This is a great thriller about 3 young women--Lizzie, Devi, and Jayne--in a mansion where matriarch Emily Vanforte dies suddenly from poison. All of them become suspects as she and husband, Charles are worth a small fortune and with her dead what will Charles do? Cash, guns, knives, secrets...all come to play in this intriguing tale of revenge, lies, and lust!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

NINETY-ONE CHAPTERS. i suffered through ninety-one chapters of this. what an unbelievable waste of time! i requested this book because i’ve really enjoyed some YA thrillers/mysteries in the past, but i certainly regret it now. the characterization was incredibly flat, the dialogue made me cringe, the “twists” barely made me blink an eye, and the logic behind the mystery was paper thin. again, i have to mention the extreme overabundance of chapters — there is no need to have so many chapters with only one page!!

i didn’t like any of the characters, either. they felt very one dimensional — devi as the overly talkative/loud one, lizzie as the scared one, jayne as the mysterious/quiet one, etc. it was exhausting to watch them do the same thing over and over again (when lizzie whimpered with fear for the millionth time i rolled my eyes so hard). unfortunately, i don’t really have anything good to say about this book — if it’s your first mystery, maybe you’ll enjoy it more than me!

On a very snowy evening, three teens find themselves stuck in the Vanforte mansion. In Ravena Guron's Catch Your Death, Devi, Lizzie and Jayne are the outsiders in the giant house when the matriarch of the family turns up dead. Knowing they are stuck with a killer, the three young women decide to uncover the murder, will they all survive?

This book is a lot of fun and has a little bit of everything, mysterious creepy old house filled with secret passages, unexpected visitors, uncomfortable family dynamics and an unseen, untimely death. The characters are distinctly individual and interesting with definitive voices that make them stand out. The pacing is quick and the twists and turns are many, making this a compulsively readable, fun and engaging locked room YA thriller. 4.25 stars.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Catch Your Death by Ravena Guron is an absolute thrill ride—part murder mystery, part reality show drama, and all wrapped up in the eerie, snowed-in setting of a millionaire family’s estate. Think: locked-room mystery meets twisted family secrets, with just a hint of something otherworldly lurking in the shadows.

We follow three strangers—Devi, Lizzie, and Jayne—who find themselves stranded at Bramble Estate during a snowstorm. But when one of them turns up dead, it’s clear that this isn’t just an awkward houseguest situation and someone had a motive. Actually, they all did. What unfolds is a clever and layered mystery where every family member seems suspicious, and our trio is forced to figure out who the killer is before it’s too late.

The book is divided into five parts, with two jaw-dropping interludes that will make your jaw hit the floor. The first part it’s a little slower, more focused on introducing the characters and setting up the dynamics—but once that first twist lands? The pace explodes.

What I loved most is how much this story feels. It’s tense, it’s dramatic, it’s occasionally funny and spooky, and it never loses the heart of the characters. Devi, Lizzie, and Jayne each have distinct voices and arcs, and by the end, it genuinely felt like they all found a piece of peace. The resolution was satisfying—no loose ends, no emotional cliffhangers—just a rare, comforting kind of closure that worked so well after all the chaos.

It’s not just a murder mystery—it’s a story about identity, trust, grief, and how strangers can unexpectedly become allies in the darkest of circumstances. The emotional payoff is just as strong as the suspense, and by the final pages, you’ll be thinking about these characters after.

If you’re a fan of Holly Jackson, Karen M. McManus, or just love a good mystery with drama, depth, Catch Your Death absolutely deserves a spot on your TBR.

3 stars

This YA book was previously published in the UK in 2023 under the same title.

Teenagers Devi (on the way to her grandmother’s house, and, yes, I just realized that makes her Little Red Riding Hood, only she doesn’t shut her mouth long enough to ride anywhere. I swear to you that a good 81.6% of this book is Devi talking,) Lizzie (delivering a necklace for her mother) and Jayne (part-time employee at the house) are snow-bound at the Bramble Estate, way out in the country the same night that stately, extremely wealthy Emily Vanforte is having a “special” family dinner for her husband, Charles, a politician, daughter, Lottie, 17, Douglas, Lottie’s rude boyfriend, also 17 and Tate, Charles’s nephew, who is likewise 17.

At the dinner Emily is poisoned, it seems by one of the people in the room. Only Charles, Lottie, Douglas and Tate would have had access. In the book Devi, Lizzie and Jayne (mostly Devi) are being interviewed by law enforcement to see if they hold the information that would point to the killer…and they believe they do.

So, there were up and down sides to this book. I liked that the three girls were very different from one another, even though Devi really dominated the story. At least different types of people could see themselves in one (or more) of the three characters (if you could muzzle Devi for a half second. Although I’m a Devi. Definitely.). However, at 350+ AM ages the book was FAR too long, especially since large swaths of it seemed to involve running around secret passages to little end. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love me a secret passage or two, but these were literally EVERYWHERE. I have the least knowledge of spatial relationships in the world (I think I always did poorly on those sections in IQ tests, which probably led people to believe I had the intelligence of a potato bug,) but there were so many in that house, the rooms must have been as narrow as swim lanes! I think that even I might have thought something was up…or I don’t know, I might have been too busy talking. Because, you know, I’m Devi.

