Thanks NetGalley and Daphne Press for this arc for an honest opinion.

Unfortunately I really disliked this book it was clunky repetitive and very hard to get through. I cringed at every lance Bass or xfiles reference. I grew up around that time and it was deeply embarrassing.

I honestly thought yes the hype around this book is definitely for me I loved the cover and the blurb but I hated every single sentence I read I yawn at one point and the only thing I remotely enjoyed was Rasputin the cat being mentioned.

Story was slow characters annoying maybe would be better for younger people if they where alive in the 90s to early 00s as teens but just seems dated not relatable.

I’m sad I wanted to love this book, sorry Susan

Okay, so this was such a ride!

I picked up The Executioners Three expecting a fun paranormal mystery, but what I didn’t expect was to be transported straight into a 90s small town that felt equal parts Fear Street and Stranger Things, with a dash of that X-Files obsession I definitely shared as a teen.

The FMC Freddie Gellar…..I loved her immediately. Is she impulsive? Yes. Did she accidentally get half a rival high school arrested just by calling the cops? Also yes. And would I 100% have done the same thing? Absolutely. I felt her mix of panic and good intentions gone wrong so deeply.

And then the next day a body shows up in the woods. Cue my jaw dropping.

What follows is a mix of small town secrets, a prank war that turns absolutely feral, and an old creepy poem (“The Executioners Three”) that starts to feel a little too real.

I loved how Susan Dennard balanced that eerie atmosphere with humour. There were moments I was grinning and moments I was flipping pages thinking “no no no, don’t go in there!”

Also, can we talk about the rival prank leader? Because the slow shift from enemy to maybe ally (to maybe something more?) was so fun to watch. It added this delicious tension that made the stakes feel even higher.

Personally, the nostalgia really hit me. The whole 90s vibe, Freddie’s obsession with The X-Files (same girl, same), the fact that half the time the teens are more resourceful than the adults, it all worked for me.

This book gave me exactly what I wanted in a spooky, slightly campy, teen paranormal mystery: it’s fast, fun, a little bloody, and just the right amount of unsettling.

Perfect for a chilly October night when you want something that feels like a VHS horror classic.

First of all, thank you to the publisher, to Susan Dennard and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in advance.
I liked Susan's The Luminaries trilogy but this one was so much better. I went in with a few expectations because of the great synopsis but it was even better than I expected.
The way Freddie went looking for clues for the murders reminded me so much of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and I say this as a compliment as I love that one a lot and I love the similarities I saw in the way they acted a few times because of their own "investigation".
I love Freddie's friend Divya, she was such a support. And loved the parallel she used of the Montagues and Capulets for her and Theo for them being from rival schools. I think the progress of their relationship as friends and all was quite cute and I liked it.
As for the mistery, I absolutely was on the edge of my seat. The poem of The Executioners Three was brilliant and that being literal with the murders was WOW! As for the assassin, I didn't see that coming honestly and when the person went for the last murder, I screeched!!! Miss Susan you wanna give me a heart attack 😯 Freddie was very smart for solving how to break the curse and I was still shook with all of it.
Great story and totally recommend it.
It's a 4.5 stars for me, the only reason it's not a 5 stars it's because at the beggining the pranks were kinda putting me off a bit, they acted like children. But thank God there were other things happening at the same time and I kept enjoying the story and kept interested in it.

The Executioners Three is a gripping paranormal mystery set in a delightfully eerie small town during the 1990s. It follows high school senior and amateur sleuth Freddie Gellar, who gets swept up in a chaotic prank war between rival schools, just as a series of suspicious deaths begins to unfold.

The atmosphere in this book is spot-on, perfectly capturing the nostalgic feel of the late ’90s,from Backstreet Boys references to chunky Nokia phones with those unforgettable ringtones. Add to that a haunting poem and unsettling local legends tied to an old curse, and the creepy vibes are immaculate.

While some character relationships felt a bit rushed and less believable, it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment. The pacing of the mystery was great, and I found myself constantly intrigued and eager to uncover the truth.

Susan Dennard is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me and this book is a great example of why.

Thank you to Daphne Press and Netgalley for the eARC to review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Daphne Press for the Arc!

