I would say that this was a solid light-hearted (as far as murder can be light-hearted) YA mystery for me. If you can suspend belief that a secluded private boarding school does not immediately shut down and send everyone home after a high-profile student is murdered with the perpetrator still on the loose and threatening other students, then you can probably get into this one.

What I Loved: I was honestly surprised and satisfied with the solution. I wasn't thinking too hard about it, but I was slowly narrowing down suspects and at a total loss when the big reveal came. Guron is officially queen of the red herring. I was also a Jess fan - she was a solid narrator and I was rooting for her the whole time.

What Could Have Been Better: The Regia Club stuff got really messy, especially at the end. I kind of lost sight or didn't fully understand the motivations and intentions of several key players. Also, these are several really cruel, really psycho high school students. I mean it when you kind of have to suspend belief on the scenario a little bit.

All in all, it was an enjoyable summer read. Don't overthink it. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the e-ARC.

I found the character development in the book to be quite engaging, particularly with the main character Jess. The story was set in a captivating Prep School environment with a plot that was straightforward to follow. Although I was able to foresee the ending, I still found the book enjoyable and had a pleasant time reading it. I would definitely recommend it though — in fact I already have.

Thank you to netgalley and sourcebooks fire for providing me with an arc of this book.

This has a good overall story, and the mystery keeps you guessing for a long time. There's a mixture of suspicion and doubt flying around throughout almost the whole book, casting uncertainty over guesses as to who's guilty of what. I was glued to the pages for long stretches of the book, really engrossed in it.

However, there was a lot that I didn't like about the writing. The author's prejudice against the wealthy seeps from every page, the MC's woe-is-me attitude is cringe worthy, and lazy writing tactics are used in abundance, which took me out of the immersion: characters speaking in stuttered sentences that they can't finish only because the author wants to drag out the suspense (which is broken when you SEE the writing techniques being employed; they weren't done well); the MC constantly trying to convince the reader that the guy she's totally into definitely isn't into her, which is overused author-speak for "this guy is totally into her" (it would have been more tense and uncertain if these assurances never happened, but their presence makes it obvious where the story is going); character behaviors that are laughably unbelievable; multiple bad guy monologues. Those are the poor writing choices that I recall off the top of my head. Subjectively, I'll throw in that the MC is insufferable to me almost the whole time. That didn't help my enjoyment.

It's a YA book, and I appreciate it being clean other than murder (little language and no sex). We need more books like that, other than just ones written for actual children. The gripes that I have about the writing quality also place this as YA, not adult. Unfortunately, this isn't one of those YA books that can be enjoyed by adults and teens alike; it will be way more favorable to teens, who haven't yet read all the tired writing building blocks a bazillion times, and so they may not notice that it's lazy writing. I do recommend this book, for teen readers. I'd have probably loved this if I'd read it many years ago.

So. Good story. Compelling mystery. Definitely written for teenagers. 2.5 stars from me, an adult reader of YA.

Thank you to Netgallery and Sourcebooks Fire for an early release copy of This Book Kills by Kaur Guron.

Trying to get into this book was a little difficult for me, the characters came off a little more immature then what I would have liked (I understand it’s Young Adult but they came off as more middle grade then soon to be seniors). Some of the names are a little out there but i didn’t mind however having to read Millie’s full name multiple times became repetitive quickly.

The writing here is good, I think it could have been a little more descriptive when it came to character descriptions. During the start the characters only get described once which makes it a little hard to picture some of the scenes in here. I liked how we got to see the main character Jess become more confident in herself as the story proceeds, the friends she makes are more genuine and it helped for a more happy ending. The emotions written in her surrounding the death of Hugh were written in a way that felt genuine,

The romance felt a little off to me, Hugh just died and Jess is can’t go a chapter without gushing about Tommy, the ending is sweet but the romance just felt like it took away the seriousness of murder investigation. During some chapters Jess addresses the reader directly and I’m just not a fan of that type of thing in general it always take me out of the story.

**Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! These thoughts are entirely my own.**

I really enjoyed this book! I love mysteries and boarding schools, so this book was right up my alley.

The setting was amazing; like I said, I love anything boarding school. I loved how the book also involved the school board, the teachers, etc.

I also really enjoyed the characters. I don’t always like first-person POVs, but This Book Kills did a great job keeping me hooked through Jess’s POV. She was written so well! She was funny and introspective and had interesting thoughts and lenses from which to read the story.

I also loved how the romance was kept on the down-low! This made me so happy. It allowed for a lot of good character development, and I wasn’t distracted from the mystery. It was, again, written really well. The same goes for how clean the book is!

The twists were crazy! I would have never guessed most of them, though one of the bigger ones was shocking at first and then I felt like I should have guessed. There were a lot of clues pointing to this twist, but I was not paying close enough attention to see them.

Anyways, I really loved the writing style, the setting, the slight romance, the plot, all of it! I had a great time reading this book and would definitely recommend, especially if you liked A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.

This one turned out much better than I anticipated after reading the synopsis and the first 20% of the book. It actually had me stumped on who was behind the murders, which is saying something. My biggest hang up with this one was how juvenile some of the writing was geared. It seemed unnecessary to me to have silly character names and to keep over using the same phrases (Er…) to the point it detracts from the story. I did appreciate that there were layers of complexity when it came to characters secrets and wasn’t quite as straight forward of a murder mystery as I had thought. There were of course some events that seemed like a little too much of a coincidence than it would be in reality, but if you can look beyond that it was entertaining. The characters were mostly interesting and the author did do a nice job of making everyone seem like a suspect. I was invested in wanting to know what happened next. If you like murder mysteries and/or boarding school stories, give this one a read.

