YA thriller but definitely wide appeal.
Engaging plotting & pacing.
Polished, knowing narrative voice.
Lots of red herring suspects all leading to a satisfying resolution.

With thanks to NetGalley & Penguin Group for this e-ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. I was thrilled to receive this ARC as Goodman is on my YA author must read list. Her books are always engaging quick reads. This book was no exception. I enjoyed this thriller set in a boarding school although I found myself wishing the characters were older and in college.

If this kind of YA book is your thing, you won't be diasappointed.

A murder takes place in a boarding school and two young women get stuck together. One a best friend of the victim and one a budding journalist. I thought this was a fun read, even thought it was slightly predictable.

This author is an auto-read for me and this book did not disappoint! I was immediately swept up in this murder mystery and loved the academic setting. I was particularly drawn to the theme of wealth and privilege and how this interacted with the overall detective work. I found myself on the edge of my seat, racing through the pages to reveal the twists and solve the mystery. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a twisty mystery with fall vibes!

Okay, you can't really call this dark academia just because it takes place in a boarding school. School wasn't in session. There was no school. There were no classes. There was no academic stress. It was a conveniently isolated place for teenagers to run around for a week with minimal adult supervision. They had parties, ate in a cafeteria, and, you know, did murder.

"The Meadowbrook Murders" had an interesting storyline that pulled me in and kept me turning pages!

This whodunit mystery takes place in a prestigious Academy after one of the students wakes up and finds the bodies of her best friend and the guy she was dating in their shared dorm room. It doesn't take long before everyone is pointing fingers and I was guilty of doing this also. My well-crafted theories were correct this time around but it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the story.

I enjoyed the characters, plotting and pace of this mystery. If you enjoy YA Thrillers, Dark Academia and fast-paced whodunit mysteries I think you should definitely check this one out!

Thank you Jessica Goodman, Net Galley and Penguin Group - Young Readers Group for providing me with an ARC of this book!

The pacing in this was good, but the leads felt younger than they were. Some of the choices they made felt so childish it was hard to believe they were seniors. That threw off the book a bit for me, and I clocked who the killer was fairly early on. This isn’t the strongest of Goodman’s novel (and I especially hate this cover in comparison to her others, but it was a quick one and fun enough.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a thrilling dark academia novel that hooks you from the very first page. Set in the prestigious Meadowbrook Academy, the story revolves around the shocking murder of Amy's best friend, Sarah, and her boyfriend, Ryan, right next door. The tension is palpable as Amy, embroiled in a public argument with Sarah just hours before the tragedy, becomes a prime suspect. Goodman crafts a gripping narrative with short, punchy chapters that keep the pacing brisk and the suspense high.

The dual perspectives of Amy and Liz provide a compelling look into their contrasting lives. Amy, the once-popular girl suddenly facing scorn and suspicion, struggles to clear her name while grappling with the horror of her friend’s death. Liz, the ambitious editor-in-chief of the school paper, is determined to uncover the truth for her own future, despite the backlash she faces from her peers. Their reluctant partnership is fascinating, as they navigate their differences and uncover deeper truths about themselves and the community around them.

Goodman excels at creating an atmosphere filled with intrigue and tension, making the reader question every character's motives. The dynamic between Amy and Liz is particularly well-done, showcasing how their socioeconomic backgrounds influence their experiences and perceptions at the academy. Their growth throughout the story adds emotional depth, making their ultimate confrontation with the truth all the more impactful.

While the plot is engaging, I found the resolution a bit predictable, though it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment. The real highlight for me was the character development and the exploration of themes such as privilege, friendship, and the consequences of lies. Goodman weaves these elements seamlessly into the narrative, making it more than just a typical murder mystery.

Surely a binge-worthy read that delivers on suspense and emotional complexity. It’s perfect for fans of dark academia and anyone looking for a captivating thriller. Jessica Goodman has certainly created a compelling tale that kept me on the edge of my seat, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I’d give this one a 3.0, rounded up from a 2.5. It’s a quick and easy YA thriller that can be read in a single sitting and will appeal to those who like Karen McManus books. It’s fairly entertaining and keeps your interest to the end. It’s also fairly generic with characters who all sort of run together. I didn’t really care about any of them; I kept reading just to see if I figure out whodunit before the end.

