Bad Like Us is a quick YA murder mystery.

Two friend groups gather to hang out over Spring break in a remote cabin near the beach. As tensions rise when the groups clash, a murder is discovered. There are multiple povs, many characters, and flashback scenes that set the dynamics of the friendships and connections.

I did enjoy the story, it was a different type of who dun it than what I usually read. I liked how the author was able to present who was lying, and who got caught in their lies with the detective interview portions. It is pretty predictable however it was easy to follow along and come up with theories, the author teased a good bit of information with the flashback scenes and it seemed everyone may have had a grudge against Piper, the murder victim.

I had a tough time connecting with the characters, there were just so many of them and I kept getting confused about who was who and what the connection with each other was. The ending was too rushed for me, I would have liked to see what Miles's future is like after the scandal and what happened to the other characters that were involved.

All in all, I did enjoy picking up this quick thriller, I would recommend it for teens and those who want to read something similar to the show Pretty Little Liars.

Thank you Netgalley, Inkyard Press, and Gabriella Lepore for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

For me, there were too many "Main" characters. It was hard for me to keep up. Overall, I think my teens will like this book because of the mystery behind it.

Bad Like Us
Gabriella Lepore
YA Mystery and Thriller
Coming 3/5/24
☆☆☆☆

Two friend groups clash over spring break after someone turns up dead. With almost no trust to go around, can they figure out who did it or why?

This YA thriller was enjoyable, and definitely a fast read for me. It was interesting enough from the beginning, but it did pick up in pace while bringing about some feelings of frustration from me towards the end. I wasn't expecting the burst of emotion, but I really felt for the characters and wanted to see things improve for them. Some of them anyways. 😜

Thank you to Inkyard Press for approving me to read this ARC on netgalley! This book comes out on 3/5/24. If you enjoy YA Thrillers, give this book a try!

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#readeveryday #readandreview

Great atmosphere and setting, but I wanted more from the characters. The story itself was engaging enough, though, and I wanted to keep reading. I'd give it 3.5 stars rounded up.

In the vein of Karen m. McManus. I do love a ya mystery amongst friends. This one was more predictable than most, in my opinion. And it felt rushed. All of the drama and mystery occurred over 24 hours? The time hopping confused me and was largely unnecessary. Decent summer read.

I received an ARC copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great mystery set on a stormy beach and I loved how that left the characters stranded and in danger. I was highly irritated by part of it at one point, but that's a good thing. The characters got to me in the way their supposed to get to you during that chapter. I'd recommend this book, especially for an alternate beach read.

Overall the pacing was set up well. I enjoyed that we got multiple POVs, as well as flashbacks, social media hints , and police interviews, I was definitely all over the place in who I thought may have done it. Overall solid book. I can say I didn’t connect with most of the characters.

Bad Like Us is a very good book. I give it 5/5 stars. It’s a mystery, told in mostly 2 separate POVs , sometimes 3, which I don’t mind at all. I love to see multiple perspectives. This book definitely gave off “Pretty Little Liars” vibes. Two friend groups intertwine when they all go to an off grid cabin. One of the teenagers ends up dead and so that leaves us to believe that the killer must be someone in the group. A lot of the chapters end with a cliff hanger to entice you to continue reading. It wasn’t drawn out and was an enjoyable easy read that keeps you on your toes. I was in a reading slump and was craving a good little mystery and this book is exactly what I was looking for. Some of the chapters cut off randomly but in the next chapter it is picked back up in a Different POV which I thought was very unique. This is a good mystery without being too scary! I highly recommend.

YA thrillers are one of my favorite genres, so I was so excited to read Bad Like Us. However, I couldn't connect with any of the characters, all of whom seemed one-dimensional. And while the plot kicks off with a huge event, there wasn't enough suspense to keep the story going for me. It just felt like a list of things happening, rather than a narrative unfolding.

Plotwise, this story was set up very well. I was consumed with trying to discover who killed Piper and why, because it seemed like everyone on the trip had a grudge against her.

Unfortunately, the rest of the book didn't match up to the beginning. The plot itself was very confusing between Miles' scandal, Piper and Danny's weird and unexplaned friendship, and the focus on the relationships: the love triangle between Danny, Piper, and Javier (which I suppose could serve to the murder plot) and Colton and Eva which seemed a little out of place. Additionally, Piper's Vlog chapters seemed unnecessary. They added a little bit of context, but I feel the story could've went without them. The resolution at the end also seemed a little rushed.

In the end, I enjoyed the premise (who doesn't enjoy a teen murder mystery plot?) and I liked Lepore's ingenuity in trying something new with the vlog chapters, so I rated this book 3.75 stars!

Thank you, Netgalley and Inkyard Press for the ARC!

My thriller quota has been filled by this book along. This book was filled with such twist and turns and the plot was beyond chefs kiss.

A thriller with enough twist and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat. From the very first page the author builds the suspense and makes you think you have the story figured out until the true killer is revealed in the end. If you like the movie I know what you did last summer, you’ll love this book.

I really loved this. Typically I get confused with *too* many characters but each character was so uniquely themselves, it was easy to follow along.

I’m pumped with how many YA thrillers are hitting shelves. Students will love this whodunnit style story and also will be able to relate to the catty and competitiveness of high school.

Thank you to Inkyard Press and Netgalley for sending me this eARC. These are my own opinions.

I was intrigued by the plot from reading the synopsis of the book. Two friend groups collide during a spring break trip. Where everything seems to be all fun and games until someone dies.
I loved the multiple POVs. I wish that there had been more POVs of the other characters. I felt that some of the chapters dropped off abruptly like a cliffhanger only to be picked back up in the same spot in the next chapter. This did make me want to keep reading to see what happened next. There was definitely A LOT of red herrings throughout the story that made me second guess who was responsible for the death. The flashbacks, I felt, were perfectly placed to add context to the story and made me second guess who I thought was responsible. I definitely did not see the ending coming. It made me want to know what happened to them all after the story was done. I wanted more. This was a great summer read. I am for sure going to be looking at more of Gabriella Lepore's books.

Look for "Bad Like Us" coming March 2024

Bad Like Us takes you for a ride as a complicated group of high-school seniors enjoy some of their spring break at a beachside cabin in Oregon— that is, until one of them turns up dead. Told through multiple POVs, flashbacks, Instagram stories, and police interviews, we follow Eva as she attempts to unravel the death of her classmate, even if one of her friends is the killer. I really enjoyed this book, and I can honestly say I didn't see the reveal coming! The writing does a great job of setting the scene and evoking an ominous, paranoid feeling. I would definitely reread this book, and I'm excited for its official release!

A really solid thriller! I know it’s in the YA category, but as an adult, I enjoyed this book. I was invested in the characters, the plot was interesting and I didn’t see that ending coming. I look forward to more books from this author.

Two friend groups collide when someone turns up dead over spring break in this heart-thumping YA thriller for fans of One of Us Is Lying and We Were Liars.

A solid thriller. Not the greatest but solid.

* thank you NetGalley and Inkyard Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. *

Bad Like Us was an interesting book. Set at a remote beach cabin in the woods, seven friends must battle each other to figure out who killed their friend. There was a lot going on this story, and admittedly, while it wasn’t incredibly unique, I did not guess the ending! I was pretty invested through out the story, and everyone had just enough secrets to keep it interesting until the end. I’d recommend this for anyone who’s a fan of books like One Of Us Is Lying.

10/10

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me on my toes. Would definitely recommend it. Loved the characters.