A fun, twisty, engaging YA thriller, which while I could definitely tell was a YA, kept me intrigued throughout! Well written, with a fantastic character development and one of my favorite types of plots! Loved the use of today’s world to make this YA thrill ride, more realistic! Think I would recommend mot only to those whom enjoy YA novels, but to those whom enjoy thrill rides over all! With its fast paced, twisty turns, and gasp worthy shocks, I’m sure it’ll keep even us veteran thrill readers on our toes!

What a fun and incredibly relevant young adult thriller! Taking place in an influencer house, six Tiktok stars find themselves turning on one another when one of them is found dead. The six teens of the Hype House seem to have it all: millions of followers, coveted brand deals, constant streams of products and money, and fancy parties. When their shared account starts posting cryptic messages about the one who was just found dead, their past rivalries turn into true fear for their lives.

I thought this was a very fun and creative read. It will resonate well with teen audiences as it successfully captured influencer life. It also had short chapters that made for a quick read and frequent POV shifts, making it easy to find at least one character you enjoyed. I did find some of the characters annoying, but I also recognize that was kind of the point! I just wish some had been slightly less self-centered; that was the only part that didn't seem real.

I would recommend this for young adult readers who loved books like One of Us Is Lying.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I am always up for a good murder mystery. This takes place in Malibu in the world of Tik-Tokers that make up a group. They just want to grow their numbers and make the sponsored content. There are six teenagers that make up this group until one of them turns up dead. The story was fun and exciting. Some of it was a little over the top but I think that is part of the personas the teenagers had. The Police were a little all over the place and did not do a very good job at investigating. I was surprised how much enjoyed and I had it narrowed down to two who I thought it was and one of my choices did it. Now going to say who, but go read it and find out if you can figure it out.

This book is absolutely perfect for fans of teen murder mystery stories and to me it read similarly to the Karen M McManus books that I have read a few of recently. It isn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination and the characters are all quite annoying and I don't feel like I actually liked any of them even by the end of the story BUT it was fun and I didn't guess where the mystery was taking us until quite close to the end. I thought the twist was great and overall it was a really quick read that I enjoyed a lot!

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒅:
-The writing style... quick, snappy chapters and easy to read dialogue
-The mystery... I didn't guess it until very close to the reveal!
-The setting... a Malibu mansion filled with teenage tiktok stars. This was just so fun!
.
.
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𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆:
-The characters... I just didn't gel with any of them. They were all pretty flawed, self absorbed. It makes sense though, I just didn't connect with any of them.

-𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍:
This was a really fun YA mystery and I would definitely recommend it to fans of books like One of Us is Lying!

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Random House Children's and Underlined, for the chance to read and review this book in exchange of an honest opinion.

A beachfront mansion, millions of followers, absolutely good looking, the six teenagers who make up the Lit Lair have everything: money, success, dreams achieved, sponsorships...They live together, they make videos of their perfect life. Apparently perfect, because when one of them turns up death in their pool everything is turned upside down. When their TikTok account starts to post cryptic messages, the police start to investigate them and their lives. Their lives would have been surely easier without Sydney Reynolds, but who's the killer?

I absolutely loved reading Killer Content! The story is about a group of famos TikToker who begin turning on each other when one of them is killed and the reader is captured in this investigation, trying to understand their motives and desiders, what exactly happened and why.
The story is thrilling and captivating and it was such a pleasure being immersed in this read, because I loved both the characterization and the relationship between characters, each of them complex and relatable. The twists, mysteries and discoveries left me breathless and I loved every single turn. Totally recommended it!

This is a solid YA mystery story that will be loved by a fan of One of Us is Lying. It's so easy to read, the pace is perfect, and the characters feel so real. I had a great time reading this book and you could see the tension from my reaction was while reading it 😂

☾ 𝟙𝟝 ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕎𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕖 ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜
- 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦: 11 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 - oh! I already have a good feeling about this one!
- This book is so damn intriguing!!!
- Hey, we got multi POVs! I love it even more <3
- TikTok Influencers! I think lots of millennials will relate to this story
- Hold on... Why do I start to feel worried?
- How come I am already halfway??
- Ah... She is such an interesting characters
- Well well well... Now we see the dark side of the glorious life of an influencer
- Okay... What is really happening in here?!?!
- Ouh... Ouh... Ouh... It will be "something"
- Hmmm... Why do I feel suspicious about this girl?
- I LOVE how different each of the characters is <3
- HUH?!? Wait a minute...
- OUH SHIT!!!!!!
- What a story~~~

Final Rating: 4.25

Before I dig into the book itself I just want to shout out to that gorgeous cover! I mist admit that’s what caught my eye and so I decided to request this one.

