I read this with the intent to sell it in our store and I'm glad I did. I thought it would be appropriate for an 11-13 year old but I would probably handsell this to a slightly older audience based on some minor language and allusions towards drinking and sex. The mystery was predictably resolved but still suspenseful and I think this will be a great option for younger audiences looking to read more suspense.

Two girls, the murder of two students, and a student body filled with secrets. It's the first week of senior year at Meadowbrook Academy and for two girls, Amy and Liz, their lives are about to change. Amy is best friends with Sarah but after a fight... Amy finds Sarah and Sarah's boyfriend brutally murdered in their dorm room. Now Amy knows she's going to be deemed the main culprit as she was Sarah's only roommate and the only other person there when Sarah died.... or at least that's what she said when in fact her own boyfriend is the one she's covering for. Then there is Liz, the editor of the school newspaper and a social outcast but someone determined to make it big as a journalistic investigator and this case could be her big break and land her the scholarship to a prestigious college. Liz and Amy become roommates and Liz is the only person who can actually help Amy solve this case.. but piecing together the night means that the killer is closer to them they either have realized... and if they make a mistake the killer could come after them next. This was definitely a mystery that I think would honestly translate better as a movie or a tv show. The whole reading of it just kind of felt slogged down and finding the difference between the voices was a bit difficult since both girls' POVs were told in first person and neither of them sounded distinct. I found myself kind of getting lost in who I was reading from and just getting a bit bored. I feel like I would have had more fun watching this than reading this, which is not something I say often with mystery books so do with that what you will. I never really found myself all that attached to either of the two main characters and not that fully invested in the mystery either, unfortunately.

Release Date: February 4, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

ARC Review!!!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

A boarding school where 2 students are murdered and no one can find the murder. This books takes you through the twists and turns of figuring out the case and thinking you know who did it when in reality it's someone else. It becomes noticeable a little towards the end. But the hints are there all along. This was such a well written book. Sarah and Ryan are killed one night in her dorm room but her roommate and best friend, Amy, never heard anything while she was right next door. Sketchy. Liz is the school reporter trying to make it big and find her story that will break the case. An unlikely alliance and friendship between Liz and Amy comes about but is very organic. The end was good and tied up nicely!!
4 Stars!!

Well-crafted mystery with well-written characters. It was an enjoyable, if not slightly predictable, page-turner of a book.

Amy wakes one morning in her dorm and finds her roommate and best friend, Sarah - bludgeoned along with her boyfriend, Justin. But Amy heard nothing during the night and isn't helpful with the police.
Different suspects are arrested but the real perpetrator dances all through the story - but who is it?
The police play a minor role, but Amy and Liz (an aspiring journalist) are the ones who crack the case.
All of this takes place at an elite boarding high school called Meadowbrook. The town boasts only 1000 inhabitants - and the school quite small.
There are lots of secrets that are uncovered in the hunt for the killer. Some are just heart breaking.
Told by Amy and Liz, it's a good story.

The Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Godman is a dark academia thriller. The book follows Amy and Liv. Amy is a senior at Meadowbrook Academy whose friend and boyfriend were recently murdered. Liz is a student journalist who is desperate to uncover the truth. I really like YA mysteries and this one did not disappoint.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

50/100 or 2.50 stars

This was not bad, but it was forgettable, even for a Teen/YA thriller. I know that author is popular, and successful, so I wanted to check her out. This was not a strong start, but I would be interested in reading something else from Goodman in case this one is just not it. It was fine, but the charcters felt flat and not fleshed out. I kept reading since I had already read over half of it, and it is a quick read, so I kept going, but this could have been one that I didn't finish, read spoilers, and not felt either way about it.
I think the writing itself was fine, which is the main reason I was able to finish this. I didn't dislike this enough for 2.0 stars, but it was not good enough to be a 3, so I settled on 2.5 stars. I am hoping this is just me, and that the next book I pick up by Goodman is better.

This book was just okay for me. Unfortunately it did not grab me from the very beginning and I did not have the desire to find out how the book ended. I did appreciate that the number of characters was more limited which made it easier to follow.

This book delivers a gripping premise with a sinister small-town vibe and plenty of dark secrets to uncover. Goodman excels at creating an atmospheric setting, and the story has moments of genuine suspense that keep readers intrigued.

