Four college friends get together again at the winery where fifteen years prior the fifth friend in their group disappeared without a trace. They are coming to gain closure, but each of the four friends comes hiding their own secrets. They each have something to hide, but as the secrets start to come out will they be able to figure out what happened to their friend all of those years ago?

The description of this book sounded intriguing, but once I got into the story I found that I didn’t really connect with or like any of the characters that much. I found it hard to get into this book because of this, but I do think it was a well written book and it was a fast read. Most of the characters came off and childish and petty to me, which made me dislike them. I really did enjoy how the story was laid out with half of the writing in screen play format. I thought this was a fun break from the typical writing format and it added a little something to the story. Even though I didn’t connect well with these characters, I still found myself surprised by how this book played out. I didn’t see some of the twists coming which added a little something to the storyline. Overall, this was an okay book for me. If was easy to read and I never thought about giving up on it, I just wasn’t as engrossed in this book as I could have been if I felt more of a tie to it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

The blurb sounded fun and I mostly enjoyed Gagnon’s previous book, but I’m afraid that without some new and unique take, the old toxic-and-complicated-female-friendships-where-something-happened-in-the-past-and-they’re-now-reunited trope is getting kinda old. This was a little different and entertaining just in how the scenes from Emily’s screenplay is interwoven, leaving the reader to guess exactly how much of what we’re reading is the truth. But there was nothing that had me so gripped in the story that I had to put everything aside just to keep turning the pages until the end.

This is a DNF for me. This reads like YA and I don’t read YA. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest opinion. 2.5 ⭐️

I received an advanced copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group via NetGalley.

A locked-room mystery, a determined screenwriter takes it upon herself to uncover the truth behind her friend's baffling disappearance. Set against the backdrop of a remote winery on the Oregon coast, this thrilling story follows Emily Fischer and her group of friends as they attempt to unravel the enigma surrounding Vanessa Morales' vanishing. Vanessa was the heart of the group, and her unexplained absence has haunted them all.

Years later, Emily stumbles upon someone who could be Vanessa's look-alike, sparking her resolve to tell Vanessa's story and unearth the truth of that haunting night. With a brilliant plan in mind, Emily orchestrates a reunion weekend under the pretense of reconnecting. As the group reconvenes, secrets start to unravel. Among the friends - including Vanessa's cousin Brittany, strong-willed Paige, and introverted Lydia - lies the key to understanding what truly happened. Emily must navigate a web of hidden truths and confront her own memories to uncover the reality of that fateful night.

The overall plot line of the story seemed to take an unusual and almost unbelievable turn, which left me feeling quite puzzled and disconnected from the narrative. The progression of events felt rather unusual and even bordering on the absurd, which made it challenging for me to fully engage with the story.

Additionally, the scenes involving screenwriting appeared to lack a certain level of authenticity or resonance. These moments didn't seem to seamlessly integrate with the rest of the story, and at times, they felt out of place or disconnected. As a result, these scenes didn't manage to capture my interest as I had hoped they would, contributing to my sense of disconnect from the overall narrative.

The author writes an interesting "return to the scene of the crime" mystery by taking four former classmates back 15 years to see if they can discover what really happened to their classmate and friend Vanessa. Is it possible she is still alive, and if she is not - which one of them may have killed her? Screenwriter Emily comes up with this idea after she sees a woman who looks like it could possibly be an older Vanessa......is it possible? Plus - Emily is questioning her current job and has been thinking of writing a screenplay about what happened back then - but first needs to find out what really did happen! So she, Brittany, Paige and Lydia return to Brittany's family winery for a weekend to "get closure". What follows is written in two methods - storytelling, and set up as what Emily writes as a screenplay. In this way - we see the best of both worlds - but what is real and what isn't? It's difficult to become wrapped up in the characters as they all have their flaws and are somewhat unlikeable. Emily seems the most down to earth, but she also has a lot riding on finding out the truth. As memories and family secrets are revealed the sense of "be careful what you ask for" comes to mind. Overall the book was a good read and the author has can write a good who-dun-it that keeps the pages turning. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley#ScenesoftheCrime

Fifteen years ago Emily’s friend Vanessa disappeared on a girl’s weekend away at a winery. Present day Emily is getting all the remaining friends back together at the winery to try to figure out what happened to Vanessa that night. Secrets come out and trouble arises.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for this e-arc.*

I was excited to jump into this book and loved the whole premise of the story. Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations.

The cast of characters has a variety of personalities to make up the group of friends. Other than the main character, Emily, I struggled to really connect with any of them. The format of going back and forth between the story and the screenplay was difficult when I had to use my text-to-speech feature. However, when reading directly it made more sense but I still was never sure if the screenplay was supposed to be true as it happened, or fictional in the way she could imagine it would happen.

The mystery itself never really captured my attention to any real degree as I was pretty sure what had happened almost from the beginning. The rest was just going through the motions to get to the end result. While it was still enjoyable enough, it just didn’t hit the mark for me.

Emily is writing a screenplay to capture an incident that happened with her friends while they were in college. As she gets the friends together and revisits the incident she finds that things are not as they had appeared. The story is told in dialogue and screenplay format which is an interesting choice.

Jilly Gagnon's writing is excellent. She knows how to keep you glued to characters that are completely undesirable human beings.

