I started and could not finish. This one was not for me.

Oh, this must be purchased for adult readers who love thrillers.

This book is meant to be binge read, and I devoured it like a guilty pleasure. You almost feel like the characters are stereotypical, except that you remember each one of these people during your own high school experience. The author touches on the onslaught of social issues that teenagers face, from today’s bullying and hyper exposure to social media, to the classic, drugs, alcohol, partying, popularity, etc., added in with the ever growing pressure to succeed. Each issue presented in a way that doesn’t feel like an after-school special, yet more palatable than an MTV sitcom.

I could not finish this book. The characters were just too obnoxious for me. Bratty, privilidged teens through and through. it was probably just as the author intended, but for me, it made it unpleasant to read. I can see what tthe author was trying to do but I just didn't connect. Sorry.

This is the story of a group of terribly heartless, California-raised children. We follow them from 8th grade through their senior year. They're entitled, spoiled, and largely ignored by their parents. Through the use of social media they are also extremely dangerous. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a student or teacher. After reading, I was left with a pit in my stomach.

I couldn't put this book down. I kept reading to find out what happened next, and the harsh realities kept coming. Unbelievable yet completely believable scenarios -- the kind that happen in real life. Well-written and authentically dialogued, but left me a little flat at the end. I really wanted -- expected -- a bit more of ending.

This book. Lindsey Lee Johnson is a phenomenal writer. She turns the lens of the story from one character to another so gracefully, and the characters are incredibly fleshed out. Were there some moments that were over the top? Sure. But for my part, it was easy to overlook them. She is a phenomenal writer and I can't wait to read more from her.

A slow start but entertaining finish

It was certainly dramatic if not what i was expecting

It was an enjoyable read and think it is suitable for a quick holiday read more than anything

I was attracted to this book because I thought I would be able to identify with the characters. I had a hard time getting into the story, however, and felt that I was not able to connect as I wanted to. I did finish the book, I wanted to see how things would pan out in the end, but I did not feel any desire to rant and rave about the book.

An entertaining, but ultimately forgettable read. Ms. Johnson has all the tools of an excellent author: control, quality, immersion, skillful plotting, etc.; however, something about this particular storyline failed to interest me for long after I had put it down. Definitely a library check-out. Not a buy.

This was was an emotional rollercoaster for me. Within the first hour I was crying. Then, I took a break from it and came back and pushed through. It was scary, frustrating, insightful and, at times, just too much. It starts with a group of middle schoolers in Marin, California, and follows their tragedies until senior year of high school. Being a mom with kids in Marin, it was hard for me to get through this book. It was well-written, giving each character a distinct voice and the description of Marin felt very real. At the same time, all the situations together felt over the top, like all the horror stories of privileged teens were condensed into one class. In this sense, the book felt unbalanced; but, taken with a grain of salt, I think it is a worthy read and would be a great book to discuss with a friend or in a book club.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for this book. Unfortunately, I don't like it. I have read to 33% and I don't like the characters. I will not post a negative review. Good luck with the book.

Ahhhhh the halcyon days of school... An idyll of learning and self-improvement.... Who am I trying to kid. School is like an American Ninja Warrior Course - ridiculously tough to navigate, and with the constant threat of disaster. That said, if you can successfully navigate your way through and survive all the obstacles - success is yours!
Lindsey Lee Johnson's debut novel is an assured first novel, filled with richly drawn characters with whom the reader can fall in love/hate relationships. From the teacher trying to be too cool and "down with the kids" to the kids themselves - bullying, dating, sleeping around, drinking, pushing themselves too hard... all life is here. Clear a good chunk of time if you are planning on starting this excellent read, as once you start you won't want to stop, as it hurtles towards its denouement. Highly recommended.

Characters and situations in this novel disprove the nursery rhyme "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me". Words - whether spoken, written, or scattered in wafts of gossip - lead to a series of unfortunate nano-mistakes that spin out of control. Cultural pressures, adolescent fears and yearnings flow through school and town like a river of invisible toxins.

