The Finalists by David Bell is a superb read. With tight plotting and great characters. A read well worth spending time on.

I love David Bell's previous books.
This book would be enjoyed by activist types, people that get offended easily and readers interested in the political differences of poor and rich people.
I HATED this book. All of the characters were unlikable and I actually threw the book when I finished.

I was disappointed. When I started it I told a neighbor who ws responsible and why. I was right. Some of the scenerios were preposterious.

I normally devour anything David Bell writes. Seeing this book’s digital copy on my library made me ultra energetic. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it!

But as soon as my reading journey starts, it bumps into a block that prevents me enjoy this book!

What does the block contain?
Firstly, plot idea: dark academia meets escape room theme was interesting but the entire execution, the motivations and actions of the characters were not sensible enough for me to get into the story and connect with the characters.

Without giving so much away I could only say the entire execution about the rules of the competition to earn Hyde Fellowship were way too much extreme. I didn’t buy them!

8 chosen students compete for the position in expanse to put their lives in danger is also a little far fetched plot.

It started too slow, eventless and as soon as the students start dying, things get a little messier and extremely escalated.

Still quick and short chapters helped me to get into the story. Second half was fast pacing. And ending was so much better than I expected.

But I’m still giving three solid stars. As a devoted fan of the author I’m still excited to read his upcoming novels but unfortunately this one didn’t work for me!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

3.25*
Hmmm…I really struggled trying to write this review. As a devoted fan of this author I’m always on the lookout for his latest. Unfortunately this may be my least favorite of his works.

Private college can be outrageously expensive. So if a huge scholarship were being offered by the college’s main benefactor wouldn’t you want it? Of course! Heck, you don’t even have to apply! The benefactor chooses YOU and 5 others to compete for it. As the stakes rise the competition turns deadly. Now the participants must decide if the scholarship is worth their lives!

For me, some of the storyline just didn’t add up. I’m all for checking my believability at the door but this just asked too much even from me. The actions of the students and their college administrator didn’t ring true or realistic to me. I love a locked-room mystery and think this may have worked (somewhat) if the location would have been different. I can’t say much more without risking spoilers so I’ll just leave it at that.

What I did enjoy is the ease of David Bell’s writing. Short, quick chapters that always end with a bit of a cliffhanger so you can’t stop. And I didn’t! I finished in only a couple sittings.

While this wasn’t a favorite I’m still a huge fan and already queuing up for next years’ release!

Hoping I’m just an outlier and you all love it!

Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...

Thank you to Elisha at Berkley Publishing via Netgalley for an ARC to read and review.

Six college students, a college administrator and the heir to the college namesake are all locked in a house on campus for a day to compete for a "prestigious" and very sought after scholarship. The story flows well but does lag a little in parts. Once one of the eight dies and then a second and then a third is injured, you want to find out what happened. While the story keeps you reading, it does lack some character building. Overall a good read, my first by this author.

The finalists by David bell release date August. The finalists are handpicked candidates for a scholarship and position after graduation. This is done each at a specific Saturday by a family grant. This book is extremely slow without any suspense. I would not recommend

The Finalists by David Bell . Very slow paced and the characters are unreliable. Nicholas Hyde is unsympathetic and more than a bit weird. The traditions and rules that had to be followed to be eligible for the scholarship money were unrealistic. Really, toasting to the success of testing with $6,000 bottle of whiskey, Unfortunately, this story fell flat for me.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

This was an interesting book, it seemed low key in there wasn't a lot of activity or many characters, just 8 people locked in a house together for the day... so there were moments I felt it was a little slow.
But one person in the house dies, then another, then another one gets hurt... who did it?? and who will be next??
They all seem to have motives, at times you feel it could be any one of them.
I was hooked and needed to know what/who was behind all this! It kept me up late reading, I couldn't stop.
The ending was interesting, not quite what I expected. But you'll have to read it yourself to find out about that!