If you’re going into this book thinking it’s a cozy mystery, a closed-loop mystery, or a locked-room mystery, I’d like to disabuse you of all those notions right now. Just because this book takes a lot of inspiration from the beloved and dearly departed mystery writer Agatha Christie and incorporates a lot of elements that can be found in her numerous books means nothing in the face of the fact that Agatha Christie, in some way or form, influenced every mystery writer in publishing today. Heck, if anything, this book is simply calling a spade a spade by effectively saying, “Yeah, I totally read this in an Agatha Christie book. I think it’ll totally work. We should do that,” or, “I just read that once in an Agatha Christie book and she was totally right.”

This book, my lovelies, is freaking fun as heck to read (look at my curse word censorship!). It’s a page-turner. It’s entertaining. It’s a compelling read that keeps drawing you further and further in, making you not want to stop reading because you just need to see what happens in the next chapter. This book, dear hearts, is one of those books that deserves a bookmark that says, “Just one more chapter”.

There’s something magnetic about our two main characters, Iris and Alice. And I mean that in a metaphorical, opposite-poles way. Rich girl, poor girl. One aimless, one goal-driven. One has everything she wants but love and attention, one has everything she wants but money and safety. Two sides of the same coin and yet neither knows it until the death of one of their classmates and the consequential timing of the two of them being thrown together for tutoring ends up causing two girls looking for common ground to all of sudden finding out they make a great team together.

This book doesn’t feel as long as it is, which is always fabulous when you’re reading a mystery, in my opinion. It took me until almost close to the actual turn to guess who the killer was, which is rare for me, so bravo to the authors for that. The writing is absolutely impeccable: bright, quick, clever, witty in places and sentimental in others (though never overly so). There are anthropological elements to the setting of this book that give the town and its people a distinct micro-culture feeling that I really enjoyed. The town of Castle Cove didn’t feel generic: it felt like an actual place, with its own cultures and social mores.

I’m looking forward to seeing more of this series. I thought this was going to be a standalone, so I was actually ecstatic when I found out there were going to be more. So here’s to more Agathas in the future. May the next book shine as brightly as this one.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Children’s, and Delacorte Press for early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Huge thanks to PRH International, and Kathleen Glasgow & Liz Lawson for my ARC in exchange for the honest review.

It was fantastic! The characters, the mystery, and the writing style were all appealing to me. The mystery was intriguing, and the characters' attempts to unravel evidence and find out what happened were beautifully described. Fans of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, One of Us Is Lying, and Truly Devious will enjoy The Agathas. It was a fast-paced and very captivating teen detective novel idea. Alice and Iris, the two characters whose viewpoints we follow throughout the novel, have distinct voices that hook you in and keep you engaged until the very last page. When Alice and Iris first meet, their lives are incredibly different, yet their chemistry makes it feel as if they're discovering about each other for the first time while also knowing so much about one other. As they worked together to figure together the clues, I enjoyed watching them become unusual friends and allies. With intriguing supporting characters and lots of action to keep the plot moving.

The Agathas tore my heart out with their exceptionally angsty, horrific, realistic words and amazing characters collaborated to produce something special. If you're a fan of Agatha Christie, YA, and mysteries, then you should pick this one up. Highly recommended.

Two Veronica Marses have to solve a murder.

How I Would Adapt It: Revive UPN and the WB and make the 2000s show of my dreams about these Agatha Christie obsessed teens. I would say the the CW but they would have the Alice and Iris investigating ghosts by season 2

YA Mysteries and Thrillers tend to be hit or miss for me. They either are both my comfort read but also make me feel old and disconnected. Well the Agatha’s was truly perfect. A teen thriller that feels adult and deals with real issues while also just being insanely funny. The book follows the Agatha Christie loving Alice and Bookworm with a past Iris as they come together to solve a murder. We’re some parts unrealistic, yes did I guess the killer, also yes. But neither of those diminished my enjoyment of this book and if the epilogue is leading to a second book I will follow these crime solving teens whenever their next case takes them. This is such a well written and plotted thriller with characters I just want to spend more time with. If you are looking for a fun summer thriller I could not recommend this book more. It also features a map and murder boards which is all I could ask for.