This book caught my attention with its clever title and cover art. How perfect! I was immediately drawn in by the main character and her clear goals and motivations. I also liked the idea of her short story serving as an inspiration for the crime. This is particularly relevant in the true-crime community with the recent story of an author committing murder. I truly enjoyed immersing myself in this story and felt like I was in the passenger seat as Jess navigated this investigation.

Great mistery thriller book. The twists and plot was just amazing,I was trying to guess who was the murder throughout all the book and was so close but didn’t had it right. Every chapter had a twist that kept me wondering what was going to happen next. Very entertaining story, if you haven’t read it , added it to your list now.

When Jess’ very original short story becomes fact when her classmate is killed she feels obligated to begin investigating. The police are useless, and possibly paid off, so she and her friends have to do their job. Their school seems to have lots of secrets that only the earthy can afford to keep and Jess’ status as a scholarship student means she feels like she has to walk on eggshells. Jess learns that friends are once who lift you up and listen and that maybe she is a damn good writer and investigator. This was a good read not just as a murder mystery but a commentary of class and privilege.

This was an interesting read. I didn’t figure out the ending, though I was close. I liked the whole premise of the story and I enjoyed the descriptions of life at this particular British boarding school. Probably my favorite thing, though, was the snark! There was some seriously good dissing and I dug it! 🤣

However, I think the book was way longer than it needed to be. I liked the short chapters, but I swear there could have been about half as many as there were. I also thought the secret society stuff was not well-integrated. Ultimately, it took away from the story more than it added.

Omg, this book was amazing. There were so many plot twists, and I never once guessed the ending! It was so suspenseful and so enthralling and I would absolutely recommend it!

I enjoyed many different aspects of this book including the characters, there were plenty of twists to keep you invested, but not too many that drag out the story. However, the one thing I didn't enjoy was that the story goes from present tense to past tense interchangeably. That was a bit distracting to me, but I did enjoy the plot.

This story was fun and I loved how strong the author's voice was. It nails the teenage mentality and youthfulness. It started to drag in the middle of the story but was still engaging. The ending was... surprising. I had to stop and think back because at first, the killer didn't make sense but after thinking about it, it did. How the story wrapped up was satisfactory. It's not the best YA thriller/mystery I've read but it's not the worst either. It's a fun, fast read.

Murder mystery at an elite bording school with a secret society! Sign me up! I was all for it. I was all for it, but I think I was expecting more. I'm definitely glad I read it though.

This Book Kills, by Ravena Guron
3.5/5⭐️⭐️⭐️

TRIGGER WARNINGS-
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Murder, death, violence

The writing started off kind of juvenile and the names are just very hard to get past because they are so outlandish that it made me almost not even want to start the book because they’re right at the start. I mean one wonky out there name is ok but a whole bunch is over used. She over uses the phrase, “Er…” a lot which is irritating.
But I’m glad I pushed through as it was a good read. Had some good twist and turns and kept you wondering.
I loved that it had a diverse cast of characters with different race, class, and sexuality.

Thank you to NetGalley and sourcebooks Fire for giving me an E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

what HAPPENED?!!!!!!
i lowkey hate reviewing thrillers cause its so hard to talk around it. but i love a good boarding school story along with great characters
i loved every single good characters in the books. Jess was so easy to understand and her story telling is impeccable ◡̈ and her character development was slow but amazing.
the friends she made along the way along with the enemies she made were so worth it.
i didn’t expect the murderer, i was so SURE and then nope.
anyway i was really intrigued and k know you’ll love too.

Thank you to the author/publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

This book sucked me in from the beginning and I couldn't put it down. I thought I had it figured out and then the big twist got me! I can't wait for others to read this book. The only thing that was slightly annoying was the excessive use of "er..." in the characters monologues and discussions. Otherwise great read.

This book was very cute. A super quick read and definitely felt more YA than major thriller, but it was advertised as such. I had an inkling about who the killer was, but it still does a good job of creating a list of suspects and creating a process of elimination. I wouldn’t say that it was my favorite book of all time, but this is likely and author that I would read again.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire | Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC!

"This Book Kills" by Ravena Kaur Guron is an exhilarating and thought-provoking thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The story centers around Jess Choudhary, a high school student who becomes embroiled in a deadly game after her fictional murder story seemingly comes to life.

Guron's writing is sharp and engaging, masterfully blending elements of mystery, suspense, and young adult drama. The characters are vividly portrayed, particularly Jess, whose wit and determination drive the narrative forward. The high school setting is rendered with authenticity, capturing the social dynamics and pressures that add layers to the plot.

The storyline is filled with unexpected twists and turns, making it difficult to predict what will happen next. Guron explores themes of identity, justice, and the power of storytelling, all while keeping the tension high and the pages turning.

Overall, "This Book Kills" is a gripping and clever read that will appeal to fans of YA thrillers and mysteries. Ravena Kaur Guron delivers a fresh and compelling story that leaves readers questioning the boundaries between fiction and reality.

This Book Kills by Ravena Kaur Guron is a story about murder, betrayal, and injustice.

All Jess Choudhary wants is to keep her head down, do her work, and make it through high school without any problems. As a scholarship student, her future at the elite school depends on her ability to keep a low profile and spotless record. But when one of the most popular and richest kids in the school ends up dead in the exact same way as a character in a short story she wrote, Jess unintentionally finds herself at the center of the investigation.

And then Jess receives an anonymous text thanking her for the inspiration.

As rumors run rampant about who the murderer could be, Jess knows if she doesn't solve this mystery herself, she'll finally have something in common with Hugh: she'll be dead too.

The book is a good YA thriller. It started off strong but got a bit tedious to read through, and some scenes felt a bit contrived.

Overall, this story was just an okay read for me.

#NetGalley @SourcebooksFire