If I wanted to read a Wattpad novel I would have opened Wattpad. This is a book that disappointed me and I couldn't finish because it was a middle grade book that was described as a YA with dark themes.

This read like a 12 year olds wattpad novel. The characters are clearly in their mid to late teens but it reads as middle grade/ lower young adult.

Aside from the mystery, nothing was really resolved and the end hints at something darker that is obviously for the sequel. Too bad I won't be reading it.

The characterisations made no sense either.



Thank you to Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
I didn't really enjoy this book and sadly found it disappointing.
An OK read.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had high expectations for this one because the premise sounded so interesting and I love reading about queer kids solving mysteries but it fell flat to me and I had a hard time finishing it.

The story follows Jerry, who is determined to get a spot on his school paper, so he decides to solve the disappearance of a local wealthy woman.

The setting felt often surreal and simplistic, Jerry just stumbles into answers, acts without thinking and luck is the only thing that gets him out of trouble. He should be in high school, but he speaks and acts like he's a thirteen. The dialogues sound weird and innatural and we get a lot of physical description and zero characterisation. Also his friends get described as if they were Jerry's acquaintances, yet they do everything together and they're willing to solve the mystery with him. I kept waiting for some big reveal but literally nothing happened. I wasn't invested in the story or in the characters.

I had no idea that this would be a series, so I am not going to read the second book since I didn't enjoy the first one at all.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an early copy.

While a good premise, this book wasn't for me. I think I have been a little spoilt with this kind of thing with authors like Holly Jackson and Karen M. McManus. With those authors, the set-up feels far more natural and the world-building is enjoyable, whereas here it felt like a bit of a chore.. Perhaps I was being unfair in expecting that kind of story here.

Jerry, the main character, while on paper sounds brilliant (LGBTQ+, aspiring journalist etc etc) comes across as a little cold. The style of writing jarred a bit, feeling unnatural and simplistic. I needed a bit more from this one.

After trying to begin the book, I was unable to continue due to my lack of interest. I will try to pick it up again at a later date, and if I am able to continue reading, I will post a more detailed review here.

I am extremely sorry, but this was not what I thought it would be and it doesn't suit my reading preferences. Thank you very much for the free e-ARC.

I really wanted to like this book. The blurb and the cover drew me in, but upon reading it I am rather disappointed. I won't say the story was particularly bad, but there were so many irritating points about the book that aggravated me. While I love seeing queer kids solving mysteries, Missing in Somerville was just too disconnected from reality for me to enjoy it.

This read as though it was written by a 13 year old. And not in a good way. The structure, phrasing, dialogue, (everything) sounded like the kind of self-indulgent stuff you would have written in your early teens on Wattpad. The dialogue was awkward and inauthentic, with teenagers speaking in a stiff, formal manner, using slang from the early 2000s. The characters were written the same, lots of descriptions of hair and hotness but no personality.

Unfortunately I will not be reading the second book as I was just so annoyed with this one.

Interesting plot idea but sadly written without much technical ability. I really did want to like this more, as a big fan of YA mystery novels, and it was a big disappointment for it not to be thecase.

I really wanted to like this one. I did. The blurb and the cover snapped my attention up. The way each of the characters are written, the way they speak, it just didn’t fit a group of high schoolers. It got robotic at times and it bothered me. The mystery aspect was solved by chance and I wish there would have been more to it.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre,  however I wanted to take the opportunity to read something from outside my norm. And I am glad I did!! Thank you for  opening up my mind to something totally different. Characters were so well developed that I felt as though I knew them. I love when a book draws you into the story and it feels like you are living it with them.

