Marlowe Wexler gets a job as a tour guide at Morning House an abandoned mansion built in the 1920’s that saw many strange deaths. Dr. Henson who hired her up and disappears and Marlowe suspects foul play.
This was a great read with many interesting characters. Thanks NetGalley and Harper Collin’s Children’s Books for this eARC that will be released August 6, 2024!

As a longtime Maureen Johnson reader, I love her Truly Devious books and am glad to see her branching out into some standalone mysteries as well. I really enjoy her distinct voice, balance of silly and quirky with serious, and talent for mysteries and puzzles. Death at Morning House continues this trend, with Marlowe Wexler starting her summer by accidentally burning down a house on a first date and taking a job at an old mansion, long-abandoned since tragic deaths there and opening to the public for the first time. Marlowe learns the story of the Ralston family and realizes she's stumbled into a fraught friend group also working there and reeling from the death of their friend. Marlowe's story alternates with flashbacks to the Ralston family in the days before the infamous deaths, which people still speculate about in the present day.

This was overall a solid read, with a fun setting (both summery and ominous), good pacing, and enough twists and turns and cliffhangers. I do think the mystery was a little less exciting, and the characters and dynamics at the center of both the past and present mysteries lacking a bit of depth. Perhaps because they aren't directly connected, the interesting 1932 story doesn't get fully explored, and the present-day mystery doesn't feel fully fleshed out. I enjoyed Marlowe as a main character, but similarly thought she wasn't fully developed; Johnson's protagonist Stevie, who leads the Truly Devious books, and her friends feel so distinct in comparison.

I really enjoyed Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson. I love the Truly Devious series, and was very excited when I saw that she had a new book coming out. I liked Marlowe, and though she wasn’t my favorite Maureen Johnson character, I thought she was very well-developed. The premise of this book was great, and I had high expectations after reading about it, and the novel definitely lived up to those expectations. My one complaint (if it can be called that) is that I was much more invested in the part of the book that took place in 1932 than I was in the present-day portion. I wanted to know more about each of the siblings. However, I definitely didn’t dislike the present-day parts. They just weren’t quite as exciting to me as the past. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would give it 4.5 stars.

I was super disappointed with this story sadly. It started off well then took a nose dive off a cliff. It was so slow and boring, and nothing to make you care for the characters. So many characters thrown at you from the past and present it was a bit to get used to. Even when you do finally figure out what happened it just felt so blah. The only part that was interesting was what happened in the past but even then it could have been done and better as a short story. This just wasn’t for me and felt very YA, nothing wrong with that but I feel like YA should be split into 2 subcategories, like pre-teen/young teen YA and more mature YA, this seems pretty-teen YA to me. I guess I went into this story expecting a whole lot more and just felt let down.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of Death at Morning House in exchange for review.

4 ⭐️

As a 33 year old lady I loved this. I also would have loved this as a 13 year old. Some darkness covering family trauma and murder but in a very easy and light digestible way. Firstly, I love that our FMC is gay. It seems I am deep in the LGBT umbrella for book reading and I’m super good with that.

Marlowe is a likable and realistic feeling girl. Her inner monologue was very relatable bc girls make me nervous too they’re so pretty. She’s also prone to jumping to conclusions which again, relatable.

This was just great vibes. It’s early summer just like in the book and this group of friends, one mysterious older woman, and one stranger trying to escape their very recent past all have to work at this island mansion house (previously owned by a family who suffered a great and well known tragedy) giving tours while trying to figure out what happened to their recently deceased friend.

The pacing is solid the whole way through and I found myself excited to read each night to see what was uncovered how Marlowe was gonna become friends with this group (or maybe more?????) and face her past decisions (accidents).

It concluded in a very satisfying wrap up that stayed true to the story especially for a bunch of teens and was overall very enjoyable.

Thank you for letting me read this!

This was kind of a bummer because I have majorly mixed feelings depending on which timeline we talk about. I absolutely loved the timeline taking place in the past while I was cringing at the timeline in the present day. I couldn’t stand Marlowe as a character. The humor was not it for me and there was a lot of telling instead of showing. On the other hand, I like the older timeline and the characters. The writing was much more polished and mature which made it more fluid to read. I wish the entire book had been written in this style.

Sadly I just didn’t care about what was happening by the end of the book because of how annoyed I was by Marlowe.

This book takes a long time to set up. We were over halfway through before anything got REALLY started happening. With that being said, if you enjoy the main character then it’s not such a hardship to go along with it. I liked Marlowe sometimes and other times I found her inner monologue to be slightly painful. Overall, the story was intriguing, but twists were not necessarily the most surprising. I wouldn’t say this is as good as Truly Devious, but it’s a solid YA mystery/thriller.