Not the worst book I’ve ever read, but also not the best. It was….fine!

Thank you NetGalley for this electronic copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was my third book I’ve read by Jessica Goodman, so I was very excited when I got this ARC! I love the boarding school setting for a YA mystery, giving me a similar vibe as her other book They Wish They Were Us. I enjoyed the changing POV from Amy, the one who finds the bodies, and Liz, the student journalist looking for her big break. I loved Liz, an outcast role I could see Paris Gellar from Gilmore Girls filling instantly, though Liz was much much kinder. While an enjoyable read the timeline felt a little drawn out, and the ending wrapped up so quickly. Overall not my favorite of her books, I think with the other ones there were more characters we got to know, whereas in here, it’s really only Amy and Liz who feel fully fleshed out. I look forward to reading more of her work and seeing what others think of this one when it comes out!

This is my first dark academia novel and I really enjoyed it! Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for early access!

I can’t remember the last time I read a YA book in a day but WOW was this book unputdownable. I enjoyed every heart pounding moment of this thriller in ways I didn’t think possible. A girl whose roommate and boyfriend and murder right next door and she didn’t hear a thing? Accusations are thrown around and everyone at Meadowbrook Academy can’t help but wonder, could it have been someone close to them? Someone on campus? One of them?

Ugh this book was the perfect thing I needed. Sometimes you just need a good, bingeable thriller. I usually can figure out the killer in these books and it is always a pleasant surprise when the author fools me. I did NOT see that ending coming. Goodman does a fantastic job dropping little clues inside a bigger plot to lead the reader on a wild goose chase.

I have always enjoyed Goodman’s books and will continue to binge them FOREVER! This is the perfect campfire read that will keep readers up to finish the very last page. Goodman played with my anxiety so well that I felt like I was a part of the investigation. Chef’s kiss, no notes, go preorder this book!

I absolute devoured this book! Love the premise of the book. It could use a little bit more detail, but overall it's a great and easy read.

“The Meadowbrook Murders” is a captivating read that takes you deep into the world of a private school through the eyes of two very different girls, Sara and Liz. The writing style is truly engaging, making it hard to put the book down.
The story is told from two distinct points of view, with Sara and Liz each narrating their own parts. This dual narrative approach adds a unique and fun twist to the reading experience. Sara and Liz see their private school life through very different lenses, and their alternating narratives weave together a compelling story of murder, love, and unexpected friendships.
One of the standout aspects of this book is how it explores the complexities of love and friendship. It shows how love can sometimes be a burden and how friendships can form with people who are outside your usual social circle. The characters are well-developed, and their interactions feel genuine and relatable.
Overall, “The Meadowbrook Murders” is a super enjoyable read. It’s a perfect blend of mystery, drama, and emotional depth. If you’re looking for a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat while also tugging at your heartstrings, this is definitely one to pick up.

#TheMeadowbrookMurders #NetGalley. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ahead of publication. This book was well written but the pacing dragged a bit in the middle. The book felt as though it was a bit too long and/or it could have covered the same material less. At one point I stopped and flipped back because I swore I read the same paragraph several chapters before. I love the author and how she weaves spoiled rich kid drama into her stories, but this one felt lacking in that area. I did like the ending and thought the author wrapped everything up nicely and it didn’t feel rushed. Overall, a solid read - just not my favorite by the author.

This is such a gripping dark academia novel with a twisty murder mystery that you can easily devour in one sitting and enjoy the full experience. I'm rounding up 3.5 stars to 4 for its attention-grabbing short chapters and balanced pacing.

