Little Monsters was a pretty good mystery. It had a great atmosphere and a plot that kept me hooked from beginning to end. It wasn't perfect but it was thoroughly entertaining. It's not the next great YA mystery in my opinion but it is one that is worth the read. I would definitely recommend it to fans of YA Mysteries. It was a pretty interesting read with a good mystery. If you liked The Darkest Corners I would check this one out as well.

I've been putting off writing this review for more than six months now. Actually, I think it's been around 8 months since I read this book. I was really surprised that the publisher already had an ARC available for reviewers that early, but of course having loved The Darkest Corners, I couldn't pass up on the opportunity. I think I was one of the first few people who had read this book and it sucks. A LOT, because I had no one to talk to. Good thing though that the author, Kara Thomas, was very approachable and sometimes we about this book.

I actually went into this book without knowing anything. I just knew that this was going to be really good, considering how crazy her last book had been. I wasn't disappointed at all, in fact, Kara Thomas just topped her writing with this one.

Basically, the book is about Kacey being the new girl in town, but she settled well with her friends Bailey and Jade, until her friends seemed to ditch her and then Bailey disappeared.

This book was pretty much straightforward when it came to the mystery aspect. It's told in two POVs, Kacey's in the present, while Bailey's POV provides a flashback to their junior year in high school. Early in the book, Kacey already established herself as an unreliable narrator, and Bailey's thoughts made her one too. Having these two made the reading experience different and more thrilling. The book is a big case of "whodunnit" and trying to figure out the suspect was the best and it's such a whirlwind. Although, I was able to confirm a little early on who did the deed, but not everyone is what they seem!

Romance wasn't a big aspect in the book. The characters had crushes and romantic relationships but these weren't in the spotlight. Meanwhile, Kacey's relationship with her family was refreshing to read since she had a healthy relationship with her stepmom, and a close one with her stepbrother, Andrew, and half-sister, Lauren.

I love that this book throws off the readers in different directions to keep the mystery aspect intact. It basically brings readers into a darker, creepier place, which I think psychological thrillers do best. Like The Darkest Corners, this book has a Twin Peaks vibe too, and this time mixed with Pretty Little Liars. I think that this book really outdid Thomas's last one in terms of the dynamics of the story and the characters. The solid ending really sealed the deal for me especially upon the revelations of who did it and why the whole thing happened.

If you've been following me, you'll know that I have been raving about this book for forever. It's honestly one of the best YA thrillers I have ever read. This is my favorite from Kara Thomas so far and I can't wait to check out her other works in the future.

Little Monsters is a brilliant, well-written masterpiece, full of unreliable narrators, suspense, and plot twists that will leave you at the edge of your seat. Kara Thomas is truly a genius when it comes to writing thrillers that are gripping, creepy, terrifying, and most of all, exciting! If you enjoyed reading The Darkest Corners, wait until you read this one!

Gone Girl and Girl on the Train's success have brought a wave of thrillers to the forefront in the past few years, but few have drawn me in like Little Monsters. Perfect for the YA audience, this book combines local ghost stories, murder mystery, and challenging family dynamics in a way that will keep you from setting the book down. I appreciated that I could not guess the ending, and thought the characters were well developed.

Although I found it a little slow at times, it was definitely an enjoyable read and a twist that I didn't see coming. Well worth your time!

Whew! What a frightening novel. I think it has the potential of happening in real life. The plot is not at all far-fetched. The characters are well-developed and true to actually teen behaviors. When high school senior Bailey goes missing, new student Kacey seems a likely suspect. But Kacey's step-brother is acting strangely, and Bailey was last seen with football star Cliff. Is Bailey dead? If so, who is guilty? I am thankful to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to be an early reader in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Evil teenage girls...yes, that's the topic here. It will appeal to some of my students. We will see.

I have such a fascination with evil teenage girls - how dangerous it can be to be one, getting caught up in obsession, secrets, jealousy, and that deep desire to fit in. The realization of what being one can hold..how easy it can be to be underestimated. To learn how to get what you want. Manipulation. How complex and intense a friendship between teenage girls can be. Just what that can lead to. It can be a nasty thing being a teenage girl.