The pacing was uneven, with some sections dragging while others felt rushed. The characters could have used more depth to make them easier to connect with and care about. Additionally, the resolution, while surprising, felt somewhat underwhelming and left a few loose ends.

Overall, it’s a decent mystery that delivers some thrills, but it doesn’t quite live up to its full potential. It’s an enjoyable, if not entirely memorable, read for fans of crime fiction.

I really enjoyed this! Deeply reminiscent of Truly Devious, a series I love, and very well crafted! I really enjoyed Amy even though Liz got on my nerves. I thought the dual perspective was well managed and the girls' voices were different enough that I never got confused after the first few chapters! I thought the mystery itself was very good and I didn't expect the twist!

3 tries. That’s how many attempts it took me to get through this book. The blurb sounded like something I would love but right off the bat I could not connect with the story or either of the main characters. Liz comes off like a teenage Gale Weathers and just like Sidney in the Scream movies I majorly wanted to deck Liz. Talk about underhanded journalism… and these are high schoolers. Then we have Amy, best friend of one of the murder victims. She and her best friend fought the night before her best friend was killed and Amy was in the same dorm suite and slept through the whole thing. I think this was kind of meant to throw some suspicion on her kind of a “let’s team up and clear my name” thing with Liz. After the first probably 5-10 chapters I really just felt like skimming the rest of the book.

I have devoured every book by Jessica since her debut caught my eye in 2020. These YA thrillers are just so good! I was begging Penguin Teen for this one and am so extremely thankful for my gifted copy! #PenguinTeenPartner The Meadowbrook Murders felt like a Gossip Girl spin off with a little bit of dark academia thrown in! It is your rich kids getting away with whatever they want, with little twists that kept my attention and made it impossible to put down! I loved the spectrum of characters and how they come together when a student is found murdered. They all have their different motives for finding the killer and they’re all hiding so many secrets! As always, Jessica absolutely nailed this one and I am so excited to read what she has next for us!!

4.5/5 Stars

The good:
- I was gripped right away and it's been a while since a book has forced me to read it, to the point where I only read 2 chapters day 1 and could not stop thinking about it until I got time to read.
- I love how Liz KNOWS she's not perfect but continues trying to learn how to balance her ambitions with her community.
- I feel like both Liz and Amy have well developed backstories but it was done in a short amount of time where I wasn't bogged down by their internal reflection monologues.
- The mystery was very twisty and I loved it.

The loss of a half star:
- There is ONE OPEN PLOT POINT that is just dismissed at the end of the book and I cannot stand that. Otherwise, all other plot points are wrapped up nicely.

Overall, if you're looking for a quick YA thriller to help get you out of a reading slump, I'd highly recommend this.

Meadowbrook Murders is a satisfying read for lovers of murder mysteries set in private schools. A variety of personalities provides lots of motives and several red herrings as Amy tries to figure out how her best friend was murdered along with her boyfriend while she slept. Every character is balanced with both redeeming and flawed qualities, and Amy brings the reader along as she struggles to know who to trust, including herself. The other perspective in the book, Liz the school paper editor, provides a layer of objectivity…even though that too is tainted by her own motivations in seeking out the best story she can write without getting it quashed by the school administration. The switch in perspectives did not always flow smoothly for me, but examining the murder from both girls’ viewpoints made the story ebb and flow as it built the tension and helped reveal clues.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, Netgalley, and the author for early access to this novel.

I was so excited to get an early copy of The Meadowbrook Murders since I’ve read most of Jessica Goodman’s books and loved them. Prep school YA mysteries are always my thing, and this one didn’t disappoint. It’s a classic murder mystery with unlikely friends, a slightly annoying but determined journalist main character, and a traumatized friend who ends up stuck rooming with her after the murders.

Even though it’s YA, this book had plenty of depth and really packed a punch. The tension kept me hooked, and I loved the mix of suspense and drama. My only critique is that the text message formatting was a bit confusing—some were in bubbles, and others were part of the main paragraphs. Cleaning that up would make the story flow smoother.

Overall, this was a solid read that I’d absolutely recommend to anyone who loves prep school dramas, dark secrets, and a good whodunit. Jessica Goodman knows how to keep you turning the pages!

