I guessed a couple of the twists pretty early on but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. Very THEY WISH THEY WERE US and ONE OF US IS LYING vibes of which both I love. I rooted for Spencer to find the truth and of course, my favorite character was Ripley haha. I was disappointed with one of the twists though and thought it didn't really mesh with the earlier character development. Overall, I enjoyed this as I love dark academia thrillers.

“One of them was driving. One of them was high. One of them screamed. And one of them died.”
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Spencer Sandoval wakes up from a car accident that killed her friend, Chris, and her recent-ex boyfriend is being charged with his death. Even though Ethan was driving and she just caught him cheating on her, Spencer is determined to find out what really happened that night now that her memories are gone. With the help of Ethan’s best friend, Spencer starts to put the pieces together and realizes that everyone involved is on the prestigious Headmaster’s List at their prep school. Is that part of why the accident happened in the first place?
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Like with all YA books I read by Melissa de la Cruz, it was just okay for me. It was a mix of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and prep school mysteries like They Wish They Were Us and The Ivies. Nothing groundbreaking or original. I saw the twist coming, but had to finish to make sure I was right. This had the formula for the mystery books being released right now, but it was missing something for me. The audiobook was done really well.

CW: hospitalization, PTSD, panic attacks, gun, alcohol, drug use, drug dealing, car accident, attempted murder

Looking for your next fun thriller/mystery? As soon as I picked up The Headmaster’s List, I couldn’t put it down! I did not guess the twists in this one and it had me turning page after page to find out more! After reading this, I will definitely be picking up more of Melissa’s books!

The mystery kept me reading even through some parts that were a bit slow and some times not believable. I am not a big fan of "regular" people trying to solve a mystery that the police have closed the books on. It just feels like if the police can't solve it, how can someone else solve it.

I had a couple of guesses of what really happened - I was not too far off, but I don't think it took away from the story. Reading the podcast added some information and a different perspective. I do think Ripley the dog was my favorite character and Tabby my least favorite - this character being neither he nor she was distracting and felt like it was just thrown in - it had no real part to the story.

The ending was a good one - it answered all the lingering questions.

The Headmaster's List was a perfectly enjoyable YA thriller.

Spencer was a likable character and I was rooting for her. An aspiring astrophysicist, Spencer was badly injured in a car accident that killed a fellow student. Now she has a therapy dog, some bad PTSD about riding in cars (understandable) and a desire to remember what happened the night of the accident.

The Headmaster's List did have a bit of a Good Girls Guide to Murder feel, as Spencer and her new friend Jackson, whose family is in disgrace after his father's financial misdeeds, try to get to the truth.

The ending was a tiny bit of a letdown. I understood the who, but the why was a bit of a stretch to me. Still, I enjoyed reading The Headmaster's List.

Reviewed on YA All Day, my YA blog!

I wanted to love this book, however this one just wasn't for me. I ended up listening to this on audio (thank you MacMillan Audio for the gifted audiobook) and it just didn't hit right. I found the narration to lacking and borderline abrasive due to the narrator trying to sound like a teen but falling short. the writing itself followed the same path of trying to sound like she was in highschool but wasn't. I have read a lot of ya mystery in the past and this story has been done and was predictable throughout. I was able to have my attention held through to the end but is not a book I would read again.

The Headmaster's List was a quickly paced and engaging read. I enjoyed the determination of the lead character, Spencer. Spencer has no recollection of that night due to a head injury sustained during the crash, but she is convinced details are missing from the case and she goes searching for them. Among the twists, turns, and variety of leads, Spencer finds her answer. It just wasn't the answer she expected.

#netgalleyarc I really enjoyed this YA mystery/thriller. I generally really like this author’s work, and this title was no exception. I really liked the layout of the book. The shorter chapters were much appreciated sited and I liked the few podcast parts that popped up throughout the book. The characters were classic YA characters but enjoyable none the less. This definitely has a Good Girls Guide to Murder vibe and I’ll def be adding it to my HS library.

