In the Trap follows Hazel, an introvert and quiet girl who starts her first year of college, and who somehow ends up being the main suspect of a murder within the first weeks of her new life.

Things I like about the book: the main character (yes, I know this is very unpopular, but to me, Hazel's attitude and behaviour were realistic); the relationship between our mc and Maeve, her roommate; and the setting.

Things I wasn't a fan of: the murder mystery (which was a huge part of the story) and the writing, which wasn't very engaging (at least for me).

Although this wasn't my cup of tea and there were some things that could've been handled better, it was okay and I'd recommend it to those looking for a light read.

*Thank you NetGalley for this digital copy of In The Trap in exchange for an honest review

Hazel is a quiet college student who mostly minds her own business (while watching the world happen around her) until she gets to know her roommate, Maeve, better. One evening as they pass through the Trap, an outdoor space at their university, the two are harassed by some drunk male classmates. When one of them ends up dead, Hazel is a potential suspect, and she and Maeve try to solve the case before the police can trace either girl to the dead guy. Set just when internet diaries were becoming popular, the two delve into the campus' supposedly anonymous site. Can Hazel and Maeve figure out what happened--before anything else happens to them?

The time setting (college campus around when I attended) lured me in here. The writing wasn't always the best-- it was rather simplistic--and the mystery was a little easy to work out due to the limited cast, but I am hooked enough to want to read book #2. I definitely hoped for more of a lesbian storyline here (as I think Hazel did too) but maybe there will be more in the second book. It was nice to read a book set when I went to college, though, and I appreciated the author's focus on assault and the overall treatment of women.

In the Trap is a captivating mystery featuring Hazel, a college freshman away from home for the first time. Hazel and her roommate Maeve experience a scary encounter with two drunk men in The Trap, the grassy courtyard outside the student union. When one of the men ends up dead, Hazel is the lead suspect. Hazel and Maeve are determined to solve the crime with the help of a technology guru, Doug.
I really enjoyed this book as it reminded me of moments from my teenage years in the 00s. It made me feel nostalgic.

This was definitely a fun read. I liked both Hazel and Maeve, Their characters were not perfect and I love that. Flawed characters are my absolute favorite thing to read about. The characters were easy to relate to, I am also a major introvert and love reading from that perspective especially when it is not used to not like other girls the character. The setting being in the early 2000s was a great choice as well.
I did find the progression of the plot a bit slow but I didn't stall out on reading simply because I enjoyed the main characters. I also think that the book could be better classified as YA instead of New Adult.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. I went into it thinking it's be a fun and easy read, (which it was), but besides that, I didn't really have any expectations. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised to find a book dealing with some heavy and dark themes, while also keeping it light-hearted in a very "cozy murder mystery" way.

Even though it's fast-paced, things never felt rushed. The progress and story was well balanced throughout the book and I especially think the journal entries helped with that, acting as a small break between chapters. The characters were both interesting and believable, even though you didn't get to know that much about them. I especially enjoyed watching Hazel and Maeve's friendship grow throughout the book.

This was a really nice read that I had a hard time putting down. I'm really excited for the next book in the series, especially since it seems to be told from Maeve's point of view. I can't wait to learn more about Hazel's past, as well as learning more about Maeve in general. But mostly, I wanna read about them falling in love while solving more mysteries together.

I did not finish this book as I could tell it just definitely was my thing, that being said, I still give it two stars because I would recommend it to others who I know would love it :]

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. The description of this book sounded really interesting but when I actually went to read it it didn’t draw me in the way I was hoping. Interesting story line and characters just missing some of the hook to really draw a reader in. Otherwise good story!

2,5 stars

I really was hoping to like this book more, but I just could not get into it. The characters weren't fleshed out enough for me to care, the story could not hold my interest and I figured out the story although that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Part of me was also really hoping for more of a relationship between Maeve and Hazel. Not just romantically but they didn't even seem real friends. Just people who hung out out of necessity and lack of other people to hang out with.

An ARC was provided to me through Netgalley in return for my honest review.

This is a little difficult to rate. I did not particularly care for the characters or the major plot unfolding. That being said, I did like Jessica Cranberry's writing style and a few of the artistic decisions she made (like including the early aughts internet posts). I would consider reading a sequel if this does end up being a series but I would say this one is just okay.

