Let's start this out with the obvious - Ripley is the goodest girl. And while several of the twists were predictable from the start, I didn't quite see the last few coming. Also can we talk about how great of a podcast name Get Salty is? I feel like we probably could've done with a few less pages and more insight into the implications of the Headmaster's List, but it's an enjoyable YA thriller.

*Thank you to Roaring Book Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital arc of this title for review.

Prestigious prep school. Car accident. Death. Secrets. Teens behaving badly. All this adds up to me adding this title to my library's collection. Many students are fans of Karen McManus books, and I think this book will also appeal to them.

Elements I liked!
A narrator with retrograde amnesia means that a participant in the car accident in trying desperately to get her memories back. She's also quite the overachiever so her investigation is thorough. However, her blind spot is such that she takes quite a bit to get to the answer.

An emotional service dog named Ripley from the character from Alien. What's not to love.

A prep school that is just terrible for the soul, but everyone plays along because it helps them in the end.....

Elements I didn't like as much
I figured out a lot of what happened very, very early.

I think teens will like this quite a bit!

The Headmaster's List
by Melissa de la Cruz
Pub Date: 28 Feb 2023
Spencer is a straight A, homework loving, top student at one of the most prestigious high schools in L.A. Her boyfriend Ethan is handsome and rich (and a bit of a bad boy). Her life is perfectly on track until she wakes up in the hospital with no memory of what put her there besides a quick flash of a light, a scream, and a tree. One of her classmates is dead and the world is screaming for justice. Her super popular privileged boyfriend is the target of their anger. He was driving recklessly; he doesn't care about anyone but himself; he's a spoiled monster. As Spenser slowly starts to remember details of that night, she is sure there's more to the story.
Good read. My high school students will love it.
#theheadmasterslist
#netgalley

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of The Headmaster's List. I was excited by the premise of this title, but I was underwhelmed by the execution. I knew from the first mention of where her injuries were what the twist would be, and that removed a lot of the suspense for me. I do, however, know some of my students will be drawn to and enjoy this title, and for that reason, I will most likely still purchase it for my library. It just didn't connect with me.

I had some difficulty reading this text due to the way the ARC downloaded, so that may have affected my overall feeling about it. It was engaging and I liked the plot idea. I did find some of the. characters confusing in how they were described, as well as the school setting. My guilty pleasure is reading YA books that take place in private schools since I've worked in them for over 30 years and I like to see how realistic they are. This one was suspenseful right until the end!

Thank you for my copy!

This will be an enticing mystery for high school readers. I wasn't expecting that the true person responsible was the person it turned out to be. I think readers will relate to many of the characters.

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and were not affected by the free copy.

One of them was driving.
One of them was high.
One of them screamed.
And one of them died.

Spencer Sandoval wishes she could remember what happened when fifteen-year-old Chris Moore was killed in a car crash. But she can't remember anything - not why she got in the car, not why she was with Ethan, Chris, and Tabby, and certainly not what led to the crash. Spencer tries to fill in the blanks in her memory, while Ethan is charged with reckless driving and child endangerment.

I really, really wanted to love this book. It was fine, but it did not leave any lasting impressions on me. The "One of them" blurb read like a nursery rhyme, which I loved. For the most part it was well-written, and it moved pretty quickly, I never got bored. However, I saw both twists coming, which definitely took away from my enjoyment of the book. This book is good for YA mystery readers.

It's December now, so it means something when i tell you this is the worst read I've had all year. That isn't how service animals work, the twist was given away repeatedly from around 10% in, the titular item was only brought up very occasionally and very peripherally, and a supporting character does a seemingly random 180 toward the end because there just wasn't another way to bring this shit-show of a plot together. Skip it, seriously.

A fast read. a YA mystery, that deals with a car accident, Spenser loses her memory of what happens and knows something isn't right. While some of the book is repetitive and superficial, it briefly touches on issues of racism and pain pill addiction. I wish more weight was given to these topics. The ending felt somewhat forced, "bad" guys" being created for shock value, rather than really moving the story on

Although I guessed the first twist (yes I said first!), the ones that followed were worth the read! Overall, another great book by de la Cruz. I just wish it hadn’t of taken over 50% to finally pick up and stop becoming so repetitive.
3.5/5 ⭐️s

This is a new and phenomenal Ya Thriller! If you like AGGGTM then you will love this book! It kept me on the edge of my seat and I wanted to find out so bad what really happened that night! It was so good, and I was sad when I finished it. I wish I could read it for the first time all over again.

