I went into the story with no expectations and I could not remember what the synopsis said, so basically I went into the book blind. I was unfortunately very let down with basically everything associated with the story. I could not connect to either main character so therefore I rooted nobody on and was not invested enough to care what happened. Also, I knew who the killer was pretty early on, so that was not a surprise either. The author tried to throw in lots of suspects and twists, but they were all just dead ends and felt a little like filler to the big reveal at the end. I am sure others might enjoy this story, but it did not do it for me.

This is a fast-paced YA thriller set at a prestigious boarding school where Amy and her unlikely new roommate Liz team up to investigate the murder of Amy’s best friend and her boyfriend. The alternating perspectives kept things interesting, and while I guessed the killer early on, the twists and character dynamics still made it a fun, suspenseful read.

The first week of senior year is a time for the students of the prestigious academy to blow off steam before they begin their final academic year. Following a late night party. Amy and her boyfriend Joseph sneak back to her dorm for an hour of closeness before he goes out the window and Amy falls asleep. When she awakens the next morning she finds her roommate and her boyfriend Ryan murdered next door. Immediately falling under suspicion Amy is devastated reeling from grief. She finds an unexpected ally in Liz, the socially awkward and general misfit who is editor of the school newspaper. Liz dreams of a journalism scholarship and feels that covering this crime and finding the culprit will land her the coveted prize. Amy discovers that the girl she thought she knew so well was not that person and that her secrets .did not die with her although she paid a heavy price. This twisty YA thriller related from multiple points of view was engaging and thought provoking. One of the aspects I enjoyed was the interaction between Amy and Liz, two opposites who are able to put aside their differences and work together and the bond they form. The solid who dunnit plot was enhanced by the exploration of grief and loss and how it affects individuals differently .A sudden death is devastating to anyone but for teens it a totally new experience. A solid entry in the dark academia genre..

This is a fast paced mystery as two students attempt to find out who killed two of their classmates. Amy was the best friend and roommate of one of the students who was killed and has since been moved into a dorm with Liz, the ambitious journalism student who is itching to cover a career making case.

Liz and Amy are unlikely allies and often butt heads as they both try to uncover the truth behind their peers death. I liked the growth both characters had throughout the story. And while the culprit wasn’t hard to anticipate, I enjoyed the way this story wrapped up.

Overall, if you’re looking for a YA past paced dark academic mystery, check this one out!

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin for the ARC. I'm always in the mood for a boarding school murder mystery but this was just an extremely one dimensional read. The characters have absolutely no depth, they're just cliches, and the plot itself was really boring, the setting generic, the mystery lacking, the killer obvious. The only reason I finished this book was because I read the first half on a flight and then finished the second half while waiting for my return flight.

Title: The Meadowbrook Murders
Author: Jessica Goodman
Genre: Teen/YA Thriller
Publisher: Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group/G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Pub Date: February 4, 2025
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Pages: 336

Best friends Amy and Sarah are approaching their senior year at the prestigious boarding school Meadowbrook Academy,
The school year starts off with ‘Senior Sanction’ which is a day of welcome rituals reserved just for the senior class. It is way for the seniors to bond before the lower class arrives. The seniors are excited as they know this will be a year full of memories.

However, now Amy Alterman’s senior year will have the horrible memory of finding Sarah and her boyfriend, Ryan, lying dead in her bed having been stabbed to death.
Amy’s room is next door and she never heard a word.
The Academy has high security so the fear is the murderer is on campus.

Since Amy’s room is a crime scene she is assigned Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Charles as her new roommate. Liz is a Scholarship student and editor-in-chief of the school paper.
Liz has never been popular with other students and now is highly criticized about reporting about the tragedy. Liz has desired of writing an outstanding article to be considered for a college Journalism scholarship Amy is not happy and fears that Liz sees being roommates as an opportunity to find out more about the deaths and thus het the ‘inside scoop - Amy wants no part of helping her dig around!

As we had hoped Amy and Liz find they have more in common and finding whodunit it important to both.

I did like the story as I like story in an academic setting – boarding schools are always interesting as well as enjoyable for me.

Want to thank NetGalley and Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group/G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for February 4, 2025.

I love a private school thriller! The mystery was intriguing and the dual perspectives definitely made things more interesting. If another red herring or two had been introduced this would have been a perfect read for me!

