Member Reviews
I thought Suddenly a Murder was a well-thought-out mystery read. I will tell my students about and recommend it to my librarian.
Honestly this book met all of my expectations. I felt myself constantly engaged with the storyline and the plot twist at the end was very unexpected (which is a good thing) the book constantly kept me on my toes, and I believe that's what a good mystery does. Overall, no complaints and would recommend.
Suddenly a Murder is a gripping mystery novel by acclaimed author Lauren Muñoz. Set in a small town, the story revolves around the mysterious death of a prominent businessman and the ensuing investigation that uncovers shocking secrets. The novel delves into the complexities of human nature, relationships, and the impact of past decisions on the present. Muñoz's skillful storytelling keeps the readers on the edge of their seats, as they navigate through a web of lies and deceit to unravel the truth.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝙎𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙬 𝙖 1920𝙨–𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙮, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙—𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙.
I’m starting to think I should maybe stop reading YA murder mysteries, they always have such an interesting premise, but they’re always so predictable and such a letdown.
This one sounded so good with a murder happening at a 1920s-themed party, but unfortunately, the mystery wasn’t as amusing.
I’ve said this before, but I don’t always care if the characters are likable in a mystery, I just want them to be somewhat interesting. However, I didn’t find that to be the case with any of them. Also, I really did not enjoy the romantic aspect of the story.
I always love it when there are juicy secrets and I think it was done well in this book. The interrogations from the detectives also kept my interest a few times. I also enjoyed how the book was structured with it switching between POVs and getting those flashbacks.
I have such mixed feelings about this book, I enjoyed parts of it but really disliked other parts. While I think the ending was done so well, I still ended up predicting it (which is fine).
Thank you so much NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!
Best friends Kassidy and Izzy are from two different social classes, but that doesn't change their mutual love for old classic films. After graduation, Kassidy surprises Izzy and 5 of their classmates with the trip of a lifetime: a weeklong party at the historic Ashford Manor, with everyone decked out in authentic 1920's gear. But things go awry when a guest is murdered, and with suddenly everyone is a suspect.
Told primarily from Izzy's perspective in the present, the story is also told with flashbacks from the other character's perspectives' as well. This helps heighten the overall tension of the narrative, while providing a convenient vessel for revealing the secrets of all involved. The characters were all interesting, with layers of secrets and personality making them so much more than the spoiled rich kid tropes they easily could have been. By the end, I truly felt for every single person involved. In a tale full of tragedy and betrayal, this still manages to be a beautiful story of friendship as well.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all views expressed are my own.
This is a story that follows a group of teens (most with more money than they know what to do with) who have just graduated from high school. They are having one last hurrah before they go their separate ways. The "queen bee" of the group, Kassidy, plans an over the top all expenses paid 1920s themed getaway to Ashwood Manor. All attendees are to dress in 20s garb and give up cell phones in order to "play the part" during the week. One night, Kassidy's boyfriend, Blaine, is found dead in his room. The story is told from multiple perspectives as to build the suspend of who committed the murder. The story was well written and I didn't figure out who actually killed Blaine until 3/4 of the way through the book. I definitely will be putting this book into my school library.
I just couldn't get into this one. Confused on who was who, what was going on, and the motives. Thrown off by the prologue; wasn't sure who was speaking. Not at all bad, just couldn't get invested in the story.
This book was fun! A little crazy pants but in the best kind of way. I love a good YA mystery and while I had my suspicions I didn’t guess who did it nor the ‘twist’. I read this in one sitting and I’m excited to see what the author comes out with next. My only issue was at times the syntax of the conversations was…off? Sort of weird and formal for teens, even rich ones. Not a big deal but it did pull me out of the story from time to time.
I love a good murder mystery, but I didn't care about these characters enough to have any buy in. Also the reveal was just too crazy. We needed more background with these characters in order for us to care. Not a fan.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my review.
Wow! I retelling of an agatha christie and it was phenomenally done. Would definitely recommend to everyone looking for a murder mystery.
Ooh boy this was so much fun! What is it about me that I can't resist a YA/Mystery? Add in a locked room mystery - *chef's kiss*.
I really enjoyed Suddenly a Murder by Lauren Munoz. The writing is throughly enjoyable and it makes the book unputdownable! It was full of shocking twists and turns and just enough drama to keep me hanging on to every word. The characters are extremely relatable and all the teenage drama and angst just adds on to the intrigue of the story. Would definitely recommend checking it out if you enjoy Mystery. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Like Clue, with teenagers, and less weapons. But yet, so much more! Would highly recommend this book as a fresh option within the YA genre as it has similarities to a few popular titles (such as, Truly Devious, Holly Jackson's books, Rachel McManus' books) but is truly it's own animal! Worth reading simply to try and understand how much baggage today's teenagers are carrying within.
