This was a great debut, full of twisty turny goodness. I love the MC having secrets and bringing those emotional and mental traumas to her new life, and then having that world equally full of darkness and mystery. I do think the ending was wrapped up a bit quickly, and I would've loved a splashier climactic moment, but overall a solid read!

I give The One That Got Away With Murder 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4, because the world needs more soccer girl thrillers!

While this was definitely geared toward a more YA audience, as a fan of series like Pretty Little Liars and books like A Good Girls' Guide to Murder, this was right up my alley.

Lauren and her mother move across the country to be with her mom's boyfriend, but there's more to the story - this is a fresh start for Lauren. She's done something terrible, and her ex boyfriend will never be the same again. The reveal of the past was done very well, and it kept the reader's attention throughout.

Lauren's fresh start is going well. She made the varsity soccer team and met a cute guy named Robbie... But a night of team bonding with her soccer friends reveal a troubling past of Robbie and his brother, where their girlfriends end up dead. Between that, Lauren's past threatening to catch up with her, and her mom's fast-moving relationship, Lauren's fresh start is going up in flames.

A+ for character development. This hit like a Jaime Lynn Hendricks -- a really good "who done it" with lots of finger pointing. I had a few theories - they were wrong. Which I loved! A great summer read.

this is a YA murder mystery and it is very well written. The twists make sense but still completely surprised me. Lauren was a believable teenager and was very complex. She was very intriguing and the best part of the story.

I really wanted to love this one, and I definitely had some things I liked, but overall it felt kind of far fetched and the characters were not super likeable to me. I did enjoy the family drama and I was glad to find out what happened to the teenage girls in the end.

The One That Got Away With Murder is a fun whodunit debut thriller by Trish Lundy.

“Every girl the Crestmonts dates, winds up dead.”

Lauren arrives in a new high school her senior year running from her dark past. To move on, she starts hooking up with Robbie, a boy who volunteers at her mother’s job. Lauren quickly realizes however, Robbie has a dark past as well, darker than hers even, and his past contains a suspected murder of his ex.

Robbie’s brother, Trevor, also is suspected of murder of his ex, and so everyone warns her to stay away from them- they are bad news.

With short quick chapters, this thriller was a fun read, though the huge mass amount of characters straight from the beginning took a while to get sorted.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a fast paced thriller who doesn’t mind some plot holes, but just enjoys the “ride”.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was crazy, there were so many theories and suspects and new evidence being unraveled making you question everything you know about the characters. I loved it, I'm always down for a good mystery that shocks me and oh boy did this book shock the hell out of me.

But since I know that I won't be able to stop myself from spoiling the plot twist if I keep talking, I'm changing the topic, like how I loved that Lauren got her closure at the end and that we also got her whole backstory which was good, because I absolutely abhor it when I have more questions after finishing the book.

I'm happy that the murderer got put away and that the devil is always in the details and the parts you don't focus on when reading a mystery book. And finally, I'm happy that they all got their happy ending which was realistic and wholesome

4.25 stars

I started this book at bedtime and stayed up way too late finishing it in one go. Oops. But it was such a good time, in spite of--or maybe because of--the absurd and campy twist. When I say I didn't see that coming, what I mean is I sat up and said "WHAT" out loud at 3 am.

Lauren O'Brian has just moved to Happy Valley, Pennsylvania from California after a disastrous end to her junior year of high school. Before school even starts she finds herself in a no-strings-attached relationship with a future classmate, the wealthy and privileged Robbie Crestmont. Until she joins the varsity soccer team and learns that Robbie and his brother Trevor are infamous because all of their girlfriends end up dead.

Lauren is no stranger to the rumor mill capitalizing on personal tragedy and doesn't want to believe Robbie's capable of murder. But his ex was a soccer star too, and Lauren's new teammates are adamant: the Crestmonts are bad news, and their rich family and lawyer father are the only reasons they aren't in prison. But the only way to prove Robbie didn't do it is to find out who did---and when another death happens and more evidence starts to surface, Lauren grows less and less sure who she can trust.

I really enjoyed Lauren as a narrator, and the dynamics between her and the other major characters felt really authentic to read. They're all flawed, and while that meant they weren't always likable, it did make them easier to connect to. The banter between Lauren and her friends was hilarious, and I appreciated how the trauma of the characters' past colored their present relationships instead of just being brushed under the rug. There were a lot of red herrings in this and I was sure I knew who the killer was but was SHOCKED by the reveal. Like, I don't know if I like that the story went that way SHOCKED. It was bizarre, and I don't know how believable some elements were, but I didn't see it coming, so props to the author on that. I need someone to read it and come discuss with me, because once again, WHAT. I'll definitely check out her future works, since this one was a great time! Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

"The One That Got Away with Murder," was a good young adult thriller. It kept me engaged and there were some twists and turns. I would buy it in paperback.

