Overall, the book was pretty good. It was definitely a page turner, leaving me wanting to ignore me real life obligations to figure out who did it and how we were going to find out - key factors in a thriller book. The setting is one of my favorites, but due to the shortness of the book, I didn't really feel like we were at the boarding school. The location felt unimportant, though it's what drew me to the book in the first place. I did predict pretty quickly who the killer was, but that didn't take away from the enjoyableness of the journey to get there.

3.5 stars / rounded up.

Sarah and Amy are at a boarding school and excited to start their senior year. After a party, they go back to the dorms where their boyfriends have snuck in to stay the night. The next morning Amy wakes up and finds Sarah and her boyfriend murdered. Amy has no idea what happened and why they were killed. As she tries to find the truth, she might be the next victim. A solid YA read.

It's senior year. Everyone's hopes are high for making the most of their last year at Meadowbrook Academy. Amy was ecstatic for having an incredible senior year. That was until she woke up one morning to find her roommate and her roommate's boyfriend murdered. Liz is a student journalist who is desperate to uncover the truth, no matter how shocking it may be.

I've read a couple of other books by Jessica Goodman. I've always loved her writing, and this book was no different! I find her books to be very fast-paced. This story progressed quickly. New information comes to light every few chapters. It was impossible to know who to trust.

I would like to thank @netgalley, @penguinteen, and @jessicagoodman for the opportunity to read this ARC! Keep your eyes out. The release date is February 4th, 2025!

The Meadowbrook Murders has many things that I like to see when reading a good mystery including a dual POV and enough twists and creepiness to keep me guessing. Goodman weaves a captivating tale of dark secrets among the students at a prestigious boarding school and the lengths a couple of them will go to in order to reveal the killer. The "dark" elements of this story are not as dark as some dark academia novels I've read, but there was enough to keep me turning the pages to see if my thoughts were correct.
Mature readers will enjoy this read, and I look forward to sharing it with them.

4.5 stars!
Such a good face paced read. Author didn't skip a beat! Loved the short chapters, Grabbed attention at the very beginning and I devoured it!

Jessica Goodman is one of my favorite authors. This YA dark academia thriller sounded right up my alley, but sadly this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me. All of the characters were a bit one-dimensional to me. I wish we’d known more of everyone’s backstory, I think that would’ve improved the story a lot.

For a YA mystery, this was really good! I’m normally great at figuring out who did it, but this kept me guessing and joy was I guessing all the wrong my characters! A quick must read!

thank you so much!! to the publisher, netgalley, and jessica goodman for sending me an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.🤍

in my head, liz charles from meadowbrook murders and pippa fitz-amobe from the agggtm series would be great friends. the journalistic take of digging into a close to home true crime is a common thread that the two characters seem to share.

this book has everything from a chilling double murder within the dorms, a dark academia setting, multiple points of view as it switches between liz and amy, and the hidden truth that lurks within the pages, only to be revealed in the very end.
two meadowbrook academy students, ryan and sarah, have been found dead in sarah’s bed the morning after a boathouse party, in sarah’s dorm room. her best friend and roommate, amy, was the one that found them that morning. the book then follows amy and liz (who works for the student newspaper-and is desperately trying to make a name for herself in the field of journalism) as they remain on campus during the investigation, with the rest of the senior class. amy is grieving her best friend while also learning that sarah had a few secrets of her own.

it was a short, fast-paced read, but one that I really enjoyed! it managed to keep me on the edge of my seat as the truth came spiraling out and made me really feel a connection to many of the characters in the process. I did not know how it was going to end, until it did. which is exactly what i want from a thriller.

Loved loved loved this book! The writing for this book is amazing! I didn’t guess the killer until the book was almost over, I didn’t want to put this book down! This book so great with the detail and the suspense was killing my to know who did it. I highly recommend.

A great read. Entertaining and mysterious enough to keep you engaged. Definitely YA, fab for the new generation that’s looking to get into murder mystery and for those who enjoyed AGGGTM

This was an ARC from NetGalley. I enjoy Jessica Goodman's catalog. This wasn't bad, it felt a bit standard. This is a YA murder mystery to a tee. The story moved along at a quick pace, but was predictable, and not memorable. She has better stories. #netgalley #themeadowbrookmurders #yamurdermystery

Oh no! 2 students of a boarding school have died. Blood is everywhere. But why are they dead? Sarah was super popular and her boyfriend was well liked. Amy is Sarah's best friend and she is the one to find them. As the investigation ramps up there are several students that are uncovered as possibilities. Amy thought Sarah told her everything but is finding out there were secrets. This is a good book with several twists and turns. I was not expecting the ending.

I was debating on three stars for this but by the end this was a four star read. If you enjoyed a good girls guide to murder then I say check this out and give it a shot. the characters are so well rounded and the plot was fast paced and engaging. had me hooked and desperate to find out who actually did it. the ending really sealed the deal for me and made me bump this up to four stars.

I love to read YA books, especially when it involves an academy and a murder! The pacing is good and so is the suspense! I did like the short chapters as I finished this quite fast. The characters were very well-written and realistic. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves young adult books and suspense!

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

This author I have followed along with for a while. I have read everyone of their books. I have a huge soft spot for YA thrillers! They can be either a hit or miss. But this one was a huge hit. I also believe this is the authors best book yet! I can’t wait to see what else she has planned in the future.


I went in blind reading this. I skimmed over the synopsis and I think that really helped me with the surprises of the plot. This book has it all though. Dark academia vibes, murder, questionable friendships, and all placed in a prestigious boarding school.