This book had a lot of interesting twists, but they were all packed mostly at the end. I liked how it ultimately turned out, but I wish there would have been more room for us to try to solve the mystery ourselves. I think my favorite part of this book was actually the setting; where other parts lacked, it shined. Overall, I did enjoy it, and I found myself thinking about it for days after!
(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)
Had a lot of fun with this one and was surprised until the very end. The elements of mystery and real life were down so well. A person never huge a book because so many characters ended up being terrible when they were set up to be the good ones.
I think this book was a super quick read and i enjoyed it. I think the unlikable characters made the start of this book a bit rough for me but overall it was quick read and one that the ending that saved this book. If you like books by jessica goodman def pick this book up and it also had clue and sherlock holmes vibes!!! It was a good read but it did not wow me!!
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to review this title. Lauren Munoz writes a thrilling story followoing a group of teens that have graduated from high school and before they go their separate ways they have one last lavish week planned together. When one of them is discovered dead the remaining must undergo intense questioning to determine the killer. It gives very Agatha Christie vibes and the author did an excellent job of building tension and keeping me engaged. The pacing of the book is great with enough twists and turns to keep you engaged.
There were things I liked about this book and things I didn’t. All in all, I’ll say it gets 3 stars from me. This author has a pretty decent shot at getting a 5 from me in the future.
So the things I did like: she wrote teens going through teenage emotions very well. The drama, how everything feels bigger than it is? Nailed it. Getting to see kids who love the 20s? Loved that because I loved the idea of the 20s themed party and the clothing. And since the kids were rich it was a fun side of the world to see.
Things I didn’t like? There were some things early in the book that were clumsy. And since she wrote teens well, at 17/18 years old, I found them annoying (lol can’t help it). Teens have such big overblown emotions sometimes and that’s not always the thing I want to read in a mystery. But the biggest issue I have is the book’s pacing.
It was so incredibly slow. I couldn’t sit down, get comfortable and just read. I got bored. I would read a bit, put it down. Read a bit, put it down. The mystery was interesting but I just wanted things to keep happening. For the ball to keep on rolling. But it was rolling at a glacial pace.
It does pick up around the last bit of the book but that’s not a good thing. No one should have to slog through a book to get to the end because “That’s where it finally picks up and gets good”. That’s pretty damning.
I give it 3 stars for competent writing and an interesting mystery. I do look forward to seeing what else she put out in the future but maybe this one just wasn’t for me.
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to them and the publisher.
This was a somewhat entertaining teen mystery that I think the target audience would enjoy much more that I did. That being said it was still a fun read featuring a group of incredibly wealthy teens that provided a glimpse into a world most of us will never experience. I did find the prologue set up and its implications a bit clumsy but I was able to overlook that as the story continued. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC. 3.25/5 stars
Suddenly a Murder by Lauren Muñoz was a good start for a YA debut novel. The book is about 7 friends graduating high school. To kick start their fresh start as adults Kassidy decides to throw a final party. This is no ordinary party. She and her best friend Izzy have been in love with the films of the 20s, the clothing in the movies and their favorite was filmed at the beautiful Ashwood Manor. Being that Kassidy's family is rich they were able to easily reserve the Manor before its grand opening as a museum to the public and arrange no real adult supervision. The only people at the manor are the seven kids and the servants paid to serve them their meals and alcohol. But of course, this is a murder mystery, so the events of their arrival lead up to the death of Kassidy's boyfriend.
Who killed Kassidy's boyfriend? Was his murder due to jealousy of Kassidy or did someone else have something against him? The police are sent to Ashwood Manor to solve the murder, but is that all they are there to do? There are more mysteries than expected in this book.
So, there are some things I really liked about this book and other things that did not work as much for me. But that is with any book.
The author was able to showcase teenage angst. The emotions that teenagers go through in general are captured very well in this book. I enjoyed how the characters played off each other. I also liked reading the interrogations. Not that it would have been plausible to have these kids interrogated without an adult or parent guardian there, but I am not a lawyer so I cannot say for certain this would fly. (but the author is a lawyer so she will definitely know more than I).
Despite the author's ability to capture the drama of being a teenager I thought the book was slow. I was often only able to read a few pages and then I needed a break. Then I would go back again and then needed a break. It really only picked up in the last 30-40 pages of the book. The ending was good, but I felt a little let down with how everything wrapped up.
I would recommend this book to teenagers but as an adult, it was not horrible but not as fulfilling as it could have been.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for providing this copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers and netgalley for allowing me to read this book. This book was enjoyable I wanted more but overall it was okay.