Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to review this title.  Lauren Munoz writes a thrilling story followoing a group of teens that have graduated from high school and before they go their separate ways they have one last lavish week planned together. When one of them is discovered dead the remaining must undergo intense questioning to determine the killer. It gives very Agatha Christie vibes and the author did an excellent job of building tension and keeping me engaged. The pacing of the book is great with enough twists and turns to keep you engaged.

There were things I liked about this book and things I didn’t. All in all, I’ll say it gets 3 stars from me. This author has a pretty decent shot at getting a 5 from me in the future.

So the things I did like: she wrote teens going through teenage emotions very well. The drama, how everything feels bigger than it is? Nailed it. Getting to see kids who love the 20s? Loved that because I loved the idea of the 20s themed party and the clothing. And since the kids were rich it was a fun side of the world to see.

Things I didn’t like? There were some things early in the book that were clumsy. And since she wrote teens well, at 17/18 years old, I found them annoying (lol can’t help it). Teens have such big overblown emotions sometimes and that’s not always the thing I want to read in a mystery. But the biggest issue I have is the book’s pacing.

It was so incredibly slow. I couldn’t sit down, get comfortable and just read. I got bored. I would read a bit, put it down. Read a bit, put it down. The mystery was interesting but I just wanted things to keep happening. For the ball to keep on rolling. But it was rolling at a glacial pace.

It does pick up around the last bit of the book but that’s not a good thing. No one should have to slog through a book to get to the end because “That’s where it finally picks up and gets good”. That’s pretty damning.

I give it 3 stars for competent writing and an interesting mystery. I do look forward to seeing what else she put out in the future but maybe this one just wasn’t for me.

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to them and the publisher.

This was a somewhat entertaining teen mystery that I think the target audience would enjoy much more that I did. That being said it was still a fun read featuring a group of incredibly wealthy teens that provided a glimpse into a world most of us will never experience. I did find the prologue set up and its implications a bit clumsy but I was able to overlook that as the story continued. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC. 3.25/5 stars

Suddenly a Murder by Lauren Muñoz was a good start for a YA debut novel.  The book is about 7 friends graduating high school.  To kick start their fresh start as adults Kassidy decides to throw a final party.  This is no ordinary party.  She and her best friend Izzy have been in love with the films of the 20s, the clothing in the movies and their favorite was filmed at the beautiful Ashwood Manor.  Being that Kassidy's family is rich they were able to easily reserve the Manor before its grand opening as a museum to the public and arrange no real adult supervision.  The only people at the manor are the seven kids and the servants paid to serve them their meals and alcohol.  But of course, this is a murder mystery, so the events of their arrival lead up to the death of Kassidy's boyfriend.  

Who killed Kassidy's boyfriend?  Was his murder due to jealousy of Kassidy or did someone else have something against him?  The police are sent to Ashwood Manor to solve the murder, but is that all they are there to do?  There are more mysteries than expected in this book.  

So, there are some things I really liked about this book and other things that did not work as much for me.  But that is with any book.  

The author was able to showcase teenage angst.  The emotions that teenagers go through in general are captured very well in this book.  I enjoyed how the characters played off each other.  I also liked reading the interrogations.  Not that it would have been plausible to have these kids interrogated without an adult or parent guardian there, but I am not a lawyer so I cannot say for certain this would fly.  (but the author is a lawyer so she will definitely know more than I).

Despite the author's ability to capture the drama of being a teenager I thought the book was slow.  I was often only able to read a few pages and then I needed a break.  Then I would go back again and then needed a break.  It really only picked up in the last 30-40 pages of the book.  The ending was good, but I felt a little let down with how everything wrapped up.  

I would recommend this book to teenagers but as an adult, it was not horrible but not as fulfilling as it could have been.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for providing this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers and netgalley for allowing me to read this book. This book was enjoyable I wanted more but overall it was okay.

I wanted to love this one. Because I was drawn in because of the 1920s themed graduation party. However I couldn't stand any of the characters. I know they were teenagers 17 and 18 because they had graduated high school but they read so much younger.  Even though this is debut author the writing shows that she will indeed write some great books. The storyline and mystery in this one was good however the characters were not.

Izzy Morales has survived being the poor kid at the exclusive academy she attends in Maine. To celebrate, she joins her best friend Kassidy, and 5 of their friends on a week long getaway at the place where her favorite murder mystery was filmed in the 40s. When Kassidy's boyfriend ends up dead in the bathroom on day 2, secrets rise to the surface, and everyone needs to watch their back. I really enjoyed this YA mystery, as I love a locked room mystery. This did not go where I was expecting, and I love a good surprise. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So, "Suddenly a Murder" by Lauren Munoz—let's talk. It's like a rollercoaster, but one of those with a couple of bumps that make you question if it's safe. Munoz tries to throw twists at you, but some are like, "Wait, seriously?" The characters? They're relatable, but also kind of predictable, like you've seen them in a dozen other mysteries.