I honestly dont know how to really feel about this book. I wont say the story was bad, but there was just so many irritating points about the book that really just yanked you right out of the story. First, his group of friends. He describes them more like acquaintances that he barely knows. but yet, they do everything together. Kate doesn't even seem to like them. This is the weirdest arrangements of friends willing to go look for a body together and makes absolutely no sense. Secondly, why does nearly every chapter end with some sentence like :" if i only knew then what i know now". Seriously stop. It was cute the first time or two. We dont need to be reminded every chapter that things are going to get worse. Really, On that same note, to end a book with that same sentence is just plain cruel. There was not mention that this would have a sequel or be part of a series. So now I am beyond annoyed. In addition to the random plot points that were brought up once and never mentioned again. Case in point "the master"... or how about the moms outburst... no resolution. I am honestly so annoyed with this I likely wont bother to read a second book.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this mystery prior to its publication (though sites suggest this was published some years ago, with a very different cover).
Our story centres on Jerry, determined to get a spot writing on his school paper, and his investigation into the mysterious disappearance of a local wealthy woman.
From the outset we are told by Jerry that what he and his friends are about to get tangled up in is dangerous. Of course we want to know more.
Having now finished the book I can’t help but think Jerry is one of the luckiest people alive. He acts without thinking, bumbles into situations and gets an awful lot of luck to help him work out what’s happened. He and his group of friends are reminiscent of Scooby Doo and the gang - solving the crime more by luck than judgment!

The beautiful young bride of the town’s wealthiest man has been missing for several months and rumors of her whereabouts are rampant. Some speak of murder at the hands of her husband. Others claim that the young beauty died at the hands of a jealous ex-boyfriend.

This was a fun pretty interesting story.
This plot was good.
The characters I enjoyed

Rating 4

Thank you to Netgalley and NineStar press for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
This read as though it was written by a precocious 14 year old. And not in a good way. The structure, phrasing, dialogue, everything sounded like the kind of earnest but self-indulgent stuff I would have written in my early teens and hidden in a shoebox under the bed. The dialogue was awkward, stilted and inauthentic, with teenagers speaking in a stiff, formal manner, peppered with slang from the early 2000s. Wassup?
I was disappointed. I'm always looking for good YA mysteries to pass on to the young folks in my life. This wasn't.
The characters were... like they were written by a 14 year old. Lots of descriptions of hair and hotness but no personality. And the plot was not even thin, it was emaciated. The mystery wasn't mysterious, and the detective didn't detect so much as do a few dumb things and get lucky because of some really convenient coincidences. Like, he was being followed by an undercover cop, and his friend's dad is also an officer, and they're the ones who actually saved the day.
It wasn't good, but it did make me nostalgic, so I guess that's something .

This was...dare I say it, horrible. I feel awfully mean writing this review but I have a lot of thoughts about this book.

- Initially the plot and the cover drew me in but I feel like this book sells itself in a different way than it actually is. I was expecting an intense YA thriller but this was Jerry, our main character stumbling to find the answers and then arriving in his lap. There was no mystery, no investigation.
- The writing. Dear Lord, I think this is what made this book painful to read. It was told like an eleven year old. There was no description, a lot of said and the characters were so dry and boring.
- I kept waiting for some big reveal or something to happen and it never did.

Overall, this book was not for me. It felt unedited and had numerous plot holes. The characters were one dimensional and I didn’t feel invested in the story.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Missing in Somerville in exchange for an honest review.

While I love seeing more queer kids solving mysteries (Velma from Scooby-doo would be proud) Missing in Somerville was just too disconnected from reality for me to enjoy it.

This has big 'person who's been out of high school for years trying to write high schoolers' vibes. We're introduced to Jerry by him correcting his mother and saying that no, he's going to high school, not school and I couldn't help but think of that thing 4 and a half year olds do when they insist on adding the half whenever you call them 4. I just graduated high school and I have never in my life heard someone consider that an important distinction to make and the weird disconnect between Jerry and an actual teenager continue throughout the book.

The mystery was also solved more by Jerry being lucky enough to stumble into answers and witnesses just telling him a bunch of things they apparently never told the cops. I'm a big fan of mystery stories where the detective character has to become inventive in how to get answers and everything felt a tad too easy here.

This was an interesting YA suspense. The mystery was compelling and captivating.
The characters were well fleshed out and the plot was well developed.
Overall a very captivating and unique read.
Definitely recommend if you like mystery and suspense