This is such a fun and quick YA mystery and I hope we got some more fun mysteries,

Thanks to Delacorte and NetGalley for an ARC for my honest review

Very similar vibes to the Good Girls Guide to Murder series so if you liked that, you will love this! I love the Agatha Christie mentions woven into the heart of the novel and the focus on young female friendships. Alice and Iris banning together to solve Alice's best friend's murder was thrilling to watch and each girl had her own storyline as well, which was both entertaining and sad in different ways. I loved the twists (they kept on coming) and there is so much more to be done with these ladies. I'm crossing my fingers for a 2nd book!

Once one of the "Mains" - wealthy kids at Castle Cove High who go by their last names - Alice Ogilve has been a social pariah since disappearing for five days last summer, causing her friends, family, and especially her ex-boyfriend Steve a lot of heartache and costing the town of Castle Cove a lot of money. Since then Alice has been homeschooled while on house arrest, and her only friend was the complete works of Agatha Christie. Now it's Halloween (Alice is under dressed for the occasion.), and the message: "Alice Ogilve is crazy." greets her on her locker. Alice's former best friends are less than thrilled to see her. To make matters worse, Alice is called out of class to visit Ms. Westmacott's counseling office, and she's assigned a peer tutor. One of the "Zoners" - kids who seem to be thrown together out of necessity because they're poor - Iris prefers to fly under the radar and focus on her studies. Though they've gone to school together since kindergarten, Iris only accepted the tutoring job because of the promise of a nice paycheck, regardless of how well Alice does. Besides, she has other things on her mind like getting herself and her mother "out of Castle Cove and away from the Thing." When Alice's former best friend goes missing, the town thinks she's "pulling an Alice," but Alice knows Brooke never would run away. Though unlikely, Alice teams up with Iris, and the two have to work together to figure out what happened, especially when the local police and Brooke's own father think nothing is wrong. But each with their own secrets, it won't be easy to let someone new in, especially someone so different.

THOUGHTS: There are a few mysteries within this character driven thriller, and readers will root for different people throughout, unsure of exactly what happened until the big aha moment. Recommended for high school collections where compelling mysteries are popular.

I have to say this was a slow start. It creeps in with little clues of the overarching mystery, but there wasn't anything dragging me to keep reading. After the 40 percent mark and no attachment to the characters, I've lost hope for this being something I would enjoy.
The setup was fairly basic, with a few characters and a murder mystery.
Sadly, it just didn't feel any larger than that. It plays very teen drama, stealing boyfriends and fighting friends. The inner monologue was witty and had me laughing a few times. However, the tone was unattached to real emotions for me and put me off reading.
I'm sad I didn't end up finishing this one as I had high hopes for it. I've enjoyed Kathleen Glasgow other works, so hopefully the next book will end up being a hit for me.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this one. The plot was compelling enough to hold your attention without feeling like just another teens-solve-crime story, and the characters added a depth that really reeled me in. Iris and Alice are opposites—the two voice characters who solve a friend’s murder in a town that has a lot of secrets. It was very Veronica Mars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC version of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Delacorte for the ARC.
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I’m not really a huge Agatha Christie buff nor am I a big reader of YA mysteries but I really loved this one!

The two main characters, Iris and Alice, are well-developed and have depth. The potential murderers are all pretty well. developed too, and the mystery throws enough wrenches in
the works to make you keep jumping from suspect to suspect.

Thank you to @penguinteenca for the Digital ARC

Okay this book was absolutely amazing. If you like YA thrillers, are a Agatha Christie fan then this book is meant for You don't miss this one that's for sure. I don't like giving out spoilers so my only hint is this gave me
Riverdale & A Good Girls Guide To Murder vibe, Who didn't love that series. Be sure to add this to your wishlist it's a summer must read. I loved the Alice & Iris team.

