This was a solid YA mystery/thriller, but honestly? It didn’t fully grab me the way I hoped it would.

The dual POV setup was interesting — Roxie is a teen detective-for-hire, and Inez is a sex worker trying to survive a world that’s constantly working against her. Their stories eventually overlap in a pretty clever way, and I liked how the mystery unraveled little by little. There’s also a bit of a treasure hunt element and some family drama, which added layers… but maybe too many?

I think where it fell short for me was in the pacing and character connection. There were definitely moments that pulled me in, but I never felt fully invested in either Roxie or Inez. Their voices started to blur together after a while, and some of the side plots felt like they were slowing the story down instead of adding to it.

That said, I still think it was a worthwhile read. The writing is sharp, the premise is unique, and it touches on some heavier themes in a thoughtful way. I just didn’t love it.

If you’re into gritty YA thrillers with layered characters and morally grey choices, this might totally work for you. It just wasn’t quite “that kind of book” for me.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

This book overall didn't really feel YA to me, and I'm giving it 2 stars because I think I'll forget about it in a few months. I didn't feel engaged with the characters until maybe 35% of the way in, and then I kind of enjoyed it. However, there was kind of too much and not enough happening at the same time.

Roxie and Inez also seemed very similar in voice that I kind of forgot who was talking at times.

Interesting concept with the riddle/scavenger hunt, but when you find out what is at the end of the hunt it's kind of gross and off-putting.

If you're looking for a dual-death, who dunnit, 2 perspectives, riddles, and kind of confusing characters, you might like this. TW: murder, prior religious cult, dead mother

I really enjoyed this book. I’m a sucker for a good thriller and generally tend to like YA books. While this book is considered YA, I would strongly recommend it for more mature readers as it is quite heavy even though the main characters are young.

Roxie is a very likable MC. She has been through a bit in her young life, but those experiences are shaping her for the future. She lives with her retired FBI agent uncle and definitely gets her sleuthing skills from him.

Inez has the answers Roxie is looking for, she just needs to find Inez. The search is on after one of the most popular girls at Roxie’s high school is murdered. Roxie is in the hook for the murder since she’s the one that found the body.

If you’re looking for a fast paced thriller that will leave you guessing, this is the book for you!

This is a very quick and entertaining contemporary mystery. It kept its secrets and my attention through the ending. Congrats to the author and my thanks to Ms. Anderson and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Nancy Paulsen Books for providing me with an eARC of That Kind of Girl in exchange for my honest review!

This YA thriller doesn't handle its execution completely smoothly, but it still lands as a solidly suspenseful mystery that pulls me into Roxie and Inez's POVs. There's a gritty tension to the tale as we follow these characters who are trying to figure out what's truly going on and evade any threats that head their way. Both of the MCs and their backstories generally compel me, with Inez standing out to me a bit more personally thanks to the ways in which this book gets my blood pumping through my veins over the questions that I have in regard to what's happening with her character and what secrets she's hiding. That being said, there are segments of the narrative that come across as janky and draw me out of the experience because of how they shift the novel into what seems to be adult territory, even while this is ostensibly a book that belongs in the YA age bracket. Inez being a part-time sex worker who doesn't fit within that group is one such element, making me wonder whether it would have been beneficial for this book to be directed towards an adult audience entirely.

But hey, even with elements like that lessening the potential tightness of this narrative, I'm able to vibe with it all the way to a suitable conclusion. And that's why I'm officially giving That Kind of Girl an overall rating of 3.25 out of 5 stars, which I'm rounding down to 3 stars. I'm glad to have given this a shot, and I'll keep my eye out for another Natalie C. Anderson read, City of Saints & Thieves.

While I really enjoyed this book and purchased it for my library, it was a bit intense for a YA book: the sexual assault descriptions would likely be a lot for a younger YA audience. This one felt a little like an adult book that was YA-ified after the fact.

Thank you for a copy of this ARC!

I really enjoyed this one as it felt like a typical YA that I enjoy. I loved the characters and it helped me stay connected to the book throughout. I'm looking forward to checking out other books from this author.

