I’d have to give this a high 3.5 star rating rounded up to 4 for this young adult novel.
A story of a small town with a 20 year old murder that hangs over it with a curse. A group of teens search to find out what really happened 20 years prior and what is causing their friends deaths

20 years ago, a brutal murder shut down the beach resort. Since then, deadly legends have surrounded the crumbling ruins. When Eden attends a party there, she discovers a dead classmate. The death is ruled an accident, but soon, Eden and her bullies are being hunted by a killer. To survive, they need to uncover the dark secret of Fairport Village. Can she trust her enemies, or will she end up fighting for her life alone?

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After reading #TheSummerSheWentMissing, it was clear: #ChelseaIchaso is one of my top #AutoBuyAuthors. So, my expectations for her new #YAMysteryThriller We Were Warned were high... and let me tell you, I was NOT disappointed!

From the first page, this book pulls you into the eerie atmosphere of Fairport Village, an abandoned beach resort surrounded by #UrbanLegends and creepy secrets. Ichaso nails the balance between the idyllic small-town setting and a tense, gripping plot. The story unfolds like a puzzle, with every chapter offering new clues, suspects, and perfectly placed #redherrings, keeping the suspense high the whole time.

Eden is such a well-developed protagonist. Her personal backstory—a family scandal that made her an outsider—makes her relatable and complex. Watching her grow throughout the story is both believable and engaging. The dynamic between Eden and Caleb adds emotional depth to the plot. Caleb initially seems problematic because he’s friends with Eden’s bullies, but his character development is believable and heartfelt. Their romance strikes a good balance between suspense and emotional moments.

The side characters add to the story’s richness. Vic, the jealous "mean girl," seems stereotypical at first, but she gets some moments of depth that set her apart from typical YA antagonists.

What really stands out in this book is the perfect mix of mystery and horror. The supposed curse of Fairport Village creates some seriously creepy moments, and you’re left questioning whether supernatural forces are at play right until the end. The intense atmosphere Ichaso creates is chilling and fits the spooky setting perfectly.

The final showdown felt a bit too long for my taste, but the amazing plot twist made up for it big time.

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We Were Warned is a fast-paced, thrilling ride with clever twists and an intense atmosphere. Chelsea Ichaso proves once again that she knows how to keep readers hooked with a story that lingers long after you’ve turned the last page.

#ChelseaIchaso, I’m a bit of a mystery-thriller nerd and have practically studied the genre, so trust me when I say: you nailed it! Thanks for this amazing book—I can’t wait for your next one!

I was hooked from the first chapter! It definitely gave a spooky and eerie vibe. The story follows Eden as she investigates the murder of a classmate at Fairport Village. Eden has to work with a few other students who also saw something that night. This story has a lot of friendship drama, suspense and romance.



Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC!

2.5 rounded up for YA. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was a pretty silly YA thriller with underdeveloped characters and not much depth. A quick spooky read but very forgettable.

All I want in a YA thriller is for the mystery to be fun and this book delivered! Though the writing was a bit clunky at times (a bit confusing or it felt out of character slightly) I still had a fun time trying to figure out who was behind it all!

I was also quite surprised (in the best way!) to see the author didn't shy away from having real big stakes, I felt the characters were truly in danger.

I'll look at the author's other books 👀


Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Oh, I think my high schoolers are going to really enjoy this one. I really liked finding out who was behind the mystery of Fairport. At times I did not really like our main character only because it bothered me how much she seemed to play the woe is me card and then be okay then back to woe is me. Though it has been a while since I was a teenager I guess that is how teenagers act.
I did like the plot and how it just kept going and going. You were left guessing who or what was behind it and the surprise of it all. Embezzlement, murder, ghost stories. Read on and see what happens next. Will be adding to my library as soon as it comes out and I have a budget.

Excellent! Twisty and shocking. I enjoyed this book more than others the author has written. We will definitely puchase for our teen collection.

