With a ‘90s vibe, eccentric characters, and one doozy of a twist, Assume Nothing was the definition of a quick, easy read. Let me, however, start at the beginning… Ostensibly geared for adults, this original plot came across more as a YA mystery to my thriller loving eye. Nevertheless, the compelling storyline and dynamite character arc meant for an intriguing read from the slow burn start to the well-plotted somewhat cliffhanger end. All told, I did enjoy this one—even if there were quite a few issues for me.

My biggest pet peeves with this serial killer yarn, however, were mostly due to the inconsistencies of the writing. From long run-on sentences and lack of chapters to the unnecessary descriptions, I found myself skimming altogether more than I liked. And while I loved the interplay between the two central characters, the entire premise required quite the suspension of all disbelief. The biggest issue for me, though was with Kat. At times wholly immature, the idea that she could ever enact what occurred in the plot verged into absurd.

Despite all of the above, though, I did race through this book in just a matter of hours. Coming in at just under 290 pages, the nostalgic time period, even pace, and fun mixed media format meant for a mostly rollicking good time. After all, if you also came of age in the ‘90s, you’re going to love those AOL IMs. All in all, I did mostly enjoy this one from the character you’ll love to hate to the metafiction feel despite its apparent flaws. Just be prepared for a YA mystery and not a fast-paced thriller meant for adults. As long as you do, this mental game of chess might entertain you as well. Rating of 3 stars.

Thank you to Joshua Corin, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

Assume Nothing by Joshua Corin is a highly recommended mystery. Although this is written as a thriller for adult readers it is a perfectly acceptable YA novel.

Sixteen-year-old Kat McCann is an avid reader and loves the books written by mystery writer Carissa Miller. It's 1995 and she is active in a chat group for Miller's fans, which is where she met 19-year-old Dev. After they become friends, Kat shares her secret with him. When Kat was six years old renowned Austrian detective Alik Lisser solved her mother’s 1985 murder and Miller wrote a novel about the case. Many of her novels were based on the cases solved by criminologist Alik Lisser, however, she changes the name to detective Adrian Lescher in the books.

When Dev and Kat learn that Lisser will be giving a talk nearby they both attend. Lisser notices Kat, remembers who she is, and contacts her, inviting her and her aunt to visit him in England. Once there, Kat, who wanted to know the truth behind her mother's murder, has many of her beliefs challenged.

This is an intriguing, compelling mystery with an even paced plot that picks up toward the end. All of the twists along the way are interesting and they will hold your attention in this quick read. It can also feel a bit nostalgic with some of the chat group texts included in the story. Readers will have to set some disbelief aside. The biggest drawback to the narrative is the lack of chapters.

Kat is the narrator, which lends the YA feel to the whole novel. She is a wonderful, fully realized book-smart teen who loves reading mysteries. Her youth provides an enthusiasm and courageousness to the plot that is not entirely based on experience, but she has also had to deal with some real difficulties in life, including the death of her parents and an abusive uncle. Lisser is a creepy, know-it-all who is intensely unlikable. Pedro and Dev are nice supporting characters.

All in all, Assume Nothing is a fun, engaging mystery with a teen protagonist. Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Great premise with so much potential, unfortunately it devolves into a confusing mess that is impossible to follow.

Thomas & Mercer provided an early galley for review.

I was not familiar with Corin's earlier work in young adult novels and Marvel Comics, but this sounded like an interesting mystery set in a familiar decade. That tone is set right out of the gate when the characters are interacting via an AOL chat room. That certainly takes me back.

However, there were several minuses for me as well. First, there is no real "chapter" structure; the book instead relies on pause breaks throughout which makes it difficult for highly organized folks like me to keep track easily of where they are. Second, I did not connect with the narrative voice; Kat is a high school teen and therefore tells her story in a similar fashion. While this style would most definitely appeal to young adult readers, as an elderly reader I found it a bit unappealing at times. Lastly, it felt unnatural for Kat's friend Dev to say f'ing all the time rather than just swear with the actual word. A college student in the 90's most certainly would have sworn. This seems like the author trying to give the character an edge but avoid offending the reader with constant use of a word that would give a film an R-rating very quickly.

About a third of the way in, the plot takes a huge turn. I can see it being concerning for some readers (I certainly found it to be). To see a path forward from that point, I had to suspend belief and rely on the fact that the narrator is still an inexperienced child. My concern, though, was that Kat would end up being much more than her sixteen years would imply impossible in order to get past these circumstances. Again, it had that YA book feel where characters like this are often found. Despite all the things I did not like about it, I still finished the novel anyway with my concern being very much validated in the end.

The storyline, the characters and the descriptive writing of the different locations and scenes throughout this book was great. However, the dialogue was a bit too YA/Teen for my liking. I found this really hard to finish reading (I got about half way, got bored, left it for 2 months, then got back to it). I would only recommend this book to young teenagers, not young adults.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this one, but it sounded intriguing and more than met the promise of the premise. The characters are insanely well drawn and the plot manages to be shocking and inevitable all at once. I really enjoyed the mystery reader aspects as well.