4⭐️

Amy is thrilled to be back at Meadowbrook for her senior year and all of the “freedom” that comes with it. Except in the senior week before the school year starts, Amy wakes up after a night of a senior party to find her best friend and roommate Sarah, and Sarah’s boyfriend, brutally murdered. While the investigation begins, Amy is moved to a different dorm and roomed up with Liz.

Liz is the editor of the school newspaper and is fully committed to her job. She is obsessed with being the best she can be to secure a critical scholarship that will help define her future in journalism. Liz’s commitment has kept her on the outskirts of the peak social circles at Meadowbrook but when the best friend and roommate of their miseries classmate ends up sharing a dorm with her, Liz sees it as an opportunity to have the insider exclusive for this unfolding story.

Naturally, Amy’s world is turned upside down and she doesn’t trust Liz but as they’re forced together under the circumstances with a killer on the loose they find moments where they have no choice but to depend on each other.

I’ve only read a few YA mysteries and this one definitely leaned into the YA audience but it was a pretty quick, fun, murder mystery read with all of the fascinating boarding school academia elements. I enjoyed the two different POVs as it provided a more wholistic view of this unfolding case. It did, however, also allow for a bit of predictability in the story but it was still a good time watching it all unfold.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group| G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the opportunity to read and review this eARC.

"The perfect dark academia read, filled with murder, twists, a jaw-dropping mystery and very privileged people doing deliciously bad things.” – Danielle Valentine, New York Times Bestselling author of Two Sides to Every Murder.

That sentence sums up everything this book is, with the twists and turns of an intriguing murder mystery, and interesting characters doing deliciously bad things. The Meadowbrook Murders is told from two different POVs: Amy, one of the privileged students at a very prestigious private boarding school in Connecticut, who is the roommate of one of the students killed (Sarah) who was her best friend and confidante, and Liz, a scholarship student and the editor of the school newspaper, who is determined to break the story from the inside, hopefully garnering the attention of and scholarship to a good college. When Sarah and her boyfriend, Ryan, are killed in the same dorm room Amy and her boyfriend, Joseph, are sleeping in, who hear nothing and claim that they know nothing about what happened, Amy is transferred to Liz's room while the police investigate. Liz thinks this is her chance to get the inside scoop on the story and tries to insert herself into the investigation and get Amy, who she has never been friends with, to trust her and help her figure out who really committed the murders. Amy wants nothing to do with that, until Joseph becomes a suspect, and then Amy is all in.

I really enjoyed this book. The mystery was interesting, with lots of twists and turns. The characters were unique and varied, and well fleshed out, which is always helpful. The pacing was good and the ending was satisfying.

All in all, I enjoyed this book very much and happily recommend it.

5/5 stars.

*** I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Jessica Goodman for the opportunity to read and review The Meadowbrook Murders.

This book pulled me in right from the start! It’s set at Middlebrook Academy during the first week of senior year when the tragedy strikes: Amy’s best friend, Sarah, and Sarah’s boyfriend are brutally murdered in their dorm. Suddenly, everything Amy has been looking forward to turns into a nightmare.

The story is told from two perspectives: Amy, who’s reeling from losing her best friend (and dodging suspicions), and Liz, the school newspaper’s determined editor, who’s chasing the truth behind the murders. I loved how these two totally different girls—Amy, the popular, grieving roommate, and Liz, the awkward journalist—slowly form this uneasy partnership. Watching them work together despite their differences made their dynamic so relatable and intriguing.

The mystery itself was so much fun to unravel. The author kept me guessing, and even when I thought I had it all figured out, I was wrong. (I love it when that happens!) The writing also did a great job of pulling me into the setting—I could almost feel the chilly fall air on campus and the tension brewing in the hallways.

If you’re in the mood for a bingeable YA thriller with a nostalgic murder mystery vibe, this is it. It’s gripping, emotional, and full of twists I didn’t see coming. Definitely a fun read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really liked the way that this book was split between Amy and Liz. I believe that because it is written that way you get the full perspective of the murder mystery happening at Meadowbrook. I did peg the killer pretty early on which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, as I was interested enough to see if I was right. All in all, this is a solid YA mystery, and it will be available in February of 2025!

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC of this book!

