"This Is Not a Dead Girl Story" is quite intriguing in its premise, but the book left me somewhat torn. It's very easy to get into, fast-paced, and intense, like Courtney Summers' Sadie, with the same high-stakes plot, but it raises some red flags with the content.

It is set in Black Falls, New York, and follows the story of Jules Green as she tries to trace what really happened to her best friend, River O'Dell, who died mysteriously, and her cousin, Remy Green, who subsequently vanished. Jules is an awkward and shy narrator, making her very much a refreshing change of pace from the usual teen detective stubbornly eschewing the police. Instead, she makes practical decisions and shares crucial information with adults rather than stumbling alone to solve everything on her own.

Deals with certain important themes of body autonomy and the hiccups of teenage friendships. It also has some worthy real messages through Jules' mother, the voice of reason here. The subplot and mystery elements are decent and keep one engaged throughout.

There are, however, some quite major problems. Jules' obsessive fixation on some of the characters borders on a mental health problem that is never actually dealt with. The book glosses over the legal impact of what the girls do, and that felt a bit irresponsible for the intended audience. I was also left frustrated by plot threads not being tied up—specifically the unresolved issue of money and a very abrupt ending.

While "This Is Not a Dead Girl Story" does offer something, hence does not result in a waste of time for readers of YA crime thrillers, it would have been improved if the main problems had been better resolved and the ending had been much more satisfying.

3.5 stars

I initially thought this would be a story about a missing girl and the attempts to find her before she turned into a 'dead girl'. Instead there are themes of violence against women and how it doesn't always look like abuse at first. Taking away women's choices or making it seem like the abuser is the only one who cares or who can do something also fall into it.

The main character is flawed and it makes her more of a real person. Sometimes she makes bad decisions, hurts her family, and can be jealous and shallow. I felt like she made some positive strides forward and have hope for her future.

The other characters fell kind of flat for me and the cousin was not a good person. I didn't understand the obsession everyone had with her, other than her being pretty in a small town.

A decent mystery and quick read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Viking Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the copy.

Missing teen stories can be fun to read, but this one was a skim read for me. I thought the cousins' relationship was fairly realistic and even interesting at times. That was the highlight for me.

The characters were a mixed bag. I liked Jules, the main character, well enough. She never actively annoyed me, so that's a plus. I found it harder to relate to the other characters though.

This isn't a light, easy read. It's quiet and moody and slow and deals with some tough issues. It's worth reading if you're in the mood for that.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

Jules, River and Remy, her cousin, have been the best of friends for years. River and Remy have been a couple for a while but have always been close with Jules. Tragedy hits the small town in NY and River dies. Eight days later, Remy disappears and Jules is lost without her cousin and River, best friend.

Jules feels something isn't right and Remy must still be alive. She is hearing her voice in her head to keep looking for her.

While trying to figure out what happened to Remy, she finds out so many secrets in her little town. She isn't sure who she can trust, the popular girls, local police, and even River's cousin Sam.

I really enjoyed this YA Thriller. This book shines a light on grief and the pressures of being a young teen. I kept thinking I knew what was happening but the twist got me. It was fast paced and I had to know the ending.

ARC Review

1.5 stars rounded up

Initial thoughts: Absolutely the fuck not.

This book had such a promising premise and it just lost the plot, its mind, and the thread. I'm not going to post spoilers but the minute this book made a certain decision that involves a certain crime and tried to turn it around, no. I understand the attempt at the message, but no. Absolutely the fuck not.

Just no.

Thank you so much to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this one! It was a lot of fun and such a nice break from the fantasy I'd been reading. I love a story you can get lost in and this is exactly what this did!

I didn't mind this book but I do feel like perhaps I am aging out of the YA genre. I like that YAs are branching into heavy hitting topics and delving deeper into mysteries, but as the characters become more modern/current, they're very unlikable. This is at no fault of the author, I am just too old for this nonsense.

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen and NetCalley for giving me carly access for an honest review. This Is Not A Dead Girl Story is a powerful commentary on what it means to grow into womanhood. The book discusses body image, virginity, consent, female rage and a handful of other topics that girls face when growing up. The blame and prevention of brutal crimes are put on the girls of the town after pretty and popular Remy goes missing. Jules is determined to find her but through the mystery more and more dark secrets are uncovered. While questioning herself and her idolized cousin, Jules also begins to question the men of their small town. Who can Jules really trust? What does it mean to be a woman? And is Remy still really out there?

A well done, if somewhat predictable, YA thriller/mystery. Slow and repetitive in parts, it does build to a pretty tight and compelling final third.

"This Is Not a Dead Girl Story" by Kate Sweeney is a gripping and poignant exploration of trauma and resilience, told with raw honesty and emotional depth. Its powerful narrative and complex characters make it a compelling and thought-provoking read.

This Is Not a Dead Girl Story by Kate Sweeney was a perfectly fine little thriller. If you are a fan of Courtney Summers, you should probably just read her work, but you won't hate this.

A mystery surrounding a missing girl and her cousin’s quest for answers.

