This is one of the best books I've read this year! I absolutely could not put it down, and immediately ordered a physical copy to add to my collection. I was eat, sleep, breathing Very Dangerous Things. I'd read anything else Lauren Muñoz writes, she's instantly become an insta-read author for me.

First - the premise. A murder mystery set at a criminology technical high school based on the annual project? Sold. I'm here for the murder mystery. but give such an intriguing and unique premise and I'm there immediately.

Next - the characters. There's such depth between the characters, the backstories unfold at the perfect time, and while some things were predictable (I mean, it's made for brains younger than mine, so I'm not too pressed about it), I was hooked. Everything had a purpose and was tied up with a pretty bow by the end.

Finally - the vibes. There are palpable emotions; I can feel the thrill, tension, and anticipation. I was physically vibrating at points with need to find out what happened next. For a YA novel, this is phenomenal. For any novel, really. There's nothing flat about this book. I was raving about it the entire time I was reading, and I don't plan to shut up about it any time soon.

I can tell you honestly that these characters and their story will live rent free in my brain for all the right reasons. This is storytelling at it's finest. I'm content with Very Dangerous Things being a standalone if that's the vision, but I would also not complain if we got more stories in this world in the future.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to give this book a read. I'm so thankful!

This is a unique and interesting spin on the mystery genre. The story is full of intriguing characters. There are so many pieces of the puzzle needed to solve the mystery, making it unpredictable and exciting, but also a bit overwhelming at times. The answer to the mystery raises a few questions about the way certain characters have acted at certain times prior in the story, but none of them are major enough to make it feel like the story has not been properly resolved. All in all, it is a quite engaging mystery with a mostly satisfactory conclusion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 out of 5 stars)

Very Dangerous Things is a super fun, twisty YA mystery that had me hooked from the first chapter. The setup is so clever, a high school with a legit criminology program that hosts an annual murder mystery game… until the “victim” actually ends up dead. From there, things spiral in the best way.

Dulce Castillo is the kind of main character you want on your side: smart, determined, and just jaded enough to question everyone around her. She’s got a personal mystery to solve (what really happened to her mom?) and gets roped into solving a very real murder, despite the fact that her ex-best friend is suspect number one. Her investigation, along with her friends Emi and Zane, keeps the story moving at a fast pace, and I was second-guessing everyone right up until the reveal.

What I loved most was the balance of mystery, character development, and those small emotional moments that sneak up on you. While a few twists stretched believability just a bit, I didn’t mind because it was such a good time overall.

A big thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A private high school focused on criminology? Sign me up! Well, that is until a student ends up dead, like really dead instead of pretend dead like he’s supposed to be for the annual investigation competition. There are all sorts of twisty turns in this dark story with realistic personalities, each with their own backstories that drive their actions, thoughts, and feelings. Friendships, both current and past, tentative and firm, confusing and more confusing move the plot forward as these curious, creative, problem-solving teens learn about themselves and those around them in the context of crimes that impact them all to varying degrees. I loved the nods to classic mysteries, the layers of mysteries, the complex characters. I rounded down to four stars because the ending…well, it makes sense, but not as much sense or shock as I wanted. I do hope that Dolce and her classmates return for another mystery though!

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.

Very Dangerous Things is a super fun YA mystery!
We are at a super cool high school where you can study criminology, and every year there is a game that the students can compete in. One where they solve a crime and can win a butt ton of cash, and get bragging rights for the rest of the year.

This year, Dulce and her bestie Emi have recruited new kid Zane for the game, and it's been a fun time until Xavier, the kid who was supposed to play dead, actually turns up murdered, and his girlfriend, and ex-best friend of Dulce, ends up the prime suspect.

I loved the characters; they are all very well written and completely fleshed out. The plot was fast-paced, and the mystery was layered and had so many twists and turns that I had no idea what was going to happen next. And I definitely didn't see who the killer ended up being until it was all revealed.

Murder, mystery, secrets.


Set in a criminology high school, Dulce and her friends/frenemies get caught up in investigating an all too real murder - that was just supposed to be a staged one.


Well drawn out characters, a solid layered mystery, layered with teen friendships, relationships and a blend of the fantastical and real.


Highly recommended as a YA mystery!!


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Penguin Young Readers Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Very Dangerous Things is a fun YA mystery and a solid addition to the genre. A good time for a y fan of contemporary teen thrillers.

So I know im almost 40, but sign me up for a high school where you can study criminology!! What I would have given to attend J. Everett high when I was a kid!!! Honestly, I would attend just about anything with a murder mystery! 🧐

Very Dangerous Things by Lauren Munoz was a fun read!The pacing was great, the characters were well written, and the plot was interesting. Im genuinely interested to know how many people guessed who the culprit was because I didn't, but I feel like I should have 🤣😅

I love a good quote, and the quotes from mystery stories and/or characters and mystery authors at the beginning of each chapter were so much fun. I was genuinely excited for a chapter break.

Fans of Veronica Mars or Jennifer L. Barnes "The Naturals" will love this story!

