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gabrose's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book. Simple, easy, not very creative wording but I loved the book. It was a murder mystery, which seems pretty obvious, but it wasn’t your typical murder mystery. This is going to sound werid, but overall this was a completely normal murder mystery, which is what makes it different. Most of these type books keep the pages turning, making you throw out guesses as to who the criminal is with every turn of the tides. This book is more like what you would find in a real life situation, the clues slowly coming together over time until you find the true culprit. Amazing book and I would definitely suggest it to others.
fionadesantis's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bookturtleduck's review against another edition
3.0
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book from LibraryThing and Ocra Books. And while it is weird writing a review of an ARC once the book as already been published, here we are.
Overall, the book was fun, light, and enjoyable and also seemed like something the authors themselves enjoyed writing. The characters reminded me of real as opposed to caricatures of teenagers which isn't always the case in light books.
Though I was able to guess what happened at the end, the motives were slightly surprising and it was nice to see that I could still be tricked by a book written for young adults. With that said, I do think I would have enjoyed this book much more if I had been younger.
Overall, the book was fun, light, and enjoyable and also seemed like something the authors themselves enjoyed writing. The characters reminded me of real as opposed to caricatures of teenagers which isn't always the case in light books.
Though I was able to guess what happened at the end, the motives were slightly surprising and it was nice to see that I could still be tricked by a book written for young adults. With that said, I do think I would have enjoyed this book much more if I had been younger.
morgie_corgie's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
rosietoesies's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Suicide attempt, Violence, Addiction, Gore, Suicide, and Grief
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Sexual content, Homophobia, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Abortion and Adult/minor relationship
jeffrossbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Love it. Keeps you wondering what's happening/going to happen. And you can't trust anyone. Unique characters, all of whom eek out their own space in the narrative.
librarianshell's review against another edition
2.0
[b:Blood on the Beach|31224423|Blood on the Beach|Sarah N. Harvey|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1472043003s/31224423.jpg|51880767] is a book I'll probably forget about pretty quickly. In my opinion, the characters were surface level, the mystery was no surprise, and the ending didn't pack a punch. I'm still on the search for a great YA mystery. If anyone has a suggestion, I'm all ears!
silenciadelumbrae's review against another edition
4.0
I've had this one sitting around for a little while now, and I figured that my upcoming plane ride was as good a time as any to get around to it.
Not gonna lie, this hit a lot of notes for me that might have made my rating a bit generous. Canadian fiction! Locked-room mystery! Mysterious disappearances! ADORABLE GIRLFRIENDS!
It didn't pan out at all like I expected it to. Based on the back cover, I was expecting something more like Agatha Christie's Ten Little Soldiers where they die off one by one by one. It wasn't like that in the least, and actually, I'm pretty pleased about it! I do feel that the back cover sold it a bit short, but I picked it up anyway so clearly it's not that big a deal.
(For the record, the "female friendships" tag is for Mandy and Imogen.)
Also? Thrilled that Alice and Caleb never even came close to ending up as a couple. I definitely thought it was going to be a "nod at diversity but eventually the mains pair up" deal--and it wasn't--and it was THE BEST.
I felt that it came pretty clear pretty early who the bad guy was, or at least I had it narrowed right down to two options, but it wasn't so obvious that I was left rolling my eyes and wondering why the kids were so stupid. I appreciate it when a book written for more reluctant readers is also not written so as to insult their intelligence. (At least, I assume it's for more reluctant readers--Orca generally aims for the high-interest, low-difficulty demographic with their YA and junior stuff.)
Anyway, four locked-room stars! I would definitely check out another book by this duo.
Not gonna lie, this hit a lot of notes for me that might have made my rating a bit generous. Canadian fiction! Locked-room mystery! Mysterious disappearances! ADORABLE GIRLFRIENDS!
It didn't pan out at all like I expected it to. Based on the back cover, I was expecting something more like Agatha Christie's Ten Little Soldiers where they die off one by one by one. It wasn't like that in the least, and actually, I'm pretty pleased about it! I do feel that the back cover sold it a bit short, but I picked it up anyway so clearly it's not that big a deal.
(For the record, the "female friendships" tag is for Mandy and Imogen.)
Also? Thrilled that Alice and Caleb never even came close to ending up as a couple. I definitely thought it was going to be a "nod at diversity but eventually the mains pair up" deal--and it wasn't--and it was THE BEST.
I felt that it came pretty clear pretty early who the bad guy was, or at least I had it narrowed right down to two options, but it wasn't so obvious that I was left rolling my eyes and wondering why the kids were so stupid. I appreciate it when a book written for more reluctant readers is also not written so as to insult their intelligence. (At least, I assume it's for more reluctant readers--Orca generally aims for the high-interest, low-difficulty demographic with their YA and junior stuff.)
Anyway, four locked-room stars! I would definitely check out another book by this duo.
shawn1231's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
amanda1620's review against another edition
2.0
This book is about a bunch of teenagers with different problems or facing difficult things, such as drugs, alcohol, being homosexual, alcohol, and assault. Then one of them disappeared. This book is a little bit flat, no smart moves, throughout the book the teenagers are just spending their time making food and talking about their feelings.
The ending is also a little bit predictable, but the motives and means are surprising.
The ending is also a little bit predictable, but the motives and means are surprising.