This was a different kind of story in this genre. I thought the mystery was insightful and gripping.

Thank you Penguin group and NetGalley for the WRC.

I feel like I need to fully gather my thoughts, but I really loved this. This was such a powerful and heartbreaking story.

It was fast-paced and tense and it felt so freaking real. It’s the kind of book I wish I had as a teenager. The way Jules feels about the world, her body, how she doesn’t fit in, etc. was so raw and relatable.

This story had its slow points and its good moments, but overall it was just an okay read. It started off well and then about 50% through I got bored. Some parts in the chapters were a bit confusing with flashbacks and what not and it felt unnecessary. I’m just glad the ending was tied up in a nice bow and didn’t leave anything hanging or left open or ambiguous. Teen drama, jealously, romance, mystery, suspense, grooming and a nice little twist that I saw coming from a mile away. Still a good read but nothing overly exciting, at least not for me.

This is surprisingly dark for a YA contemporary book, but so well-done and complex, I'll be thinking about some parts for a while. Jules, our narrator, is not comfortable in her own skin, and only feels at home with her two best friends: River, the boy she's loved forever, and Remy, Jules' cousin and River's longtime girlfriend. Despite their beauty and popularity, Remy and River are the only people who truly see Jules. So when River dies tragically and Remy disappears a week later, Jules is shattered. Now everyone in their small town is convinced that Remy is dead, just like River, but Jules can't believe that, and is determined to find Remy. But the more she delves into Remy's life, the more she realizes she never really knew her friends at all.

I loved the atmospheric setting in this book, and could clearly picture the small town and the feelings the characters had about living there. It was a beautiful place, but full of drugs and lies and danger just as much as childhood memories and love. The reveals about Remy's secrets presented some interesting dualities and symbolism, but that didn't make me like her any more. I enjoyed Jules getting to know the popular girls/Remy's friends and realizing that as different as she saw herself from them, at their cores they were the same. I did see part of the twist coming of who knew what happened to Remy, but everything else was a surprise, which was great. Even what I saw coming fit so well that I couldn't be mad about guessing it. If you're looking for a YA thriller with emotional depth and modern concerns, check this out, but definitely look into triggers first. Thanks to Penguin Teen for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to Viking and NetGalley for this Arc! This sorry was so captivating and the plot kept me interested! There were times Jules was so annoying but she grew on me a lot! The plot twist I saw coming but I still enjoyed this story!

This was a fantastic mystery that had great pacing and at time had my heart rate going as I feared for the safety of a few characters. Sweeney does a great job of showing how we can put others on a pedestal and think nothing could be bad about them, when in fact we are all just flawed beings.

Some of the characters were a little flat, like the friend group, even when it felt like there could be more to them it wasn’t really explored. Jules felt like a glimpse into the mind of a teenager dealing with insecurities and the drama of youth, while also showing she could grow and learn from all of this. Overall I really enjoyed this story and it was a nice break from my usual fantasy reads.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to @penguinteen and @netgalley for the eARC of the book. All thoughts are my own.

Jules, Remy and River, it’s always been these 3 against the world since childhood and in Jules’ perfect world, it would have always stayed that way - untouched, young and happy. So when River passes away suddenly during a bonfire party, Jules’ world is turned upside down. She has lost one of her best friends, and quickly begins to feel Remy slipping through her fingers. To make matters worse, Remy has now gone missing only a few weeks after Rivers' passing. Left alone to face the world, Jules is determined to prove that Remy is alive, and she will not be another dead girl story.

It took me a while to finish this book, mostly because I was nervous it was going to be a book similar to the Crank series or Speak, both of which I should not have read at such a young age. I still frequently think about those books and how they emotionally affected 13-15 year old me. This luckily turns out to not be like those books, but still deals with heavy topics - which the author has content warnings listed at the beginning.

Overall, the story is well written and goes about dealing with heavy topics in a way that young readers may find relatable. HOWEVER, there are things that the characters do in the book that I hope a young reader would never dream of doing. I’d recommend an adult reading this book before letting students read it. As an adult myself there were many times I felt uneasy and had to step away from the story and at times debated about not finishing it.

Oh, man. There's a lot to say about this book, but I'll keep it short. While the writing style was ultimately what made this book a DNF for me, I was a little wary after seeing the trigger warnings at the start. (To be clear, I'm glad that the author included them! But had I known the book would delve into some of these topics, I might not have requested it in the first place.)

After reading spoilers, I confirmed that my decision to stop reading was the correct one, but also that the content was perhaps more intense than the trigger warnings indicated. I try to avoid giving low reviews because most of the time books that aren't a fit for me are a fit for someone else. However, after seeing some references to content further in the book, this feels like an odd fit for a YA audience.

This Is Not a Dead Girl Story by Kate Sweeney is a compelling YA mystery that hooked me immediately!
This book was wildly engrossing and atmospheric.
This captivating and engaging style of writing added to this intense storyline.
I totally devoured this book and look forward to reading more of Sweeney’s work in the future!

Thank You NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!