I was hooked from the beginning!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

I cannot get enough about this book's world!

Dulce is a teenage sleuth who attends a criminology school where students are major in subjects such as forensics, journalism and detecting (as detectivs). Every year, the academy holds a school-wide murder mystery competition with prize money. However, when the student who is chosen to play the victim is actually murdered, Dulce and her friends are drawn into a real investigation.

At first, I was worried that this mystery would be predictable because the potential culprits were revealed very quickly, but Munoz did a fantastic job planting red herrings throughout the plot. Enough that I changed my mind about who I thought was the murderer several times before guessing the truth near the conclusion. The "how" of the murder was also creative and satisfying.

I didn't love many of the characters besides for our leading investigator Dulce, but the mystery plot carried me through the book. There's a hint at a unresolved mystery so I am hopeful that Munoz will return to this world. I think that with more time to flesh out the side characters, I might grow to love them.

I would recommend this book for fans of The Inheiritance Games and The Promise Boys.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Dulce attends a unique high school where they train students to solve crimes. As a senior, she is excited to not only take part in the annual "fake" murder mystery but she knows she has a really good chance at winning the contest, which would give her enough money to take her to Europe. Only the staged murder doesn't go as planned when the victim actually turns up dead. Of course since this is a YA book, the adults in the story are not that proficient at anything, and Dulce has always felt slighted by the ineffective city police who didn't tell her the truth about how her mom died, so she is ready to investigate this murder with the help of a few classmates. This book had so many plot twists and turns, it kept me guessing constantly and it wasn't until the end that you found out the truth. Highly recommended for any teen or adult who likes murder mysteries!

Pretty solid ya mystery tbh. I feel like the characters felt a little flat and the twist was missing some of the wow factor for me, but I thought it was good.

First Line: Sierra Fox hurried down the muddy path, typing a message on her phone. “Livestream ran late. OMW.”

Reasons to Read:
Deadly Game 🎲 — A high school tradition turns chillingly real when the "fake" murder victim ends up actually poisoned.


Exes and Enemies 🔪 — Dulce and Sierra must work together despite their broken friendship and complicated pasts to catch a killer hiding in plain sight.


Academia 🏫 — With criminology students as suspects and secrets in every hallway, this school becomes the ultimate crime scene.




Good For People Who Like: Many Characters, School Setting, Literary Detectives

Rating: 3 books

Thoughts: The premise of this book has to do not only with investigating the murder of a student, but the fact that the school is geared towards a small group of students to learn detective skills and criminology was so interesting. The story was twisty with lots of things to keep you guessing. It does lean towards the younger side of YA, in my opinion. I would have also loved to see the author lean more into the school functions and the theme of the literary detectives even more. However, there is a past mystery still yet to be solved, so maybe this will be taken care of in another book!

Very Dangerous Things by Lauren Muñoz follows Dulce Castillo, a teen at J. Everett High’s criminology program. Dulce is determined to win the school’s annual murder mystery game while also seeking answers about her mother’s suspicious death. When the game’s pretend victim, Xavier Torres, is found poisoned for real, suspicion falls on Sierra Fox, Xavier’s ex-girlfriend and Dulce’s former best friend. Despite their lost friendship, Sierra pleads for Dulce’s help to clear her name. Dulce and the rest of the "investigative" team of Emi, Zane, and Rose are tasked to unravel the crime.

As a dark academia fan who loved Promise Boys and Ace of Spades, I was disappointed by this novel. The characters felt interchangeable, with little distinction in personality across gender or age, making it hard to connect with them. While the red herrings kept the mystery engaging, the culprit’s motive felt unconvincing and failed to tie the story together satisfyingly. Despite its promising premise, Very Dangerous Things didn’t deliver the depth or intensity I crave in the genre. Two stars.

I received a DRC from Penguin Young Readers Group through NetGalley. Thid review is completely my own and reflects my honest thoughts and opinions.

I devoured this book; I was in for the ride. It may have just been a nice change of pace that I needed, but enough twists to keep me guessing and not sure how things were going to go and end up. While this is a YA book, there was a little YA romance and tension in it, but I don't think it detracted from the story, it just added another layer of "is everyone as good as they say they are" type of thing. Overall, I am intrigued by this school and would love to know more about the school as I loved the concept of a mystery focused school (detective, forensics, and every year there's a prize to solve a "staged" crime with clues).

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group/G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC!

I’m an absolute sucker for weird, hyper-specific academic settings, so the second I realized Very Dangerous Things takes place at a criminology school that runs an annual murder mystery game? I was in. I’ll admit I never quite figured out how the school actually worked and honestly, I didn’t care. It was the perfect eerie, enclosed setting for a twisty, high-stakes mystery that totally hooked me.

I was already loving the whole concept of teens playing detective as part of this long-running tradition, but then the game turns real, and Dulce, our sharp, determined, crime-obsessed main character, starts digging into an actual murder. That’s when the book fully took off for me. The tension was iImpeccable and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!