I enjoyed this book a lot! The main character and narrator, Kat, is so endearing and the time period was nostalgic and fun (RIP AOL). It was an easy read, and the writing style felt very organic and like I was listening to how someone would speak. I agree with the other review that I would have liked it to have been split into actual chapters, but that is more of a personal preference than an actual critique.

Overall, I enjoyed the plot, it was original and fun to follow, and Kat’s character could have been me or any of my friends back then. Though some of the actual verbiage was a tad repetitive, I was excited to see how it would end.

If you’re a 80s-90s baby and enjoy a personable character that is relatable in all ways (except maybe what she’s dealing with in this story — if you can relate to that, too, then, well… I’m sorry), a fast paced story with an equally intelligent and well developed protagonist and antagonist, give this one a shot.

I requested to read this book because I thought the cover was eye-catching and I loved the title (which definitely fits the story and really rounds out the whole experience.

Assume Nothing by Joshua Corin is an excellent YA read. The protagonist is a 15-year-old girl, Kat McCann, but the reader does not learn her name until a little ways into the book. Rather, she introduces herself by the username she uses in a specific AOL chatroom, KMcCann14. The chatroom is a key element in story since it is solely devoted to the mystery writer Carissa Miller who has written numerous murder mysteries which have been solved by the detective fictional detective Adrian Lescher. It’s in the chatroom that Kat meets Dev whose chatroom name is WmbleyLnDet, meant to pay honor to Lescher whose address in central London was on Wembley Lane.

The chatroom was filled with intense devotees of Carissa’s books who often played obscure trivia games about those novels. It was in the chatroom that Kat met Dev, and when they discovered they both lived in Boston, and they met so they could attend a lecture at Harvard by Alik Lisser who was the real life detective and criminologist about whom Lescher was created for the novels. We learn that Dev is 19 years old and is attending college.

As the book develops, we learn that Kat suffered multiple tragedies. Starting with her mother’s death and her father’s imprisonment, she had significant signs of post-traumatic stress and ongoing struggles with anxiety. She was just six years old when her mother was murdered and her father was convicted of having been the murderer, something that Kat was never willing to accept as a fact. She was quickly shipped off to live with her aunt and uncle. Over the course of the story, we’re told about the several other murders that were impacting Kat’s life. Eventually, Kat confessed to Dev that her mother’s murder had been the plot for one of Carissa’s books, a crime which Lisser had solved. At the age of 70, after having penned so many novels, Carissa suddenly disappeared and left no clue about what happened to her. The chatroom characters were distressed about the loss of their favorite mystery writer.

I don’t want to give away the plot, but I’ll tell you that the plot, subplots, main characters, and accessory characters are all well put together. There’s a major and unexpected plot event at the 1/3 mark of the book, and it took the rest of the novel to deal with that change.

I think this novel is one that my 11-year-old grandson would enjoy. He is reading at a level of sophistication that far exceeds his peers. Perhaps this story will help him see the joy in reading such mysteries. I liked this story and would give it a strong recommendation, especially to teen readers.

This was a fantastic book. I really enjoyed every second I spent reading it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I was very intrigued by the premise, and the author really delivered on the promise to the reader. A compelling, deftly written story, I couldn't put down. Highly recommended.

For a brilliant detective and an avid mystery reader, truth really is stranger—and deadlier—than fiction in a suspenseful and wickedly entertaining novel about the games killers play! Good book! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, a great who done it and a few twists and turns. The story was interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Assume Nothing by Joshua Corin is an intriguing psychological thriller with an interesting premise, but it didn’t fully capture my attention. The story follows Kat McCann, who’s haunted by her mother’s murder and obsessed with the detective who solved the case. While the book has some strong descriptive writing and a few good twists, the pacing felt uneven, with a slow start that only picks up later on. I appreciated the eerie atmosphere and the exploration of trauma, but I found it hard to connect with the characters on a deeper level. Overall, it’s a decent read for fans of psychological mysteries, but it didn’t quite deliver the suspense I was hoping for.

I'll be honest, the beginning was a little slow, but important for the context of the story. I'm not sure if there are no chapters because it's an early released version of the book, but I hope that changes before it's fully released! As far as the book itself goes, I love the time period the author chose. I feel the AOL chatroom is key, this may be because text bubbles just tickle my brain in the best way possible! 1/3 of the way through the book, it really starts to heat up & get interesting! Assume nothing is a story with anxiety representation and domestic violence representation, which is just not talked about enough in my opinion. One of my expectations of a thriller is to keep me on my toes and this book definitely didn't disappoint on that front! As far as the author goes, he is an excellent descriptive writer, with quotes such as comparing snow to mashed potatoes and a bruise to the color of an overcooked eggplant. This really helps the reader visual the story!