This was the first book I have read by Cynthia Murphy and it won't be the last. This is a fast-paced, action-packed YA mystery and psychological thriller that is perfect for those seeking a gripping page-turner with a twisty ending. I would recommend this if your looking for a good YA thriller. I can't wait to read more of her books.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/Delacorte Press for the ARC! A book where a series of murders targets the best and brightest in Morton Academy - a school known for it’s high-achievers. This is the definition of a gothic-style academia, which I always enjoy. Murphy had me guessing who the murderer was up until the end.

I love a nice gothic style academia novel. As head girl after head girl is dead, when will the killings stop? Who is behind it? This novel kept me reading start to finish in a day!

I really enjoyed this book, well thought out characters, a nice mystery, kept me glued to my kindle!

I started out really enjoying this book. The characters felt real to me, and the description of the school for whiz kids was interesting and unique, kind of a Harry Potter vibe without the magical powers. The budding romance between Liz and Cole moved ridiculously fast, however, and as the murders mounted up, the complacency of the school administration and the parents was difficult to accept. The development of various characters offered opportunities to suspect different individuals, which then made the incongruous conclusion a major letdown. A book that did not live up to its possibilities.

Morton Academy is a boarding school for the best and brightest. Someone is targeting the head girls of the school, all of whom are involved in a secret society. Everyone is a suspect, especially society members. With no police investigation, and a possible cover-up from the administration, Liz and her friends set off to uncover who is responsible before more deaths occur.

Fast-paced and full of twists, this was a fun one for the target audience. I would have eaten this up when I was a teenager! For a thrilling YA novel, Win Lose Kill Die is definitely worth reading.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I didn’t enjoy this title. The unreliable narrator was too unbelievable in this context, like, why would they want to start an investigation?

Elizabeth is a student at Morton, an elite boarding school with an underbelly rooted in secret societies and dark traditions. Upon returning to school following a tragic event resulting in the loss of a fellow student, everyone is determined to move on. However, sinister events start taking place on the school grounds, and as students fall one by one, will those remaining be able to find the culprit and put a stop to the horrors once and for all? Or is the enemy much closer than they realized?

I love a good “and then there was one” type mystery, and I felt this was a decent read. I got through it quickly and enjoyed the thrill and building suspense as we make our way to the conclusion. Although some parts of the story were predictable, and some of the characters felt a little flat, there were some major twists that I didn’t expect and the story caught me by surprise in the end. I wish the ending felt less rushed after all the suspense of the lead up, but I liked the setting and enjoyed all the characters and the creativity surrounding each demise! Worth the read for thriller fans.

3.5 stars

I’m sorry but what!!!! I went into this book knowing it would be good as a fan of Cynthia Murphy but what!? This book follows Liz and the jewel and bone secret society at the Morton Academy. It was a fast paced who-dun-it mystery, I thought I had it figured out and my mouth is still hanging open. This is a quick read thriller that will leave you saying what!

Ultimately, this wasn't the book for me. I struggled to care much about any of the characters and the ending didn't have the anticipated impact ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Everyone wants to be head girl at Morton Academy. This is a school for high-achievers. However, when bodies start piling up, the students begin to worry about who is after them.
We follow Liz, Taylor, Kat, Marcus, and Cole as they all set out to find out exactly what is going on.

Holy crap! I couldn't believe the ending of this book. When I first started the book, the description of the school reminded me of a book I read last year. Not fully but just a little bit.
I really liked this book and I didn't see the ending coming at all. I highly recommend this book to people who like to be kept on their toes. This is a definite page turner.

2.5 stars

This is a page turner, though it is an odd mix of reading young especially in the dialogue. While I liked a few things like the friends, I thought the ending was a mix of obvious and nonsensical in combination with some of the things that played out. It doesn't help that is rests on one of my least favorite tropes. For a school of supposedly the top students, they sure all make horrible choices and who choose that principle?

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I think I kept reading to figure out the end. I’m notorious for having to know the how and why of thriller books, even if the book doesn’t warrant a finish. Which I could’ve lived without finishing this book.

this book was such a ride!

the first half of the book did feel slow to me and it took me a while to get into the story, but halfway through the plot really picked up! it was a captivating mystery and i loved the elite boarding school setting. i also enjoyed the fact that the killer wasn't obvious. i was suspecting people left and right and the final reveal of who the perpetrator actually was truly shocked me! i didn't see it coming at all.

this was a fun, twisted murder mystery and i'm very excited to read the rest of cynthia murphy's works!

Exclusive prep school, secret society, questionable narrator recovering from amnesia, slasher vibes - if these are your things, and you love a YA thriller, this one is for you. I enjoyed the pace and the nostalgic teen horror vibes - and didn’t put the pieces together on my own

i really enjoyed this book, which in some ways is surprising because im not usually into slasher-style stories but this one was so good (and maybe i just don’t like the movies). i have to pat myself on the back because i figured out what was going on really early in the story. my confidence wavered a few times, but the ending confirmation had me screaming. this plot is so fast-paced and fun. the dark academia x psycho killer vibes kept me intrigued the whole time.

This was a fun YA murder mystery that gave me murdery Gossip Girl vibes. I suspected the twist, but kept changing my mind throughout the story. I enjoyed the book and was was pleasantly surprised with how it all came together in the end!

Also.... can we talk about "Billy Loomis"?! 😂🔪🔪

this book was a blast! I didn’t see the twist coming and enjoyed every second of it. And the characters were well rounded and not a bit of it was cheesy as I worried it could be. And the author really did a phenomenal job and I read the whole book so fast it was wild. This would be good for late preteen and up, I am in my 40s and thoroughly enjoyed it!

This seemed so young, even younger than a typical YA book. Some plot points seemed unnecessary, and the ending was confusing. I am going to chalk this one up to being for a much younger audience than I am.

I want to thank Netgalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for an ARC of this book.

Win Lose Kill Die by Cynthia Murphy
Published: November 28, 2023
Delacorte Press
Genre: Teen & Young Adult School & Education Fiction
Pages: 262
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

There is a lot to appreciate in this book. I loved that this elite school selected the students based on their academic success and intelligence, not the amount in their family's checking account.

This gave a level playing field vibe, as the characters were similarly rooted as far as their home lives. I loved the sisterhood and the way the story flowed.

There were several twists I didn’t see coming, and I liked the alternating narration. I did guess who the killer was, but I’m a hardcore thriller fan. That did not deter me from the story, though.

I did have to remind myself that this is a YA thriller, so the plot didn’t get as profoundly twisted as I prefer from my thriller books. But I liked how Murphy told a story, fleshed out her characters, and invited me into a school of nightmares.