Suspenseful and spooky. The setting was perfection! I was glued to the pages and could not wait to see how the plot played out. I was left hanging because I got 90% of the way through and then had to do adult things and I just couldn't stop thinking about this book and what happened. I really enjoyed getting into this story and felt fully immersed. Don't let the "young adult" fool you, this one is creepy!

Thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire | Sourcebooks Fire for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Summer She Went Missing has been one of my favorite books this year! I was blown away by new-to-me author Chelsea Ichaso and the way she wove her stories. So I was thrilled to get this one from NetGalley and couldn’t wait to read it! Add it to your TBR now; it’s out March 4!

The old abandoned resort at the beach is the sore spot of the coastal town, the site of murder and a supposed curse from 25 years ago. So obviously it’s the perfect spot for the senior class bash. But not everyone survives and maybe the curse is real? Eden was there and when others there begin to feel the effects of the curse they’re all forced to work together to stop it and figure out what really happened long ago.

Again, I was just captured by Ichaso’s writing. The characters have depth and unique personalities. There’s action every step of the way, but we still get backstory and understand the delicate relationships within this small town. The mystery was great and I had no idea what twist was coming and I could not turn pages fast enough! I loved this!

Thank you @netgalley and @sourcebooksfire for an advanced digital copy! All opinions are mine

I really enjoyed reading this book. I devoured it in two days. Couldn’t put it down
Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this in advance

Twenty years ago, there was a shocking murder on a property in Fairport Village. Anyone who steps foot in the ruins is supposedly cursed to die. However, teenagers have continued to party in the ruins of the property. Eden Stafford decides to join a party at the ruins one night and ends up finding one of her high school classmates dead. Now Eden and some other classmates who were there that night are being followed by a cloaked stranger. They must work together to uncover the truth about what happened before the cloaked stranger kills them all.

I really liked the idea of this story. The curse and the ruins plot were creepy at first and drew me into the book. I liked the lead-up to the reveal of the cloaked stranger. However, I didn’t love the motivation that was revealed for the murders. I also felt some of the characters lacked full development. I grew to like Eden and Caleb, but the other characters were underdeveloped, so I didn’t care as much about them. Overall, it was a quick and somewhat enjoyable read. I would give it 3/5 stars. I have enjoyed other books by Ichaso, but this one wasn’t as twisty as her others.

think this authors books are just okay. They are entertaining but nothing super life-changing. I just wish this was a little better.

🔪 ┊ “ a legend carved of sand and stone. a tale rooted in ruin. a lore built on lies. ”

3.5 STARS

Going in, I assumed that the main four would have a much stronger relationship and interact more. It's why I requested this book, actually! However, other than the finale and a couple of short meetings, it felt like they didn't spend much time together. I also thought they'd become better friends by the end of the novel, so I was disappointed in that aspect. The relationship that got the most attention was definitely Eden (the FMC) and her love interest, Caleb.

The romance was kinda meh. I get that Eden didn't trust him, but it was frustrating to witness for over half the book. There were a handful of times where the misunderstanding that destroyed their friendship was brought up and then she'd say, "Oh, we don't have to talk about this," or "Let's not talk about this." I thought I was going to go insane. She was just so combative, to the point it made her look kinda dumb. At one point, when her love interest tells her she shouldn’t be walking around alone (this is just after a member of the group was nearly drowned), she gets angry about him "telling her what to do" and runs off.

I really did sympathize with her, but she made some really stupid decisions. One of the bullies uses a sports metaphor to suggest they should buddy up and lock themselves in their houses in order to, you know, not get murdered. She simply replies, "This isn’t a sporting event," and then straight up leaves. ALSO, she accused literally everyone of being the murderer at one point.

Still, I thought the finale and the reveal were really good; I didn't expect that plot twist at all. That goes for the epilogue as well! I ended up bumping up my rating because of them.

