I'm a big fan of Jessica Goodman's books, but this one fell a little flat for me. Considering how much of the story was (rightfully) focused on Sarah, it felt like I didn't really know her at all. And, considering the motive for the murder, it felt especially glaring. In general, the characters tended to feel underdeveloped or fell into tropes, which was disappointing because there was so much room to make them more interesting and nuanced.

Lastly, the book implies Amy is underage while dating Joseph and ... no one seems to be concerned? Including his mother? Especially since it is very clear that Amy and Joseph have a physical relationship. (Apologies if I missed the part where she turned 18 her junior year of high school.) The story would have worked just as well if his age was adjusted to align with hers.

4,5(rounded to 5 stars)
First of all thank you Jessica Goodman NetGalley and the Publisher for an eArc, in exchange for an honest review♥️🥹🙏

Spoilers ahead! Read at your own risk!
WTH was that!??? I am genuinely hooked on this book! I loved it! Even though Amy made me mad sometimes with her actions, it was understandable. Liz was not the most likeble person in the beginning but she turned out to ve my favorite of all! Also, PETER I TRUSTED YOU! What a turn of events! I am speechless!

The writing style was so very good, it was very easy to get into the story! Thank you again! It was a fantastic read between my studies🤌🫶

For a YA mystery, this is a complex double-murder whodunit. The characters are multi-faceted and well-developed. The author skillfully explores the full range of emotions felt by the school seniors, especially Amy and Liz. I enjoyed the way Amy and Liz were forced together in a realistic manner and the way that their relationship developed. I appreciated that the murder was not explicitly described, though the salient facts were presented. This mystery grabbed me and held me til the end - I was all in and was still very surprised at the end! Fantastic mystery!

"The Meadowbrook Murders" is a decent murder mystery. There are some pretty good twists. The murder and motive are both surprising and not surprising.

Tragedy strikes the perfect Meadowbrook school. Daughter of a tech billionaire, Amy wakes up to find her roommate and the roommate's boyfriend brutally murdered in their dorm room.
Across campus, Liz, a scholarship student and school journalist is hoping for something exciting to happen so that she can write an award winning article.
It's a setup for these two girls to hate each other. Amy was hounded by the tabloids when her parents divorced. Now she is forced to share a dorm room with a journalist who's dying to make a name for herself when she’d much rather be alone to grieve.
The school wants the crime solved and their students safe. However, they also want to control the media coverage.
Overall this is an average mystery. The suspects are the typical ones. However the relationships among the characters is what really drives the narrative and makes this a worthwhile read.

This was a really solid YA murder mystery. It went back and forth between the point of view of the victims best friend and the editor of the school newspaper. I am a huge fan of boarding school stories which is a good way to get pesky parents out of the way. I guessed the murderer quite early but still really enjoyed this one.

I love a good academia thriller! While this is YA, it is engaging and propulsive. Some great multidimensional female characters drive the story, but unfortunately there are several less developed characters that left me with questions. A quick read with good twist.

I flew through this one. Sometimes a twisty YA mystery is just what I need and I couldn't stop turning the pages. I didn't fully guess the ending which is always a plus. I enjoyed the boarding school setting, the student reporter angle, and multiple POVs.

For fans of A Good Girls Guide to Murder comes a new chilling YA academic murder mystery.

It’s the first week of senior year at Meadowbrook Academy. For Amy and her best friend Sarah, that means late-night parties at the boathouse, bike rides through their sleepy Connecticut town, and the crisp beginning of a New England fall.
Then tragedy strikes: Sarah and her boyfriend are brutally murdered in their dorm room. Now the week Amy has been dreaming about for years has turned into a nightmare, especially when all eyes turn to her as the culprit. She was Sarah’s only roommate, the only other person there when she died—or so she told the police to cover for her own boyfriend’s suspicious whereabouts. And even though they were best friends, with every passing day, Amy begins to learn that Sarah lied about a lot of things.
Liz, editor of the school newspaper and social outcast, is determined to uncover the truth about what happened on campus, in hopes her reporting will land a prestigious scholarship to college. As Liz dives deeper into her investigation, the secrets these murdered seniors never wanted out come to light. The deeper Liz digs, the messier the truth becomes – and with a killer still on campus, she can’t afford to make any mistakes.