60/100 or 3.0 stars

This was fine, but the dual POV really took away any mystery for this story. It could have been intentional, but nothing was surprising, so it was rather underwhelming. Still gave it three stars since the writing was good and the story did read quick. Definitely check content warning before reading this one. I would be interested in reading more by the author. This wasn't really memorable but it was a solid YA thriller, which is why I am still giving it three stars.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was... fine? I didn't dislike it, but I didn't love it either. Fun, very fast paced and I found Anderson's voice compelling. I found the choice to make one character 21 and one 16 strange - it felt like it was straddling a line between YA and adult, and not well. I would have liked more information on the backstories of the characters, and I didn't find any of the reveals that surprising. Particularly Roxie - the idea of her religious trauma from her childhood could have been incorporated to bring more drama, but it's just kind of... there.

I loved the riddle aspect! It scratched the itch of solving puzzles in an escape room. If you're looking for a quick read, you might enjoy this one.

I really enjoyed this story and the writing. It is a smart, suspenseful YA thriller that blends mystery with social commentary. Roxie is sharp and resourceful, while Inez’s vulnerability and grit make her compelling. Their contrasting lives highlight themes of class, privilege, and resilience. All with a gorgeous cover.

Thank you Net Galley and Publishers for letting me read an arc of this book in return for an honest review.

I liked this thriller. It's labeled as YA but has some mature topics so be warned. There were mysteries upon mysteries interwoven in the story so end the end we got the complete stories of them all. A bunch of complex and somewhat corrupt characters, at least the rich characters. I'm glad justice was had in the end. It was neat watching it all come together and figuring out how Kirsten was killed and how all the characters were related to the story. Fast paced and easy to read.

While reading this, I had not clue it was a YA, it reads MUCH more like an adult book. Unfortunately, this book was a very big miss for me. Kinda crazy she would write a prostitute as a MC in a YA book. It was a confusing book and the story is not memorable. This book could've used some more fleshing out. 2.5 stars.

Life isn’t fair, Inez knows that fact of life better than anyone else. So does Roxie. A Veronica Mars teenage gumshoe, Roxie is often hired to find missing things for her better off classmates at St. Margaret, like Kristen Montgomery-Wiggins, the school’s queen bee/bully. Natalie C. Anderson has a fun who dunnit tale told from two young women that form the opposite sides of the same coin, just life happened a little differently for them. The twists and turns will keep you engaged as the pages fly by.

I loved the vibe of this book. It makes me think of dark smokey offices with a pull chain lamp and someone smoking a cigarette; just like detective bits in old TV shows. HOWEVER! I do not like that this is to be marketed as YA. I feel that it should actually be considered NA. Yes a majority of characters are high schoolers but sex worker? In a YA book? Unless YA is more broad than I understand this book needs to be aged up a bit.

I also think a lot of this was predictable but it was still a fun read that had me invested!

This was my first read from this author and I’m excited to read more from her! Thank you netgalley for this opportunity!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing an advanced copy for an honest review.

This book seriously pulled me in right away. It starts with Roxie, this super sharp high schooler who basically solves problems for rich kids at her fancy private school—like, she literally gets hired to figure out who stole someone’s phone. But then things take a wild turn when that girl ends up dead, and suddenly Roxie’s way too close to the crime.

Then you’ve got Inez, who’s living a completely different life in a trailer park, cleaning houses and doing whatever she can to survive. Her chapters hit hard. She's dealing with real danger and starts stumbling on pieces of the same mystery Roxie’s wrapped up in. I loved how their stories slowly start to intersect—it’s done so well. Honestly, both girls felt so real. Roxie is clever and messy in the best way, and Inez is tough, vulnerable, and easy to root for. The pacing is fast, the tension builds just right, and there were a couple twists that totally caught me off guard. I flew through it.

Final thoughts: If you like YA thrillers that mix school drama with real-world grit, this one’s worth checking out. Smart girls, big secrets, and a story that keeps you guessing—I was all in.

"𝑨𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒍𝒔 𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒘 𝑺𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑽𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒚 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈."