Furthermore, Munoz tries to paint these vivid scenes, but it's almost too much. You're like, "Alright, we get it, there's a lot going on." Plus, you can practically predict the dialogue and subplot conflicts between characters before it happens. It's like you've read it in every other thriller out there.

Now, the ending—it's not exactly a grand finale. More like a sudden stop, leaving you thinking, "Wait, that's it?" To me, it was a bit of a letdown. It's a page-turner, sure, but more like a guilty-pleasure read when you're desperate for a mystery fix.

Loved the Knives Out comp title here! Such a good one. Wealthy teens decide to rent Ashwood Manor, where a favorite movie was set. This is to celebrate their high school graduation. But when Kassidy's boyfriend is murdered, everyone is a suspect. The book is set on an island, so it MUST be someone there. A fun, twisty quick read of a book!

This book hooked me with the Knives Out comp title. That’s all I needed to know.

With the exception of Izzy, these teens are seriously wealthy. One even received a yacht as a birthday present. Izzy’s best friend Kassidy rents Ashwood Manor, the island setting of Izzy’s favorite movie, for a week to celebrate their high school graduation. Just a group of friends and a few employees will be on the island. I loved the 1920s theme from the vintage clothes to the food and activities. Everything is meant to be authentic, so all the teens turn in their phones, which are then transported off the island.

When Kassidy’s boyfriend is murdered, there is no shortage of suspects. No one else could have reached the island, so the murderer is someone in the circle of friends. Through alternating chapters showing events from weeks or months ago, every person has motive. Emotions run high, and old hurts are uncovered, accusations are hurled, and excuses made.

When detectives arrive on the island, each suspect is questioned and secrets come tumbling out. Some revelations were completely unexpected, but I’d guessed the culprit before the end. Still, that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of this novel. It’s an outstanding debut that kept me engaged from the first page. I’m anxious to see what this author does next. If you’re a fan of locked-room murder mysteries, this is a fun one.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

RATING: 4🌟 
Review: I have to confess, I felt like the beginning was a bit slow. But as a YA murder mystery lover, this one did not disappoint. 
Maye for my past history with this genre, I guessed the plot twist right in the beginning, but the book itself was really entertaining. I loved the whole 1920s vibe, it added a lot to the book. Overall, an enjoyable rad!

Thank you to the author, publisher and @NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

For a YA murder-mystery, this was surprisingly good! I loved the secluded setting, the ‘rich kid throws extravagant themed party gone wrong’ storyline and just enjoyed myself trying to figure this one out. Worth the read!

This was a pretty good book. It was written very well and I truly did not know who to suspect and who to believe!

This was a very interesting mystery. There were many flashbacks that sometimes made sense of the plot but at other times just made the story confusing. There were many relationships that were convoluted and you were left guessing how each of the characters felt about the others.
The second half of the book made things a bit more straightforward and helped the reader understand all the motives and relationships that were going on. The ending brought everything to a reasonable conclusion - even if it was a bit out there.
This would probably be a great beach read or a great weekend snowy day read. 
Enjoy!

Wow the twists in this book were SHOCKING! I loved every moment of it. The writing style is so well done and I think the fact that the story skipped from the present timeline to weeks or months in the past really kept the reader on the edge of their seat and made the thrill of trying to figure out who did it more thrilling. I couldn’t believe the ending and it made it even better that I wasn’t even close to guessing the murder and all the tiny details that built up the motive and made each character look like a suspect. In all, I really enjoyed reading this book and can’t wait for it to be released!

First of all, the fact that rich kids spent most likely and un-Godly amount of money to totally recreate and live in another decade made me love this book. I just thought that premise was so unique and interesting. Also, I loved the different twists and turns of diving into each character’s life and relationship with each other. Per usual, nothing is as it seems. I also absolutely did not see the big twist coming so I loved that!

Good concept but the execution just wasn’t there.  The story was slow and barely kept my interest.  I love the concept of a locked room mystery but this required a lot of suspension of disbelief to work, particularly in the actions of the detectives and the main character.  None of the characters were likeable.  There’s a bunch of plot “twists” that don’t do anything for the story.  There’s nothing relatable in this one.

I was so excited to read this one, I mean 20s themed party sign me up! But unfortunately the writing style was what I had the biggest issue with. I always love a book with multiple POV but in this case, with the changing from first person to third person, it really threw me out of the story. Some of the twists were really well done and that I didn’t see coming but overall I was bored for most of the book

I loved every single thing about this book! Firstly, locked room mysteries are my all time favorite and this one was done so well!! Next, the 1920’s themed party at a mansion in Maine was the setting and it was so much fun and atmospheric. Lastly, this is a YA mystery that is great for this time of year!

A group of friends throw a 1920s themed party and one ends up dead. In this locked room mystery friends turn against each other and divulge secrets. I had high hopes
for Suddenly A Murder, but it fell flat for me. Izzy and her friends were annoying and selfish, I was rooting for no one.  The mystery held no surprises and I was not invested in the ending.