So of course Little Monsters intrigued the hell out of me. A psychological thriller about appearances versus reality and the power of manipulation amongst teenage girls? Yes, please. Just what the doctor ordered.

Seventeen year old Kacey is the new girl in small town Broken Falls. After a fight with her unstable mom, she’s sent to live with the dad she’s never met and his family: stepmom Ashley, stepbrother Andrew (17), and half-sister Lauren (13). Kacey leans heavily on her new friends: Bailey and Jade. She just wants to fit in and they do everything together. So when they don’t invite her to the biggest party of the year, Kacey is super confused. Did she do something wrong? It only gets weirder when Kacey gets word that Bailey never made it home. Where could Bailey have gone? Does someone know more than they’re letting on?

In a small town like Broken Falls, everyone knows everyone. So it doesn’t take long for suspicions to be pointed at the person they know least of all: Kacey. And she begins to realize trust isn’t something that should just be given.
There are several red herrings throughout. I did eventually guess whodunnit, but not before having a few other solid suspects in mind. This one definitely had a few twists throughout. The small town setting is interesting and written really well. I enjoyed the local legend of the Red Woman tied with the “haunted” barn. It all truly adds to the atmosphere.

The display of friendship between teenage girls feels so accurate in how complicated it all can be. Obsession, jealousy, manipulation, and secrets all coming into play. I liked the different dynamics that came into play regarding the relationships Kacey had with each of her family members. The characters are believable. It is also worth noting that there is zero romance.

I would’ve liked a chapter from another POV. We get Kacey the entire book and a few chapters from Bailey through journal entries. But a POV showing the mystery play out could’ve been nice.

The way the story starts, it is hard to tell where it will go. After finishing, I want to go back and read it all again knowing what is to come. This was definitely a solid YA psychological thriller.

As soon as I started this book, I knew it was going to be one of "those", a book with teens doing horrible things to one another out of jealousy and obsession. A book that tries to explore the human psyche but mostly makes you wonder if the average adult really thinks that poorly of modern teens. At least this one isn't overly gruesome. And the pseudo-supernatural elements were a nice touch, but mostly I found it vaguely depressing and generally forgettable.

I admit I mostly read adult psychological thrillers, but reading a YA version of one of my favorite genres was a nice change of scenery. Because there is no doubt I very much enjoyed reading Little Monsters and I found myself literally flying through the pages. The first thing that stands out is the writing style, which is very engaging and draws you right in. I only had to read a few pages to find out I would probably going to love the story and these feelings didn’t change until the very end. The plot is quite interesting and packed with plot twists and intrigue that will make you wonder what is really going on. Little Monsters is high school drama and teenage manipulation at its best! Things change direction so many times that you start wondering what truly happened and the paranormal horror (AKA the red woman) twist is a nice touch. Broken Falls is a town with a history an you are quickly trapped in its web of lies and secrets… And Little Monsters is without doubt an excellent psychological thriller. The only thing that made me lower the rating slightly was the fact that I didn’t particularly like the main characters and some of the drama started to annoy me. This might just have been me and my allergy for high school cliches and drama though! Because there’s no doubt that Little Monsters was a highly enjoyable and positively twisty read.

Little Monsters by Kara Thomas starts with the story of Kacey, Bailey and Jade. The three are friends. Kacey is the new girl in town and the other two girls took her in and welcomed her into their circle. The story begins at an odd evening that I wasn’t quite sure what to think about until I got to the end of the book. However, right from the start, I was hooked to the story. There was something unsettling about the events taking place. I didn’t know who to trust and just kept feeling that something sinister was going on. This made it very hard to put down the book until I got to the end.

The missing girl is at the center of the story. An investigation is ongoing and its hard to guess exactly what happened to Bailey. The evidence seems a bit all over(random) hence making everyone a suspect. In addition, there is a diary by Bailey. This diary holds what seems to be the most important clues of the mystery. It surprised me because I assumed that it would just be musings of a teenage girl. However, through the pages, shocking secrets are revealed.