This was a fast, engaging read and I loved the premise. I absolutely love the amnesia trope so I was excited to read. It did fall a little short for me in that I guessed the big twist almost immediately, which was fine, but I wish there had been a little more nuance to it. And/or if the red herrings had been more suspicious. This wasn't mind-blowing but if you like YA mysteries, you'll like this.

"The Headmaster's List" had a lot of potential, but unfortunately it fell a little flat for me. With a mix of believable and unbelievable, this was part intriguing, part predictable, and at times read more like a manual of "How Not To Train New Detectives" than a YA thriller. Our protagonist was a bit hard to take, as were most of the supporting characters, with the exception of Riley. I think that most teens would probably enjoy this book, and would recommend it, even though it wasn't really for me.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the chance to review this book before it comes out on February 28, 2023.

The Headmaster's List follows Spencer who wakes up from a car crash with a broken arm and a concussion. All she knows is that someone is dead. Spencer is trying to piece together what happened. Her ex took the fall for the whole accident but Spencer thinks there might be more to it. And she is determined to uncover the truth before the police do.

This was a good YA thriller. I will say that it is book did try a little too hard to be like A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and One Of Us Is Lying. Which is fine but those books were just so good. But I liked the overall story and I wanted to read to the end to see what was going to happen. I do think this book dragged on a little. But It was really good for a YA thriller. I do think I would suggest it. Thank you NetGalley, Melissa De La Cruz, Macmillian for the ARC of this book.

I can't help but love a good YA mystery and Melissa de la Cruz did a fantastic job at keeping me intrigued throughout The Headmaster's List! Spencer Sandavol has no recollection of how she was in the car with her ex-boyfriend and three other random students from her fancy prep school in Los Angeles. We follow Spencer as she tries to navigate the aftermath of the car accident, her ex-boyfriend being on trial, and a whole lot of other curveballs. This is a solid mystery and even though I kind of had inklings about what would happen Melissa de la Cruz did an amazing job at making me second guess if I was right! If you want a good mystery then you can't go wrong with this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars.

Spoilers ahead. I will not reveal anything big - most of the review vaguely alludes to plot, structure, and characters.

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I found the premise of this book to be very interesting - four passengers are in a terrible car accident and three walk away. All were members of an elite list at their rigorous prep school. I mean, what's not to like? The characters in this book are likable, smart, and diverse, which I commend the author for - it's hard to nail all three. There are so many characters that only serve to be a sounding board for the main character - I wanted to see more from the younger sister who's apparently some sort of genius, but her smarts play no substantial role in solving things. I found the twist o be very predictable from very early on, though the specifics of it were a bit more obscured. I liked this book well enough, but I found it to be a typical murder mystery that relied too much on the typical tropes to make it stand out.

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Again, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A great mystery with a TWIST! Sometimes things have to fall apart completely before you can find the truth and put yourself back together.

As an adult reader of YA mystery this book hit a little different for me than I think it will for teen readers. I found the twist to be glaringly obvious from the first chapter, the secondary twist was a little more surprising. The writing was well done and engaging, the pages turned quickly despite suspecting what was to come. I had a hard time liking Spencer much and her BFF was intolerable (although not being a teen myself maybe she's true to life of teen relationships these days). Overall this was a fun entry into a crowded genre. Certainly not the best of them but by no means the worst.

I have not read Melissa de la Cruz in a hot minute and it was so easy to get right back into her writing with "The Headmaster's List".

Many years ago the Blue Bloods series by Melissa de la Cruz had a deathgrip on me, but I didn’t really follow her much in recent years. When I saw this pop up for upcoming books, I immediately requested an ARC. The synopsis for this one sucked me right in, and I love a YA mystery!

Fifteen-year-old Chris Moore is tragically killed in a car crash, leaving the students at an elite LA private school, Argyle Prep, full of questions. What happened? Who was driving? And whose to blame? No one wants these answers more than Spencer Sandoval, who was in that car. As rumors swirl that her ex, Ethan, was behind the wheel, she struggles to bring herself to defend him. She can’t remember anything from that night - not the reason for their messy breakup that night, or even what put her in that car with Ethan and Chris. To make matters worse Peyton Salt, the creator of a viral podcast, attends Argyle Prep as well, and is determined to crucify Ethan. Spencer is determined to find out what really happened, even if those answers come at a deadly price.

If you love the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series, this one is definitely for you! Filled with some of the similar aspects that I absolutely love, this was such a fresh twist that kept me guessing until the very last chapter! The Headmaster’s List was an addictive mystery, with complex characters (I absolutely loved Spencer!), the glitz and glamour of an elite LA private school, and plot twists galore.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

Pub date: February 28, 2023