Jessica Goodman did it again! The Meadowbrook Murders is a YA book that will have you hooked. In this we follow Amy a senior at Meadowbrook Academy whose friend and boyfriend were recently murdered. We see just how far some people will go to keep their secrets hidden. 5 star book for me

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC—

I saw this ARC and immediately requested - YA prep school murder..yes please! I've read almost all of Goodman's books over the years and this one stays true to her style. This is a solid 3.5 in my book that I've rounded up due to my respect for Goodman's craft.

What I liked about the book - The setting, short chapters that kept me reading even when I would tell myself 'just one more', relatable characters, moderate to face pace reading, duel POV, well wrapped up ending, and an enjoyable storyline overall.

What I didn't like about the book - guessed the murderer a handful of chapters in, one of the 'well this person could be the murdered' plot lines didn't make sense, lack of dimension in side characters, and implausible murder details.

The morning after a late night party, Amy awakens to find her roommate, Sarah, and her roommate’s boyfriend, Ryan, murdered in the next room. Sarah was Amy’s best friend. Reeling from shock and grief, she is determined to find out the truth. Meadowbrook is a posh New England boarding school. How did this happen here at this exclusive school and who committed this awful deed?
A twisty murder mystery in an elite setting centered around two very different main characters. Amy’s father is a tech billionaire, but Liz comes from a working class background and is a scholarship student. The two have to learn to trust one another if they’re going to be able to figure out this whodunit. 4 stars

I could not put this book down! I've heard nothing but good things about Jessica Goodman's books, and I love a good campus novel with some mysterious, twisty dark academia vibes, so I was extra excited to pick up THE MEADOWBROOK MURDERS. Needless to say, it did not disappoint! The story starts on the first week of senior year at Meadowbrook Academy, and Amy and her best friend (and roommate) Sarah couldn't be more excited—after all, they've been dreaming about this week for as long as they can remember. Until tragedy strikes, and Amy finds Sarah and her boyfriend Ryan brutally murdered in their dorm room. With Amy being Sarah's only roommate and best friend, all eyes are suddenly on her as a potential suspect, and she's left alone in their shared room. Enter her new roommate, Liz, editor of the school newspaper, campus outcast, and aspiring journalist, who is determined to uncover the truth about what happened on campus in an effort to snag a prestigious college scholarship. But both Amy and Liz are about to find out that no one is who they seem to be, and they might just have to team up to solve the mystery, to dig deeper into the secrets that Sarah hid while she was alive—and the ones that others are keeping now, even when she's gone.

I loved this book! I thought the campus setting was so well-developed, and both Amy and Liz were such fleshed-out characters—it was great to get both of their POVs. Personally, I also appreciated the Jewish rep we got with Amy. Goodman does a really good job of weaving it into her character throughout, something that might seem small in the narrative but is clearly a part of Amy's life, like the references to celebrating the High Holidays and going to bat mitzvahs. Additionally, I thought the pacing was well-done overall—most of the story takes place over a few days, but that quick pace kept me hooked throughout, and I still felt like I really got to know the characters and their environment. I did feel like the ending was a little bit rushed, especially considering that the rest of the book was so perfectly paced, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book! I just didn't want the story to end. If you love campus novels and twisty thrillers, don't hesitate to check out THE MEADOWBROOK MURDERS! I'm so excited to dive into Jessica Goodman's backlist, and to see what she writes next. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin, and Putnam Books for Young Readers for the ARC.

💕📚ARC Review📚💕 Thank you @netgalley, @penguinteen, and @jessicagoodman for an ARC of The Meadowbrook Murders! This title is extra fun because it is the name of our neighborhood. 😅

Jessica Goodman is one of my favorite YA thriller authors and she became an auto-buy author for me immediately after I read her debut novel, They Wish They Were Us. I’ve now read all five of her books (other 3️⃣: The Counselors, They’ll Never Catch Us, and The Legacies) and they are all sooooo addictive and twisty. I like to describe her books as Gossip Girl-esque with a side of murder 🔪, with many rich, unsupervised teens behaving badly.

This is the story of the double homicide of two rising seniors at Meadowbrook Academy, an elite boarding school in Connecticut. The first POV we get is from Amy, who wakes up the morning after a big party to find her roommate, Sarah, and her boyfriend, Ryan brutally murdered in Sarah’s bedroom. Amy was the only person in their dorm when they died (or this is what she tells police, when covering for her boyfriend) and she cannot process how this awful tragedy happened. Amy’s world is instantly turned upside-down and she doesn’t know who to trust. Our other POV is from Liz, the school paper editor who is always trying to break the big story and is intent to win a prestigious journalism scholarship. She is determined to uncover the truth of what happened to Sarah and Ryan, for both the sake of journalism and her future. Amy and Liz begin to investigate and try to find out who is responsible for this horrendous crime, but the more they dig, the more secrets come to light about Sarah, Ryan, and their world.