This is a book about secrets and obsession. It is compared to Pretty Little Liars and it is easy to see why. Readers get totally immersed into the world of teenage girls and their secret lives. There are usual issues with school, boys and parents. There are also forbidden parties and girls sneaking out of home in the middle of the night. However, with these teens, the lies are bigger. There is a lot of scheming behind the scenes.

An interesting setting is one of the key aspects that makes me enjoy a book. In this case, it was brilliant. The story is set in the kind of town shrouded in secrets and best of all, urban legends. There are people who believe that there is a lady haunting an old barn. This isn’t a supernatural story but I liked the urban legend and how it added to the mystery of the story.

This ended up being a quick, fun read. There are sessions of the book that felt a bit slow since nothing much was happening but the writing kept me going. Kara has a way of pulling you into the story and making you feel like you are part of it. I wasn’t able to totally guess the ending so that is something else that I liked. If you enjoy YA mysteries then this is definitely a book for you.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Summary: Kacey is the new girl in town, having to move in with her biological father after leaving her mother. Right away she clicks with Jade and Bailey and the become fast friends. One night, Jade and Bailey go to a party without Kacey. The next morning Kacey wakes up to Jade frantic. Bailey is missing and no one knows where she is. The police search takes many twists and turns. Yet, every time new evidence is found who is at the center of it? Kacey. Was she involved or is there something more sinister at play?

Review: This thriller is very much in a similar vein to Gillian Flynn, but for a YA audience. Just like many of Flynn’s novels we have tons of twists and turns and troubled female characters. These females do some bad things to people that they are supposed to be friends with and care for.

I think this novel did a great job of keeping up the intensity, I stayed up far too late reading this book! Thomas did a good job putting out clues in a way to not give everything away, but to still keep you hooked! I didn’t even figure it out! I liked the way she handled Kacey’s involvement of the case. It felt like a realistic amount of involvement for a teenage girl. She wasn’t solving the whole case before the cops, if anything came up, it was just by chance.

The family dynamics are very interesting in this story. I like that we had a stepfamily situation with a family that very much embraced her. I really liked the dynamic with her stepmom and was happy to see a positive portrayal there. I also liked that we had a strong sister friendship. I don’t feel like there is enough sibling dynamics in books and I am always here for that.

I liked that we got those journals from Bailey. These journals made Bailey seem like a well-rounded person. We got to understand what was going on in her head and made her a character I was more invested in. I found these chapters very well done and some of my favorite chapters.

The only real complaints I have are minor. I would have liked to see more of Jade. She was an enigma in a lot of ways, then again I think that was intentional from the author. I also just confused some minor characters, as they didn’t show up a lot. I also felt slightly underwhelmed with the epilogue, but just one aspect that I won’t mention.

NOTE: I received an E-Arc from Netgalley. Thanks Netgalley!

FULL REVIEW WHICH WILL BE UP ON MY BLOG ON JULY 17:

“Little Monsters” is narrated by seventeen-year old Kacey Young. She transferred from the city to a small town in Wisconsin on her junior year in high school. She had since then been close with Bailey and Jade. In the beginning of the book, Kacey’s two friends are picking her up for their usual end-of-the-week night escapades. This time they are planning to perform a seancé in an abandoned barn where a ghost called the Red Woman is said to be lurking around. Just when they are about to sneak out though, Kacey’s sweet younger half-sister Lauren saw them and tagged along. After that night of botched seancé, Kacey thought that everything is still okay among the three of them. To her surprise though the two girls decided to ditch her for a party they all agreed on going to. And worse, Bailey went missing after she left that party and everyone in town starts eyeing Kacey for answers.

The book got me hooked a few pages in. It started with a paranormal vibe stemming from a small-town ghost story. I honestly got the chills in some parts that I did a quick check if I am reading a paranormal YA book. I thought that it’s interesting to have something spooky as a springboard for a mystery thriller. The idea is to have the creeps for the spirits of the dead wear off slowly and replace it with a shattering disbelief on how living little girls can become monsters. The appeal of the theory did not translate well in this book though. The transition from paranormal to mystery thriller is rather clunky.