Anyway, younger YAs will probably like it, though they will likely also think it too long.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

If “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” got snowed in at “Knives Out,” you'd get something like “Catch Your Death”—Ravena Guron's sophomore YA thriller that blends classic murder mystery charm with sharp Gen Z flair. With a snowbound estate, suspicious strangers, and a poisoned heiress at the dinner table, this one delivers a complicated mystery with many layers.

Three girls—Devi, Lizzie, and Jayne—arrive at the lavish, snow-locked Bramble Estate under wildly different circumstances, and just as suddenly find themselves embroiled in a murder investigation. Emily Vanforte, the wealthy (and slightly terrifying) hostess, has been poisoned during dinner. Trapped in the mansion with the body, the suspects, and plenty of motive to go around, the girls decide to do what any self-respecting teen murderinos would do: solve it themselves.

From the get-go, Guron keeps things layered and interesting. There’s tension in every room, and almost everyone has something to hide. While only Jayne knows the victim personally, it quickly becomes clear that their presence at the estate isn’t as coincidental as it seems. Somebody’s pulling strings—and the girls may be in deeper than they realize.

Told in a clever mix of first-person POVs and police transcripts, “Catch Your Death” gives you a front-row seat to the unraveling mystery. The alternating perspectives keep the pace fresh and fast, while the transcript-style interviews invite you to play detective themselves.

Devi, by far, is the standout voice—opinionated, impulsive, and just the right amount of chaotic. While her narration skews a little immature at times, it feels authentic for a teen caught in an actual murder investigation (with no phone signal or adult supervision, no less). She’s a walking firecracker with commentary that ranges from hilarious to cutting, especially when calling out the excesses of the ultra-wealthy. Lizzie and Jayne are a bit more subdued, though their backstories add layers to the plot as the mystery deepens. I did find the characters’ voices a bit on the younger side for YA, and the early chapters a bit slow as motives and timelines are laid out, but that patience pays off big time.

Bramble Estate is a murder mystery dream: hidden passageways, blizzards, rich family drama, and tension so thick you could cut it with a monogrammed steak knife. There’s a strong “locked room” vibe where everyone is a suspect and no one can leave until the killer is caught. It's cozy, it's tense, and it’s absolutely binge-worthy. The structure—flipping between the characters’ personal accounts and official interviews—adds a deliciously voyeuristic edge. You're not just reading the story, you’re assembling it, clue by clue, just like the characters.

Just when you think you’ve got it figured out… plot twist. And then another. And another. The second half of this book kicks the suspense into high gear, layering betrayals, secrets, and reveals in rapid-fire succession. The mystery ends up being far more complex than it first appears, and the final reveal is both shocking and incredibly satisfying.

You’ll likely guess some things, miss others entirely, and want to reread pages just to fully absorb what just happened. It's one of those books where you close it, stare into the void for a second, and think, “Wait, what?!” in the best way possible.

Ravena Guron delivers a smart, twisty, and genuinely fun YA murder mystery that pays homage to classic whodunnits while keeping the energy fresh and modern. It’s got hidden motives, flawed but lovable characters, and enough red herrings to stock a fish market. Whether you're an amateur sleuth or just love a satisfying, snow-soaked mystery with a little bite—"Catch Your Death” is one to add to your TBR.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

CATCH YOUR DEATH by Ravena Guron

Thank you Netgalley and SourcebooksFire for the earc (Out in Us Sept 2, already out in UK)

Devi, Lizzie, and Jayne get snowed in at Bramble Estate where Emily Vanforte is poisoned. There are four suspects: Charles, Lottie, Douglas, and Tate. Since they are snowed in, Devi, Lizzie, and Jayne take it upon themselves to solve the murder.
This book was rather interesting, but I felt like it was quite long. When is it too much? CATCH YOUR DEATH had a lot going on, and at times it felt like 2 separate books. There were so many mysteries entwined in this book. As each was solved, I was flabbergasted. Like complete and utterly flabbergasted, but it didn't stop there. It's a closed door murder mystery, so you know who the suspects are, but the revelations. In this gripping murder mystery, the mystery kept giving, and the twists kept coming. Each part offered a new twist that was somehow crazier than the last.
I ended up liking this book. I appreciated the short chapters, and I loved seeing Devi, Lizzie, and Jayne work together (in many, many, ways). If you've read this book, you know how deep everything really is, and how far one will go for a bit of revenge.
For US readers, if you enjoyed Guron's US debut THIS BOOK KILLS, you'll enjoy Guron's US sophomore book.