The story takes place at the highly prestigious Meadowbrook Academy, revolving around Amy, one of the POVs, who finds her best friend Sarah and Sarah's boyfriend Ryan bludgeoned to death next door to her dorm room. Nobody can easily trespass the place, which means the killer might be someone close to the victims. This pushes suspicion onto Amy because she had a terrible fight in front of witnesses at the late-night party about their boyfriends. She insists she doesn't remember hearing anything suspicious to protect her boyfriend Joseph, with whom she spent the night. But everyone is too adamant to ruin her reputation, presuming her to be the killer.

The other POV belongs to work-oriented, disciplined school paper editor-in-chief Liz, who has never been popular in the school's social circle, only focusing on her investigative journalism skills to earn a scholarship to a good college for pursuing a better future. Her reporting about the crime gets criticized by the school community. And when Amy, who is not her biggest fan, is forced to share a dorm with her, she seizes this as an opportunity to dig out more about the crime, but Amy has no intention of helping her out. Only Peter, whose father is the owner of a powerful media company and who is grieving his best friend Ryan, seems to be on her side. But when Amy gets shunned by the people she considered friends, she realizes her enemy at the dorm might be the only person who can help her.

It is interesting to see Amy and Liz, who come from different socioeconomic backgrounds, sharing the same fates as outsiders to solve the mystery for different expectations. Amy tries to clear her name as much as she wants to find the real culprit who killed her friend, while Liz tries to accomplish something for her own future after being lied to and neglected for years. They are forced to live in the same dorm room, reluctantly becoming each other's confidantes, and interestingly, both of them know firsthand how lies destroy the lives of their families. They dig out more to face the truth at the expense of embracing their regrets.

Overall: 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.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group / Penguin Young Readers Group / G. P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for sharing this gripping YA mystery's digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts

For a teen mystery/thriller, it was enjoyable. However, the writing was just okay and the characters did not have enough depth for me. I wish I connected more with them to feel thrown off by the resolution of the killer :/ It was a quick and fun read though, i love love rich kid drama.

Huge thank you to Penguin Teen and Jessica Goodman for sending me a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It's Amy and Sarah's senior year at Meadowbrook Academy. This is their year, their entire futures stretched out in front of them, a year full of boathouse parties and dates with their boyfriends and getting ready for college. But that's before Amy walks into Sarah's bedroom one more and finds her and her boyfriend, Ryan, lying dead in Sarah's bed-brutally stabbed to death, all without Amy having heard a thing in the next room.

But when Liz, the editor of the school newspaper, makes a decision to report on the situation without permission in hopes of landing a college scholarship, all eyes flip to Amy as the number one person of interest in Sarah's death. And with pieces missing, half-truths, and a whole lot of skeletons in the closet, things start to unravel fast. And with the police set to catch the killer as soon as possible to avoid bad publicity for the prestigious school and their angry-at-the-wrong-things alumni, Liz and Amy find themselves at the center of a storm that they never anticipated.

This is not my first Jessica Goodman book, and there's a reason I keep coming back. She writes excellent murder mysteries with well-fleshed out casts of characters. YA thrillers are hard to master because you run into the issue of cardboard characters, too many characters, and trite dialogue with chaotic side plots that leave you confused. This book had none of that. This was a YA thriller with the feel of an old school murder mystery, just the right tone and level of emotion and intrigue.

The Meadowbrook Murders releases on 02/04/2025 and I highly recommend adding this to your TBR list right away.

This murder mystery at a boarding school will definitely keep you guessing and turning. I really liked the different POVs of Amy, the roommate of one of the murder victims and Liz the editor in Chief of the school paper who is on the outside of the senior class. I could not put this book down

Thank you to Penguin Teen for my arc!

This story is entirely the reason why i enjoy YA Thrillers so much because you just have a good old fashion murder mystery which you don't get to read a lot in YA anymore and it saddens me so The Meadowbrook Murders was fantastic. I loved Liz and Amy and their friendship and how you get to see them grow and the plot weirdly reminded me of something I've seen in the news recently and I'm curious to know if this book was based off that but this story was so fast paced, I was constantly wrong about who the killer was and when it was finally revealed, I was completely surprised. really enjoyed this!