This book was such a surprise for me. I thought it would be a good read but I wasn't expecting how into it I got. I absolutely loved the mystery of it and all the little details. I loved the character development and the little side story lines that made the characters feel more real. I loved that you could see the friendships building and falling apart and it all felt very real to highschool. Whether you're an adult or not you'll remember the highschool life and understand where each character is coming from. A very enjoyable read.

The review of The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson is in the May 2022 issue of Gumshoe Review and is exclusive to them until June 2022. You may read the review at the following link:
<http://www.gumshoereview.com/php/Review-id.php?id=6910>

I received this book from NetGalley. I absolutely loved this book. It follows as two unlikely friends join forces to solve a mystery using Agatha Christie novels to give them clues and ideas. I loved both of the main characters and feel that their characters works well to contrast each other. If you enjoy mysteries including Agatha Christie Novels you will enjoy this book.

Thank you very much, NetGalley, for an e-book copy.

The Agathas--whatta fun read! The plot is okay, and some parts are memorable. I haven't read any Agatha Christie books but this izzzz geniuzzzz!

I really enjoyed that this book celebrated Agatha Christie as an author and celebrated her books in a very accessible way. I’m not very familiar with the books, though I’ve seen a movie version of MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. I also watched this Drunk History video on The Mysterious Disappearance of Agatha Christie. That’s about the whole of my knowledge of Agatha Christie.

The book includes a lot of quotes from Christie’s books. I thought those were really well-placed, and they added a lot to my expectations of each chapter where they were used.

In terms of the characters, the story is told from Alice and Iris’s points of view. I liked both girls right away. I felt like it was a little harder to get to know Alice, since she keeps everyone at arm’s length. It was hard to tell how she truly felt about her ex-boyfriend, Steve, and Brooke, her former best friend. I liked how she always had a plan and was clever.

The plot kept a good pace, and I really enjoyed the read. Sometimes mysteries are so serious that reading them is kind of intense, but I didn’t get that feeling here. It was like reading a mystery that also celebrated the genre, if that makes sense? So there were lots of elements of fun.

At the end of the book, the girls talk about the other unsolved mysteries in their town. Could they solve them? It made me wonder if there’s the possibility that this book could become a series? I haven’t seen anything about that anywhere, but I’ll be watching for news just in case.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Typically, YA mysteries are hit or miss for me, and The Agathas is a hit! The characters are likeable and you find yourself rooting for them throughout the book. This story was fun, entertaining, and left me eager for the next book from these authors. If you are an Agatha Christie fan, this is a MUST READ!

THE AGATHAS by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson is a new mystery story written for young adults. Glasgow (How to Make Friends with the Dark) and Lawson (The Lucky Ones) share the perspective of Iris Adams and Alice Ogilvie, two high school students who unexpectedly bond while searching for answers to a classmate's disappearance. Reminiscent of the humor and bungling investigation of Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building," the sleuths frequently channel Agatha Christie and her characters. For example, they compare themselves to Miss Marple, saying, "Because people don't see you, you have free rein to listen in on conversations, observe behavior, and learn patterns. All of these things are essential to surviving life, particularly high school." Jumping from one suspect to another can be a bit dizzying, but the frantic pace will keep readers engaged. The authors also weave in commentary about social class like "These kids and all their privilege. It makes me sick. Floating through life on a cloud of money" or noting: 'In Castle Cove, you are either the served or the server." Witty co-narrators, Iris and Alice struggle with their own secrets and feelings of self-worth, due in part of a domestic abuse situation. There is also plenty of back and forth in the final authors' note, revealing the fun Glasgow and Lawson had in crafting this tale. A lower lexile (660) makes for a quick, entertaining read.