THE MOST DANGEROUS PLACE ON EARTH by debut novelist Lindsey Lee Johnson is a page turner told with deft exploration of place and character. With impeccably crafted dialogue and descriptions, Johnson captures the zeitgeist of contemporary, affluent, California suburbia.

The novel, which reads at times like a series of true-confession memoirs, creates meteoric collisions among the archetypal teens. Readers will meet Cally/Callista who is perpetually high and lost, tragic Tristan, average guy Dave Chu, delinquent bad-boy Flint, dancer/sometime-slut Emma, ultra-beauty Elisabeth, brilliant-but-mean Abigail (whose rumored affair with her math teacher is not the worst calamity to befall Valley High), scoundrel-slacker Nick, and baseball pretty-boy Ryan. Parental units figure peripherally, as do some of the teachers. One teacher, empathetic Molly/ Miss Nicoll, tries to make a difference, and maybe she does, but the school system is stacked against her with ingrained, mostly-unwritten rules of behavior and classroom design.

Relationship dynamics here are as complex as the characters, and while Mill Valley, California may not arguably be THE most dangerous place on Earth, let alone the most dangerous place in the SF Bay Area, the author holds a mirror up to middle America, right here, right now, and asks us to notice that "problems exist" and an entire generation is hugely at-risk, even in the most picture-perfect suburbs or well-endowed schools.

Johnson traces the story of a group of teens through 8th grade, junior year, and senior year. She also delves into the relationship they have with 2 particular teachers. It's an interesting read, compelling at times, but I felt like it was too over the top and the characters shallow. In a lot of ways it reminded me of the cast of characters in "13 Reasons Why".

Loved this book
Didn't want it to end
Highly recommend

I really enjoyed this book. I loved that the story was broken up into sections- Eighth Grade, Junior Year and Senior Year and told from the point of view of all the students that were involved in a tragic event. I must say I am glad that my daughter is no longer in high school. I was totally hooked from the first page and loved the pace of the story throughout the novel.

What the book reminded me of once I'd read it is Thirteen Reasons Why, the book by Jay Asher (now a series on Netflix), minus the tapes. What would have happened if Hannah hadn't left any tapes? Because in reality, in most cases, there are no tapes or explanations. What happens then?

The Most Dangerous Place on Earth by Lindsey Lee Johnson is one version of an answer. The book begins in the eighth grade with the events leading up to a student's tragic suicide. The book then jumps to the first day of the 11th grade, with this tragedy a distant memory, albeit with long shadows. There are barely any direct references to how this event has affected the lives of the characters involved, but look between the lines and the traces reveal themselves.

Needless to say, the book deals with the issues relevant to high-school students today --bullying/cyberbullying, helicopter parents, suicide, sexual abuse by an adult, ineffectual teachers who try to "befriend" the students etc. Therefore, trigger warnings here for suicide, bullying, cyberbullying, sexual abuse. Tread carefully, if you think these might affect you. But on the whole it is not a dark, sad tale. There is just enough hint of hope in the end.

One easy trap to fall into while writing a book such as this, is creating characters that are caricatures or stock characters. It is to the author's credit, that even though we find all the usual suspects--the popular girl, the jock, the pretty girl with no friends, the Asian struggling to keep up to his parent's expectations, etc, they do not feel like cardboard cut-outs. They are fleshed out and real enough for the reader to care about them.

I do wish the book had more representations though--POC, LGBTQIA etc. This is one place where I felt the book could have been better.

To say anything more would be to spoil the book. This is a book that each reader must experience for themselves. After all, many if not all of us, I'm guessing, have been through one form of high-school or another, and good or bad, it has made us who we are. My brush with it left me a stronger, more determined person, with the belief that no matter what happens, life must go on. This ultimately seems to be the message that the author wants us to take away too.

FTC disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for this honest review.

Who doesn't love a good book about wealthy students?

did not finish.