Lauren, the new girl in town, finds herself swept up in a sizzling summer romance with Robbie Crestmont just before her senior year of high school begins. When her soccer teammates find out that she is talking with Robbie at a summer party, they quickly warn her to stay away from him. Every girl that has dated a Crestmont boy has turned up dead. Deciding to wait one more weekend before breaking things, Lauren heads to Robbie's lake house for Labor Day weekend. After all, the police never found either of the brothers guilty. But while she's at the lake, Lauren stumbles across a bloody swimsuit top that belonged to one of the murdered girls on the Crestmont's boat. Does this mean the rumors about the Crestmont boys are true? Is she in danger of becoming the next victim?

Throughout the book, Lauren has flashbacks to a fire that badly burned her ex-boyfriend. I kept waiting to learn more about the incident and its relevance. It wasn't until the end that it was really addressed. I felt the author could have done a better job of connecting Robbie and Lauren through their shared experiences of being falsely accused outsiders if more had been revealed about Lauren's past sooner. I also felt Lauren lacked a true motive for wanting to prove Robbie was innocent. I was a little caught off guard by the twist, but the lack of suspense leading up to it made the book boring at times. I also didn't find the characters extremely likable and was not a fan of all the excessive drinking and drug use. Overall, I found this book to be okay and gave it three stars on GoodReads.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

A teen escaping from her own dark past finds herself caught in a web of murder and deceit in this new YA thriller...

Lauren and her mom have moved from California to Happy Valley, Pennsylvania (Penn State country) for a fresh start. Lauren got herself into a terrible situation back in California that involved a lot of fire and a lot of guilt, and is just trying to outrun her past to create a new future. But when she starts a no-strings relationship with Robbie Crestmont, a rich and entitled fellow Happy Valley High senior, she ends up with more than she bargained for. Determined to solve the mystery of how both Robbie's and his brother Trevor's girlfriends died, she must get close to people she shouldn't trust -- and risk getting burned herself.

Thoughts: This murder mystery is full of twists, many of which I didn't see coming. The plot is creative and evasive, making for a compulsive read as I searched for answers. I felt for Lauren at times, which is honestly a nice twist for YA books; I often find myself annoyed with YA main characters, but I really liked Lauren as a character and just wanted her to catch a break. And I appreciated how the mystery wasn't really easy to solve, at least in my opinion. There were plenty of red herrings to keep readers guessing without seeming ridiculous or crowding the plot. My only issue deals with Lauren's romantic feelings at the end of the story, which I can't really write about because I don't want to spoil anything. I found this book incredibly readable and it kept me guessing, putting it near the top of the list of YA mysteries I've read recently.

Age appropriateness: As a middle school librarian, I would recommend this for high school and new adults. Some sexual content, drug use by secondary characters, underage smoking and drinking, and some cursing.

**Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.**

This is YA which I don’t typically read but after reading the synopsis, I figured it sounded pretty good. It was an easy ready and not lengthy. I really did enjoy this story. I think the author did a good job with the pace and flow of the story. I couldn’t wait to pick it up again to figure out what really happened and who did what, when, where, and how. It was a nice YA mystery story. I’ll definitely read more works by the author in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley, the Author, and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in advance for an honest review!

The One That Got Away With Murder is an edge-of-your-seat YA thriller featuring a teen with a dark past who has moved into a new town for senior year only to end up embroiled with a pair of brothers with a (dead) body count and despite not knowing who she can trust, is set on finding the truth of what really happened in Happy Valley. I found this to be an accessible, compelling and well-written mystery for fans of Holly Jackson and The Agathas.

This review has been posted to Goodreads and Storygraph. Links provided.

In this debut Young Adult thriller, the wealthy and charming Cresmont brothers, Robbie and Trevor, have been shunned by the residents of Happy Valley as suspects in a series of mysterious deaths involving their ex-girlfriends. As the newcomer at school and hoping for a new beginning, Lauren O’Brian carries her own secrets from a troubled past. However, her budding relationship with Robbie quickly turns perilous as she uncovers disturbing evidence that might link him to the crimes. Caught in a web of deceit within the elite circles of Happy Valley, will Lauren be able navigate a dangerous path to uncover the truth before she too becomes a victim?

After finishing this book, I had to sit with my feelings for a day before I was able to come up with a way to express them and yet, I am still not sure how I really feel about this book. In the end, I landed on 3 stars so I liked it enough, but there were definitely parts of it with which I struggled. For the positives aspects, I found the story very gripping and enticing. It was well written and difficult for me to put down, finishing it in less than 48 hours.