Jessica Goodman does not disappoint once again, this was a great YA mystery! The story is about a double murder at a boarding school with many suspects, including the best friend and roommate of one of the victims. There are themes of money vs. middle class and cliques but the main focus is who would commit this act and why. I definitely didn't guess the ending! YA readers and adults alike will connect to this story and get quickly hooked by the writing. Thanks to Jessica Goodman, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was great young adult mystery with a brilliant setting. I've always loved reading about books set in boarding schools so that was a plus. I liked the characters and the mystery was intriguing enought to keep me hooked till the reveal. I would recommend it for a fun murder mystery and would work well for a readathon because it's so engaging.

Jessica Goodman is a household name at this point, and The Meadowbrook Murders was another success. To be fully transparent, YA is not my preferred genre for thrillers. But every so often, I need a palate cleanser. This really delivered. If you're looking for the darkness/depravity of more mature mysteries, you can skip this one. But if you want a fun popcorn thriller for a cozy weekend, definitely pick this up!

A great high school murder mystery! The YA setting kept it suspenseful but not too scary or gory. Just enough characters were introduced to provide enough viable suspects without it being overwhelming. I also always love a story set in a boarding school. The emotional side of it was great too and I appreciated the emotional arch Amy went through.

**Book Review: *The Meadowbrook Murders* by Jessica Goodman**
3.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

*The Meadowbrook Murders* is a solid YA murder mystery that delivers strong writing and well-executed twists. Jessica Goodman crafts a story with plenty of intrigue and suspense, though for me, the book leaned a little too much into its YA audience to fully hold my interest. While I enjoy YA as a genre, when it comes to mysteries or thrillers, I tend to prefer the complexity and darker tones found in adult novels. This is very much a personal preference rather than a critique of the book itself.

That said, Goodman’s writing is engaging, and the plot would likely appeal to younger readers who enjoy mysteries with an accessible, fast-paced style. While I did find much of the story predictable, I think this is more a reflection of my own familiarity with the genre. I could see *The Meadowbrook Murders* being adapted into a successful movie that would resonate with a teen audience.

Overall, this is a solid pick for fans of YA murder mysteries. Though it wasn’t a perfect fit for me, I can appreciate the quality of the writing and the appeal it will have for its target audience.

This was such a quick, interesting read and an interesting look into the lives of privileged, prep school students.

I really enjoyed getting to know both Amy and Liz. Their characters were very well-rounded and their faults were on full display, but I still really liked both of them. I liked their dynamic together, too. They argued a lot and rarely saw eye-to-eye, but you could tell they were still building a special friendship through the tragedy.

I wish we’d gotten to know a little bit more about Ryan and Sarah. We did get more glimpses of Sarah than we did of Ryan, but still not enough to figure out who she really was.

This book was full of fun red herrings and kept me on my toes. While I did figure out who the killer was a little over half-way through the book, I didn’t know how the author would pull it all together and it was a really fun experience reading it.

Highly recommend this book for fans of YA mysteries.

My reviews of this book will be posted on Goodreads at the link provided with this feedback and also on my IG account at https://instagram.com/kraftykatreads closer to the pub date.

I really enjoyed this book! I would highly recommend this book to my friends. I really enjoy this book!

I was so excited to read this one after reading the description of the book, but unfortunately this one did not hold my focus like I would have liked. The story is told through the POVs of two main characters: Amy and Liz which keeps things a bit interesting and allows the story to unfold in a natural way with bits coming up via one of the characters. Things I enjoyed about this book were the setting (I'm a sucker for a good boarding school setting), liked the chapters alternating between the two characters, sort of liked the story being separated into parts or sections (for example the first one is "The Day She Found Them") as it gave you a sneak peak of what was going to happen in the next few chapters but at the same time it sort of took away the suspense a bit, and of course I liked the murder mystery aspect of the story. Things I wasn't crazy about were I didn't really care for any of the characters, felt at times there was a bit of fluff or filler that wasn't really needed, and the reveal of who the killer was and why they did it wasn't a big surprise as it was pretty predictable early on. If you enjoy a typical YA thriller then I'd recommend giving this one a shot or you are getting into thrillers then this would be a good starter.

eARC Review: The meadowbrook murders by Jessica Goodman
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub date: Feb 4 2025
This book is my first to read by 'Goodman' and has left me looking forward to reading her others. While reading, I was interested in what would happen from beginning to end. The story kept me intrigued throughout all of it and I was left really in shock from the plot twist, which came towards the end! I did also enjoy the back and forth of the character developments and the overall outcome to tie everything together in a good way.