I partially blame it on the choice of Kacey as a narrator. Do not get me wrong, I like her character just fine. I can relate to how easily she accepted the first offer of friendship that came her way as a transferee student. I can imagine how hard she had tried to reinvent her reputation in her new family and new school. I am beside her when all of those efforts seem pointless because after Bailey’s disappearance, everyone, even people who matter to her, starts becoming a stranger in her eyes. In the end, she will always feel that she’s an outsider. Kacey’s situations are worthy of sympathy from the reader but my problem with her is in the context of the book she is in. She does not possess the shade and nuance that is essential in being the main source of narration of a mystery thriller. Although she was called in the police station a number of times for questioning, she lacks the sinister of being a full-blown suspect. As for the paranormal stuff going on in the book, she does not believe any of it in the first place so eventually the reader will also not take it seriously.

The book’s soft jabs at being suspenseful are interspersed with hit punches in the form of Bailey’s journal entries. Through her writings scattered in-between some chapters, we discover bit by bit this obssession building up inside her. Her character is wrought with intriguing psyche that will send the littlest hair of the reader stand on its end. I would love more of these ominous feels from the book but they were few and far between. When the final reveal came, I did not feel anything. It sort of just passed by me and I thought the book did not quite earn that dark ending. (I love dark endings, BTW!) I guess what the reader eventually needs is more vantage points for all those monstrous things that happened to seep through. Maybe something that will flesh out the other characters as well. I would have liked to know more about Jade who obviously has the least dimension among the three friends. And Lauren’s view on things would be quite valuable too because of her naivety. Plus she seems to really believe in ghosts and evil spirits.

“Little Monsters” is not entirely bad. I enjoyed a few things but also found a few things lacking. The characters are believable but some could use more spotlight. When measured up with the recent popular works of mystery thrillers, the book came a bit underwhelming. Okay just for context, this opinion is coming from someone who was amazed by “Gone Girl” and “The Girl on the Train”. Although the target readers/main characters for those are adults, I see no reason why I cannot compare it with something for young adults. Without the scrutiny of that comparison however, I think this book decently showcased how people are effortlessly manipulated and threatened because of our fear of being friendless and alone. Read this if you seek a chilling thrill on the lengths that young girls will agree to do just to gain approval from their peers.

I read and thoroughly enjoyed The Darkest Corners last year so I knew I wanted to read this one no matter what. And wow! I was completely blown away by this one! Little Monsters completely hooked me right from the start. I did not want to put this book down at all so I read it over the course of two days. The first chapter reminded me a little bit of my group of friends in high school. There is an abandoned farm outside of our small town that we liked to go drive by and dare people to walk up to at night. One night we did this, things definitely did not go well and we never went back again. And the book takes place in Wisconsin, my neighboring state, so it was very easy to connect with the midwestern vibes. So needless to say I connected with Kacey almost instantly. I totally felt for her having such a rough background before she moved in with the father she never knew and his family. Her new family dynamic and new friends made it look as though things were looking up for her. I loved her relationship with her siblings (both step and half) and even with her step-mom. But when things with her best friends start to go a little iffy, things go south quickly. There were so many incredible twists and turns to this story and I did not see any of them coming. Just when I thought I had things figured out… BOOM! That is my absolute favorite part about mysteries and thrillers! I have to say that this is one of the best thrillers I have ever read! Even before finishing eARC copy, I preordered the book because I just have to be able to read this one again with a finished copy. So if you’re looking for a fantastic psychological thriller to give you all the thrills and chills, I highly recommend you check out Little Monsters! You will not be disappointed.

This fast-paced YA mystery will captivate readers. In the middle of a winter storm, a young woman, Bailey, goes missing. As the clues pile up, suspicion seems to fall on one of her best friends, Kacey, who is a relatively new transplant to the town, moving in with her father's family after one too many incidents with her mother. Interspersed with Kacey's point of view are entries from Bailey's journal, showing that she may not have been the person Kacey thought she knew.