There were so many moments where I thought I had it all figured out, only to be proven wrong again and again. Every character felt layered and unpredictable, and no one was ever quite what they seemed. I especially appreciated the flashback chapters, they added depth and perspective you don’t always get with first-person narration, and really helped flesh out the stakes and relationships.

Lauren Muñoz absolutely nailed the pacing and the suspense. Her storytelling kept me second-guessing everything, and I loved that Dulce wasn’t just a passive observer, she was actively involved, questioning everyone, determined to uncover the truth, even if it meant working with her ex-best friend.

This was so much more than your typical YA mystery. It had heart, tension, sharp writing, and a setting I couldn’t get enough of. A total win for mystery lovers who want something smart, atmospheric, and just a little dangerous.

My copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I devoured Munoz's Debut in a singular day. So when I saw she was coming out with a new one, that was Dark Academia, a mystery game gone wrong, with the possibility of a cold case thrown in? SIGN ME UP!
In this magnificent timeline, we follow Dulce and her friend Emi. Their High School, J. Everett, is a bit different from others; they only focus on the Criminology aspects of education. Our main characters are part of the detectives, and while their school puts on an annual murder game for everyone to solve, this year's stakes are even higher. This year has a 30k payout. Your team must have a detective and someone from the forensics department to participate.

When the most popular boy in school is chosen as this year's victim, they are flabbergasted to realize that someone sees this as the perfect opportunity to get revenge. When our boy is found ACTUALLY dead, in the place and with the weapon that is supposed to be the cause in the game packet, Dulce realizes that a very real killer is stalking campus.

Just because you're popular doesn't mean you're liked, and with a slew of motives AND suspects at her disposal, it's going to take Dulce more than she bargained for to find the killer. I loved our main character Dulce, not just for the rep, and how adorable she was, but her shrewd thinking, her quick temper (you just don't see angry FMCs in Ya anymore), and her sheer willpower.

I had an absolute blast reading this and devoured it in just a few days. If you like ya thrillers, dark hallowed halls with teen murder-solving hijinks and a good time, definitely check this out.

Many thanks to Penguin Young Readers Group for providing me with an Arc of this book. I throughly enjoyed this book, it had me on the edge of my seat throughout. I didn’t want to put it down, and it was a nice flowing book. I would definitely read other books by this author.

I really wish I could give half stars because this read more like a 4.5 star book for me! The writing was detailed without being over-the-top, the plot line was well-done, and the book read fast. I didn't want to put it down. I just wanted to keep finding out more about the characters involved and wanted to keep following Dulce as she reasoned her way through the mystery. I really hope this becomes at least a two books series, as I think the characters have more to them and that there are more mysteries to solve.

Thank you Netgalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Lauren Muñoz’s “Very Dangerous Things” is a clever, suspenseful, and emotionally rich YA thriller that combines the eerie charm of a gothic boarding school with the razor-sharp intrigue of a modern whodunit. Set in the mysterious halls of J.Everett High, which is a unique school that trains students to solve murders, often through elaborate and theatrical games, Muñoz crafts a layered and twist-filled mystery that begins as a harmless competition and quickly turns lethal.

At the heart of the story is Dulce Castillo, a quiet but sharp protagonist who is still reeling from past trauma, including the loss of her mother and a brutal betrayal by her ex-best friend, Sierra. Dulce is equal parts introspective and intuitive; she’s not the loudest character in the room, but she’s often the smartest. A devotee of Lord Peter Wimsey, she takes her sleuthing seriously, and her emotional depth adds a refreshing layer of authenticity to the mystery.

The plot kicks off with J.Everett’s annual murder mystery game, where students are challenged to solve a fictional case. But when the "fake" murder turns real and eerily mirrors the planned scenario, Dulce and her partner Emi must untangle a web of secrets, betrayals, and buried motives. Every character in the story has something to hide, and Muñoz does an excellent job keeping readers on their toes. No one feels like filler; everyone has a role to play, even if their motivations don’t always fully land (Sierra’s backstory, for instance, could’ve been more compelling).

Muñoz’s use of alternating perspectives, including third-person interludes, adds a unique narrative texture. While the shifts were slightly jarring, they provide valuable clues and inject dramatic irony, helping you piece together the mystery alongside (and sometimes ahead of) the characters. For fans of “Suddenly a Murder,” this technique will feel familiar and satisfying.

The setting—an old manor turned criminology school—is deliciously atmospheric, with a blend of dark academia, small-town politics, and eerie traditions. And while the pacing lags slightly in the beginning, once the real murder hits, the tension and stakes steadily escalate. Despite being a YA thriller, the book doesn’t talk down to its audience. The emotional themes involving grief, identity, and trust are handled with care and complexity. Dulce’s growth and self-awareness as a detective and as a person make this more than just a clever puzzle; it’s a journey worth investing in.

Overall, “Very Dangerous Things: is a whip-smart, darkly charming mystery with a standout heroine, a compelling setting, and enough twists to keep even seasoned readers guessing. Lauren Muñoz continues to prove she’s a fresh and exciting voice in YA thrillers and we’re definitely here for whatever she writes next.