their relationship is believable without being too overboard, as they still are trying to understand each other and this friendship they've formed over events that were out of their control. It's also easy to imagine the way they describe their town and how everyone knows everyone and their business. Having lived in a pretty small town at one point, you do get to know everyone pretty fast and what they're up to. Which sometimes can be nice, but other times, not so much. As for the mystery itself, I enjoyed the way it went through the story, though there were a couple of things I thought came together a little too nicely. Not enough to take away from the story, but they were still thoughts I had while reading.

The one thing I didn't appreciate is that Lydia keeps talking about the long stretch of bad days as historical events taking place when her parents were teenagers, so I kept picturing the 80's, but no. It was the mid-90's, which just made me feel a lot older than I needed to, trying to picture historical events and parents who were teens in the 90's. Such an odd feeling.

I don't know if I had any strong expectations going into this story, but wow did it really deliver. This was such a good read that kept building as it went, with a shocking ending that truly packed a punch. The story is fully in Lydia's point of view, but it's really a story about these two girls from very different backgrounds who unexpectedly end up running a podcast together. Bristal is definitely a bit of a foul-mouthed, rough around the edges girl who has a sense of humor that really isn't for everyone, but I love the contrast between her and Lydia, and how they are both imperfect in ways that are similar and different. It's a great pairing because they shouldn't work together, but you also can't see one solving all of these mysteries without the other.

Speaking of mystery, I really like the mystery of this story. I've read a lot of stories with a present day mystery or current danger on the loose, but these girls are looking into the hidden past of a small town that does not want any of its unseemly secrets uncovered. I won't give much away, but I also liked that what starts out as trying to solve one mystery (aka the town's only murder ever) turns into two mysteries and a lot of uncovered truths that challenge what both girls think they know. And as I said, an ending I wasn't quite ready for but was also really good. The podcast element was a cool idea that feels on trend, although I wasn't a huge fan of the actual podcast snippets. They felt a bit disjointed and like each girl doing a separate oral report for school rather than the collaborative back and forth dialogue I was expecting. Doesn't take away from the story, but maybe not a podcast I'd listen to in real life. But the rest of the story was a smooth, easy and fun rad. If you like witty writing, a dark and sarcastic sense of humor, and solving old murders, you might like this book.

One of the things I really like was the role of the small town in this story. For Lydia, it's definitely stifling, and a town like this one works together to keeps its secrets and pretend like everything is okay all of the time. It's one of the biggest problems the girls fights against, and it's almost like this town's self-imposed blindness is the real villain of the story, so it feels like another character which is really cool. At the same time, small towns don't feel demonized. It works for different characters, and having Lydia and Bristal together gives really interesting perspectives that I enjoyed diving into.

This was my first Mindy McGinnis book but I have been eyeing her other books for a while now. I will be picking up more after this book though because man was this a good one. This ya mystery was modern, had a great female friendship, and no real romance. I liked that there was no romance to distract from the story, you don't see many books like that now a days. I really liked the podcast part of this story, how it was the way they told the mystery and that there were transcripts in the book. I am a big podcast fan and it just brings two of my favorite things together in this book (reading and podcasts). There were some twists and turns in this book as well leading me in different directions and I had no Idea how this story would end. I just loved it and I can't wait to see people post about this book.

Henley, Ohio is a town with a small-town class system, maybe like one a lot of us grew up in. Back in the mid-nineties, the good citizens of Henley experienced “a long stretch of bad days” and Lydia and her friend, Bristal, are researching those days for their podcast. Assumptions are investigated and secrets discovered.

Mindy McGinnis knows how to write teenage girls! The banter between Lydia and Bristal is often entertaining. I caught myself laughing many times throughout the book. If you enjoy books such as the Good Girls Guide to Murder series, you will really appreciate this one.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Katherine Tegen Books for this ARC.

This was a little different than what I'm used to from McGinnis. Her books are usually so dark and gritty and I LOVE them because of that. Bad Days was most definitely dark in subject, but the two main characters had the best banter between them. I couldn't get enough. It added a different feel to the book that I wasn't expecting. I really enjoyed it!

In short, I have never related harder to a character than the girl in this book. I am a boy, but aside from gender, we are literally twins. We talk back, and then things take a turn for the worst. #relatable

As always, Mindy knocked it out of the park! Her books always draw me in on page one and spit me out a changed human at the end.

This might be one of my favorites of Mindy's books because it wasn't as gory or gritty as her others. I read it and genuinely enjoyed every part of it and was very thankful that Bristal and Lydia didn't cut off their own feet like the one in Be Not Far From Me did; I'm still haunted by that.

