This is really fun and perfect for fans of a good girls guide to murder. I enjoyed the podcast elements and the true crime murder mystery.

Pryce is a young college man who is struggling with telling others about his sexuality. He is also from a town in which a killer murdered a bunch of football players when he was a freshman. Pryce decides to start a podcast when there is some doubt as to whether or not the cops found the right killer. As he investigates, he uncovers child molestation, rape and other secrets the town wants left alone; including corrupt cops. Just what really happened that year? Good book but some disturbing things.

"I Don't Wish You Well" is a YA mystery by Jumata Emill. 18-year-old Pryce is a Freshman at a prestigious HBCU studying journalism and enjoying being away from home and out as gay to his college friends. He pitches a podcast to his advisor that will revisit an old series of murders that happened 5 years ago in Pryce's hometown. 4 members of the high school football team were killed and the supposed perpetrator shot himself. When a message board indicates that the murderer may have been innocent, Pryce dives into the mystery (much to the chagrin of his parents and brother) partially as an excuse for something to keep him away from the house while he worries about whether or not he should come out.
A twisty mystery that readers will devour, recommended for YA collections where mysteries are popular (especially those about podcasts).

I had to DNF the book at 15%. I really wanted to like it, because I love the format of mixed media inside a book, unfortunately it just fell flat. I'd really like to thank Netgalley and the author of the earc.

Really enjoyable, a little dark, engrossing. I really liked the multimedia aspect of it and the format of the interviews and chats at the end of chapters. The things some of the characters endured were HORRIFYING and unfortunately not at all outside of the realm of reality. I really liked the characters. I did read an ARC of this book and thought some of the prose and word choice could use some work as it seemed at times juvenile and at other times like it was trying too hard to use complicated words that didn’t quite fit, but overall the structure and the writing were great, and I’m sure there will be some further editing done before the final edition.

Well Jumata Emill did it again. He wrote a book that had me audibly gasping and exclaiming while reading in public and getting me very strange looks. All of his books have an element of “ripped from the headlines” and this one has several of those moments. I also appreciated that Pryce’s investigations felt real; everything he did felt real, like what a modern 18 year old would do which really helped me buy in to the story. I can’t recommend this enough for teen library mystery & thriller collections! #bookreviews #bookrecommendations #schoollibrary #highschoollibrary

Thank you Delacorte Press and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. Y’all when I tell you I am still in my feelings with this one! And that feeling is mostly rage!! I couldn’t put it down! Jumata Emill knows how to hook a reader and leave them shook!!! 5 years ago in the small town of Moss Pointe Louisiana four people were killed by a masked killer. These boys were rich, popular, and football gods, three of them were white. The fourth was black. The assumed killer was a recently outed young black man, also a known drug dealer, who presumably killed the four boys because they outed him as gay. It’s believed that after killing the boys he ended his own life. The town has used this to vilify the sin of homosexuality. Pryce, a journalism student at an HBCU, is from Moss Pointe. His own sexuality his a secret from everybody back home, including his family. When he sees a comment that proclaims Deuce, the accused killer, was innocent. He decides that he can investigate the claims and the killings for a a project for school. With the help of Deuce’s former not so secret boyfriend Izzy, he’ll delve into the sordid secrets of the past. Only no one is happy he is doing so and what he uncovers goes far deeper then he imagined possible. And soon he finds himself terrorized as well. Are him and Izzy in danger from the real masked killer? Are some secrets to personal to divulge? Moss Pointe seems to be full of secrets and how far with people go to keep them that way? A tense thriller that is full of intrigue and twists and turns! Deep rooted homophobia, racism, corruption, cyclical trauma, and injustice. An explosive ending that I didn’t see coming and still has me pondering right and wrong! A must read for mystery lovers!

there is a lot going on in this book,

I find that I really needed to be focused, so reading this a few minutes bed was not an option.

Havind said that, one I got into the storyline, I was engrossed.

I was in disbelief at the age of Pryce - especially since he is the catalyst to move the story along.

I honestly did not know who was guilty for these killings and while my idea kept shifting, this is a sign of a tighly written <who dunnit> the ending is really interesting.

written at a pretty good pace - giving us just enough information to realize that the author has set up this book to keep me guessing.

Thank you Netgalley and Delacorte Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Jumata Emill’s “I Don’t Wish You Well” is a tense, razor-sharp thriller that combines true-crime podcast intrigue with a scathing look at small-town prejudice, toxic masculinity, and the way power protects itself. With its immersive storytelling, biting social commentary, and jaw-dropping twists, it’s perfect for fans of “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” but with an even darker, more unflinching edge.

Five years ago, the infamous Trojan murders shook Moss Pointe, Louisiana: four star high school football players were brutally killed by a masked assailant. The killer was caught, or so the town believes. But Pryce Cummings, an eighteen-year-old aspiring journalist and closeted gay Black teen, has just stumbled across evidence that might prove otherwise. Armed with a microphone and a determination to tell the truth, Pryce launches his own investigation for his podcast as he returns to a hometown that never accepted him.

Moss Pointe is not a safe place for Pryce. As soon as he starts digging, the walls close in: some people want the past left buried, and others are more than willing to blame “the gay kid” for anything that goes wrong. Emill doesn’t pull punches in portraying the intersection of racism and homophobia, as well as the ugly realities of Southern football culture where star players are untouchable and privilege can cover up the worst crimes.

The story is enriched by podcast transcripts, police reports, and social media posts, giving you multiple angles on the murders while showing how bias shapes perception. The book also confronts heavy subjects, including the long-term effects of childhood trauma and the devastating cycle of abuse, with sensitivity and care (content warnings apply, especially for mentions of child sexual abuse). You definitely want to be aware of content warnings before going into this book as SA on children and teenagers is mentioned throughout the book. I would recommend this book for older readers.

Despite its darkness, the story finds moments of light through Pryce’s wry humor, the loyal friends who join his investigation, and his complicated but heartfelt connection with his mother. These relationships keep the book from sinking into pure bleakness and make Pryce’s fight for truth all the more urgent.

The mystery is masterfully constructed, with multiple twists that land hard. The identity of the killer is a genuine shock, and Emill layers in one final reveal that redefines everything you thought you knew. While I did want some more subtle foreshadowing, the payoff is so satisfying and so morally complex that it’s hard to complain.

Overall, this is a chilling, unflinching thriller that’s as much about exposing systemic injustice as it is about solving a murder. Jumata Emill delivers a knockout debut that is equal parts mystery, social commentary, and survival story. Pryce Cummings is a protagonist you’ll root for long after the final page.