This one was a hard one for me. I love thrillers but this one just wasn’t it.

3 stars from me because the story for the most part was good. The majority of the twists and the ending I didn’t see coming, which is awesome in a thriller and exactly what I want. But, there were so many characters that I couldn’t keep track of what was going on. I actually had to pull out a notepad to write down what was going on with who because it had gotten so confusing. There were also a TON of random this plot strings that I don’t feel really added anything to the story. I feel like if those strings were snipped, we could’ve gotten so much more detail and emotion in the main story and been able to form better ties with the millions of characters.

Overall, I wasn’t a huge fan of this one. I personally feel as though it needs some changing and with that it could be great. It could be up there in popularity with Frieda McFadden and Rachel Hawkins.

I'm absolutely blown away by this book!

Two decades ago, after her best friend's mysterious death on the night of their senior prom, Brooke Webber made the heart-wrenching decision to leave her hometown of Cove Haven. However, life takes an unexpected turn when Brooke returns to Cove Haven following her mother's passing. There, she stumbles upon the best friend necklace that Bailey had been wearing on that fateful night when she died. The perplexing part is that when Bailey's remains were discovered, she wasn't wearing the necklace. How did it resurface in Cove Haven, especially coinciding with Brooke's return? Could someone have stolen it on the night of Bailey's tragic death?

Brooke's life takes a chilling turn as she starts receiving menacing notes left on her car, fueling her fear that she might be the next target. As the person she least expects begins to reveal dark secrets, Brooke's very existence in Cove Haven is put in jeopardy. The burning question remains: What truly happened to Bailey that night, and who can Brooke trust in this tight-knit community?

Mark your calendars for October 9th, as this thrilling tale unfolds.

A heartfelt thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and the talented author Laura Wolfe for granting me the privilege to read this gripping story ahead of its release!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing an ARC of this psychological thriller. All opinions are my own.
Let's start with the theme. It's a psychological thriller + whodunnit. Brilliantly executed as we're kept in suspense until the very end with a fantastic end twist.
Brooke, a divorced single mum has returned back to her childhood town after the death of her mother, to tie up loose ends and over see the renovations to her mum's house prior to selling it. There she meets an investigative reporter/podcaster, Hannah who is looking into the death of the prom queen, Bailey twenty years ago, that was marked down as a suicide.
Brooke was Bailey's best friend and had once been under suspicion until they ruled on a suicide. Then Brooke and her family moved away.
Brooke tries to solve the possible murder which leads her down a dark path and leaves her not being able to trust those who were her childhood friends and on top of that, someone is sending her threatening messages. Then Hannah is found dead. The plot thickens.
It's tense, gripping and chilling. You will not want to put this book down it is that good. If you like Frieda McFadden you are going to love this book.
The ending was superb and just made me freeze. It's not often a book can do that to me.
Definitely recommend this one.
Kerry Kennedy Author

I really enjoyed this book. I love a book that has twists, and this one did it in an abundance. I kept thinking I had worked out the plot, and then something else took me by surprise.
This is a great thriller, and one that I’d definitely recommend.

Brooke’s best friend Bailey was found dead on prom night. The police ruled it a suicide and the town soon moved on, but decades later a true crime podcaster has arrived on the scene and she’s not so sure that Bailey took her own life…

This is really fast paced twisty thriller, I raced through it in one single train journey desperately trying to find out what happened next.

It was full of great twists and turns and just when you think you’ve worked it all out and the mystery is solved you’re hit with another massive twist that you won’t see coming!

Prom Queen is a novel that follows Brooke who has recently returned to her home town to renovate her childhood home. 20 years prior, on prom night, her best friend Bailey died and her death was ruled a suicide. Brooke had always thought there was more too that night than meets the eye and believes she was murdered. Brooke meets Hannah, a true crime podcaster who is discussing Bailey’s tragic passing in a series on her podcast, and together they try and piece together the true events surrounding Bailey’s death.