What I really enjoyed:
-the pacing was super fast! I was sucked into the book immediately. The first chapter had me hooked and I was even shocked on what was going down .
- the dark academia vibes. I am a huge sucker for boarding school thrillers. The setting in New England also was getting me into the fall and spooky season mood.
-the friendships! I felt like I couldn’t trust anyone or their intentions. I kept second guessing everyone and everything. But I did enjoy the two main characters and their development to a friendship. I love seeing girls supporting girls.
-this was twisty and will have you questioning everything till the end! There were so many layers of everything. You think you have it solved and there is more!
-the ending was really satisfying! I enjoyed seeing how it all turned out for our two MCs

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I think this is the authors best book yet. There was so much I enjoyed and loved! 4 stars out of 5. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Jessica Goodman did it again! The Meadowbrook Murders is a YA book that will have you hooked. In this we follow Amy a senior at Meadowbrook Academy whose friend and boyfriend were recently murdered. We see just how far some people will go to keep their secrets hidden. 5 star book for me

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC—

I saw this ARC and immediately requested - YA prep school murder..yes please! I've read almost all of Goodman's books over the years and this one stays true to her style. This is a solid 3.5 in my book that I've rounded up due to my respect for Goodman's craft.

What I liked about the book - The setting, short chapters that kept me reading even when I would tell myself 'just one more', relatable characters, moderate to face pace reading, duel POV, well wrapped up ending, and an enjoyable storyline overall.

What I didn't like about the book - guessed the murderer a handful of chapters in, one of the 'well this person could be the murdered' plot lines didn't make sense, lack of dimension in side characters, and implausible murder details.

The morning after a late night party, Amy awakens to find her roommate, Sarah, and her roommate’s boyfriend, Ryan, murdered in the next room. Sarah was Amy’s best friend. Reeling from shock and grief, she is determined to find out the truth. Meadowbrook is a posh New England boarding school. How did this happen here at this exclusive school and who committed this awful deed?
A twisty murder mystery in an elite setting centered around two very different main characters. Amy’s father is a tech billionaire, but Liz comes from a working class background and is a scholarship student. The two have to learn to trust one another if they’re going to be able to figure out this whodunit. 4 stars

I could not put this book down! I've heard nothing but good things about Jessica Goodman's books, and I love a good campus novel with some mysterious, twisty dark academia vibes, so I was extra excited to pick up THE MEADOWBROOK MURDERS. Needless to say, it did not disappoint! The story starts on the first week of senior year at Meadowbrook Academy, and Amy and her best friend (and roommate) Sarah couldn't be more excited—after all, they've been dreaming about this week for as long as they can remember. Until tragedy strikes, and Amy finds Sarah and her boyfriend Ryan brutally murdered in their dorm room. With Amy being Sarah's only roommate and best friend, all eyes are suddenly on her as a potential suspect, and she's left alone in their shared room. Enter her new roommate, Liz, editor of the school newspaper, campus outcast, and aspiring journalist, who is determined to uncover the truth about what happened on campus in an effort to snag a prestigious college scholarship. But both Amy and Liz are about to find out that no one is who they seem to be, and they might just have to team up to solve the mystery, to dig deeper into the secrets that Sarah hid while she was alive—and the ones that others are keeping now, even when she's gone.

I loved this book! I thought the campus setting was so well-developed, and both Amy and Liz were such fleshed-out characters—it was great to get both of their POVs. Personally, I also appreciated the Jewish rep we got with Amy. Goodman does a really good job of weaving it into her character throughout, something that might seem small in the narrative but is clearly a part of Amy's life, like the references to celebrating the High Holidays and going to bat mitzvahs. Additionally, I thought the pacing was well-done overall—most of the story takes place over a few days, but that quick pace kept me hooked throughout, and I still felt like I really got to know the characters and their environment. I did feel like the ending was a little bit rushed, especially considering that the rest of the book was so perfectly paced, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book! I just didn't want the story to end. If you love campus novels and twisty thrillers, don't hesitate to check out THE MEADOWBROOK MURDERS! I'm so excited to dive into Jessica Goodman's backlist, and to see what she writes next. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin, and Putnam Books for Young Readers for the ARC.

💕📚ARC Review📚💕 Thank you @netgalley, @penguinteen, and @jessicagoodman for an ARC of The Meadowbrook Murders! This title is extra fun because it is the name of our neighborhood. 😅

Jessica Goodman is one of my favorite YA thriller authors and she became an auto-buy author for me immediately after I read her debut novel, They Wish They Were Us. I’ve now read all five of her books (other 3️⃣: The Counselors, They’ll Never Catch Us, and The Legacies) and they are all sooooo addictive and twisty. I like to describe her books as Gossip Girl-esque with a side of murder 🔪, with many rich, unsupervised teens behaving badly.

This is the story of the double homicide of two rising seniors at Meadowbrook Academy, an elite boarding school in Connecticut. The first POV we get is from Amy, who wakes up the morning after a big party to find her roommate, Sarah, and her boyfriend, Ryan brutally murdered in Sarah’s bedroom. Amy was the only person in their dorm when they died (or this is what she tells police, when covering for her boyfriend) and she cannot process how this awful tragedy happened. Amy’s world is instantly turned upside-down and she doesn’t know who to trust. Our other POV is from Liz, the school paper editor who is always trying to break the big story and is intent to win a prestigious journalism scholarship. She is determined to uncover the truth of what happened to Sarah and Ryan, for both the sake of journalism and her future. Amy and Liz begin to investigate and try to find out who is responsible for this horrendous crime, but the more they dig, the more secrets come to light about Sarah, Ryan, and their world.

I loved this one! The pacing was quick and addictive, twists and turns throughout, and it keeps you questioning everyone until the very end. A perfect dark academic novel to devour and enjoy.