This book was well written, it captures the attention of anyone who is reading and to have multiple POVs is great, personally I enjoy getting an insight of every character.

Overall, I had a great time reading and I will keep reading her work, highly recommend.

5 Reasons to read this book:
 
1. It's totally relatable in today’s world of social media
 
How many of us are completely distracted and zoned into our social media accounts at most times of the day? I know I am guilty of this. We all craft our online presence whether we share what we read, eat, buy, etc. 
 
2. The Multiple POV storytelling & non-linear timeline.
 
This book is asking for it to be made into a movie and/or tv series. I loved being able to see all the different character perspectives and what is going on in their lives/mind during this crisis. 
 
3. The “twist” (No spoilers here lol)
 
I don’t want to spoil ANYTHING, but the spin on the conflict of the story is pretty well thought out and interesting to me as a reader. I enjoyed Knives out, and this has a similar feel to it. 
 
4. Its a quick, easy read and fully entertaining.
 
I read this pretty quickly and that's a good thing, but I was thoroughly entertained. I wanted to see the motivations behind each character's choices throughout the book.
 
5. A piece of social commentary.
 
This book speaks volumes of the generations glued to our phones. Social media can make or break you. If cracks appear in the carefully crafted veneer you present to the world, your whole existence (ie social media presence) can topple. On the flipside, if something devastating occurs that you are involved in (ie murder) you can always find a win to spin in. What does that say about us?

I loved the idea of Killer Content, I feel like there is such a desperation to be noticed online these days, that this kind of story is just waiting to happen. However the execution was lacking, and the 'twist' took me about 10 seconds to figure out, pretty much the next chapter after Sydney's body is discovered, which completely killed off my enjoyment.

The characters just weren't interesting to me, because I didn't really like any of them. They were all to selfish and wrapped up in things that don't matter, so it was hard to connect with them. It meant I wasn't invested in what happened to them, and I didn't really care if they went to prison etc.

The police investigation also felt a little ridiculous, which was distracting. It took me 10 seconds to figure out, and yet the police were more concerned about off the cuff remarks the friends had made and the same petty stuff as the teenagers.

I wouldn't really recommend this one when there are some wonderful, alternative YA thrillers out in the world.

I did enjoy this quick read about a group of TikTok influencers that all live in the same house and then one of them ends up dead. It definitely reminded me a lot of One of Us is Lying, and I have a lot of kids who really enjoyed that book, so I have been recommending this one to them.

I thought that the plot moved well but the characters fell into predictable tropes, so for me personally, I wouldn't go back and read again. But I know that my kids will really enjoy it!

(As published in the Yakety YAK APLS listserv newsletter, December 2021.)

It was supposed to be a guaranteed recipe for success. Buy a mansion. Fill it with teen Tik-Tok stars. Come up with a cool group handle (LitLair). Produce a ton of content. Make a ton of money.

And it worked perfectly. Until one of them ended up dead.

Gwen. Tucker. Cami. Kat. Beau. But not Sydney. Not anymore. As the police investigation heats up and secrets are uncovered, the teens face a flood of bad publicity while they come to grips with the fact that one of them is responsible—and if they aren’t careful, they’ll be next.

Thrillers aren’t my cup of tea. Interesting characterization is usually sacrificed to focus entirely on plot. But if I don’t care about the characters, what’s the point?

Now that that’s out of my system, I enjoyed this book! I know, it was a surprise to me too. That’s because I got to know and care about the characters, even when I didn’t always like them. Killer Content relies on frequent POV shifts to move the story along, using first person to put you immediately into their thoughts and ensuring your information is limited. As far as twists, I guessed the main one before the reveal, but it is well-written enough that the knowledge didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book. First, I wanted to know if I was right. Then I wanted to know when and how the other characters would figure it out, and what they’d do about it once they did. Besides, I would always rather know how the characters get there over being blindsided with a random killer for shock value.

I have to say I was really impressed by Roache’s ability to juggle so many POVs. Not only did she keep up with what each character knew and didn’t know, she also gave each character flavor and a unique voice. Some characters get more attention than others, but that is primarily because some aren’t as suspicious. Even then, you get a sense they have a life beyond what you see. It would have been easy to take the stereotypes each character first appears to be and keep it that way, but each character is fleshed out well within the constraints of the book.

