This book started showing us all these characters just to have one taken too soon. This reminded me of the death of my childhood friend and the piercing silence that arrived when he died. I also feel like we did not have enough time with this character but I guess that is the point.

This book took me on a ride that I thought I expected but I never did, it was so crazy I loved it so much and it hold as special place in my heart as the first arc that I completed and loved. I would recommend this book to anyone and I will be buying it when it comes out!

Favorite quote: "It turns out people thinking you are perfect is the worst thing that can happen"

Rated it 5/5 stars!

In Black Falls, New York, River O’Dell died. Then, eight days later, his girlfriend, Remy Green goes missing. Jules Green, Remy’s cousin is her opposite, awkward, shy, an odd, but she always felt like she fit in with her best friends River and Remy. But now everyone but Jules believes Remy is dead too. However Jules and River’s cousin Sam are going to find out the truth.

I am torn about this book. The writing was good but there were a number of things about the content that bothered me a lot, however it’s impossible to review those things without spoilers, other than to say Remy makes terrible, terrible choices. I would hate for a young girl reading this to feel led by them. So I don’t know.

This is my second read from this author and the two books couldn't be more different. I think that showcases Sweeney's scope and ability, as they have both been amazing for what they were. This book shows the intricacies of small town dynamics, relationships between friends and family members, and dealing with grief.

Jules, her cousin Remy and their best friend-turned-Remy's-boyfriend, River grew up together; the best of friends through their entire childhood. When River dies, it shakes their entire bedrock... but when Remy goes missing just a week later, Jules is left reeling. She has lost her tethers, but she is determined to find Remy, not even wanting to entertain the idea that she could be dead.

Sam, River's cousin arrives in town, and even though he wears River's face, he is wholly different. So, why does Jules find herself drawn to him? Jules and Sam form an alliance and try to figure out the deeper, and much darker secrets that Remy and subsequently River were hiding...

This had such a fantastic flow. The events that play out do so in such a way that I was holding my breath waiting for the next big blow to hit. I love when YA doesn't shy away from going into the dark stuff and this one kind of goes there. I had a great time reading this one!

This ended up being quite different than I thought it would be but I still really enjoyed it. Honestly, from the title, I should have known it was going to be different lol but somehow I didn’t pick up on the fact until the very end.

The base of this story felt very much like girl power, friendship, grief but told as a thriller. This one really did make me sad at times but it felt like an important story. The mystery/thriller aspect really kept me going and I didn’t see any of the twists until they were pretty much happening lol.

This book felt very reminiscent to Sadie by Courtney Summers, especially the tone of the story. It was also pretty fast paced and easy to pick up and read!

Overall, it’s sad and heartbreaking at times but felt like an important story for readers to digest!

A huge thank you to Penguin Teen for a NetGalley ARC of THIS IS NOT A DEAD GIRL STORY by Kate Sweeney. If you love a fast paced plot with an intriguing mystery and emotional story all around then you’ll love this thriller! It reminded me of all the things I loved about Sadie by Courtney Summers and more! This is indeed not a dead girl story. It’s about finding one’s voice, grief, family struggles and friendship. Jules goes through it all to find her cousin Remy who goes missing- all the while dealing with the grief of one of her best friends River and it is both inspiring as well as heartbreaking to read. Everything she knows or thinks she knows comes crashing down when secrets are revealed.

Please check trigger warnings before reading!

Maybe i read too many thrillers in a row, but I couldn't get into this one. The pacing was good and the mystery kept me going, but I felt that for some reason I couldn't keep the characters straight? Maybe I will try a re-read during the summer, as I feel that this is absolutely a mood read so I'm going to give it 3 stars for now because I believe this was all me and not any way the story, book, or writing.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for my arc!


I really enjoyed this. a fast paced thriller about grief and friendship and female power and i couldn't get enough!