This was a very easy 5 stars from me! Buffy is one of my favourite tv shows EVER, and this was like 90s / early 2000s supernatural tv in a book. A spooky small town murder mystery with a bit of supernatural horror and a lot of teen drama??? Obsessed.

The FMC Freddie is smart, awkward, resilient, and so easy to root for. I actually loved watching her figure things out and seeing the dynamic with her best friend too. And then there’s the MMC Theo. Their banter and tension, alongside his very blatant yearning. SOLD!

Genuinely my favourite ARC to date

I received an ARC of The Executioner’s Three, and wow this was such a fun ride! Set in a small town on the brink of Y2K, this book blends nostalgic ’90s vibes with supernatural horror, a murder mystery, and a dash of teen romance. Think Gilmore Girls meets The X-Files with a splash of Scream.

Freddie Gellar is the kind of protagonist you root for from page one; she's nerdy, bold, and just the right amount of chaotic. After accidentally getting half the rival high school arrested, she’s pulled into a prank war that quickly spirals into something much darker. There's eerie poetry, cursed lore, and bodies turning up in the woods, all while Freddie channels her inner Mulder and Scully to try and crack the case.

The banter between Freddie and Theo was quite entertaining, with just enough tension to keep things interesting. And the supporting cast? Delightfully quirky. I especially loved the friendship dynamics and how the story balanced humour with genuine suspense.

While the plot leans into camp and some twists are a little over-the-top, it totally works for the tone. The 90s references, ranging from boy bands to Nokia phones, add a layer of nostalgia that made me smile more than once.

Huge thank you to NetGalley for Providing me with an advance review copy of this book!

I really enjoyed the 90s vibes of this book and it definitely gave the right amount of nostalgia and gave me Nancy Drew meets Stranger Things vibes. I also enjoyed the references to the X files.

The descriptions worked really well and I enjoyed the eerie atmosphere and suspense of the plot. The romance was believable and I enjoyed seeing the relationships between the characters develop. The pacing was a little uneven for me as it was a bit on the slow side in the beginning, but this didn't negatively impact my enjoyment of the book.

Overall I did really enjoy this title and I would definitely read a follow up book, perhaps looking into a different mystery.

Susan Dennard is the queen of ya mystery small town spooky. I loved the luminaries series and when I saw this, I couldn’t wait to read it. She does this genre so well and I loved the incorporates poem and history of the small town. I felt like the 90s references were a bit too much at the start but overall was fun and nostalgic.

This was such a nice read! I flew through the story! It kinda give me Riverdale vibes, mainly first season!
I liked the more spooky vibes of this book, definitely a great October read.
The characters were okay, not great. We mainly get to see Freddie (reading from her POV), so we definitely get to know her. But I didn't feel like we got to know many of the other characters as well. Maybe a little bit form Theo as well, since there are some very small parts about him as well.
My main reason for taking a star is that I didn't believe in how quickly some of the relations were build. Maybe I'm wrong, but it felt like the book took place in the span of one week, and for certain relations (also just friendships) to be build so quickly, not very believable haha.

But I definitely enjoyed the book, and 100% recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and Daphne Press for sending tme an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own. I love that this book is set in the 90's with X Files, Backstreet Boys, Sabrina and Xena references. This book kept me hooked from the start. The plot with the spooky murders and the romance between the main characters is brilliantly written. I do hope this is part of a series.

The perfect spooky nostalgia book.
The 90s vibes were immaculate and the plot and atmosphere felt very much like Goosebumbs for adult, making it a perfect Millennial treat for the spooky season.

Thanks to Netgalley and Daphne Press for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a really solid story with an interesting cast of characters and a supernatural mystery. The twist wasn't super predictable, and the intense moments felt just the right amount of scary. There was definitely a generous sprinkle of plot convenience, and a few odd turns of phrase, but overall a good story.