As for negatives, the constant POV switching can be disorientating. I normally mindlessly skim over chapter titles and found myself having to go back and see who was speaking and when. As you get to know the characters, it does become easier to tell, but there is still a lot of switching around. Once the action is over, the story wraps up almost too quickly. I would have liked to know more about where each of the characters ended up, get a better feel for their growth (if any), but there was enough that this is a minor complaint and more a testament to my investment in the characters Roache created. Overall, it’s a fun read, and, as a bonus for those of us who aren’t hardcover purists, it came out in paperback to start, which means it’s affordable. I’d say it is a good addition to a YA collection, if one you might end up weeding in 3-5 years due to possibly not being relevant.

Recommended for: fans of realistic fiction, suspense/thriller, and LGBTQIA+ literature.

Watch out for: Kissing. Not explicit, but characters are mentioned as having sex. Underage drinking and marijuana usage. Mild gore and some violence (the latter towards the end). Swearing.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. This book is about six TikTok influencers who all live in a mansion together and then one is found dead in the pool. It is told from each of their points of view and what I found difficult at first was rooting for any of them, because they each seemed a bit vapid and narcissistic. It is a good read though and would be especially interesting to someone who has grown up in the age of influencers and getting likes on social media. I also did not figure out the killer right away, which is a plus.

This book gets 3 stars because I think teens that are truly in their teen years and looking for a little scandal in their reading material will probably find it titillating. Honestly, if I were a teenager looking for something a little like a prime-time soap opera about social media influencers, I’d probably love this book. But it’s a book with a setting we’ve seen before, with a plot we’ve seen so many times before I guessed the whodunit less than 30% into the book and ended up just finishing the book because I wanted to get it over with.

The only thing that distinguishes this book from other books or movies with almost the exact same plot that seem to crop up about every ten years or so is that this one is about social media influencers and not about how many people you have friended or unfriended on a social media platform.

But for a teenager looking for some juicy, gossipy drama? They’ll probably eat it up.

Definitely an interesting read. Modern twist on horror. Plot twists that you kinda see coming but still makes for a good story.

This book was amazing and everything of the sort. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Disclaimer: I received this e-book and finished book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Killer Content

Author: Kiley Roache

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Lesbian character, Bisexual character, F/f romance at the end

Recommended For...: young adult readers, mystery, murder mystery, thriller, tiktok, LGBT+

Publication Date: November 30, 2021

Genre: YA Mystery

Recommended Age: 15+ (Romance, Underage consumption of alcohol, Murder/Death, Gore, Sexual content, Language, Disordered eating, Suicide shown)

Explanation of CWs: There is some romance and sexual content mentioned and slightly shown. There is a lot of underaged drinking. The book revolves around a murder and death and there is gore shown. There are some curse words and some mentions of disordered eating. There is also a suicide shown in the book.

Publisher: Underlined

Pages: 317

Synopsis: Knives Out meets One of Us is Lying! In this paperback original thriller a group of famous TikTokers find themselves turning on each other when one member of the group turns up dead at their beachfront Malibu mansion.

35 million followers. One dead body.

The six teenagers who make up the Hype House seem to have it all. A beach front Malibu mansion, millions of TikTok followers, model good looks, and sponsorship deals up to $30,000 per post. Everything's pretty much a Gen-Z paradise. Except that one member of the house has just turned up dead in the infinity pool. And the rest of them are suspects.

When the group TikTok account starts posting cryptic messages about the murder, the police limit their investigation to the members of the house. Now old joke videos are filed as evidence and past rivalries start to look like motives.

As investigators dig into these influencers' lives beyond their glossy internet personalities, they discover all five had reasons their lives would've been easier with Sydney Reynolds dead. But only one of them killed her.

Underlined is a line of totally addictive romance, thriller, and horror paperback original titles coming to you fast and furious each month. Enjoy everything you want to read the way you want to read it.

Review: I didn’t think I’d love this book as much as I did but I was so so wrong! This was a fun murder mystery, but set in the modern world of TikTok and cell phones and influencers! I thought the book did so well with the multiple POVs and time skips. The book flowed so well and the characters were well developed. The world building was well done as well and the plot kept me going. I also failed to guess the killer… soooooo IT”S GOOD!

However, I did think that some of the events of the book were a bit exaggerated. The police investigation was severely botched, but that does happen. There is also a lack of truecrimetiktok in the book, which, if you were on TikTok during the Gabby Petito, you know that truecrimetiktok would have been all over that FYP.

Verdict: It was great!

I picked up this book because the premise intrigued me and after reading it, I think it did justice to the idea. ‘Killer Content’ was quite a ride – through some well-written character arcs and unexpected plot twists. Digging past all the glamour and the glory to reveal that deep within, A world-famous tik-tok star or you and me, we all are just the same.

