This book is about friendships and secrets and the things you don’t tell anyone (even those close test to you).
Jules, Remy and River are best friends but after a night of partying, River is dead leaving Jules to help Remy through it while navigating her own grief. Days later Remy is missing and Jules is alone in trying to find answers.
There are a lot of things in this book that I did not see coming and others I was appalled by. I feel strongly that this book should have trigger warnings as it’s aimed for the teen/YA groups. This book deals with drug abuse, grooming, SA and other topics that I believe some may want to know about before picking this up. That being said, it was a good and quick read and would recommend it for the right reader.

I absolutely loved the premise for this book and was deeply intrigued going into it. Unfortunately, I couldn't connect to the characters or the plot and I had to DNF. Seeing as how that's very subjective I still think many readers will love this.

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen for the opportunity to read this book.

I hate to be an early negative Nancy but as reviews should be I'm going to be honest about my reading experience. I did not enjoy the book.

I was expecting a different kind of story (though that in itself is not really an issue--that's fine). The story felt a little shallow in places where it should have had more depth (the reveals and ending specifically--there would have been a lot more consequences for the girls. That kind of thing doesn't just go away.) I just wanted more meat on this book's bones. I didn't particularly care if Remy was dead or not and found the thriller aspect dull.

I don't think the book is terrible or bad. It just wasn't for me. A lot of readers will certainly enjoy and relate to the story more than I did.

This book was not what I thought it would be (lately, it feels as if this has been happening a lot, perhaps because YA books are now exploring mystery from new and unexpected angles).

Yes, there’s a mystery at the center of this story. River O’Dell, a seventeen year old, is dead. Following his death, Remy Green, his girlfriend and most-popular girl in Black Falls, NY, has disappeared—are the two events related? Is Remy also dead? Was she abducted? Or has she run away?

Yet, the mystery of Remy’s disappearance becomes just the entryway to a bigger secret, a convoluted new world, filled with lies and deception where nothing is what it seems. No one is as surprised at discovering this new world, living under her nose, as Jules, Remy’s cousin and best friend—or so Jules has believed, until now.

Jules, Remy and River grew up together and had been best friends since childhood. But Jules has a secret. She’s been in love with River since she can remember. Yet, River fell in love with Remy, and he and Remy have been the perfect couple for years now, long enough Jules now knows River will never like her as she does him.

Until his death, Jules always felt as if it didn't really matter that River didn't love her the same way because having him in her life was good enough, much better to have him as a friend than not at all. But now he’s dead. And Remy, the other constant presence in Jules’s life, is also gone.

Things only get worse as Jules discovers her cousin was involved in something dark. “Everyone wants to get paid…” people around Jules murmur when they think she can’t hear them. Paid by who and for what? Jules has no idea. All she knows is that nothing makes sense, but Remy is at the center of it all.

Jules has always thought of herself as an outsider. Growing up, only Remy understood her, and only she understood and knew the real Remy. That’s how Jules made sense of the world. Now, faced with this other Remy she never knew existed, this dark persona involved in shady dealings, Jules realizes her world was never real, meaning, Jules has always been alone, slowly giving up parts of her life to maintain the illusion of a world—and a Remy—that never existed.

To make things worse, Sam, River’s cousin and lookalike, is in town and will stay here for the summer. Sam may look like River, but they couldn’t be more different. River was an athlete, the perfect student, the wonder son. Sam, in contrast, is a taciturn jerk who never thinks things through before speaking his mind, hurting however is around.

As reality shatters around Jules, the old broken pictures of it start to form new and bright images. It’s in this recreation of the people and the world she thought she knew—past the lies and the fake—that Jules finally gets a chance to figure out who she is beyond her relationship with Remy and River.

Is in this exploration that Jules faces her prejudices about her body, her beauty, friendship and love. Is in this new light that old, seemingly forgotten friendships are rediscovered and a new chance at love is born.

I liked this part of the book a lot. This is, I think, the heart of the story. This exploration of what it means to be seventeen and a woman in a place where those two things turn you into an object to be desired or to be broken. Where those two things are seen as reasons to be always afraid. I like how Jules faces her own fears and the fears of others and how is the teens in the story who actually provide the meaning for each of these words. I like the constant push, albeit seriously misguided at times, of the girls to be less afraid, to find their power, their place of resistance.

The actual solving of the mystery is a bit of a letdown, but satisfying enough, if you don’t mind the series of coincidences needed for it to happen.

