"Secrets don't die when you do" This goes against everything you typically think of when people stay the secret died with them. and that's basically how the book goes. This book reminds you of Pretty Little Liars, a good girl's Guide to murder (but about her best friend) in a New England setting!
Jessica Goodman has a way of luring you in like an artist and then saying something that causes you to look at the painting in an entirely different way than before! Very few authors are gifted with this ability and I don't know how they do this! Teach me your ways! A Young Adult with a lot of mystery and suspense! Very relatable and fast pace to read! Thank you Jessica Goodman, the publisher, and Netgalley!

Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book so much. I read it in one sitting. I never saw the twists coming! I would definitely recommend this book.

I enjoyed this YA boarding school mystery. I loved the mystery aspect but the High school teen drama not so much. However, teens who are looking for a mystery and want to stay in the YA section they will enjoy this one.

3.25 stars

I would say that, if you’re looking for a thriller this isn't one (by the mere definition of thrilling) but still remains a good murder mystery, with some good characterization and a few compelling moments, yet it's worth remembering that things move slowly in this story, so if that’s not your cup of tea, perhaps this one is not for you.

The Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Goodman is a young adult novel published on February 4, 2025. The story opens with the character Amy discovering the bodies of her classmates, Sarah and Ryan, who are undoubtedly deceased. Told from alternating perspectives of Amy and Liz, both students are trying to find out who and why someone would want to murder two students at a prestigious boarding school.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of this book from NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for free in exchange for my honest review.

When the story first began, I thought it was taking place at a college or university before I realized it took place at a boarding school. Other than that slight confusion, this suspenseful mystery captured my attention from the very beginning and had me on the edge of my seat. Both of the main characters were vastly different from one another but were likable in their own way. Unfortunately, other than Amy and Liz, the only other character I found to be likable was the soccer coach. The author does a fantastic job of showing the reader the cliquiness and meanness that can be found in high school along with the assumptions students tend to make without all the facts.

From the beginning, I was kind of expecting the story to be told by an unreliable narrator to some degree, and I couldn't have been more wrong in the two people I suspected to be the murderer. The author did provide clues as to who the culprit ended up being, but I ignored those clues!

The descriptions of the school and town were so well done, I could picture both in my mind. It was like I was watching a movie in my mind. I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Goodman and would love a sequel. In my humble opinion, any tween, teen, or adult would enjoy this book. Five out of five stars.

Prep boarding school murder/mystery.

This one just didn’t super grab my attention. It’s told from two perspectives Amy, who finds her best friend Sara and her boyfriend Ryan murdered in their dorm room and then also by student Liz, who is a reporter on the school paper. Both girls are seniors at Meadowbrook Academy.

Again, I can’t really pinpoint what was my issue, but I was not instantly drawn in or captivated by the story. Solid mystery. Not a lot of super activity and was a bit slow for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Fantastic! Loved it. It's a quick, gripping, interesting read with a somewhat foreseeable culprit. But I mostly enjoyed the two heroines' character development and fast pacing. I definitely recommend it to dark academia fans like me.

I want to thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House Publishers for the ARC of the Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Goodman in exchange for an honest review.

The Meadowbrook Murders is a young adult mystery\thriller book. Jessica Goodman opens the story with the murder of two students in their dorm room. The chapters are marked by Amy and Liz’s perspectives of what is happening around them. The chapters are easy to follow with whose point of view we are reading. Just make sure to note the name at the top. The story was suspenseful and will keep you guessing on who the murderer truly is.

Amy and Sarah are best friends who are finally seniors and dreaming of this school year and all the memories they will make. A few days before classes start, Amy wakes up and finds Sarah and her boyfriend murdered in the dorm they share. Now the dream of Senior Year becomes a nightmare, and Amy is the main culprit to the crime. Liz, another student on campus and the editor of the school's newspaper is looking for that hot story that will get her the editorial scholarship she wants to a prestigious college. When news breaks about the murders, Liz's instincts are to write about it without consequences to the people in her story (Her classmates). As Liz continues to research into the motive of the murders and help catch the killer who might still be on campus, she realizes that even with death, secrets always try to surface.

The book has many themes like not truly knowing someone, lies, and secrets always come out in the end, as well as forming friendships where you least expect them.

Similar to the series One of us is Lying by Karen M McManus.

This was a well-written and fast-paced YA mystery! It was interesting to follow the events from the two different POVs. The text was easy to read, plot easy to follow and the ending wasn’t too predictable. Sometimes I got a bit confused with all the characters but that didn’t bother me too much.

Jessica Goodman is an auto-buy author for me, and The Meadowbrook Murders is easily one of my favorites. I love a good boarding school/academia novel, and this one delivers with its elite Connecticut setting, close-knit friendships, and a murder mystery that will keep you hooked. The dual perspectives of Amy, caught in a web of lies, and Liz, determined to uncover the truth for all to learn, make for an unputdownable book.

As with the first book I read by this author (They Wish They Were Us), this young adult novel is set at an exclusive boarding/prep school. But for me, I thought this was a stronger, more cleverly written book.