The biggest plus-point for me of this book was – the main characters. Something that I really adore in books with multiple POV’s is the intricate characterization of every person in the story. Each member of the Lit Lair – Gwen, Cami, Kat, Beau, Tucker and even Sydney are all different and three dimensional. These characters are carefully built on a foundation of both good and evil. They’re all filthy rich , selfish and self-centred leading a life of mad luxuries. But under all the glamour, they’re also mere teenagers – broken and desperate for love and affection.

Well, at the same time, I wish Brooklyn’s character was a bit more developed too. She was confusing and honestly, also felt a bit shallow to me. The sisterhood dynamic between Brooklyn and Sydney was never really shown deeply to us and so it was hard for me to sympathize with her, most of the time.

I also enjoyed the ‘frenemy’ dynamic among our protagonists. As tik-tok superstars, they are literally on top of the world! but, 6 people can not really be on the mountain top together right? And so, they live under the pressure of heavy competition and ruthless comparisons – Who has the most followers? Who’s the best dancer? Who’s the prettiest? Who’s the funniest? – and the list goes on forever. All the time, you find them obsessing over bringing each other down.

Okay, now let’s come to the point that might have annoyed my brain cells to death – the detectives and the police officers in this book. They were LEGIT useless. first of all, them having no idea what tik-tok is and one of them even calling it ‘tik-tak’ is just super unrealistic (not to mention, cringy) to me. I mean, I get it, I’m pretty sure my 84 year old granny doesn’t know what tik-tok is but here we’re talking about middle-aged police officers who are supposed to be well educated about stuffs? I mean, they never heard about cyber-bullying or anything? then how come they never heard of tik-tok? especially when a high-profile tik-tok star just got murdered?
Second of all, you guys… if you ever feel useless in your life remember the officers in this book were just so hopeless that the suspects themselves had to solve almost whole of the crime. 😉✌ Certain aspects of the ending and the murder revelation didn’t make sense to me. There seemed to be loop holes which went unexplained. I won’t go into the details of that as that would be obvious spoilers.

I went to 'Killer Content' too excitedly and honestly, it didn’t disappoint me at all. Kylie Roache did a fantastic job on this book and it absolutely is worth a read to all murder-mystery geeks! I hope you enjoy reading it!💕

This was an enjoyable read. This book is about a group of Tiktok infleuncers who live together but one of them is murdered. When it comes to books that involve influencers, I usually stay away from it but this one was amazingly done. I enjoyed the whole murder mystery and I couldn't stop reading. The plot and setting were very well written with a very good pacing for the story. I liked how the author added a timeline to see when a certain scene took place. This book also had a very huge twist in the middle which honestly shocked me as it was totally not what I expected. This book has multiple povs as in 5-6 characters (can't remember) and in the beginning it was confusing who was who even though the character's name was given before the story started. Overall the story was very well done with the plot, plot structure, pacing, setting, etc.

I enjoyed some of the characters but I have to say that characters like Gwyn and Cali had different moods and personalities in each of their povs and didn't have much of a character development. The other characters felt kind of just there to be honest and I didn't connect with the characters as most acted very spoiled. I wouldn't say that there were many side characters in the book except Brooklyn and the investigators. There is romance in this book including a love triangle and an LGBTQ+ couple but the romance isn't the main factor of the story.

The ending was meh as the story could have stopped a chapter before. Overall this book was very well written and I was surprised how good this influencer murder mystery was. There was a great twist into the book that totally left me shocked and made the book amazing. There was a flaw with the characters but overall the story was well done. I recommend this book to fans of One of Us is Lying and Influence.

My students are clamoring for books based on influencers and content creators, and Killer Content is going to fly off of my shelves. It starts with a bang, the setting is lush, the gossip is juicy, and every character had a motive to kill. The twist ending was perfectly over the top and will appeal to all kinds of teens. I cannot wait to booktalk this to my high school students.

This book had a lot of potential but it fell short in many ways for me. From the first page i had an idea of who the ‘murderer’ is. There were many POVs and though i do like reading from different perspectives because it gives us an idea of who the person is, it was no use for this book. I felt no closer to the characters and honestly didn’t care less about them. I don’t usually read books based in modern time so it was kind of refreshing to see all the terms that have become a part of our lives recently, which makes me wonder if people reading this book in the near future would understand all the terms. The writing was very easygoing and to the point which made the shocking plot twists not much of a plot twist honestly. Halfway through the book the killer is already revealed and i had figured out the events to how it all occurred as well way before then. So basically i could have ended the book at 30% and it would have been ok.
I think the concept and the thought was really good but not much character development happened either. To me everyone went back to their same old ways by the end of the book and everything that happened had been for nothing. A lesson had to be learned form this book but it didn’t sadly put that out very well.