There is a series of tragedies that have befallen Happy Valley, PA - high school girls have died and the signs are lining up toward murder. Who is to blame? The Cresmont sons, Robbie & Trevor.

There has been a tragic incident in California which ostracizes Lauren and causes her and her mom to relocate to Happy Valley. Who does she connect with upon arrival? Robbie Cresmont.

As Lauren and Robbie grow closer, she starts to learn more about his past and the involvement he and his brother may have had in the deaths of their girlfriends. Determined to figure out the truth, Lauren starts to look into the past which only leads to more tragic circumstances.

This book kept me guessing up until the end, and I’m still not sure I fully understand the why, but it was definitely worth the listen!

So, Lauren is the new girl in town, from sunny California, trying to leave her troubled past behind. She starts dating Robbie, not knowing about him and his brother Trevor's infamous reputation in the small town. Rumors swirl around them, accusing them of murdering their exes. At first, Lauren dismisses the rumors, knowing that things aren't always what they seem. But as she spends more time with them, she discovers some incriminating evidence that makes Robbie look more than guilty.

Even though I finished reading this book, I'm still struggling to decide how I truly feel about it. It's not necessarily a bad book, but it doesn't really stand out from the crowd either. It falls into the same patterns as other ya mysteries like aggtm and one of us is lying. The thing is, I couldn't connect with the characters as much as I did in those other two books.

Sadly , the ending didn't have the impact I was hoping for. I saw it coming from a mile away, and it felt like I've encountered similar endings in other ya mysteries. While I didn't really connect with the characters, the plot was intriguing and kept me hooked enough to finish the whole book in just a few hours. If you're a newbie to the ya mystery genre, I would definitely recommend giving this book a read. It will introduce you to all the classic tropes you'll find in ya novels.. It's a great starting point!

Thank you to NetGallley and Macmillan for the early Audio book copy! It was such a great story and what a great twist. I never expected it. It had my attention from the first chapter.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan for the early copy!!

This was GREAT. If you like Holly Jackson books this gave similar vibes to me, aka I couldn’t stop listening. I did not expect that ending! If you love fast pace, whodunnits then this is for you! I can’t even describe how good this book was. Just give it a read you wont be disappointed!

The ending was so shocking and I loved the twists and turns in this book. So good to read while in a book slump.

The One That Got Away with Murder

4.25 Stars

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC and letting me have the chance to listen to this audiobook.

What a ride of a story! Highschool is hard enough when also dealing with dark moments from the past. Secrets, lost trust, and rejection were some of the many feelings for the main characters. I loved the way the narrator voiced everyone and gave the right tones for teenagers. It was easy for me to transport back to my high school days and remember what it was like to just try to be accepted by your peers.

I also really appreciated that at the end of the book, we finally got to know what happened in Lauren O'Brian's past. Throughout the book, we'd get little slivers of details, but finally the questions were answered and I feel like we felt as much closure as the main character.

I loved how the story unfolded and would highly recommend this book. I can't wait to purchase a physical copy.

My guess moved from person to person to person but never to the person who actually did it. I don’t love how much drinking, smoking, and sex was in this when they’re all just high schoolers. I guess that’s probably the way it is but it wasn’t when I was in school so it still just feels like a lot for that age group. I do love how both of the stories in this wrapped together and finally ended for the main character though.

🌀Synopsis
Lauren is the new girl at school and it seems she’s already falling in with the wrong crowd. Robbie and Trevor are brothers who each have a dead ex girlfriend. Seems like too much of a coincidence for anyone to believe. Lauren meets Robbie before hearing that story though and now she’s invested. With a wild history of her own, she’s not really one to judge either. That is, until she finds a clue to who may have killed the girls and launches her own version of an investigation.
When another kid turns up dead, the kids know there is something more going on. They go from theory to theory until a fire puts them even closer to the actual killer. They land on one final suspect when Lauren finds out firsthand who the killer is when he shows up to kill her too.