It's senior week at Middlebrook Academy, where the seniors are on campus early, getting ready for the year. Of course, that includes some major partying. Amy and her best friend and roommate Sarah get into a fight at a party and in the morning, Amy just wants to make up and move on. When she goes into Sarah's room to apologize, she finds a grisly sight--Sarah and her boyfriend Ryan have been murdered. Who did this and why? Fellow classmate Liz, editor of the school newspaper, wants to find out.

I was intrigued from the beginning and liked the fast pace and how everything flowed. Secrets are uncovered, friendships and connections are tested, and lies are exposed. The culprit isn't entirely surprising, but I did like how the story was laid out.

Another thing I really appreciated was the look into journalism and the ethics about it. Those sections were surprising. Liz is a go-getter from a modest financial background, going to school with the ultra-wealthy. She desperately wants and needs a college scholarship. But what lines should she cross to get that "exclusive" story, and who is she willing to betray?

If you like young adult mysteries, this one is a wonderful option.

Unfortunatley this was a DNF for me. I got to about 30%, but the story in general felt a little too juvenile for me and was giving Nancy Drew vibes. Overall, the writing decent and I would be willing to revisit this author is she wrote something for an older demographic.

While I did clock the killer pretty quickly, I didn’t guess their motive. I feel like I needed more development between relationships. That was the weakest point for me, I didn’t really feel like anyone actually cared about anyone else so it was hard for me to care about the characters as well. The story and setting was so well done.

Great murder mystery set in a New England private prep school. Themes of class and socioeconomics buried within a good mystery. Goodman develops her characters well and has a plethora of suspects to judge and follow.

My only complaint was that it felt too short! Pacing was fast which kept me engaged, and I finished in two days. Some suspects were closed up too fast and slowing down a little bit, just because I enjoyed the story.

This was my first Goodman novel, but I will be looking into more of her works because of their engagement, excitement, and characters.

3.5/5!

Are you a fan of YA thrillers set in academic settings? I love a good private school that’s located either in the middle of nowhere or a small town. Goodman hones in on the small town aspect for this one and it’s the perfect setting.

The senior class has arrived early and much to their horror two of their classmen have been murdered. How could this possibly happen when Amy was asleep the next room over? How could anyone have snuck in their dorm?

These are the questions that are racing through the minds of Amy and Liz, the editor for the school newspaper, as they become unlikely companions joined by the desire to solve this case. I enjoyed receiving the story through alternating chapters told through the eyes of these two girls. They’re clearly very different, from their backgrounds to their personalities, and Goodman does a solid job of using those differences for a well-rounded story unfolding.

One of the things that hung me up when reading this one was that I felt like it lacked some of the quick pacing and snappy action that I’m used to finding in Goodman’s books. There were parts that felt muddled and weighed down in unnecessary details that lost my attention at times.

Overall, this is a solid story and Goodman remains a favorite YA author for me!

As a lover of YA thrillers, this one didn’t totally work for me. I enjoyed the setting and set up, but I didn’t love any of the character and felt the plot was a little less exciting than I would have liked!

‘The Meadowbrook Murders’ by Jessica Goodman is a dual-point-of-view murder mystery set at an elite boarding school. The murders happening on a prep school campus with unharmed roommates left behind is very reminiscent of the tragic real life Idaho murders. This attributed to a darker tone of a book for me. Overall, I enjoyed the it and look forward to reading more titles by Jessica Goodman.

This was a perfect "Who Done It". So many twists, backstabbing, jealousy and all around craziness. Makes you want to look around and rally think about who your real friends are. I would definitely read this author again or even a continuation/series.

The Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Goodman is an engaging, twist-filled murder mystery set in the seemingly idyllic world of a prestigious New England boarding school. Amy’s senior year is shattered when her best friend Sarah and her boyfriend are brutally murdered, and Amy finds herself under suspicion. The tension builds as she uncovers disturbing secrets about Sarah—secrets that complicate Amy’s own role in the tragedy. Meanwhile, Liz, the school newspaper editor and social outcast, digs into the case, hoping her investigation will secure her a college scholarship.

Goodman excels at creating a gripping narrative that keeps readers guessing, with layers of secrets and hidden motives that unravel with every turn. The portrayal of power and privilege at the heart of the story adds depth, and the suspense builds in such a way that you won’t be able to put the book down. While the pacing slows slightly toward the middle, the dark mystery surrounding the murder and the uncovering of long-buried truths makes it a compelling and thought-provoking read. Perfect for fans of YA thrillers with a dark, twisty edge.

Readers may struggle to get into this book, mostly because the premise--an elite private high school full of intrigue--might present a world unfamiliar to them. Also the alternating narratives take some getting used to; Amy and Liz's voices are not initially distinct enough to know immediately who is telling the story. The chapter titles help, as does the fact that each chapter is brief and the reader can go back and reference the narrator. Once past that, the story itself was fast-paced and kept me reading to find the solution to the mystery. The author does a great job of capturing the ambience of a New England private school and the tangled relationships that develop over four years of living together in an insulated place. The red herrings were satisfying, and the end wraps up the mystery in a rewarding way. Can easily be read by high schools in a week. Since I teach younger secondary students, I wouldn't necessarily use this in my curriculum, but I would suggest it for my more mature readers to seek out for themselves.