It had been a while since I'd delved into a psychological thriller, and I was absolutely captivated by "Prom Queen" by Laura Wolfe. Every time I picked up the book to read, I found myself unable to put it down. The novel skillfully weaves between two timelines, jumping back and forth between the past and present, yet the writing remains remarkably easy to follow. I had my suspicions as I read, but I never expected the jaw-dropping twist in the epilogue. Bravo, Laura! This is my first experience with her work, and I'm eagerly anticipating reading more from this talented author in the future. If you're in search of a gripping psychological thriller, don't miss the release of this gem on October 9th.

Furthermore, I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Laura Wolfe for granting me the privilege of being an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) reader for this book.

The Prom Queen is a twisty suspense novel that will keep you guessing until the very end. Three and a half stars!

*Note: The epilogue felt like an unnecessary turn. While It did confirm my suspicions about Gabe, the supernatural turn takes away from an otherwise well told story.

Prom Queen engaged me right from the start. It has it all; murder, mystery and intrigue told across two timelines 25 years apart.
There are echoes of Carrie, without the buckets of blood and carnage.
See my full review on Goodreads www.goodreads.com/loopykaz

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Brookes best friend Bailey Maddox died 20 years ago on prom night. Was it suicide or murder?
Podcaster Hannah Mead has a show All The Dark Corners. She starts investigating the case with the help of Brooke and stirs up deadly secrets someone will kill to keep.
This was a highly entertaining read that I sped through. I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC that will be released October 9, 2023!

"Prom Queen" by Laura Wolfe offers a compelling mix of small-town high school drama and urban legend intrigue
Brooke's best friend Bailey, a cheerleader and prom queen mysteriously died 20 years ago and now Brooke must return to her former childhood home for the first time after her high school graduation.
Her goal is to flip the house over the summer and keep her head down. But living in a small town it is impossible to stay anonymous and not be pulled into past dramas. Brooke runs into an ambitious true crime podcaster who is investigating the suicide of her ex best friend. While Brooke hates the idea of monopolizing Bailey's death. A new piece of evidence leads her down a dangerous rabbit hole full of rumors, twists and turns.
I loved and was also sort of terrorized how this book was able to transport the reader back to a 2000s senior year of high school. With all of the friendship drama, cliques and rumors. Every small town has their own urban legend and most of the time we do not get to find out the truth about what really happened. This book had me in a vice grip. I read it in almost one sitting.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the chance to read this ARC. My heat is still pounding from the ending.
Will be posting and adding Tiktok review link over the next few days.

If you're looking for a Murder Mystery, Who killed her? Secrets upon secrets, this is the book. Laura Wolfe drives you through all of these in a spectacular way.

In a small town, a girl dies after being hit by a train mere hours after being crowned Prom Queen. The death is quickly concluded as a suicide, even though others suspected it to be a murder case. Everything was almost forgotten, until the necklace she wore, which disappeared that night, reappeared 20 years later. Her former best friend finds the same necklace she had given to her and begins investigating the case of her friend, with the help of a podcast girl.

My View of this:
First of all, when I started this book, I was immediately hooked. Everything felt in place and like a movie, every step was written with nice details and of course, I love details.
Though I loved the writing, at some point, it felt suffocating. It was a pattern and didn't make me want to continue at some moments, or more like I needed a break.

I didn't stop though, fortunately. I finished it and let me tell you, my jaw dropped. I stayed for the plot and the eagerness to know what happened and the plot always gets thicker. Never once did I guess who killed her, because I suspected everyone. Didn't trust any of them. But the ending still shocked me.

This was a nice read. A great murder mystery what the title, Laura did a great job. Go check it out!

Thanks, NetGalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this Arc, it was great.

Wow! Just wow!! This book was brilliant, from the plot to the characters and that ending!! Love me a mystery in a small town and this one did not disappoint. Brooke and Bailey were high school best friends until Bailey got in with the cool crowd. The night of their senior prom, Bailey is crowned prom queen but just hours later she's dead. Officially ruled as a suicide. Now 20 years later, Brooke is back in town never accepting that her best friend had killed herself. And now someone is making a podcast of this mysterious case, bringing up all the old hurt and pain. But investigating this as a murder is making a lot of people angry.
Highly recommend!

Bailey stood on the stage, her crown glittering under the high school lights as she blew kisses to those glaring beneath her. Despite the celebrations, something didn’t feel right. She wasn’t supposed to be prom queen, and someone would make her pay for it…

At no point did I know where this story was going (in a good way). This is really well-written and the plot twists were well-developed.

This book has everything you could look for in a suspenseful story - a small town, the mysterious death of a popular girl, and many secrets. The author's use of past and present storytelling lets us slowly get to know the characters and the lies they've been hiding. Adding an actual crime podcast element was a brilliant move, adding an extra level of intrigue to the plot. At its core, the story raises important questions about trust and the consequences of keeping secrets. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read and review this book.