So this was was hyper interesting thriller. There is a murder within a murder mystery, complex characters, and lots of a heavy themes. I really enjoyed the way the story fleshed out, especially as I feel like most thriller novels rush the reveals. The main character read like a angsty trauma filled teen and I could see parts of my younger self in her. I love the backstory complexity that was featured.

Overall, it was a great thriller and had me hooked. The audiobook is top tier.

I was so impressed and delightfully surprised by the way this story unfolded. For me, it can feel like a lot of thriller and mystery novels follow a kind of formula that is adjusted slightly, but after a while, books feel so familiar that they almost become predictable in their execution. After a while, the reader can determine the specific point where a character's suspect behavior actually becomes predictable and the twists and turns of a novel feel obvious.
This story, is unlike that in so many ways. As we follow Lauren after she moves to a new town to escape a traumatic past, she becomes immersed in a series of unsolved murders that are seemingly tied to a specific family in town. Not everything is as it seems, however, as new evidence and more bodies are connected to the crime. This is a novel that does magician's work. The art of misdirection, perfected. With every new clue, a new suspect is unveiled and even if you suspected the actual culprit at any point in the novel, Trish Lundy does an excellent job of writing the events to unfold in a specific way so that you'd still have doubt about that character because it's hard to ignore the evidence against other characters.
I really appreciate a well written "who-dunnit", especially in the YA thriller genre and this being Trish Lundy's debut novel, I am so excited to see what else comes from the author in the future. It's clear that unique and clever story and execution is something that they excel at.

4.5⭐

I loved this one! The Crestmont brothers are wealthy, good-looking looking and both have a dead girlfriend. Everyone is suspicious of them but they were never charged with the deaths. Enter Lauren O'Brian who also has some dirty secrets she is hiding as she starts at a new school her senior year. She is determined to find out who is behind these murders and she better go quickly because more people will die.

This one had me guessing until the end. I didn't guess right even though some of the characters seemed a little sketchy. There are a few surprising secrets and twists in this one. I like how we don't totally know why Lauren left her old school and moved across the country but as we learn more we can see why. I am a sucker for high schoolers trying to solve murders and this one has so many clues that when you find out who and why you will be shocked!

This is one YA thriller you will want to check out!

The One That Got Away with Murder kept me guessing until the very end. I loved the main character and her troubled past. I will tell my students to check out this book.

Trish Lundy delivers a gripping YA thriller in "The One That Got Away with Murder," a pulse-pounding tale of danger, secrets, and betrayal. Set in the affluent enclave of Happy Valley, this debut novel follows the dark and deadly secrets of the Crestmont brothers and the new girl in town, Lauren O'Brian, whose own past threatens to unravel everything.

Handsome and privileged, the Crestmont brothers seem untouchable, with a trail of suspicious deaths surrounding their ex-girlfriends. When Lauren embarks on a no-strings-attached relationship with Robbie, she soon finds herself entangled in a web of deceit and danger. As she uncovers shocking evidence implicating Robbie in the deaths, Lauren must navigate treacherous waters to uncover the truth before it's too late.

With danger closing in and secrets lurking around every corner, "The One That Got Away with Murder" is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that will keep readers guessing until the final page. Perfect for fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson, this gripping debut is a must-read for anyone craving suspense, intrigue, and unexpected twists.

Wow is all I can really say. I was so sure it was one person and the reveal and twists had me all over. I truly enjoyed every minute of this book. So good I highly recommend if you are looking for a mystery.

This was a fun, and fast paced who dun it. I really enjoyed all of the characters, the mystery, and the twists and reveals. Every time I developed a theory I was proven wrong until the inkling I had was right! This would be a fun book club choice.

I thought the narrator did a fantastic job and kept me engaged

I can’t believe the is a YA Thriller! This book has the small-town high school drama, the rich kids with lake houses, and a few suspicious deaths. I was not expecting the ending at all!
Lauren moves to a new small-town right before her senior year starts. She was more than happy to leave her past behind and move somewhere new when her mom found a new boyfriend across the country. She learns very quickly who the handsome and wealthy Cresmont Brothers are and their questionable reputation in town after each of the Cresmont’s girlfriends have been found dead within the same year. Lauren should stay about but she can’t help it.
The narrator was fantastic! I could not stop listening!
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc of The One That Got Away With Murder!