This was a YA thriller. I found it enjoyable even though I guessed pretty early on what was going on. I did like the format of the audiobook especially for the podcast sections.

I literally could not put this book down I was so hooked. I devoured it in two days. It’s a very tragic, emotional story about searching for the truth no matter the consequences or what it may reveal. It’s about survivors guilt and overcoming adversity. The plot completely sucked me in and I couldn’t stop reading until I figured it out. It kept me guessing the whole way through. The characters are real, relatable, and easy to empathize with. Also, the dog is obviously my favorite character. I did feel like there were some continuity errors and maybe not the most believable reveal but it was definitely shocking. I highly recommend this one. It is an exciting, fast read and I think fans of other popular YA thrillers will most definitely enjoy this one.

Star Rating: —> 3.5 Stars

This definitely was a gripping YA thriller, but I feel like it was definitely written for the younger side of YA, even though the content is not. In other words, the prose was a bit juvenile. I feel like it was an average read— good if you’re in the mood for a teen high school dark academia-esque mystery, but nothing about it really blew me away. I didn’t entirely guess the twist at the end though, which is always great!

5/10 recommend!

A huge thank you to Fierce Reads via netgalley for the arc! All thoughts & opinions are my own.

OMG! How does Melissa DeLaCruz make such amazing stories?! I think this is my favorite! In this gripping mystery, Spencer wakes up in the hospital after a car crash that killed a classmate, but can't remember any of the details. Her ex-boyfriend is being accused of murder, but Spencer knows that he couldn't have done it. AMAZING!

As you probably know if you have read any reviews by me in the past, I am a big fan of stories involving private schools or posh schools in affluent neighborhoods. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s the idea that there is usually some really juicy drama that draws me in. This book was definitely no different.

The Headmaster’s List by Melissa de la Cruz follows a group of kids, mostly Spencer, after a terrible accident takes the life of one of their own and incurs the others; also leaving one awaiting their fate on trial. So much drama right off the bat. Spencer is a bit type-A, but I really enjoyed the story from her point of view. Also, I really, really want a glimpse of this elusive planner she always talks about. Maybe she can make me more organized! While I can’t relate to Spencer directly, I did relate to the need to have to find her missing time in her mind. I felt I would need to do the same thing and it was like others in the story didn’t understand her need to know what happen.

Jackson was also a character I really liked. He seemed to have a lot of layers as we learned about his back story and issues with his family. Ethan was an interesting character too because everyone spoke about him as if he was a bad guy, but he was a good guy in my perspective. De la Cruz did a great job of developing these multi-layered characters that had a lot of good traits, but also negative traits and issues that real life people struggle with, which I think will help readers connect to the book.

My one issue with this novel was that the title is The Headmaster’s List, which is a real life list at the school, but honestly has nothing to do with the story for the most part. It’s catchy and it got me in because I was expecting some giant drama surrounding the school, but that’s not what it ended up being. I still really enjoyed the story as is and would absolutely read more of her books, but felt the name was a little deceiving.

Young adults and teens will definitely gravitate to this book. It gave me Good Girl’s Guide to Murder vibes and if you are a fan of Holly Jackson then you will like this book. Same teenage investigator vibes and they even twist in a fun podcast! Definitely pick up a copy!

I had high hopes for The Headmaster's List due to instant intrigue by the premise. However; I was disappointed that there weren't multiple moving points of view and less podcast feature. I was not able to continue this novel as I quickly lost interest.

Unfortunately, The Headmaster’s List was a miss for me. This might work better for someone who is new to reading or watching thrillers. As someone who reads a lot in the genre, this felt like nothing new at all. I saw the twists coming from the very beginning and stuck with it hoping I was wrong. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook to review, I also purchased the audiobook.

2.5 stars

Spencer, Ethan, Tabby, and Chris were all in a car accident the night of the end of summer party. As a result of the accident Spencer suffered a head injury and can’t remember anything about that night. While everyone is insistent it was Ethan’s fault she can’t ignore a nagging feeling that something more is at play here. As she investigates Spencer finds herself with more questions than answers. Will she ever find out the truth of what really happened that night?

