As Someone who loved the Truly Devious series I had high hopes for this book. I loved the summer feel of this book and what a perfect setting on an Island. While this book was not as good or as gripping as the Truly Devious books I still really enjoyed reading it, I liked the back and forth in time so you the reader were able to get a full picture. Overall this was a quick and easy read. 4 Stars

After an unfortunate accident resulting in a house fire that burned down a house she was supposed to be taking care of, Marlowe has been sent away to Ralston Island to assist in giving tours at Morning House, a huge mansion with a history involving a family plagued by mysterious deaths. While she is there she learns of another mysterious death that occurred not long before she arrived. After their leader goes missing, she and her friend Riki try to solve the mysterious curse of the island but find themselves to be targeted for murder..

This was a very fun read, with a great mix of present day and a time nearly a century before. I enjoyed the subtle humor throughout the book, and the various viewpoints from different people. I felt like the whole idea was very creative and mind blowing. Thank you #HarperCollins and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

As somebody who loves the Truly Devious series, I was so excited to see what else Maureen Johnson could do.

This had a great start. In true Maureen Johnson fashion, our main character was very funny. That tapers off very quickly once the plot gets going, and I became aware very quickly that I truly didn't care about the mystery in either timeline. I also really didn't like that the answers were literally handed out like nothing at the end. 😐 It made the rest of the book feel like a waste of time.

I really enjoyed the summer island feel of this book. It was intriguing how Maureen brought the Morning House to life in the story. It was a very creepy feel with buried secrets. I like the old and new mysteries in the story. At the beginning of the story, I wasn't sure that I would like Marlowe's character, but as I kept reading, I enjoyed her journey. I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Book for the advance ready copy.

Short and Sweet Review
Marlowe’s first date with Akilah goes up in flames literally, but the fire wasn’t her fault. Now that Marlowe isn’t going to be a house sitter anymore she’s looking for a new gig and she gets offered the chance to work at Morning House. Morning House has a dark history, after the death of two family members the house was abandoned but that was back in the 1920s. Morning House today still has a dark cloud over it and Marlowe is about to find herself solving three mysteries.
Death at Morning House was a great book, Johnson knows how to write a mystery novel. Marlowe is our main character and we meet her while she’s on a date that goes awry. When she goes to Morning House she meets her four roommates and Marlowe basically got the job because the original fifth roommate died. Of all of the roommates Marlowe gets along with Riki the most. We get chapters from the 1920s which gives us an insight on the Ralston family and the deaths that happened. I thought this book started off slow but once there’s another disappearance at Morning House during the present POV things started to pick up and at that point I didn’t want to put the book down and I just wanted to know what would happen next. I do think the POV from the past was the most interesting and I wouldn’t have minded if the whole book was set in that time period but I did enjoy seeing the mystery unravel.
Overall, I loved the dual timelines and I thought they added to the mystery aspect. This book is full of twists and it has a diverse cast of characters it’s almost like a big game of clue. I would recommend this book and if you like mysteries I recommend Johnson’s other mystery books!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC
This book was such a twisty ride! I love the diverse cast, the dual time line, the flow of the story was well done. I'll definitely be picking this book up again just to see the final product, such a fun end of summer read!

I am a huge fan of the Truly Devious series so I was ecstatic to read this new novel by Maureen Johnson. She is truly a master of detective stories with a fresh take! I loved how this book used the setting of Morning House as a character in the story. I also loved the nod to the 1920s and the secrets that have been buried in the mansion for decades. It was such a fun ride to uncover these secrets alongside Marlowe at an exhilarating speed!

There were a lot of things I liked about this story. I liked that it was easy to read and follow. The dual timelines worked really well and I never got confused. This worked really well with it being a whodunnit mystery. But, I think the past mystery overpowered the present mystery so I was trying to read the present chapters quickly just to get to the past mystery. Really, I would've loved an entire story about the past mystery. I am also not sure if I missed how the two mysteries were connected or if the only connection was maybe the house itself?

This is definitely a slow burn because I didn't get truly interested until about 40-50% way through because that is when the story starts to pick up. I didn't really love our FMC Marlowe either. However, I can appreciate that this is a whodunnit? mystery but also a coming of age story. So, there are definitely some growing pains happening here.

I think this will be a fun read for those who enjoyed the "Truly Devious" series and for those who enjoy a quick YA mystery.

this books premise instantly interested me. i loved the idea of a girl working as a tour guide at the house where multiple tragedies occurred. i expected to be more enthralled and thrilled with the story but i was a little let down. i felt a lot of the story revolves around marlowe as a character and not on the mystery. this may appeal to some, but i am not one of those. i did enjoy reading the past chapters. i liked learning about the ralston family. that was really the redeeming part of the story today. i wish i cared more abt the mystery in the present time but i really didn’t. it also didn’t connect much with the past. i guess the point could have been tragedy keeps striking at the island? i’m not sure. overall, i was interested enough to read the whole book, but was just expecting more.

Maureen Johnson's writing is always so fun and entertaining. Thanks for the opportunity to read this book. I was not disappointed.