Special thanks to @penguinteen @nataliecanderson & @netgalley for the #gifted eARC.

👉🏼 swipe for synopsis ➡️

𝙈𝙔 𝙍𝙀𝙑𝙄𝙀𝙒:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This one was wild, and had soooo much suspense and so much blood. I became entranced by the dual POVS that start to intertwine with each other. Who is responsible and can Roxie put all the pieces together before it's too late?
This one had a very elaborately concise ending, but I really enjoyed this book!

Read if you love:

🔪 Minor cult vibes
🔪 Treasure hunt
🔪 Multiple murders
🔪 Amateur sleuthing

𝙋𝙐𝘽 𝘿𝘼𝙔:
June 24, 2025

ℚ𝕆𝕋𝔻❓️⁉️❓️ Are you good at figuring out the twists in your books?

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#mysteryandthrills #thrillersandsuspense #thrillerfriendsunite #thrillerlover #thrilleraddict #thrillerjunkie #thrillergirlie #bookbuzz #thatkindofgirl #nataliecanderson #penguinteen #partner #netgalley
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Roxie is an amateur sleuth who has a knack for finding lost things, no questions asked. Her rich classmates at their expensive private school pay her a lot of money when they need something retrieved. So when Kirsten Montgomery-Wiggins, a big bully queen bee who is good at making others' lives miserable, asks Roxie for help even though they are absolutely not friendly in any way, she accepts. All Roxie has to do is track down a supposedly stolen phone that ws taken by a blond girl who no on knows. Easy enough until Kirsten is murdered and Roxie is the one who discovers her body, making her the prime suspect.

Our second narrator is Inez, who lives on the outskirts of town in a trailer park. She's a little older than Roxie, working as a part-time maid and part-time sex worker. She keeps fiding blood everywhere - crusted in her earrings, on her shoes, clothes, etc., and doesn't know how she will get rid of it all. All Inez truly wants is to try to scrape together enough money to provide a better life for herself, but one night goes horribly wrong and now she could be heading to prison for murder if she's caught.

This is definitely not a typical YA read. It's got a much darker, grittier feel to it, while still being teens and young adults dealing with their situations the best way they can, given the fact that their brains are not fully developed yet. I feel like that led to a bit of an identity crisis for the book and what it wanted to be. There are a lot of important topics addressed, but sometimes not in a way that aided the plot or moved things along.

Both narrators had unique voices and backstories. The age gap helped, as Inez was at a different place in her life than Roxie, despite both being drawn into the same murder investigation. I really liked seeing the investigation from both points of view, because it was decidedly unclear who was truly involved in what and I suspected different characters at various points. I empathized a lot with Inez and would have liked to have had more from her, and less from Roxie.

There are a lot of secrets and trauma here, and power imbalances make for some fury from me on behalf of these young women. It's a much deeper book than I was expecting and I liked it.

Recommended.

An interesting premise that kept me engaged from beginning to end. I really enjoyed getting to solve the mystery and found it came full circle.

It had a mystery to solve, a justice served and a come full moment for the characters. It was a good book.

This was a fast-paced YA mystery that I really enjoyed.

The story follows Roxie and Inez, who are strangers to each other and are very different. Roxie is in high-school and she is an amateur investigator. Her classmates pay her to find things for them. Inez is a part time maid and sex worker who has had a lot to deal with in her life. Most of the story is told from Roxie’s perspective.

There’s a lot happening in the story. Roxie, along with her Aunt and Uncle, try to decipher clues to locate a diamond necklace in their deceased relative’s estate. I thought this part of the story was very interesting. Then, there’s the whole mystery behind Roxie’s murdered classmate. There’s also Inez’s perspective interlaced throughout the story. It’s a lot and it did get confusing at times. I did have some questions by the end of the book. I still thought it was a very engrossing and entertaining read.

There are a lot of adult themes and situations in this story, so I would not recommend this for a younger teen reader. I would also check the trigger warnings before starting this one.

I loved this author’s writing and I will definitely be reading her other books.