When I first saw this compared to One of Us is Lying and Gossip Girl I was so excited, sign me up for all the dark academia! And while the concept of the plot was intriguing, it was just not well executed.

Let’s start with the positives: I absolutely loved the format of the book. Throughout the chapters of Spencer’s sleuthing we’re also given the crash report, transcripts of a podcast, and other notes which was really cool. And my favorite part of the book was Spencer’s service dog Ripley. She was such a good girl!

Something that left me feeling mixed were the red herrings. They had the beginnings of great twists but then they’d be immediately abandoned as dead ends which was frustrating. Especially as they were more interesting than the actual final twist, which just left me feeling meh.

Something else that didn’t work for me was the weird pacing. There were chapters where it was action packed but a majority of the book was slower paced with day to day life that didn’t feel necessary. At 400 pages it just felt too long, if it had been 250-300 pages that focused more on the leads/twists I feel it would have been a better read. Plus this was an obvious mystery, I had the majority of it figured out at the 10% point. There were also a decent amount of plot holes that I just can’t get past.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Roaring Brook Press for this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a solid YA thriller that left me guessing; I finished it in about a day. The majority of the book centered on Spencer's (the protagonist) investigation into a car accident that left her severely injured and one other student dead. Mixed media was included throughout the story as well. Several plot twists towards the end really sped things up.

VERY similar vibes to A Good Girls Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson.

Also, there's a dog.

Although i liked the way this was told, I had a problem with the content. Drugs and addiction are triggering for me because of a family member's past. And although this wasn't about addiction, it was still the drug aspect of it and it was just too much for me. I don't think there's anything wrong with this book, but it's just not for me.

Spencer wakes up in the hospital after being injured in a car crash that involved her and three other students from Armstrong but she only remembers a few details. One of the students, Chris, died in the crash and another passenger, Tabby, won’t talk to Spencer but only glares at her. Ethan was driving and speeding and says he tried to brake but the car wouldn’t stop and they hit a tree. Ethan is on house arrest, Tabby seems fine but angry, Chris died and Spencer has broken some bones and has stitches from her jaw to her cheekbone. Jackson, Ethan’s best friend, helps Spencer get around and with her schoolwork, as well as helping her piece the details from the night of the accident together because she’s extremely frustrated that she can’t remember. The more she digs into the details, the more in danger she becomes.
Fast-paced mystery with a slow burn romance, 5 stars!

Likes/dislikes: I like the intense, poetic opening that reveals the story. I like Spencer’s strength and integrity and Jackson’s personality. I enjoyed figuring out the mystery and how a mental health therapy dog helped a trauma victim.
Matue content: PG-13 for prescription drug addiction, drinking, vaping
Language: PG-13 for 24 swears and 5 f-bombs
Violence: PG for brakes being cut to cause an accident, hit and run, being held at gunpoint and being hit in the head with a gun.

Spencer remembers very little about the night that changed her life, but she does remember that her boyfriend was cheating on her at that party. Which is why she can’t figure out why she’d get in a car with him, along with two other kids that she didn’t know all that well. Fighting PTSD and a new dependency on pain pills, good girl Spencer is struggling to keep up with her grades while also fighting to clear her cheating ex-boyfriend’s name. You heard that right.

I did think it odd that this girl was at that party where she finds her boyfriend cheating yet she is fighting so hard to clear him and has such faith that he wouldn’t have driven recklessly while others were in the car with him. As the facts roll in, her convictions grow stronger that he has been misunderstood. Despite his pleading guilty to the charges. So why does she keep trying to clear him? Melissa de la Cruz writes a dramatic high school mystery that while not very mysterious is pretty thrilling. I enjoyed this glimpse into Spencer’s fractured mind as she tries to piece together the puzzle. The Headmaster’s List was entertaining and easy to read. If you like high school gossip and drama mixed with a little thrill, then this novel may be what you need.

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I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review and it was honest!