It didn't say it, but Marlowe is big autistic coded. As a queer lil autistic woman myself I was obsessed. All her stupid and silly little quips and quirks and not knowing how to be around people but just doing what worked for other people? I loved it so much. The mystery was good, as expected, and the friendships shown in the book were possibly even better, also as expected. I actually loved how at the end Riki was like "can you call your girlfriend and make sure it's cool we make out or if you're just being stupid as usual" and she was, in fact, being stupid (as usual).

Maureen Johnson continues to be a must read YA mystery author for me and I can't wait to listen to this on audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

I got Alyssa Cole’s “One of Us Knows” vibes immediately and I didn’t hate it.

The use of dual timelines (Marlowe at the house and what happened in the past) was amazingly done and the use of the story being toward the future really hit the overall theme nicely.

Marlowe is such a teen lesbian and I love it.

There was a eugenics plot element that I was glad to see working throughout the novel since I thought it would be abandoned and felt accurate to the time period. Also, I totally predicted one of the other plot points involving the children but I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to figure it out as quickly as I did.

I’m confused as to how small Marlowe’s hometown is that everyone knew who she was on sight. Even more so, I was irritated that everyone seemed to think Marlowe was a pyromaniac when the candle exploded. It made me doubt what I was reading as well as question Marlowe’s reliability as a narrator.

I was underwhelmed by Marlowe’s relationship with Akilha. Since we got a little in the beginning, I wasn’t able to root for their relationship as much as Marlowe wanted me to (this ties into Marlowe telling this story from the future). I thought the development between her and Riki was much better and it made the ending awkward.

Did I enjoy it? Yes.

Would I read it again? I’m not sure. It’ll give me some time to think about it.

I did not enjoy this book that way I thought I would. it was alright but i didn't feel a connection to any of the character or story.

Maureen Johnson never fails to entertain while also keeping you guessing! Death at Morning house was a fun read and made me giggle at points (who giggles while reading murder books?! Apparently me!) I loved the dual timeline- learning the truth of what really happened in 1932 and then in the present. The twists were captivating and even when I thought I knew- I really didn’t. Will I ever learn that even if I think I know- it’s never what I think? Haha. I can’t wait for everyone to get the chance to get their hands on this!!

4⭐️

Guys this book was so fun and entertaining! I have read the entire Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson and absolutely love how she molds and creates characters. Her main characters have spunkiness, sarcasm, and are just FUN to read from their POV. The one thing I loved about this story was getting two mysteries in one. We’re able to follow and discover the truth about a mystery that took place in the 1900’s while at the same time a present day mystery begins to unfold….who doesn’t love a 2 for 1 on mysteries! Good twists throughout as well and I really enjoy her writing style. This was a great summer read and quick to grab your attention and kept mine throughout. A really great YA novel!

This one didn't work for me. I didn't really care for the main character, Marlow, and it took until halfway through the book for someone to go missing, and like, who cares about them? This just wasn't nearly as compelling as the Truly Devious series, which was disappointing.

Marlowe is a disaster lesbian extraordinaire. The story had the Truly Devious vibe I loved in a small, summer-campy setting. I thought the story was gripping and I wanted to know what would happen next. Marlowe’s obsession with Akilha wore on me and I’m not sure it translates as innocently as it should have. The Eugenics story line seemed like a lot, but I think YA readers might get curious which is always a good thing. I would love to follow this character into some new adult fiction as well.

✨3.5 stars rounded up ✨

I really liked reading Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson. It was a twisty, dual timeline, YA thriller that kept my attention and I didn’t want to put it down.

A huge thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All opinions expressed above are my own.

Death at Morning House is a YA mystery about a teen named Marlowe who uncovers a mystery during her summer job as a tour guide of Morning House, a mansion built on an island in the 1920s and abandoned shortly after. Morning House has long buried secrets and the woman who brought Marlowe there has just gone missing. Can Marlowe stop history from repeating itself?

I really loved the author’s Truly Devious series, one of my all time favorites so I was so excited to get another YA mystery! I loved the mystery in the past timeline, it had me completely hooked in and I couldn’t stop reading those chapters! I think the FMC (Marlowe) was not as likeable as the FMC in Truly Devious, she could come off a bit cringey and repetitive in some parts but the mystery in the present timeline helped move her character along. The characters in the past were very flushed out and had me drawn in but the present timeline lacked that just a bit. However, I really enjoyed my time reading this! It was fast-paced, had some twists, and had me page turning nonstop! If you like dual timelines, family secrets, and an entertaining and gripping YA mystery definitely pick this one up!

Publishing 8/6/24

Thank you so much to HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Another good book from Maureen Johnson!

While this isn't my favorite book from her it was still a really fun history based mystery. The mystery that took place in the present I was less invested in but that happens sometimes!

I think I just didn't enjoy Marlowe's perspective all the time and not every main character is going to work for everyone.

I still think this is a very fun read and if you have enjoyed Maureen's previous books then you should definitely pick this up!