Murder mystery? Ghost story? Murderous ghost story? This book is a page that has you hooked from the first moment, trying to determine whether these goes surreal, people with an agenda, are all in someone’s imagination. After Eden’s dad disappears, with money he stole a company, she has very few friends left in town. She takes the job as assistant to the cameraman on the senior night at the mysterious and cursed Fairport Village because she needs some extra money. She was not ready for yet another person to die on these grounds. When she finds that she may, in fact, have to reunite with her enemies to solve this crime, she’s conflicted in more ways than one. As the events unfold, you’re never quite sure of who is a good guy and who’s a bad guy and you find yourself rooting for Eden in every way. I can’t wait to bring this one into my classroom. I think my students will really enjoy it.

Another fantastic YA thriller by Chelsea Ichaso, the author of Dead Girls Can’t Tell Secrets. We Were Warned had me hooked from the Prologue and the diary entries added another layer of mystery to the story! Chelsea had me suspicious of almost every character at some stage along the way, and I was wrong every time! But, the twist...I can certainly say I did not see that coming. Highly recommend this one, 5 stars!

Overall I really liked this book, but not as much as Chelsea’s other stories! I really enjoyed reading the various journal entries and felt really drawn to certain characters. I was constantly laughing throughout the book too.

In Fairport, there was a murder 20 years ago, a shocking murder where a mother stabbed her teenage son to death, while her daughter was hiding in another room and heard the yelling and screaming.
20 years later the ruins will be bulldozed to create something new, so some seniors decided to complete a documentary and sneak in one night. There is an Urban Legend that says that anyone who steps on the property is cursed to die. In the past other students have died. Eden is kind of the pariah of the area because her father left the community after he had swindled many off of money and left people in a bad place. So she does not have a good reputation even though she has done nothing wrong but some of the students and their parents hold Eden responsible for her father's actions.
However, the documentary shooting is cut short when one of the seniors is found dead with the appearance that he had committed suicide by jumping off the cliff. Eden is not convinced that he committed suicide and her suspicion intensifies when another of the seniors that night commits suicide at school.
Wow! This one was intense and good! I enjoyed the story, the eerie mystery surrounding the estate, and then the uncanny ghostly appearance of the murderer following the students around. I enjoyed the whole urban legend aspect surrounding this mystery, every town has them and this one came to life in this mystery! The plot of the story is awesome, there are layers of mystery and aspects that show up, and answers that are found! If you love enemies to lovers then you would love this one! This story grips you, holds your attention, and keeps you on the edge of your seat! Once you start this one you won't be able to put it down because you're hooked and want to know who is behind it all and if the urban legend is true!
Thank. you Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this one!

We Were Warned is a fast-paced and exciting YA book! The plot revolves around a mysterious place that is rumored to be cursed due a legacy of violent murders. After the senior class sneaks onto the property for a party, sparking a murder streak that seems to be taking out teens one by one, it’s up to one group of students to decide- is the curse real, or is there a terrifying killer on the loose?

This is a fun read! The author does a good job of setting up some scenes that are actually pretty scary, and the mystery keeps you guessing. There were a few places where the reader really does have to suspend disbelief, but the book is still a fun ride that I recommend to anyone who would like a few spooky thrills!

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-Arc.

This is a great story for those in love with mysteries and ghosts. Unfortunately the ending was a bit of a let down and the characters you would get invested in would be killed off which just kind of bummed me out.

Still a well-written story!

wow this book is one of the most fun and addictive reads also one of the best in the young adult genre. we were warned it the perfect book to read during your summer vacation but also you can read anytime, I love reading ya thriller books during the summer! the setting of the book is unique and it's the first time I read something like this. it's also is not classified as horror but I feel like the book does has some horror spooky vibes. I wanted to read this book in a sitting because it kept being addictive and fun, you always wanted to know what happend. love the characters, the back story, the twist of the book. and the ending is shocking and I did not guess it.

themes and tropes:
- friends to enemies to lovers
- creepy small town
- legends
- Abandoned resorts
- murder mystery
- perfect for fear street lovers
- teenage detectives

thank you netgallery & Sourcebooks fire for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.