Everyone in Bayside knows the island is uninhabited, but they also think it’s haunted, so Tommy and John are more than ready to stay away. But the strong-willed Wendy convinces the reluctant boys to investigate the source of the lights, thereby setting in motion a harrowing adventure that has them dodging bullets and running for their lives, all the while struggling to sort out their conflicted feelings for one another.
I really enjoyed this book.
Highly recommend

The Riddles of Mulberry Island by Huston Piner reminded me of the Enid Blyton mysteries I used to read decades ago. Being set in the early fifties gives the story a different, almost quaint feel to it. Tommy, John and Wendy are mid-teens and form a strange friendship group. I never fathomed why Tommy was friends with Wendy as they never really talked. She just seemed to be there and told him what to do. He seems to be attracted to her but his attentions became more focused on John as the story progressed.

As the title suggests, the friends investigate the strange goings-on at Mulberry Island and stumble into something quite dangerous and unexpected. There’s plenty of mystery and suspense as the story develops, with several long heated discussions about what the teenagers plan to do.

I liked John and felt sorry for him because of his family background. His father was abusive and violent and his mother seemed uncaring because she was controlled by her husband.

Tommy is finding his feet in the world and discovering who he is. He came across as an insecure teenager, who was easily manipulated by Wendy. She was there to provide conflict in the friendship group and was the cause of most of the disagreements.

The attraction between Tommy and John simmers gently. I liked the subtle aspect of their romance and how considerately it was portrayed—as it should be for a YA novel. I think it is perfectly suitable for a teenager to read. Both young men are shown to be exploring their feelings for a person of the opposite sex and working out their sexuality. Kudos to Wendy for accepting their relationship near the end of the story. I think this redeems her. John shows how much he cares for Tommy through his actions and his bravery in protecting him.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy to read and review.

1950s. Three teenagers. One mystery. Is it a new species of whale? A ghost? The mystery takes place on a local island with an abandoned house. Three friends, Tommy, Wendy, and John, attempt to solve the mystery by exploring the island. As they gather information, piece together clues, and race around the island, they are also exploring their feelings for each other.

Maybe it is because the story takes place in the 1950s, but this reminds me of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. I love the take on exploring feelings between Tommy and Wendy, but also between Tommy and John. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good mystery, but also likes a good teen romance without too much anguish over teen emotions.

his was an interesting one! Tommy, Wendy, and John are friends and they are spending the summer together when they can escape their chores. It's 1952... and the three pre-teens set out on an adventure.

Tommy has been given a boat and when he finally convinces his parents that he is old enough to take it out, he sees something spooky. Something that looks like a sea creature appears and thus begins the mystery.

This reminded me of a good old Hardy Boys mystery when it began. A mysterious light on the water, a strange sea creature... the mystery lures these teens into the boat and back to Mulberry Island and that's when things get dangerous.

I think that even though the characters are solving a mystery... much of this book is about growing up, growing closer and friendship. My favorite character was John. He is a sweet soul, protective and caring in spite of the fact that his home life is terrible. John has an abusive father and no one seems to care about him except his friends. 

I loved the friendship between John, Tommy, and Wendy. There's some jealousy blooming as the three of them jockey for position with one another. As they move into their teens, they clearly are beginning to feel more for one another and that's going to end up with someone left out in a way. The development of feelings between them is very natural and I enjoyed the way it progressed.

My only confusion about this book is that it would be a great middle-grade book if it weren't for the violence that is included in it. I found the voice of the characters to be quite young for 15... which is totally fine. I would probably recommend this to younger readers!

The book follows 3 friends who uncover a mystery and what happens to them afterwards, it is told from the perspective of both Tommy and John.

I liked John and Wendy and wished the book was in their perspectives because to me Tommy was a boring character in comparison to them, I also did not care for him so I just did not get the other characters interest in him, everything seemed to revolve around him.

The book starts off interesting with a coming of age feel to it, especially with the setting being a small village and then the friends exploring a nearby island. And the mystery and the writing style is good, I liked the first half of the book when the characters did not know what was going on. However, when the mystery is revealed I thought the book got boring, it dragged on a lot and was very descriptive/wordy.

Although I did not like Tommy, I did find the relationship and interactions between him and John cute and also the friendship of all 3 characters.

2/5

Thanks to the publisher for providing a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

While The Riddles of Mulberry Island has a wonderfully woven story, as is I don't think it will find a target audience. The language use, short length, and tendency to repeat plot points to make sure the reader still understand's what's going on feels very reminiscent of middle grade or younger. At first I was going to give this a very middle of the range rating and just suggest it for younger readers, but since this book is already out I'm worried the combination of the characters being 15 (despite talking and acting like 10-12 year olds) and violence will cause it to remain out of children's sections, which is a shame because I would have loved this story.

I really really hope the choice to place this in YA instead of Children's or middle grades was just an unfortunate choice and wasn't something forced upon this story because of the LGBTQA+ themes. If you are/have a younger reader I'd definitely recommend this, but I can't justify giving it a higher review because I don't think it achieves what it appears to have set out to accomplish.