Another thoroughly enjoyable YA from Susan Dennard! You can't help but fall in love with how earnest and determined Freddie is in this book, and with an intriguing murder mystery plot line to follow I was hooked throughout

This is my favorite – FAVORITE – version of 90s nostalgia & summerween-vibes in book form!
Susan Dennard picked a niche and delivered!
I fell head over heels for the characters, the atmosphere of City-on-the-Berme and the high school rivalry. I can easily see myself reading this book every year, like a slightly spooky version of Gilmore Girls. If I could visit City-on-the-Berme in real life I would! I loved that the setting in the late 90s meant that technology wasn't as advanced and fast, that research was more than a quick scroll on google and made finding clues that much more satisfying.
I can't even say what my favorite part was, because every element worked so well together and the conglomeration of it all is what makes this story so incredibly special. I loved being inside Freddys head, learning about her family, her friends and her values; how she didn't stop because it got hard or when people didn't believe her, she is a lovable, headstrong, stubborn character.
The plot moves quite fast, I was bound to my ereader and did not want to leave this world behind. The last 40% went crazy, I was under as much stress as Freddie, my heart was pounding like my life depended on her solving this as well. I slept only 5 hours before heading to work but I could literally not put the book down because it was so tense. My heartbeat was still wilding after finishing and falling asleep was kinda hart. Which is to say that I loved every second of this.

3.5

I loved the vibes of this book, it was very autumnal/halloweeny/campy! I'm trying to embrace summerween and I think this was just the book for that (note- I read this in July 2025).
I loved all the comfort show references sprinkled throughout too.
I've seen a few people mention they didn't enjoy the prank subplot but I actually really enjoyed it. I didn't connect with Freddie as she actually came across much younger than perceived, when it mentioned she was 18 soon I was quite taken aback.
Overall, a good fun read which is perfect for summerween/spooky season.

Freddie gets popular overnight by an accidental prank on rivaling school Fortin Prep High. She joins the Prank Squad, makes some new friends, and gets tossed in a supernatural murder investigation.

This book could be loads of fun for the right person, but that right person wasn't me.

I feel like there are some issues with the targeted audience here. The characters are all teenagers in the 90's, hence this book being marketed as YA. Fair? But since there are so many 90's references, it feels as if this book was written for milenials. Not for teenagers. I am 25, and I struggled through all the references clearly not meant for me. I feel like this book would have done better were the characters college students, and the book marketed as Adult.

Freddie was a little exhausting at times, being one of those teenagers trying to be quirky. And the actual story could have been better fleshed out. It all wraped up very quick without a decent explaination.

So yes, not a bad book at all for the right person. But not for me! Thank you NetGalley for the eArc!

I really enjoyed this book, the plot was well paced and the characters were well written. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Now this was a fun read and I still can't stop thinking about this book. It was just so well done and put together beautifully. It was intense, mysterious but hilarious and exhilarating at the same time. Honestly, this book surprised me so much. Susan Dennard is a new author to me, but I will be checking out her other books now from this because I just loved the writing style, the character development and she just had a knack for intriguing the audience that you couldn't put the book down.

4.5 stars!

‧₊˚✧ 4.5 ✧˚₊‧
I wasn't aware when I requested this ARC that this author had quite a slew of published books already. I also did check out the book's ratings beforehand, bad of me I know, but I had high hoped for this book before starting it and I'm glad to say my expectations have been met.

This story is told from a third person perspective. We read mostly from Frederica 'Freddie' Gellar, but throughout the book we also read from Theo Porter's perspective, which were definitely interesting chapters.

We come along with Freddie, a teenager with obviously teenager brain, but I have to say it was really entertaining. The way Freddie is written is so fun all around, from her quirks to her crushing on boys. The writing sometimes even had a 'duh' tone, which fit the story and the character of Freddie really well in my opinion.

The story did keep me guessing for the most part about who the culprit was, although I have to say I clocked the person who did it at some point, so they were definitely on my suspect list.

I really liked the romance layered inbetween the story as well. You either love it or hate it and I loved it in this story. Even though the timeline in general was fast, the way it was told made it believable for me, so it passes my instalove test this time.

All in all I was pleasantly surprised by this story and loved reading it. I will definitely recommend it to friends and followers when it published for real.

And to end of course a warm thank you to Netgalley, Daphne Press and Susan Dennard for providing me with an eARC copy of this book. This review was given freely and this is my personal opinion, as always. I hope to see this book do really well in the near future!

Honestly another can't put down book by the legendary Susan dennard. Had me on the edge of my seat the whole time.