**I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

I had to force myself to finish this



All through the description sounded really appealing I was soon disappointed by the writing of this.

The main characters felt quite annoying and unnecessary mean towards both each other and the people around them.

The lack of romantic development was also a big disappointment.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I wanted love this book but I just couldn’t get into it. The synopsis sounds interesting and I was excited to give it a read. But it just fell short for me. Hazel and Maeve were fun characters but they did get on my nerves at times. I was hoping for romance but that also fell short for me.

What I did enjoy:
- The year 2000 setting. I thought that was a fun setting for this book.
- The murder mystery! Maeve and Hazel teaming up to solve the murder made it fun!
- I enjoyed the chemistry between Maeve and Hazel! I just wish we got more solid romance
- The plot was well paced and the book was well written!

I will definitely read the next book in the series. I am curious to see how it develops! 3 stars out of 5!

Thanks to NetGalley and NineStar Press, LLC for the ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Tbh I didn't think that I would like this and that this would be an ok book. I was wrong. It's a good book about something that is so ugly that it's still relevant whether it's 2000 or 2022.
This is kind of like a non-comedic version of Murders in the Buildings, but with so much more at stake. It's dark and gruesome, and it was hard to start the book. I honestly just wanted to read it to get it over with. But the more I read, the more drawn in I was. I thought I knew where the story was heading, but the two plot twists just throw me off and they got me good.
I would recommend this to someone who doesn't mind reading about the ugly truth in our society - sexism, rape, and sexual harassment.
I feel like this book emphasizes too much how often sexual harassment occurs and the stereotypes of how the authority reacts and treats the victims... But the more I thought about it, it is sickeningly common and brushed over as "boys being boys" even at this age and/or put the blame on the victims or the perpetrator's background. I think that the author wrote this with the intent of spreading awareness.
Surprisingly, I liked Hazel Maeve from the start (after the first few background chapters) unlike what I was expecting from the other reviews. Thankfully there was a preview of the next book and I got closure for this book.
I hope to see how the relationship between Maeve and Hazel play out in the next book, which I hope will include more queer romance that isn't tragic.

The fact that this book is set in 2000 was really appealing to me. In the book, the killer posts diary entries on an internet blog and it was super fun and interesting to read it. My favorite character was Hazel. It was easy to relate to her. The only problem with this book is the lack of romance between Hazel and Maeve. The only thing they did between them was almost kissed, and I was disappointed because I had expected them to get together. Let's hope they get together in the next novel! I'm excited to see how it goes!

For Hazel, an introvert with a knack for people watching, campus life is awkward and hard and…lonely. That is, until she starts to let her guard down around her roommate, Maeve—who’s fun and has a wicked flair for drama. Could there be more than just a friendship here? Maybe. But Hazel has a lot of family trauma to work through before figuring out the other big parts of her life. For now, she’s just happy to have someone to talk to.
All seems to go well until a night in the Trap—the university’s green space—leads to a tense encounter with some drunk guys. When one of the guys ends up dead, Hazel is implicated, and she and Maeve set out to solve the crime before police can connect either of them to it. But how can two amateur sleuths put together a solid case to hand over to the police in time? By following the campus online diaries, that’s how….

“In The Trap” by Jessica Cranberry is the first book in a series about amateur super sleuths Hazel and Maeve. The premise of this book sounded amazing and although the book didn’t deliver the hype in my opinion, it was still a fun and entertaining read nonetheless. The plot was easy to follow and despite being a tiny bit far fetched at times, “In The Trap” was a fun way to pass the day. I would have liked their to have been more of a romantic connection between Hazel and Maeve but perhaps that will develop as the series continues, which I hope it does. 3.5 🌟🌟🌟

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

Well what a read, you get plunged into the heart pounding moments from the very beginning with this medium paced dark who dunnit novel. The descriptive writing is just beautiful, "As my laughter curled around the nearest branches of the oak tree, the circled traffic around me widened in total social avoidance". This would make an excellent audio book, so you could sit back listen and visualize the campus and dorms.
The characters were true and relatable, that internal struggle between a young adults' desires and that of their parent's expectations.

I loved the dark twist and it was definitely one that I didn't see coming. I loved how Jessica Cranberry kept me on the edge of my seat in finding out what actually happened to Hazel's parents, she kept me tantalised with a promise to finding out. The answer would just teater on the edge of realisation only to suddenly disperse into nothingness.