Note: I received a free copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins for accepting my request for an ACR of this book!
She was a mermaid. She was looking for a pearl at the bottom of the lagoon. That was what she would tell herself.
4.75/5
Honestly, Maureen Johnson has done it again! The book had me in an iron grip. The dual timelines made it so that I never stopped asking questions, and there were times when I would talk aloud trying to figure out what could happen. I loved the characters, especially the Ralston’s. Marlowe, I must admit, was a refreshing new character from Johnson, different from Stevie but not unwelcomed as her presence brought a fun new perspective to the ya mystery genre. My only question left is if we will see more of her (and Akilah). The only reason why I didn’t give this book a five out of five rating was because I wanted to know what happened to some characters at the end, even though I believe it isn’t exactly difficult to piece it together without it being spelled out.

Maureen Johnson? More like Maureen Hooked-Me-From-Page-Oneson! Seriously, folks, this was my first rodeo with this author, and let's just say she's earned a VIP spot on my bookshelf. "Death at the Morning House" was a wild ride, the kind of YA mystery that makes you forget about real life and just devour those pages.

Fresh off another summer read, I was all in on the sunny vibes, but this one added a delicious dash of spooky. The story unfolds through multiple perspectives, which, I'll admit, took a minute to get rolling. But hold onto your hats, because once those gears start turning, it's a full-on sprint to the finish line!

The ending? Chef's kiss. It was like all the puzzle pieces clicking into place, connecting past and present, and tying a neat little bow on the whole shebang. If you're craving a mystery that'll keep you guessing and leave you wanting more, "Death at the Morning House" is your jam.

This was a good read but I'm not sure I totally enjoyed it. It was a bit slow in the beginning which made it difficult for me to stay engaged and we spent a lot of time in the main characters head and sometimes non sensible rants and sometimes it felt like the mystery aspect of the novel disappeared. I tend to enjoy mysteries where each chapter feels like a little bit more of the mystery unravels and as the reader you can start to put the prices together and make guesses. It felt like the first half of the book was more about the characters with the mystery aspect in the background and then the last half went full throttle mystery and reveal. With that said, I did enjoy this book and I really liked the characters. This was a good introduction to the main character Marlowe and I am curious to see her growth and confidence as a sleuth as the series continues and cases continue. It felt brief but I really enjoyed the glimpse into how her mind works and she puts things together to solve things and I hope we more of that as the series continues.

Death At Morning House by Marine Johnson is about Marlow Wexler a teenager who is happy working at the ice cream shop and sharing every shift with the love of her life Aquila. Unfortunately in an effort to impress Aquila, she accidentally burned down the house she was the caretaker for. This is how Marlo winds up being a tour guide for the morning house on an island with four other teenagers and the only adult there Dr. Belinda Hinson. She was on the island doing historical research to write a book about the Rawlings who the island was named after. The book has to POV’s one is about Marlow and a current day mystery and the other is of the Rawlings in the 1920s and the eventual a explanation of the “curse“ dr. Rollins while serving in the great war adopted six children from impoverished mothers who couldn’t afford to keep them. Clara, unity, victory, Benjamin, William and Edward are all around the same age with the last son Max the Child is that of him and his eventual wife actress and singer Faye. The doctor was a big believer in eugenics and natural eating, so the children weren’t allowed meat sugar and other things that didn’t sound so appetizing. In the book we learn about the life on the island they’re strict up bringing, the regiment they followed and their horrible little brother max. We also learned about the curse where it seems when one of the Rawlings died they’re always accompanied by another and local people aware of the mystery always wanted to know why. Not to mention what was the treasure the last Rawlings buried on the island? Current day it was another mystery because Marlo was called in to replace another teenager who died but not everyone believes it was accidental and it totally ruined the close friend group that Marlo is now attempting to become a part of. If you think that’s a lot of murder and intrigue we’ll just wait because there’s more. This was such a great book and I know this is a very long review but I didn’t even put half of the great plot twist, the romances and all the life defying events Marlow and her coworkers go through. I love both POV‘s and unlike most time split books Marine Johnson has created an authentic atmosphere for both. Not only do they have great character development but the older story is historically accurate. I can honestly say I absolutely love the authors writing style her fun quippy descriptors and I loved it so much I went and downloaded the first book in her Siri‘s from Amazon. I couldn’t recommend this book more Marlo is an awesome character to route four and there’s lots of twists and turns in this great awesome story. #NetGalley, #MaureenJohnson, #DeathAtMorningHouse,

"Death at Morning House" by Maureen Johnson was FAN-freaking-TASTIC! Here's the breakdown of things I liked and a few things I think could be improved:

Things I Liked:

Memorable Characters: Despite the large cast of characters, Johnson grouped them so that it wasn't difficult to follow their stories. Each character was distinct and memorable, contributing uniquely to the overall narrative.

Dual Timelines: Using dual timelines added depth to the story, creating an immersive reading experience. I felt completely absorbed in the mystery.

Palpable Suspense and Creepy Family Eugenics: The overall mystery was compelling, but it was the palpable suspense that truly stood out. I found myself constantly curious, thinking about the book even when I wasn't reading it.

Connecting Puzzle Pieces: I enjoyed piecing together the clues from both the past and present mysteries. The Ralston family, in particular, was fascinating. Their complex history and the dark secrets they harbored kept me curious. I think a novella focusing on Phillip Ralston and his obsession with eugenics would make for a fascinating spin-off story.