This story is dual timeline and flicks back and forth between present day Brooke and 20 years ago in the months leading up to prom night. I love a dual timeline story and think the chapters do a great job of slowly revealing the events in the lead up to the night as well as slowly unfold all the potential suspects.

I found Prom Queen frustrating as I just couldn’t pin point at any given time who I thought had murdered Bailey - I was questioning everyone, the reliability of the narrator, the podcaster, all of the friends from 20 years ago and even her parents I was convinced at one point of everyone’s guilt! But this is obviously frustration in a good way, I usually guess way too soon and it spoils the book!

I also wasn’t prepared for twist at the end after I thought all was settled and think it was a brilliant way to end the book!

It was a bit of a slow burn to begin with but worth the wait with so many twists and turns along the way so I definitely recommend picking this up when released!

If you want a thriller you can’t stop thinking about this one is for you…

Brooke arrives back in her time, leaving after 20 years, following her best friends suicide/ murder.

When she spots the necklace on a stranger Brooke is brought back 20 years trying to work out the killer.

Is Brooke hiding her own secrets?

The twists and turns have you questioning every character.

Easily a 4.5!

This story was full of so many twists and turns I felt like I was on a rollercoaster. So many characters, so many motives, so many backstories.

I was very impressed with how it all ended. In the end, I didn't see the second OR final twist coming. I really thought I had it all figured out.

The only downfall with this book is how many characters there are... at times it got confusing who was talking about who- and what they did in the past. I felt like I confused a few people here and there.

But all in all, its such a good book! I highly recommend!

Wow. This was so good!!
After her best friends mysterious death the night of their senior prom, Brooke Webber made the decision to leave their small town of Cove Haven. Returning 20 years later after the death of her mother, Brooke finds the best friend necklace Bailey had been wearing the night of her death. The thing is, when Bailey’s remains were found, she wasn’t wearing the necklace. How did it get back to Cove Haven, especially with the timing of Brooke’s return? Did someone steal it the night of Bailey’s death? Brooke starts receiving threatening notes on her car and she is scared that she will be next. When the person she least expects reveals some dark secrets, Brooke’s life is put at risk. How did Bailey really die? Who can Brooke trust in Cove Haven??
Find out on October 9!
Thank you so much NetGalley, Bookouture and Laura Wolfe for allowing me to read this book before its release!

This was an enjoyable, quick, easy to read whodunit. Lots of possible culprits meant I changed my mind many times about who it could've been but I did get a bit suspicious by the end.

I liked it! A real psychological thriller with suspense, a lot of tension and wondering. It's a real ambiance, a whole vibe and an interesting story. Characters are quite nice even if some of them are missing some depth.

This book is a tough one to review. It had all the makings to be a 4 star but something about it just didn’t hook me in enough. I feel like there were a lot of spin off plot lines that, if there were less of those maybe we’d have gotten more detail or intrigue. I can’t say there is anything wrong with it, there’s not, but I just felt meh. The most interesting piece was the bit at the end with Willa. More of her, would be good.
The writer is good, has a good tone and very easy to read just missing something.

Prom Queen is a gripping, fast-paced, page-turning psychological thriller. Brooke returns to her hometown to help sell her late-mother's house. Upon arrival, she discovers that Heather, a successful podcaster, has recently turned up and is doing a true crime show on the tragic death of the high school's prom queen that occurred twenty years ago. That prom queen happened to be Brooke's best/ex-best friend. With the podcaster asking questions, a lot of long-forgotten and unwanted memories arise for Brooke. While no one is thrilled about Heather being in town, it seems that someone is also not pleased with Brooke's arrival, as she begins receiving anonymous threatening notes. While Brooke may want to find out the truth behind Bailey's death, she isn't sure if the risk is worth it.

Prom Queen is an exciting, fast-paced thriller. I honestly couldn't put the book down. The story is told through Brooke's POV and alternates between the present and past. There were quite a few red herrings, and the ending was definitely unpredictable, which was a pleasant surprise as most thrillers have been super predictable recently. I'll definitely be recommending Prom Queen to anyone looking for a good thriller. It's a perfect read for any time of the year!