Anyways -- Lydia and Bristal's friendship felt real, and the progression as they got closer felt natural. Lydia's descent into her true, dark self felt the same way. As a true crime enthusiast (thanks Crime Junkie!) I loved the podcast transcripts included and the girls' perseverance to figure out the truth behind what happened to Daphne when no one else would.

Read this one! You won't regret it.

My rating for this one is a 3.
I love the fierce female leads that this author creates, and usually her books are a solid 4 stars for me. Unfortunately, this was a bit too slow of a burn for me. The story felt a bit stagnant and it took a while to get to the major wow parts. I felt like things didn’t really pick up until the last 30 pages.

For me, this book started out a bit slower than expected but Mindy McGinnis always has a way of creating a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat and she doesn't disappoint this time. Due to an error in her graduation credits, Lydia must figure out a way to graduate on time to keep her life on track. She comes up with a plan to report on a stretch of events in her town's history that includes a teen girl who disappeared. With the help of an unlikely student, Bristal, that also needs graduation credit the two embark on uncovering secrets about their town that they may not be ready for. This book leaves you wondering right up to the end. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Mindy McGinnis did it again. Her books have proven themselves to be full of unexpected turns and character backstories and developments that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It's so great to read an author who consistently proves telling stories is what they are meant to do.
This book is perfect for those who love podcasts and true crime. Set in a small town that doesn't know what to do with these two girls they will turn it on its head and they explore the long stretch of bad days and get their credits so they can leave this town to follow their dreams.

Synopsis:
From award-winning author Mindy McGinnis comes a thrilling and gripping YA mystery about a small town’s past and the secrets unearthed by way of two teen girls—and a podcast. Perfect for fans of Sadie, The Cheerleaders, and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.

A lifetime of hard work has put Lydia Chass on track to attend a prestigious journalism program and leave Henley behind—until a school error leaves her a credit short of graduating.

Bristal Jamison has a bad reputation and a foul mouth, but she also needs one more credit to graduate. An unexpected partnership forms as the two remake Lydia’s town history podcast to investigate the Long Stretch of Bad Days—a week when Henley was hit by a tornado, a flash food, as well as its first, only, and unsolved murder.

As their investigation unearths buried secrets, some don’t want them to see the light. When the threats escalate, the girls have to uncover the truth before the dark history of Henley catches up with them.

Two things in a book synopsis will always catch my eye: a podcast and a small town with big secrets. Here, we have both, but it doesn’t stop there. In this one, the author ups the ante with her powerful writing, an examination of social class, a believable and compelling found friendship, and authentic family dynamics. From start to finish, this book succeeds at its project and sets the bar for every young adult mystery that follows it.

It all begins when Lydia, who is the daughter of a prominent town attorney, discovers that she doesn’t have enough credits to graduate high school—through no fault of her own—so the school offers her an opportunity: if she uses her podcast to research and present historical facts about her small town, the school will award her both the credit and her diploma. She agrees to the compromise, but not before she shakes things up by enlisting the town’s bad girl from the wrong side of the tracks, Bristal, to add some grit and possibly some controversy to the show. The two girls team up to investigate the past, the “long stretch of bad days” in 1994 when the town experienced a tornado, a flood, and a murder all within a few days. What juicy tidbits will they learn? You must read to find out.

This book really is a cut above the rest. The characters are so well-crafted; they feel genuine, and I could not help falling in love with them. The pacing gallops from scene to thought-provoking scene: it’s intriguing; it’s tense, and because we’re following two very different teen girls, we’re rewarded with dashes of sarcastic humor. Surprises lurk around every corner, and the ending is perfection.

Don’t miss the one. I guarantee it’s the best in the batch of YA Mystery titles this year.

Enjoy!

"'Funny thing about those cracks,' Bristal says. 'Most of them are teenage-girl shaped.'"

There is really no one else in YA doing small-town gothic like Mindy McGinnis. She's not dark, or even that "gothic" per se, but just...odd. Odd and strange in just the way real life can be misshapen and muddled. This is a slice-of-life study in privilege and community and reputation. Yes, there's murder mystery, but that's not even the most fascinating part.

Bristal Jamison is already my favorite character this year. (Although, it's only January 6th.) She's crass, kind, violent, and tender, and you can't help but just love her. However, I really like McGinnis' decision to have Lydia be the 1st person POV narrator instead. Bristal is a whole show; it's better to watch than try to understand it. Lydia's analytical and inquisitive mind is better suited for telling this story. (Also, it means we get to see Uneven Steven the cat.)

Lydia suitably amends for her assumptions and prejudices, and McGinnis makes thoughtful commentary on class, status, and power. My only wish is that we got more time with the Jamisons, clearly the more entertaining family, but the Chasses give a good show.

Did I mention also how funny it is!?