This was a great YA murder mystery graphic novel set in an all-girls boarding school in the 80s that has one outcast lesbian investigating what happened to a fellow classmate and the star of the school's latest production of Romeo and Juliet, who turns up dead in the woods with drugs in her system.

There's lots of homophobia, bullying and sexual misconduct in this story and I liked how the B&W illustrations leant a serious vibe to the book but I also kind of wish it had been in color too. Other than that, I really enjoyed it and am hopeful there might be more Abby Kita mystery stories coming in the future!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review! Perfect for fans of Veronica Mars or the Good girls guide to murder books.

Abby Kita is sent to Wilberton Academy, an all-girl private school, for mysterious reasons. Of course she doesn’t fit in. She has trouble with her roommate and members of the Wilberton Theatrical Society have it out for her. When Elizabeth Woodward is found dead in the woods, Abby was the last one known to have talked to her.
The mystery was satisfying but some of the answers were not. Probably because they were too realistic. They bullying was very realistic, too.


Thank you to NetGalley and ABRAMS Kids for this DRC.
#ThisPlaceKillsMe #NetGalley

I will read everything she makes because she knows how to craft such delicately complicated relationships in a space with no air left to take a breath, but you hardly even realize and you never mind

This could've benefited from being a little bit longer to give the multiple storylines more time to sink in, but I still felt this was intelligently woven together and, of course, I'll never get enough of the art style

This was a really engrossing graphic novel, I liked the school setting and that there was a bit of mystery to it. I will say that some of the themes here are definitely for more mature readers, so be aware of that.

An all girls boarding school with an eclusive elite theater group.... that is rocked by the murder of their leading actress and its up to the new transfer student who was the last person to see her alive to delve deeper into the supposed suicide because she knows there's something more going on. This is a unique queer murder mystery that definitely has you curious about what is happening. The art was really well done and the mystery kind of felt like your typical all girls school mystery but I liked that the main character was queer. The story deals with a lot of heavy topics from homophobia to sexual assault and drug use. Definitely check the trigger warnings before going into this if you are under 16 years old.

Release Date: August 19, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and ABRAMS Kids | Abrams Fanfare for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*