For fans of true crime this one is fast paced, twisty and absolutely captivating. This review is short because I loved everything about it! No complaints here, bravo!

Interesting story but nothing new. Boarding school, murder, many potential suspects…

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/212806852

Dark academia? YA? Murder mystery? Say no more I’m in!

I really enjoyed this ride. I liked how it changed between narrators. I did not guess the ending so that’s always a plus!

Wow this book kept me on the edge of my seat. I liked the way the dual point of view pushed the story along and kept the suspense. My favorite character arc was Liz's, because it felt so relatable to me for reasons you can find when you read this book once it comes out! Overall a great, suspenseful read for those into murder mysteries and boarding school settings!

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for the digital advanced copy of the book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC—

I always want to love Jessica Goodman’s books because generally I love the prep school vibe her work encompasses, but I usually end up slightly disappointed. I was super excited for this one because not only was it prep school vibes but BOARDING SCHOOL, which is my favorite and I’ve mentioned that so many times I sound like a broken record. Ultimately I did enjoy this book, maybe more than her others, but unfortunately it did not break the spell.

From the beginning, one of the characteristics of the story that really stood out was how graphic and violent the murder was. It felt emphasized to the point that I thought it had to be relevant to the killer. In the end, that’s not the case and I just don’t think it was necessary to make these murders so..brutal? While I wasn’t bothered by it to the point of being upset, this is theoretically a YA story and the brutality of the murders felt almost like clickbait for the book to make it seem more intriguing and ultimately did not relate to the killer at all.

The other piece that didn’t work for me was that one of the two POVS, Liz, seemed kind of random. She was annoying and I really think there could have been a more powerful impact in choosing a different character to alternate Amy because Liz didn’t add anything. Mostly she seemed obsessed with reporting for her own sake and I can understand why the school was bothered by it because her attitude rubbed me the wrong way at times. Her and Amy were not a fun pair to read about and their relationship felt forced and weird, even at the very end.

Like I mentioned, I did enjoy this! It’s very quick and I flew through it. Although I guessed the killer before the book ended, I was definitely intrigued and compelled to keep going and find out if I was right. It was an easy book to get lost in and not have to think too hard about and despite my criticism above, I was always eager to pick it back up. I’ll follow Goodman wherever she takes us at this point because even if the stories never wow me as much as the descriptions make me think they will, I appreciate that her work is consistent and solid!

I love everything this author writes! She knows how to draw a person in and keep them hooked until the very last page! Love the way the story played out, giving a couple misdirections for suspects till the big reveal!!! Great time, great reading!!!!

The Meadowbrook Murders revolves around a murder mystery set against a prep school backdrop.

I thought this book was enjoyable, but nothing that special. The characters were a bit one dimensional. While I did want to know how the story ended I wasn't that intrigued by story.

And randomly...was Joseph supposed to be in high school? It seemed weird he worked as a 'chef' but maybe was a teenager? Unclear.

I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Jessica Goodman does it again! After a double murder at the prestigious Middlebrook Academy, students are left trying to cope with the tragedy and figure out who would commit such a violent crime against their friends Sarah and Ryan. As we follow Amy — who was best friends and roommates with Sarah — and Liz — a student journalist who is desperate to truthfully cover the story — we find that there is more to the murders than everyone originally wants to believe.

I found The Meadowbrook Murders hard to put down. The mystery drew me in and I could easily visualize the characters and the school as if I was there myself. I found the contrast and unlikely pairing of Amy and Liz compelling and the perfect addition to the story. I also liked that Goodman included a student journalist character, as someone who studied journalism myself I found Liz very relatable while reading. This is a dark academia murder mystery that you don't want to miss!

Twisted, dark, suspenseful mystery set in a New England boarding school full of rich and privileged teens-what more could you want for the beginning of the fall season! Jessica Goodman has crafted a page-turner that kept me reading lat into the night. I could not wait to see how this one would play out and felt happy that the drama in my high school was relatively benign compared to what Sarah, Amy, Liz, Ryan, Joseph, Evan, Peter and the rest of the senior class endured.

Thanks to #netgalley, the publisher #gpputnamsons and the author for this ebook to read and enjoy. All opinions are my own.

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.