I loved this one! The pacing was quick and addictive, twists and turns throughout, and it keeps you questioning everyone until the very end. A perfect dark academic novel to devour and enjoy.

The Meadowbrook Murders by new to me author J. Goodman, published by Penguin Group Putnam, is a thriller of its finest. Fast paced, action packed, suspenseful - I read the book in one sittning only. I just wanted to take a peek at the story and hours later I closed the book after reading the last page. A fantastic read, 5 stars.

My students will probably like this mystery, it is fast moving and the characters are pretty interesting though a lot of them are not likeable. As an adult, it was missing depth and real engagement for me.

this is a YA mystery and the characters did feel pretty much, mostly economically priviledged students, all with emotional baggage. I liked the developing friendship between the two very different characters of Liz , a scholarship student, journalist trying to solve the mystery and Amy the roommate who discovers the bodies of her best friend and her boyfriend. Overall an ok read, nothing I will remember but a pleasant few hours of reading 3.5

First and foremost, thank you to Netgalley for an Advanced Reader's Copy of "The Meadowbrook Murders," from an author who has given us a few other good murder mystery books.

Unlike another one of Goodman's books, this one did not bore me, so much so, that I finished it in one day!

The book starts immediately with one of the main characters, Amy, finding her best friend (Sarah) and boyfriend murdered in Sarah's dorm bedroom, which Amy shares with her. This clearly ranks Amy as suspect #1 considering she was left unscathed. This gives slight vibes to the poor college students that were killed in Iowa a few years ago.

The rest of the story is told from an alternating point of view between Amy and the outcast, Liz, who is the college's school newspaper editor and hungry for the story.

Both girls have to navigate the aftermath of an unspeakable tragedy like this and I found it more of a realistic development of what it would be like when a community deals with a discovery like this.

I really hated all the other characters, which I think was the point. They're all rich, elite, and shallow. Amy and Liz are the only ones with some substance, as they should be. And even Sarah has some depth to her considering she harbors a few secrets from Amy.

Overall, this one is worth a read.

THE MEADOWBROOK MURDERS is a YA whodunnit set at a HS boarding school in Connecticut. It’s chock full of an unlikeable cast of teens. The big reveal wasn’t all that revealing and it won’t be a story that stays with me.

Thank you Putnam and Netgalley for the arc 🤓

Here we have an academic, young adult thriller unaliving mystery book. The pacing is good and so is the suspense! I like that the chapters are short.
I was drawn to the cover and its synopsis right at first glance. It’s an excellent read for this spooky season though I know it doesn’t release until next year. I’m thrilled to have been able to be an ARC reader! Thank you so much!

✔️YA Thriller
✔️Dual POV
✔️Academic setting

Wow, this book felt CRAZY to me at the start. I was a bit confused if they were at college, felt like it should have been college but I really enjoyed the way the mystery was woven together. The very different POVs were great too.

I loved this book, but I love the "high school murder mystery genre." Amy and Sarah are roommates embarking on their senior year at Meadowbrook Academy. Sarah is the golden child, excellent at academics and soccer, and beloved by all. Amy, her best friend, is largely at Meadowbrook because her dad is a huge donor, but she is largely accepted by the popular kids due to her friendship with Sarah. Everything is off to a great start, but after a big blowup at a bonfire, Sarah and her boyfriend Ryan are found dead in their beds. Amy finds herself adrift as she is forced to relocate to another dorm where someone has a single. She is now rooming with Liz, editor of the student paper, who is determined to get to the bottom of the Meadowbrook Murders. Amy, however, has a controversial relationship with paparazzi due to their coverage of her parents' divorce. Mystery lovers will enjoy following along with Amy and Liz as they navigate a murder investigation as well as their new friendship. Twists and turns abound as they investigate friends and acquaintances, and the murderer is someone that you will never see coming. I would wholeheartedly recommend this novel to fans of YA mysteries.

I hadn’t previously read anything by this author so I’m be try glad I picked this book up. I thought the premise was really interesting and the execution was well done. Definitely a read I’ll be recommending in the future!

One of my favorite parts of Jessica Goodman books are her characters. They’re always well written, multi-faceted people. This book was no different. My feelings about Amy, Liz, Sarah, and Joseph changed a lot as the story unfolded.
Amy wakes up one morning to find her best friend and roommate and her boyfriend murdered in her bed. In the beginning I found myself wondering when the “solving the crime” part of the story would take place, but before I knew it I was so swept up in the lives of these rich (some not so rich) high school kids that I didn’t even realize the answers were slowly being revealed. I enjoyed every page of this book and as always with her books I was so sad to leave their lives when the book ended.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jessica Goodman books never miss. She will always be an automatic buy author for me. This book is probably one of my favorites. Although I did suspect early on who it would be. the why behind it made me keep wanting to read. The only complaint I had was that the timeline felt a little weird but other than that it was good. I read this book in a day and I rarely put it down.