My one point of contention is that some of the events and the resolution of them, everything that relates to online activity, are too quickly swept under the carpet with none of the minors facing consequence for their actions (semi-spoiler ahead: which is totally unrealistic because anyone who profits from the distribution of lewd pictures of minors, even if they are minors themselves, are participating in an illegal activity, hence subject to legal punishment). I do understand that an uncomplicated ending makes for a more satisfying read, but since this book is a YA, I think it would be important to make sure the actual consequences of the actions depicted in the story are shown, or at least discussed as such.

As a whole, I like this book, the characters feel realistic enough and their interactions plausible enough to keep me guessing and intrigued.

Jules strikes a great balance between passive and active, giving her personality a great patina of realism. Sam is just delightful and honest and the perfect love interest. If anything, I think my total dislike for Remy and how much I loathe her by the end of the book, is a testament to how well written she is, because only well-rounded characters , those who had dimensions and deep, are capable of eliciting deep emotion in the reader (even if I think the emotions Remy elicit in me are not the way most readers will feel about her).

A solid four-star read, but a three-star if what you want is a more pure-mystery kind of story.

This is Not a Dead Girl Story is a fast-paced rollercoaster story dealing with grief and changing relationships in the small town of Black Falls. Jules, River and Remy have always been best friends until River suddenly dies in an apparent accident. As Jules is dealing with her grief, Remy seems shutdown and distant. Eight days after River dies, Remy is now missing, her phone found in the woods and the SIM card missing. Jules believes that Remy is not dead, but where is she? Jules must work with the River's cousin, Sam to see what Remy was truly hiding and what happened to her.

This was a fast-paced story that kept me guessing until the end. Although this was different than I was expecting, I did enjoy this book. It was so full of drama and secrets that you didn't know what was going to happen next. I enjoyed Jules as a main character and enjoyed seeing her character grow as she learns the secrets her friends were hiding before the events that left one dead and another missing. If you are looking for a good mystery, I highly recommend this book.

This Is Not a Dead Girl Story comes out on August 6th.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group (Penguin Young Readers) for the opportunity to review This Is Not a Dead Girl Story. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This Is Not A Dead Girl Story - Kate Sweeney: Comes out August 6th, 2024
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— This is not a dead girl story. This is not a horror movie or true-crime podcast. This is my life. —
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Jules Green, her cousin Remy and River O’Dell grew up together in Black Falls, New York. They lived, they loved, they disappeared. River was the first to go. He was found dead with no obvious cause of death. His girlfriend, Remy, ran away shortly after the funeral and rumors sparked up all over the small town that she too was dead. When River’s cousin, a bad boy by the name of Sam comes to town, all hell begins to break loose as he and Jules begin to uncover the truth. What really happened to River? Where did Remy go? What secrets was she hiding? Will Jules and Sam be able to find her?

Or is this really a dead girl story?
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In reading the description of this book, it felt like it was right up my alley… and it was! This book is everything you could look for and more in a ya mystery/thriller. It was fast paced and hard to put down (I read the whole book in one day)! It was easy to fall in love with the characters in Sweeney’s book! The characters are all described so vividly and they feel real. The only disappointing thing is that the book doesn’t offer much closure for the readers. I won’t spoil anything but I definitely recommend getting this book when it comes out!
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4/5 stars!

This was a good book, with some twists I didn't see coming. The ending felt a little rushed but I greatly enjoyed it.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this review copy

Book:
THIS IS NOT A DEAD GIRL STORY by Kate Sweeney
Thank you to PenguinTeen and Netgalley for this arc. Out: August 6th

Review:
5⭐
The prologue of THIS IS NOT A DEAD GIRL STORY instantly pulled me in, continuing to do so as I read the next chapter and so on and so forth. When I tell you I was utterly dumbfounded,  reading each chapter of this pragmatically, emotional-rollercoaster of a story, I was ...literally my eyes went wide, and then wide again as the story went on. It was honestly so heartbreaking. This book was emotionally riveting, and oh so gripping as the mystery unfolded. Seriously, my suspicions were high throughout this book---it seemed like everyone was hiding something, and I wanted to unravel it at the seams as I read it. THIS IS NOT A DEAD GIRL STORY was  full of drama and secrets. This book contains themes that don't get enough representation, and I applaud the author for writing such a tale. This book is a must read for anyone who wants a dramatic mystery that focuses on real problems throughout a fast-paced thriller. Preorder and add to your tbr today.

What I Liked About It:
*everything

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!