This was a lot of fun. I have not had the best luck with YA mystery books - which is surprising since I’ve been reading great fantasy, horror/paranormal, and contemporary YA lately- so I’m really happy to finally have a win in the YA mystery category. This was part Hallmark Mystery Movie, meets Scooby-Doo, and with a slice of Gone Girl, which is just about a perfect combo in my mind. This was a page turner that was entertaining and just good fun and I hope there will be a book two.

Since I do review a lot of LGBTQ+ books, I want to mention that this was not one of them. In fact I don’t think there was a single LGBTQ+ character –at least that I noticed- in the whole book -which I found a bit unbelievable since most of this book takes place in a high school-. I would not mind seeing at least a little more diversity if there is a book two. Anyway, I also want to mention that there was no romance and nothing really beyond a few characters talking about crushes and exes –except for one side character bragging about having sex with another side character. There is talk about abuse and death, since this is a murder mystery, but overall I think this book would be appropriate for a wide range of ages.

I found that the book took me a little bit to get into it, there are a lot of characters you don’t know what to think about, but as soon as the components for the mystery started to unfold, I was hooked. The mystery is well done and fun to read. There are plenty of suspects and it’s hard to know who to trust. I also loved all the little moments and quotes from Agatha Christie novels. This felt like the authors wrote a love letter to her and if you enjoy Christie’s mysteries, I think you will get a kick out of this book. I also have to admit that when it came to the mystery, I was mad at myself for not figuring it out. When I look back at the clues, I should have gotten it, but the authors did a good job of tricking me.

TLDR: If you are a YA mystery fan or an Agatha Christie fan, I would easily recommend this. This book was one of the better done, and just fun, YA mysteries that I have read in a while. The two main characters have good friendship chemistry together and I enjoyed their investigating shenanigans. There is talk that this could become a series. If that is the case I would absolutely read book two.

I loved this!!! I am a huge Agatha Christie fan and I've reread a number of her books referenced in this book recently, so I even recognized some of the specific quotes. This is probably most like a Good Girl's Guide to Murder, but it is definitely its own book. I really grew to love the two main characters, Alice and Iris, who were very well developed. Alice starts out as that popular, rich, mean girl that everyone loves to hate and Iris starts out as that quiet emo girl that people love to ignore, but the authors do a great job of letting you get to know them both. Included in this story is an aspect of domestic abuse, which felt like a natural part of the story, but the authors included a note about it at the end, which I appreciated. The authors also did a great job with the supporting characters, as well as the potential suspects, slowly unpeeling the layers, which kept me guessing all the way to the end. As much as I like a Good Girl's Guide to Murder, I had mixed feelings about the main character. But this book had me empathizing with both Alice and Iris and I loved watching them become unlikely friends and allies, as they worked together to piece together the clues. I have to add that there were also quite a few funny moments in the book, one of which included Alice speaking French to a bookie (I'll leave it at that). I sat there giggling out loud and drew some strange looks from my family, ha ha!), another of which included Alice and a horse. This was an awesome YA mystery and I hope they write a lot more books in this series because I will be waiting in line.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and Random House, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I loved this book so much. It is a great story for those who love traditional who done it style novels.

The Agathas is a mystery where two unlikely teens team up to solve the mystery of a missing girl, Agatha Christie style. After the disappearance of her former best friend, Alice is convinced there was foul play. When the girl's boyfriend is arrested, Alice and her tutor-turned-friend, Iris believe there is more going on and set up to find out what really happened.

I really enjoyed this book. I had been intrigued by the premise and I am so happy to say that it did not disappoint! This book was such a page turner, and I was so curious to keep going and find out what happened next. I think the writing was really well done to keep the reader engaged, and I was still guessing almost to the very end. I also really liked Alice and Iris. I think they probably could have used a little more development, but I think there were some loose ends in the book that could possibly call for a sequel, so I'm thinking that we might see a little more development there if that's the case.

Overall, I really liked this and I am so glad I read it. I definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of mysteries!