If you loved A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, you'll be captivated by The Meadowbrook Murders. This thrilling mystery, with its dark academia vibes, will keep you hooked from start to finish.

In the first week of senior year at Meadowbrook Academy, Amy's dream of a perfect fall turns into a nightmare. When her best friend, Sarah, and her boyfriend are brutally murdered, Amy becomes the prime suspect. As she tries to clear her name, she uncovers Sarah's hidden secrets.

Liz, the school newspaper's editor, is determined to uncover the truth and secure a college scholarship. Her investigation reveals the dark secrets of the murdered seniors. But with a killer still on campus, Liz must be careful not to make any mistakes.

With well-developed characters and perfectly paced surprises, this book will keep you hooked from the beginning. I couldn't put it down! Fans of true crime will love this fast-paced, twisty, and captivating mystery.

Note: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I could not click the Request button quickly enough here! Jessica Goodman is one of my favorite YA authors, and this might be my favorite of hers yet. This was another plane read, and it proved to be an excellent distraction. I called the outcome about halfway through, but I still enjoyed the ride (there’s also something satisfying about the “I KNEW it!” moment).

The story takes place at Meadowbrook, a fancy boarding school for rich kids. Every year, the seniors arrive a week early for “Senior Week,” where they have the run of the campus, and the faculty kinda looks the other way on things like curfews and boys in girls dorms. Amy and her best friend Sarah have been dreaming of this week since they were freshman, but when the novel opens, Amy’s reeling from their first big fight. But things are about to get so much worse, because when Amy wakes up, Sarah and her boyfriend have been brutally murdered. Amy, being the roommate who claims to have slept through the whole thing, is of course the prime suspect. Since her dad is a semi-renowned tech dude who went through a high profile divorce, Amy knows a thing or two about unwanted spotlight.

Amy shares narration duties with Liz, the editor of the school paper (I guess it’s more like an online newsletter?). In spite of the fact that it’s a dying art, Liz has still always wanted to be a journalist, and her dream is to break a big story and get the coveted Page One scholarship (it pays for a full ride for a student journalist). It’s pretty clear where this is going - of course this brutal murder is the best thing that ever happened to Liz! She pretty much immediately breaks the story on the school website - without getting any kind of permission. She’s flying high, but her classmates pretty much immediately bring her down to earth, pointing out how messed up it is - these were *people* and she’s treating them like a big scoop. And it doesn’t help that Amy now needs a place to live, and Liz is apparently the only senior with a single room. Liz is thrilled at first because she thinks she’ll be able to get an exclusive from Amy. But Amy thinks she’s a ghoul, and has no interest in engaging.

The mystery itself is interesting enough, but I did really like the relationship between the two girls. Amy’s rich, and Liz is there on scholarship, so they both have the stereotypical views of one another. And they both have qualities that make them pretty unlikable - Amy’s extremely privileged, as you’d expect, and Liz frequently chooses her journalistic “integrity” over, y’know, being an actual empathetic human being. They’re both sort of The Worst at times.

I really enjoyed this. Neither of these characters is particularly likable, but they were interesting, and their teenaged detectiving didn’t push the limits of credulity the way it sometimes does. I also enjoyed the entirely linear timeline. I feel like mysteries as a whole are relying way too much on the Big Little Lies flashback structure these days. As I frequently lament - more often than not, that kind of structure is really just hiding a paperthin plot. But this is a fun read, and although it’s not putting a particularly *new* spin on anything, it’s still an enjoyable ride.

If you liked “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder”, you’re bound to enjoy “The Meadowbrook Murders”! With similar dark academia vibes, you’ll get your thriller fix from this one.

The story revolves around a group of boarding school teens who are not what they seem on the surface. When two of them are murdered, all their secrets will be revealed and a very unlikely friendship will form.

This book contains well developed characters and introduces surprises at the perfect rate to keep you hanging on! I spent every waking minute I had yesterday reading it (don’t tell my boss)! I’d love to see a story about Amy and Liz in the future!

I really thought I would have so much fun with this book as I usually eat up YA mystery/thrillers but that unfortunately wasn't the case here. It started off SO strong, with the opening scene being one of our two main characters discovering her best friend and best friend's boyfriend brutally murdered in their dorm room but it fizzled out pretty soon after. The characters also felt one dimensional and their backstories fell a bit flat for me. I made it through about 2/3 of the book before just skimming through the last third to see if I was right about the killer.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3.