There are so many elements that come together really perfectly to create a story in Little Monsters that is enticing. The setting was perfect- living in Wisconsin, I was able to picture the bleakness and slight danger of a small, rural Wisconsin town in the immediate aftermath of a snowstorm. Kacey, who is a little cagey about the details of her history with her estranged mother, is a character that you're not totally sure you can rely on. When the story reaches its final moments and the chips fall into place, I was so impressed with the story Kara Thomas had woven.

Another amazing pulse pounding thriller by Kara Thomas will leave readers at the edge of their seats. Broken Falls is a town used to secrets and mysteries. Kacey moves to Broken Falls to start her life over with her estranged father and his family after having a falling out with her mother. She quickly becomes friends with two girls, Bailey and Jade, and the trio becomes close until things start unraveling. Friendships of three can become messy when lies, jealousy, and hatred are thrown in the mix. Add in small town drama, superstitions, and family loyalties and danger isn't far behind. Readers will be drawn into this gripping story and will be disappointed to see the end. Definitely recommend!

The Darkest Corners was one of my favorite reads last year, so I was excited to get the e-galley to read. I wasn’t disappointed. This is a great look at how manipulative people can be and really twisted in their need to keep up appearances.

The story is told by Kacey, but there are excerpts from Bailey’s diary, which are key to unlocking what happened to her. I liked Kacey, although I did not totally trust her as a narrator. She had a difficult childhood with her mom, but she is doing better now that she lives with her dad and his family. Kacey even admits to having done some violent things in her past which makes you wonder if she did something but is not admitting it. I started feeling very sorry for Kacey by the end of the book, she kept wanting to help find out what happened to Bailey but kept getting herself in deeper and almost accused of the crime herself.

Bailey and Jade were interesting characters. Bailey is only in the story for the first couple of chapters before she disappears. Jade is there throughout. I started out kind of liking both girls, they were just typical small town bored teenagers out to entertain themselves. I liked that Bailey friended Kacey from the start and Jade although more aloof than Bailey at least tried to be friends to both girls. It isn’t until the end that you realize how manipulative and nasty these two girls were.

Kacey’s family was a nice group, although her father was rather distant with her. I think he just didn’t know how to interact with her, never having had contact with her before her coming to live with them. Her stepmom was pretty awesome and not at all what you usually see in these situations. Her stepbrother Andrew was also super nice and supportive of Kacey. He is the one that I suspected the most through out the book, because he was almost too nice. Her little half-sister Lauren was a lost little lamb throughout the book that I felt sorry for.

The end of the book, when what happened to Bailey was revealed was not exactly a surprise but was disturbing none of the less. Kara Thomas does a great job of twisting the story in unforeseen ways and always delivers a page turning psychological thriller.

Bless this scary ass book and how it made my time at the gym fly.

Let me preface this by saying I've read many books that compared themselves to PLL, and it all ended badly. I have been burned so badly before that I almost didn't request this book just because of the PLL reference. That would have been so sad though because it's so good, you guys!
Dark? Sure, it's dark. Aren't all missing persons cases inherently dark? Every bit of grit and 'darkness' was 100% necessary. No gratuitous violence or gore here. Sometimes, little monsters live inside those we hold nearest and dearest. This is one such tale.
Getting into the story for me was slow going at first. I didn't care for the main character, Kasey, all that much, but she does make a fantastic narrator. Once I got into the main story, I was all in, constantly trying to predict the end and 100% certain that I had it figured out...when I totally didn't. The ending was particularly brilliant. Had me kicking myself for hours. How did I not see that coming?!? While deemed a 'twist', it is completely foreseeable if you are more astute than I was.
One of my favorite things about Little Monsters is that this author did not rely on any tropes, folks! No teen romance to speak of. No shying away from real issues. No "oh my", old ladies covering their mouths in shock scenes. It was just good storytelling by a master mystery author. I'm definitely looking up her other works now.

Kara Thomas does it again! Another fantastic mystery that holds you in its grips right until the very end.