Senior was supposed to be a fun, exciting time. But the week with just seniors present, a grisly murder on campus in a closed dorm room - everyone is a suspect!

This was a fun murder mystery on a high school campus for rich kids. We have 2 POV - Amy and Liz. Liz is a hard hitting journalist in the making and this murder just might be the leg up she needs to get her reporting seen and get that scholarship to her dream school she's always wanted. As a "not have" versus the rich kids, she feels bad someone died but she can't pass up this opportunity!

And then there's Amy, the best friend and dorm roommate. She found the couple, she fought last with her best friend - she can't believe they are gone. But as the police begin to bumble the murder case, she feels compelled to come find out the secrets her best friend was keeping.

This was a compelling story that kept me wanting to know more. I liked that Liz kept getting tripped up, trying to figure out what was the right thing to do. She had to juggle compassion and empathy all while wanting to find the scandal. And Amy had to come to terms with some of the terrible things we say and do in anger. She had to discover Sarah was her best friend but she didn't tell her everything. She had to work through that hurt and still miss and love her. It's my first from this author and I'll definitely look for more!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

If you are a fan of murder mysteries as well as shows such as Riverdale or other teenage dramas you will enjoy this swift moving story. It was not hard to make some predictions about who could have done it but there are some twists and turns in there that keep you reading.

The quick cut: Two girls who don't get along end up roommates when two classmates are brutally murdered.

A real review:
Thank you to Penguin Group for providing the arc for an honest review.

Murder is rarely as impersonal as TV shows or movies can make it seem. A person dies brutally and the impact of that leaves devastating waves for everyone else left. It is this impact that Amy and Liz are left in.

Amy and Sarah are roommates who share everything until they have a very public fight at a party. The next morning, Amy wakes up to find Sarah dead, a long with her boyfriend. Senior year was supposed to be a dream, not a nightmare. Liz is a student reporter with big dreams and has no qualms about writing on the recent murders. She's hoping the story leads to a scholarship and elite college acceptance. Can these two work together to figure out who killed their classmates?

I love a good mystery, but I got to the end of this one and felt conflicted. The characters seem so self centered that they lack any true development and the killer reveal is predictably annoying. There were so many better options, so why choose that one?!?!

Amy has one fight and suddenly she can never take it back again. I can't imagine what she's going through considering she discovered the scene and is in a position to be a suspect. That being said, she seems incapable of getting past her ego in order to solve her outstanding questions.

Liz is a typical student reporter who wants to prove her worth and goes too far. While on the outside, she appears to have character development - it's not really the case. She still doesn't get how making the wrong choices benefited her and she only changed to improve her career choices. Considering her final result, she definitely achieved that.

An interesting murder mystery with predictable results and a lack of development.

My rating: 3.5 out of 5

Jessica Goodman knocks it out of the park again! The Meadowbrook Murders was so twisty and suspenseful.

Amy wakes up to find her best friend/roommate and her boyfriend murdered in their dorm. Liz, the editor of the school paper is the first to report on it and break the story. Amy hates the press but winds up roommates with Liz. Liz wants to solve and report on the murders. They very reluctantly work together to figure out who murdered Sarah and Ryan. Secrets come pouring out, people get hurt, but eventually Liz and Amy find the killer.

Midway through I did figure out who the killer was but I loved the roller coaster ride we went on. I am a sucker for a boarding school setting and Meadowbrook Academy felt like the quintessential Connecticut boarding school. I also liked both POVs that we got. Both characters had distinct voices and personalities. Another element that I liked was the discussion of ethics in journalism. The lens The Meadowbrook Murders uses to have this discussion was very interesting. Liz felt like like an outsider but she was reporting on her own community- it was definitely a gray area. I do with there had been one last reveal in the epilogue.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Meadowbrook Murder and highly recommend!

3.5. Dark academia with short chapters old in alternating POVs - Amy, roommate and teammate of the popular golden girl who ends up slaughter beside her boyfriend in their dorm, and Liz, outcast and aspiring journalist. Little snippets of the story come to light along the way leading to a somewhat guessable culprit. Overall, an enjoyable YA thriller.