Things That Could Have Been Better:

Disconnected Beginning: The beginning of the book felt a little disconnected from the rest of the story. While it's important to establish the character's backstory, Marlow's connection and relationship with Akilah felt forced and didn't quite mesh with the overall plot. I would have preferred a stronger connection to Riki, the quirky goth girl whose relationship with Marlow seemed more promising and relevant.

Dr. Henson's Character Development: I think Dr. Henson's character could have been more developed. Her role in the story was interesting, but her character lacked some depth. A more involved development would have added another layer of richness to the story.

Maureen Johnson has delivered another addictive story that fans of the genre will undoubtedly adore!

Thank you, #NetGalley and #HarperCollins, for allowing me the chance to read this one early in exchange for an honest review.

This was really fun! I wouldn’t say it’s as good as the Truly, Devious series, but Maureen Johnson’s writing is really fun and interesting. I liked the dual timelines, but the family from the past was hard to connect to as they were all so unlikable. The present day storyline was fun, if a little far fetched (a bunch of high schoolers essentially running a whole island with a historic mansion on it? Alone??) but I really enjoyed Marlowe and the way she interacted with the people around her.

DEATH AT MORNING HOUSE was a pretty fun, fast-paced, sapphic YA mystery! I really enjoyed the dual narrative of past and present with two mysteries/crimes sort of coming together. Both time periods had a dedicated and interesting MC to lead the story along. There's a level of dark humor and self-deprecation and wit that I had not expected, but a style that I came to find endearing and enjoyable. Around 40% or so I felt the pacing slowed just a bit, but it picked back up around 55% or so and then it was unputdownable.

I have not read the author's Truly Devious book series yet but this book has me wanting to check it out!

A slow start to what otherwise became a funny story full of mystery and a dual-timeline Whodunit. Things heat up in the third act with a present-day murder and fires being set, climbing out of windows during a storm and getting drugged in the meantime. A little bit of a Scooby-Doo reveal towards the end but the story wrapped up nice and tight. Death at Morning House was another great Maureen Johnson book that makes me want to keep coming back for more.

Although I have not read the Truly Devious series yet, many of my students have, so I knew I had to read this one when I saw it! I think having NOT read the other series ended up being better for me here, because many other reviews seem to be doing a lot of comparing as opposed to allowing this to be stand-alone.
I really liked Marlowe as a protagonist. I loved reading in her voice and found her to be very funny. I loved the duel timelines and really enjoyed learning about the Ralston family. I do wish I got to know each of the characters just a little bit more. I felt like I only had a surface knowledge of the people Marlowe was spending her summer with. Additionally, I think the reveal of what happened in the 1930s timeline would have had a greater impact had I known the character better. Although the crimes are laid out pretty clearly at the end, motivation (in the 1930s timeline) were still murky and that was slightly frustrating. I felt like there was so much more that could have been explored with that family.
Overall, I do think this was a fun mystery/thriller. I think my students will really love it.

Death at Morning House was just not for me. The plot and characters just didn't grab me the way other books by this author have. One aspect of the book that I did enjoy was that the reader finds out about what happened in 1932 before the characters discover it. The ending was wrapped up pretty neatly, which I appreciated.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If there’s one thing Maureen Johnson is going to excel at, it’s writing a murder mystery that perfectly blends together 2 time periods.

Putting the pieces together and trying to figure out the murderer both in the past and the present was very intriguing and I will say that while the present murderer was surprising, the past one had me jaw-dropped.

Marlowe was definitely a unique narrator for the story, this poor, anxious, awkward teenager is just doing her best after accidentally ruining a first date by burning a house down and deciding to run away to work at a creepy, old house where people have been murdered.

And then as if the twists in the plot weren’t enough, Maureen Johnson had to get me more time with the twist in the romance subplot. Again, did not see that coming!

My one tiny complaint is I wished we got more development from the side characters in the present. I feel like that’s what made the past reveal so shocking, we had more background on our potential suspects. I wish we’d known more about the people who became Marlowe’s friends.

Overall a very solid read!

As a fan of the Truly Devious series, this is another great mystery from Maureen Johnson. I love a story with interwoven storylines set in different time periods that come together at the end. This book has that and more. A mystery from the past, a mystery from the present, and a lot of fun.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

I really enjoyed the Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson, so once I saw there was a new mystery for her, I knew I needed to read it!!

Unfortunately, this was an average read. I was really hoping it would live up to my expectations, but it didn’t. Let’s get into why!

Marlowe just burnt down the house she was house sitting, now she’s got to find a summer job and fast. That’s why she settles to be the tour guide at the creepy place called Morning House.

This book was good, don’t get me wrong! I enjoyed the wit and and the writing as always. I just felt that Truly Devious gave the characters so much more depth and focused more on them than the mystery itself, whereas this book focused more on the mystery. This might be because it was a standalone.

Overall, decent read but not as good as her other books! Looking forward to read more by this author!