Unfortunately though, there were just too many off-putting aspects to the story that prevented me from loving it more. First of all, I had a really hard time liking any of the characters. I wanted to empathize with them, but time and time again they made decisions that were so blatantly bad. Lauren’s decision to literally do nothing when she finds a certain piece of evidence fairly early on had me shaking my head in frustration. Also, I really struggle with books being marketed to “young adults” (meaning 12-18 year olds) that focus so heavily on drinking, doing drugs, and sexual content, and this “Young Adult” book was no exception. Maybe I was just sheltered growing up, but it seems like an entirely different world than what I know the average high schooler at my school experienced. Additionally, it was very off-putting to not have a single adult in this book act responsibly. I was shocked time and time again with the lack of care from the parents for their children. I guess it makes sense why the teenagers made the decisions they did with the way the “role models" were portrayed. Lastly, the ending was just too far-fetched for my liking and left me with more questions than answers. I felt it was very rushed and I personally thought it did not really explain the reasoning behind the first killing, which was the catalyst for everything else that happened in the book. I usually love Young Adult thrillers when teenagers have to figure out a mystery but unfortunately this one just wasn’t one of my favorites.

I really enjoyed this thriller, I think the characters were well written and the twists made it even better every time I thought I knew what was about to happen something else happened. If you like thrillers I think you would enjoy this one!

Man did this book surprise me! I’m not going to lie, the first 20% of the book was slow. I couldn’t get into the plot and I found it difficult to root for the main character. But once the first twist happened I was IN. I kept guessing who the villain was and I was wrong each time. The ending is a huge surprise! This isn’t your usual ya mystery. This was has more!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I haven’t read a YA in awhile but this one was wild. Every time I really throught I knew what was going on Trish Lundy honestly told me try again haha.

🌙 Dark past
🌙 Suspense
🌙 Plot Twist AND TURNS honestly
🌙 Who done it

Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillanusa for allowing me to read this arc.

AVAILABLE TODAY!!

#thriller #netgalley #arc #bookstagram #booktok #kindle #kindlebooks

A twisty and immersive murder mystery - slash - thriller, THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY WITH MURDER is a fantastic debut that will keep readers guessing until the very end. Every character is this book has secrets, particularly Lauren who moved to an entirely new coast after an incident at her old school. Her past has followed her though, and it’s her past that brings her to the Crestmont brothers who also have dark secrets of their own. Both brothers are accused of murdering their girlfriends, but did they really do it? Or will Lauren, who’s growing closer to Robbie, be the next addition to the growing body count?⁣
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I really enjoyed this one! I loved the mystery and the air of guilt and suspicion that follows every character. I thought at several points that I knew where the story was headed and I’m pleased to say I was wrong every time. There are twists and turns aplenty, a bit of romance, and quite a bit of Mean Girl/Yellowjackets vibes that Lauren experiences from her fellow soccer teammates. Everyone on the team has some sort of tie to the Crestmont brothers and their dead girlfriends, and that puts Lauren in a precarious social position. The treatment of Lauren from her team also adds to the pool of suspects, and pretty soon it looks like everyone in the book, except for Lauren, is guilty of something. ⁣
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All told, a fast-paced and exciting story from beginning to end. I really enjoyed this debut from Trish Lundy and I’ll certainly be picking up anything else from this author. Pick this one up if you enjoy:⁣
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⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣➽ Thrillers and murder mysteries ⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣➽ Secrets and lies aplenty ⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣➽ Some light romance ⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣➽ Small towns ⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣➽ Twists and turns

I could not put this book down!

Lauren just moved to Happy Valley, Pennsylvania to get away from the horrible experience she had during her junior year in California and will be starting her senior year in high school soon. She’s seeing Robbie secretly and uses their time together to escape the guilt of harming her ex-boyfriend in California and disfiguring him permanently. When school starts up, Lauren learns about Robbie’s past and she becomes afraid of him. Robbie and his brother Trevor are both suspected of killing their girlfriends. The more Lauren learns about the murders, the more danger she gets pulled into!

Likes/dislikes: I could not put the book down! It was so interesting and the suspense continued to build as I read the story. Two mysteries, with a third added in, made the book intense.
Mature content: R for on page sex, repeated underage drinking, smoking, and drugs.
Language: R for 105 swears and 53 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death, mention of murders, arson, and abduction.
Ethnicity: a mix of white, brown and black characters.

Did not see that coming! This was a wonderful debut novel. Very quick paced which kept my attention. I good YA read, just a bit off on the pacing, which is why I knocked off a star. A good mystery, give it a try! Thank you Netgalley, Henry Holt & Co BYR & Macmillan, and the author for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy
4/5 star

Really enjoyed this YA thriller! Such a strong debut novel. It was fast-paced and addictive. The mystery was so well done; it really pulled you in so many different directions in the best way! It also felt very current without being too cringey-teenager (in terms of dialogue and references). Lauren made for a great MC - there was still some untrustworthiness there given her history which made it even more interesting. All of the characters were actually very well developed and I loved seeing different friendships/relationships blossom as the investigation unfolded.

My one critique is how quickly things wrapped up. We finally were getting answers at the end and it felt a bit rushed for me. I genuinely didn’t know who would be the killer for most of the book - the red herrings were so well-done!! But there were just enough hints pointing to the real person that those suspicions started creeping in for me before the reveal. And I thought it was a great choice!! I just wanted maybe a bit more explanation and some more from Lauren’s POV at that point.

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan for my ARC!