Thank you MacMillan Audio for the review copy of The One That Got Away with Murder. I enjoyed a lot of this audiobook as a solid suspenseful YA thriller. I admit, I basically did figure out the plot but that didn't impact the story much for me.

Big Thoughts:
1. This is a well crafted story though I felt the main character's backstory was a little confusing/hard to get a grasp on; it was revealed slowly but I am not sure the slow reveal was really needed and if the backstory really made sense to the current story other than a few general elements and also just a general sense of trauma.

2. I am not a teen and never a teen athlete and while I understand that teens do a lot of experimentation, I could not wrap my head around a seemingly elite level soccer player smoking a pack a day... Little details like this made sense to some parts of the character but also did not make sense (and I am not sure how many youth today smoke packs of cigarettes versus vape but that's a quibble). For me when details start to not make sense my engagement decline.

3. There is a style/tone shift later in the book that.. didn't work for me. It was jarring on audio and didn't seem necessary to the story. The voice acting was great, well done, but it was a device that I didn't enjoy as the writing style shifted and I didn't quite understand the resolution between what was happening and the concluding chapters.

So a 3 star book for me because I enjoyed a lot of it but it also didn't quite work. As someone who lived in State College PA for a few years I also have some quibbles with details in the book (the waffle shop is not a late night post party place for example, I never knew anyone who would have said they live in happy valley but I also was there as a grad student, not as a teen living in the surrounding area...so I might be wrong in my comments in some ways).

A quick and easy high school aged thriller. Death starts hitting too close to home for high school students in The One That Got Away With Murder. Main character Lauren starts at a new school and quickly becomes entangled in the mysterious happenings that have resulted in two dead girls. Lauren struggles to fit in while getting closer to one of the suspected murderers. She begins to dig deeper into the deaths, and chaos starts to ensue. Narration and production was great.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, author Trish Lundy, and NetGalley for providing me the ALC in exchange for my honest review. This audiobook will be released on April 16, 2024.

3.5 STARS

Genre: Upper YA Mystery-Thriller

Brief Summary: A new girl has moved to Happy Valley. Lauren O’Brian begins a new year at a new school and starts a casual relationship with the infamous Robbie Crescent. Rumors buzz around about Robbie and his brother being murderers. Lauren wonders if this might be true, while also dealing with her own personal baggage and secrets.

I found the book’s pacing at the beginning odd. The author skipped the introductory portions of the new girl experience and beginning of the school year. At first I was worried because I didn’t feel that invested in the characters, but the author did have us get to know them as the plot progressed. By the second half, I was really enjoying the chaotic amateur investigation as well as Lauren’s effort to deal with having a new soon-to-be stepdad.

This is the variety of YA where the teenagers are partying, hooking up, doing drugs, and fairly independent. Our female protagonist is a mess, in that she is having to deal with a lot on multiple fronts of her life. The teen drama overwhelms the mystery-thriller plot—or maybe just gives the plot a distinctive flavor.

The second half gets good! The twists were fun and interesting (although they weren't cleverly set up or foreshadowed unless I majorly missed things). I'm interested in seeing what Trish Lundy might write in the future.

NARRATION: Helen Laser and Joshua Quinn give solid performances. The texture and quality of their voices seemed appropriate for their characters’ ages.

So I actually really enjoyed this especially for a YA thriller because it had a more mature vibe but the audio was fantastic. It kept me hooked and it went so fast! It was a good length that kept me engaged and wanting more. It felt a little anticlimactic and I totally figured out whodunnit but STILL I really liked it for a good distraction!

Publication date: April 16th, 2024
Page number: 384
Audio length: 9 hours 30 minutes
Narrator: Helen Laser, Joshua Quinn
Genre: domestic thriller
POV: multiple
Setting: Pennsylvania

Teens with secrets. Other teens turn up dead.

Twists and turns keep you guessing- until the very end!


Thank you to author, publisher, NetGalley for advanced audio copy. This is an honest voluntary review.