The underlying message of the objectification of women and both court and media's perception of the rape blame culture was inspiring. With only 1 in a 100 reported cases going to court(statistic from rape crisis England and Wales) this is a topic in which its raw and grittiness needs to being discussed more. Though a few of the male characters in this story definitely deserved to be villanised, I did at times feel empathy for males as a gender- they weren't painted in the best light. Luckily for me I was not subjected to this intense objectification at university and as an adult have surrounded myself by men who would think this behaviour abhorrent.

I will definitely be reading the next Hazel and Mauve installment, I hope their friendship continues to grow and Hazel can let go of some of her past emotions and be more vulnerable, letting someone get close to her.

Think this is one book that is going to stay with me for a while after reading!

DNF @ 60%

I tried. I really did, but this book wasn't my cup of tea at all.

So, the thing that attracted me to this book was the synopsis. I was really excited to read a fun murder mystery set in college in the year 2000, but then, the characters and the writing turned out to be a big disappointment.

I did not like Hazel or Maeve, who are the two main characters in this book. They were both extremely annoying and sometimes unnecessarily mean and insensitive to each other and other characters. There was also this dude named Doug whom I felt so sorry for most of the time because he had to deal with hazel and maeve. Poor thing was treated like trash when trying to help the girl he just went on a date with for absolutely no reason...

The writing also didn't help my liking of the book. It almost felt like the story did not know what it wanted to do... like at all. There were also a few things that didn't sit right with me regarding the way some topics were handled.

Moreover, the pacing was very slow for my liking. The actual plot/murder case happened more than halfway through the book. By that time, nothing of interest had happened and I was so exhausted and very bored.

After that, I tried pushing through it, hoping things would pick up and get better. However, at around 60% through, the characters, just out of curiosity and for fun, suddenly broke into a crime scene while the cops were still there and contaminated and stole a piece of freaking evidence!!!

At that point, I was really really really not into the whole story and so I decided to dnf the book. Honestly, very disappointed.

* I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *

// trigger/content warnings (stated at the beginning of the book) //
discussion of an on-campus murder of a student (off page); mention of the sexual assault and suicide of a family member (off page); depiction of on-campus drinking, drug use; homophobic slurs; harassment/violence against women; discussion of past trauma of a POV character; depiction of self-harm (cutting).

In the Trap is a captivating mystery featuring Hazel, a college freshman away from home for the first time. Hazel and her roommate Maeve experience a scary encounter with two drunk men in The Trap, the grassy courtyard outside the student union. When one of the men ends up dead, Hazel is the lead suspect. Hazel and Maeve are determined to solve the crime with the help of a technology guru, Doug.

I really enjoyed that this book was set in 2000. The internet blog aspect of the book where the killer is posting diary entries was really fascinating and kept me interested in the story. I also really loved Hazel’s character. I found the beginning of her journey to finding herself very relatable. The only fault with this book and the reason I rated it 3.5 instead of 4 stars is the lack of romance between Hazel and Maeve. I went into the book thinking they were going to get together, and I was disappointed that all that happened between them was an almost kiss. Hopefully, they get together in the next book! I can’t wait to read it!

In the Trap was a compelling mystery featuring Hazel, Maeve, and a guy named Doug. I was hoping for more to transpire between Hazel and Maeve than one almost kiss, but I suppose that’s the point of having a series with both of them in it. I’m sure they’ll admit their feelings to each other at some point.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

Well written with good pacing and flow, a compelling plot and well developed characters. I loved the format of the book and I read it in one sitting. A great read.

3.5
So I enjoyed this one! Loved the online diary aspect of it. But Hazel and Mazeve did annoy me at times. However towards the end they started growing one me and I started liking them:)

While reading I pictured Maeve as Maeve from one of us is lying coz their attitudes n everything were pretty similar.

So overall even tho I was annoyed by half the book. I did enjoy it coz it had a very interesting setting. It was set in the year 2000 in a college campus and it was so interesting to read about.So will def be continuing with the
series:)

Also the authors writing style was very easy to read and I flew through the book in a about a day. Loved it!

(See Goodreads for my spoiler filled review)

Thank you to Ninestar Press, Netgalley and the author for this copy of the e-arc:)