"[Zhang Dongsheng]...allowed himself an inward smile...He had committed the perfect crime-nothing could compare to the 'accident' he had choreographed."

July, 2013. Zhang took his in-laws for an outing at Sanmingshan, a nature park. After climbing up to the observation point, on the most famous mountain in Ningbo, Zhang seated them on a long wide wall to take their photo. "...then without warning he grabbed their legs and lifted sending them hurling down the mountain. They screamed....". No one was looking in their direction. Zhang had gotten away with murder, or so he thought. Three young teens were fooling around nearby.

Zhu Chaoyang, 13 years old, lived in a shabby, musty apartment. His mother worked a low-paying job with long hours and was often away for days. His father, having abandoned the family, chose to live a cushy life with his demanding new wife and spoiled daughter. Chaoyang was a diligent student, a math superstar with a promising future. He felt isolated and alone, was bullied at school, and embarrassed by his small stature. He should never have opened the apartment door to two runaways from an abusive orphanage in Beijing. Ding Hao was a former classmate who Chaoyang hadn't seen in five years. Along with him was Pupu, an eleven year old girl who ran away from the orphanage with Hao. They were out of money, had begged on the street, and now hoped that Chaoyang would let them stay for the night.

Using an old camera, barely able to hold a charge, Chaoyang took a video of Pupu to burn so that her dad would receive it in the afterlife. The video, taken at the lookout point at Sanmingshan, would reveal Zhang's so-called carefully planned murder as seen in the video's background.

Three kids with troubled pasts. A plan to blackmail the murderer, Zhang. Three kids who get sucked into more than they bargain for. "Chaoyang realized that he was afraid of the murderer-and of his new friends." So many unfair elements make up the lives of these youngsters.

"Bad Kids" by Zijin Chen is a dark thriller that questions societal accountability, parental responsibility and judges the resultant behaviors presented by the trio. A crime is covered up and bad choices are made. The age of the protagonists who lack a moral compass is a tragedy, in part, due to the circumstances of their upbringing. A chilling, heartbreaking novel.

Thank you Pushkin Vertigo and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great book with an unexpected twist at the end. I got shocked from the start, having to re-read the first few pages again to make sure what happened really happened-which was a first for me!

I watched the Bad Kids tv series when it first came out a few years ago and was shocked to see the English translation of the book available on NetGalley. The show was really popular and I was curious to read the work that it was adapted from.

The book involves a murder that is witnessed and inadvertently filmed by three kids. Each kid has gone through hardship in different ways and rather than report the murder to the police, they decide to blackmail the murderer for money in exchange for the footage. What could go wrong?

I binged the book on a plane ride and am still thinking about it. The writing style is simple and not particularly descriptive. I find it tends to tell rather than show. That said, the characters are where the book shines. I really like the title of the book because it makes us question are the kids actually bad or are they victims of circumstance? Perhaps both. I won’t spoil the book but it was an enjoyable, dark read with a bit of an ambiguous ending. There are some key differences in characters and the plot toward the end between the show and the book. The show I believe was modified due to Chinese censorship laws. I have to admit I kind of preferred the tv show’s ending and I’m looking forward to a rewatch now that I’ve read the book.

Bad Kids is an amazingly captivating story that will have you gripping for every single page. I am obsessed with it, the characters are complex and beautifully written, so much so, you cannot help but both love and hate the all. It covers a number of complex situations such as revenge, murder and more, and I highly recommend it for everyone who loves a captivating thriller!

I really liked the plot of this book. It was very unique in the writing style. It was very easy to follow; I finished it in a day! Did t want to put it down.

I liked this, the concept was interesting and the story flowed nicely. I was definitely interested to see what was going to happen the entire read. I wish there had been a little more suspense toward the ending and a few more plot twists.