Written as a story and a screenplay, this book is definitely different than what is customary. I enjoyed the complexities even though I did not enjoy the characters.

I recommend this book to all who like suspense.

It’s been 15 years since Vanessa disappeared on the girls weekend away. Now the friends have all gone their separate ways but when Emily swears she sees Vanessa in a local coffee shop, she decides this will be her new screenplay. She just needs to get the girls back together at the winery to find out what really happened that weekend…

Ok mean girls but add some murder. Seriously though, these girls were all so freaking terrible to each other! Like if this is how you treat your friends I would really hate to be your enemy! I enjoyed the winery setting and I always love unlikable characters, so while this story dragged a bit at times, I still fully enjoyed the mystery of what actually happened to Vanessa all those years ago.

I received an ARC through "NetGalley" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This is a story which is about 5 college girls who go on break to a winery in Oregon. While there, one of the girls, Vanessa, goes missing and is ultimately presumed dead. The story then goes forward 15 years when the remaining 4 go to the same winery to get closure regarding the death of Vanessa. While there, strange things begin happening. The story is told with flashbacks to various events which happen on the first visit.

Scenes of the Crime is about friends....and I use that term loosely, getting together after being apart for 15 years after a life-altering event. The book has a screenplay interwoven throughout.

The characters were unlikeable and I found myself drifting off, thinking about other things while reading. This was just an okay book to me.

Thanks to Net Galley for an ARC of this book.

This was my first Jilly Gagnon read but definitely not my last. Interesting storyline with some great characters. The format was fresh. Lots of twists and turns I didn’t see coming.
Thank you NetGalley, Jilly Gagnon and Kathleen Quinlan at Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book

While I found certain aspects of the book enjoyable, there were elements that left me feeling underwhelmed. The writing style held a certain charm, yet the plot failed to captivate my interest. The characters' continuous conflicts and accusations detracted from the potential for deeper connections, and the expected twist did little to enhance the story's impact. Overall, the book left me with a feeling of indifference rather than excitement.

"Scenes of the Crime" by Jilly Gagnon is the story of 5 college girls. They go away for spring break to the winery owned by 2 of the girls grandparents. But then one of the girls disappears. Fifteen years later the remaining 4 go back to the winery. What happens during that trip and their memories as they try to figure out what happened to Vanessa and if any of them are responsible keeps the reader intrigued throughout the book.
Part story and part screenplay keeps you guessing on what is truth and what is fiction.

Fifteen years after one of their college friends disappeared, the four friends reunite at the “scene of the crime” to determine what really happened that night. Though friendly on the surface, the pretense of friendship was long gone with innuendos pitting one catty adult against the other. Did even one of them really know what happened that night? The only certainty was as the story ‘played out’, their lies, secrets and cunning behavior made the scene of the crime more sinister this time around. Thank you Netgalley and Bantam Books for the arc. This review is my honest opinion.

Scenes of the Crime has an intriguing premise: a reunion of college friends that takes place 15 years after one of them disappears. The execution of this book fell flat for me. The plot was good but the script parts slowed the pace down and took me out of the story. I also found the characters unlikeable and couldn’t relate to any of them. This is also more of a slow burn mystery than a thriller. Fans of She Started It and Reckless Girls should check this one out!

2.5 Rounding Up

The main premise behind this story is one I always enjoy- a group of old friends coming together and figuring out what actually happened to one of their friends many years ago. It is a tried and true storyline that when done right, is usually a winner

Unfortunately, this one in particular didn’t connect for me like I’d hoped. I found that I wasn’t given enough information to care about the missing friend in the beginning or much about each of the characters throughout to form any connections.

I did like the structure - flashbacks are told in script format, which I appreciated as it let us go right to the heart of the matter (the dialogue). I do wonder if more traditional flashback chapters would have been more effective in forging a connection with the characters.

Not a bad book by any means, and I’m not upset to have read it. I just felt like some things were lacking.

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3 🌟

This thriller is a sloooow burn and not so much thriller. There weren't a lot of "oh my gosh" moments and it took me awhile to get into. And truthfully - I struggle with stories that are centered around reunited frenemies. Why hang out again after 15 years?! I enjoyed the parts that were written like a movie script, once I understood the intent.

Thanks, netgalley for the ARC of this book!

I absolutely loved the way screenplay writing was used in this book. The Mixed media and storytelling format make this book unique and offers a fun new spin on the secrets of the past type of locked room murder mystery. Fifteen years ago, 5 girls went on spring break at an Oregon Coast winery. During that break one of the girls disappears. The narrator, Emily, is a screenwriter for a popular sitcom but is looking to make her big break into movies. When she sees someone who looks like the missing friend, Vanessa, at a coffee shop all these years later, she thinks she has found her big break. She organizes a reunion weekend so that the girls can finally get closure on what happened that weekend, all while secretly gathering information for her screenplay. Each of the girls carries secrets from that weekend and it will take everything she has to get to the truth. This was not the most fast-paced mystery thriller that I have read but it was engaging enough to keep going. Unlikeable characters and toxic friendships abound in this book so if you need to feel connected to the characters then this probably isn’t the book for you. I recommend this book for people who love locked room mysteries and are fans of mixed media books.