Brooke's best friend Bailey was crowned prom queen, to everyone's surprise, but then was found dead shortly after... It was ruled a suicide, but Brooke always believed there was more to it. Now, years later, Brooke has returned to her hometown to sort out her mother's house. Things quickly go wrong when Brooke starts receiving threatening notes, and Bailey's missing necklace from all those years ago shows up. Brooke believes that Bailey must have been murdered and that the killer is now out to get her... This book was brilliant, I raced through it and loved all the twists and turns, and what an ending! Fantastic!!

Prom Queen
So many secrets, so many twists & turns & a surprise ending makes this psychological thriller a must read! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy

I really enjoyed this. I spent the whole read having no clue who it possibly could have been. I did NOT guess the right one at all. Its a bit of a slow burn. I wasn't captured from the start but I am SO glad I finished. Its like a snowball, as it gains momentum it gets much better!

Anyone that loves a thriller/drama about past friendships will enjoy this novel. I love to read books like this. I did enjoy Prom Queen. However, it felt at times, that I was reading a YA novel, which is understandable because the friendship story goes back to high school. I guess I expected more of a "thrill" from this thriller, but it just didn't get there for me. It was very detailed, and you have to have some patience with it. Overall, I enjoyed it, but it ended up being a bit underwhelming for me. 3 stars.

Wow. This was brilliant! I didn’t want to put the book down until I’d devoured every page! Laura Wolfe manages to create the perfect amount of tension whilst throwing in a number of clues throughout the book as to who is to blame for Bailey’s death, along with a few red herrings that make you suspicious of everyone! I think I had every character pegged as the murderer at some point until the very end when the truth was revealed. Even then, the epilogue throws in a twist that you just don’t see coming.

My only gripe was actually with the tone of the epilogue as there was an obvious shift in genre from mystery/thriller to science fiction/fantasy. This left me thinking ‘huh?’ And took away some of the power of that final twist.

On the whole, this was such a thrilling read, I feel as thought it managed to pull me from a reading slump that I had found myself in. This needs to be up there in the charts, and I’m desperate for there to be a sequel.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for and #ARC of #PromQueen.
Bailey died on prom night 20 years ago after being named prom Queen, but was it suicide as the official investigation states, or someone with a grudge?
Brooke, Baileys ex-best friend returns hone after 20 years, at the same time as a podcasters focuses her interests on Baileys death.
I thought I had figured out what happened after every chapter, definitely after every flashback chapter, but this book threw a surprise in every time I thought I had the answer. Well written book that grips you to the last page.

Brooke and Bailey are best friends. But then Bailey joins the Cheerleaders in her High School, starts to hang out with the cool kids, becomes Prom Queen, drinks and doesn`t care for school anymore. And then she jumps in front of a train.
But was it really suicide?
Years after the incident Brooke returns to her small home town and with her appearence, weird things happen... Is it all a coincidende?

Wow, what a read! I was barely able to put it down and finished it in a few days. It had me guessing what happened or what will happen next. The small town vibe was awesome and I loved the characters and how they were back then and now. They were not necessarily the best people as teens, but as they grew up, some of them really did change and that was great to see.
I will definitely recommend this one!

Brooke and Bailey were best friends. They connected in 2nd grade and were side by side until their senior year of high school when Bailey joined the cheerleading squad. Once she joined, she became someone else, someone who didn't care about her grades or her future. She went to parties, she was arrested, she was prom queen....and then she died.

20 years later, Brooke is called back to her hometown. She runs into a podcaster who is determined to find out what happened to Bailey on prom night.

Laura Wolfe has written a thriller mystery, a real - 'who done it'. I had my own list of suspects, and it would rapidly change, chapter after chapter. The epilogue put it over the top and I ALMOST want a part two.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This reminds me of an old school thrill read. I couldn’t wait to find out what was going on and who was behind it. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Prom queen (Laura Wolfe) - MY REVIEW

⭐️⭐️

I received this book as an ARC, And am voluntarily leaving a review!!

Also no hate to anyone involved with this book, As I appreciate that somebody has still taken the time and effort to write this even if it’s not for everyone. :-)

This book is about a prom queen (Bailey) who’s death is very suspicious, but ruled as a suicide. 20 years later, A podcaster comes to the small town to reinvestigate her death.

Now this concept sounds great, but personally I just didn’t love the way it was executed. I felt like the story was very slow, and it just did not give me the same feelings that some other thrillers had. It just didn’t give me “Thriller” vibes, I would say it feels more like a mystery book. I DNF’d this at 30%, As I couldn’t read anymore.

HOWEVER, That being said!! I appreciate that some may disagree with this and probably loved the book! And for that reason, I still think you should give it a shot and just try it out.

🏷️: #thrillerbooks #thrillers #books #bookstagrammer #bookstagramuk #booksbooksbooks #bookrecommendations #arcread #arcreader #ilovebooks #allthebooks #horrorbooks #carrie

Twists, turns, then more twists and turns! A adrenaline fuelled roller coaster of a book! Slightly too many characters to keep up with, but all in all exactly what you need from a thriller!