A fantastic, fast paced, gripping thriller that held me captive from the very first chapter! I could not see the twist coming and it kept me guess right up to the end! I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be recommending this to others!

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Bailey was found dead by the train tracks- was it suicide or murder? Bailey was always friends with one group until she switched to another and left her friends. These friends were not good, and Bailey started not doing well in school and coming home drunk etc. Then came voting for prom queen and of course when Bailey won some were upset. But enough for murder - or had she been depressed? A ride to the finish as you discover all the people who could have been involved or were they?

Prom queen by Laura Wolfe was a wonderful thriller which had me up late into the night reading could not put it down. It was a very twisty thriller and full of suspense.

Brooke has returned to her hometown after being away for years but someone isn’t happy that she has returned. It is told from Brooke’s point of view, alternating between the past and the present, we learn what really happened to her best friend, Bailey, on prom night 20 years ago.

This was such a thrilling and unputdownable which I highly recommend definitely one of the best thriller I have read. Thanks to netgallery and the publisher for my advanced copy.

I really enjoyed this dark thriller about a woman returning to her home town to renovate her family home then put it up for sale but returning home also brings along bad memories of her high school best friend who took her own life after the school prom many years ago. As she bumps into a podcaster who tells her she’s creating a podcast about her friend dark secrets start to be uncovered as it looks like the death may not have been suicide after all and as she starts to help find out the truth is she in danger as well or does this town just want to let sleeping dogs lie. This is a dark novel about childhood insecurities and secrets which I couldn’t put down.

A small town. A suspicious death of a popular girl. And secrets galore. What more could one want from a book like this?
I loved how this is told in the past and present. So we slowly learn our cast of suspects, I mean characters, and the secrets and lies they've all told.
Adding the true crime podcast aspect to throw a wrench into the whole thing really was *chefs kiss* I admit, at times, that Hannah pretty much blackmailing Brooke to help her was pretty low and made me frustrated at the character. But she really did her job there to make everyone rethink the case and cast doubt on everyone.
Who can you trust when everyone has had a secret or lie from the past?

And then that epilogue. EXCUSE ME WHAT?! I've read my fair share of this genre and I have to say there were plot twists/developments that definitely surprised me. This was my first read from the author but I'll be checking out more books for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Brooke returns to her hometown twenty years after the murder of her best friend, Bailey. An invisible threat forces Brooke to come to the realisation that someone is dead set against her return.

I could not put this down. From the first chapter, I became invested in finding out what happened twenty years ago and how it relates to present events. The book starts with Brooke sitting in a café in her hometown, which she has reluctantly returned to in order to set her recently deceased mother’s affairs in order. While there, she sees a woman she doesn’t know wearing Bailey’s friendship necklace, which had been presumed missing for the last twenty years. After confronting the woman, Brooke is led down a rabbit hole where she must face her past to try and figure out what is happening in her present.

I am fairly new to reading this genre of books but I really enjoyed it from the start. I found myself questioning everyone, alongside Brooke, and wondering who could have had the motive to kill Bailey. This book pulls you in from the beginning and you’ll find yourself unable to put it down until you find out what happened back then.

This is the perfect read for fans of true crime and murder mysteries. This book will have you on the edge of your seat.

Prom night is something that we have in Belgium too, but the election of prom queen and king is not a custom here. Maybe that's not a bad thing because it can lead to a lot of nasty things like jealousy and fights.

This book was great. I loved travelling back and forth between the past and the present while the story unraveled. A secret that had been kept for 20 years was finally being ripped apart and each morsel studied under the microscope.

Friends... is a strange word. They can be friendly in your face, but are hey genuine? Would they throw you under the bus if they could benefit from it? Can you trust them or are they just pretending?

Sometimes the baddies are the obvious choice. Sometimes it are those you least expect.  In the end it ain't over until it's over...

A lot of different scenarios ran through my mind and I did not know which one I had to believe to be true. And how a love a twist that comes out of nowhere like a lightening bolt through a clear blue sky

An excellent book that kept me guessing until the end. 5 stars

Thank you