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I really really wanted to enjoy this book but I just couldn't get into the writing style

I would still recommend this to others as the story was good unfortunately the writing style wasn't for me and I couldn't get into it to enjoy it

I don’t really like a book that jumps around between the past and the present too much and for me, this book was exactly that. It felt like it dragged and while the ending was good, it took a long time to get there.

Thank you for my copy of this book to read and review.

I really enjoyed this book, just as much as I did the previous book.

Interesting and gripping storyline, great characters, dark humour and I always enjoy books with a dual timeline.

I’ve already recommended this book to friends.

I could NOT put this novel down! Another fantastic book from L.M! I loved the Easter eggs to Don’t swipe right as well as thinking I had this story all worked out only to be shocked by the final twist. Another book I couldn’t walk away from, carried all around with me binging it in 4 hours. The writing style is gripping for all reading abilities, the story starts from page one getting you hooked and wanting to know more and more. The fast pace of this story works wonderfully through the two time lines of past and present, it doesn’t get confusing nor does it get boring. I will definitely be purchasing a hard copy to reread again and again as this was another 5 star novel for me!

2.5 stars

I loved, loved, LOVED Chilton's previous book Don't Swipe Right and jumped at the chance to read this new one.

Let's start with the positives. Literally from page one I could hear all of the characters' voices like I knew them. I can completely identify with the horrors of sharing accommodation, the takeaways, the fighting over the television remote, the vodka and the itty bitty box room (which I was lumped with).

It's split into two time periods - the present day and 12 months previous. I know some readers can find them complicated but I like a split time period book as it gives us more background without interrupting the flow of the present scenes.

However, there are more negatives than positives here.

I didn't find it nearly as gripping as his previous book. It took me longer to get into it and lose myself in - in fact, I'm not sure I did completely lose myself in it.

I felt the characters were interesting, but I didn't connect with any of them and so I wasn't really rooting for or against any of them, and therefore I didn't really care what happened.

It's very dialogue heavy. Personally I prefer prose-heavy books rather than dialogue, but each to their own. I felt some of it was a bit stumbly, quite unnatural. As bizarre as this is going to sound, it felt like I was reading a made-up conversation in a book which tries to sound natural but it doesn't reach it. Some books, I get completely lost in the dialogue and you forget it's all made up, but this one kept reminding me it wasn't real, which I think is another reason I couldn't lose myself in it.

I'm not sure what genre to put it in. This won't be an issue for some people but I do like to know what I'm thinking. So it is a thriller, but also a contemporary piece, sometimes humour and cos y crime - it just felt like it didn't know what it wanted to be.

It was twisty and turny and exciting but at times I felt there was too much, and some things didn't work as well and left me a little muddled.

I had such high hopes for this because his previous book was one of my absolute favourites, but this fell short. I have seen five-star reviews for this and I have seen two-star reviews, so I definitely think it's a personal taste thing, but for me it disappointed sadly.

Thank you NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the ARC.

This was a good mystery/thriller that bounced between timelines of the past and present. It kept me guessing right until the very end. I didn't predict the ending which was nice because some mysteries are so easy to predict.
Only downside was it felt like it dragged slightly and there were a few parts of the story that were missing and it felt like there needed to be more information.
Would definitely read another book by this author.

I chose this to read as a light hearted, quick and laugh out loud chick litty type thing. However, what I got was a fast paced thriller whose villain I didn’t guess and also was laugh out loud in a dark funny way. What a clever and accomplished writer. It dealt with very up to date issues, social media and the current cancel issues, maybe I really should recommend it to many of the students in the learning centre ( what used to be known as the library in F.E.)
Hank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Started off strong, fell super flat towards the end. Chapters alternate between one year ago to present time. Present time chapters were the killer for me im afraid. Not as compelling or thrilling as I had hoped for. Characters were a BLAST though. I really enjoyed their dynamic. .

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought it was well paced, entertaining and I couldn't put it down!

I loved the authors writing style.

Thank you to the publisher for this advanced reader copy.

😵 Everyone In The Group Chat Dies • L. M. Chilton 😵
★★★

Read if you enjoy:
😵 Millennial thrillers
😵 True crime tiktokers
😵 Small town mysteries
😵 I Know What You Did Last Summer
😵 Humour and suspense
😵 Dual timelines

Clare ‘Kirby’ Cornell escaped the small town of Crowhurst a year ago. But when a message from her and her old flatmates’ group chat pops up saying ‘everyone in this group chat dies’, Kirby realises she cannot outrun this. Especially since it was sent by Esme, who died a year ago.

This is a fun mixture of humour and suspense with a dual timeline presenting the reader with what happened a year ago, and what is happening in present day. This gives me suchhh I Know What You Did Last Summer. Except instead of a teenage slasher, it’s a group of whatsapping millennials that die for their kept secrets. Despite this sinister excitement, I found that I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would, nor as much as I enjoyed the author’s other thriller. For me, I found that the MC has a resigned sense of inertia to her character that was frustrating to me. Her narrative tone was overtly negative and this made it hard to keep reading despite the injected humour. I did really enjoy the exploration of the toxic culture of amateur true crime investigating and by extension, social media.

Everyone in the Group Chat Dies, by L.M. Chilton is a modern, twisty, and quick-witted thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish. It’s fast-paced with plenty of dialogue, making it a breeze to get through. I was constantly guessing (and second-guessing) who the killer might be — and let's just say I did not get it right, but that’s part of the fun!

The characters were great, with hilarious group banter that added charm even amid the suspense. I also loved the inclusion of “Show Me,” a fictional app reminiscent of TikTok. It really captured the impact and risks of social media trends. The story had enough twists and clues to take it in multiple directions, and I genuinely enjoyed trying to piece it all together.

30 something Kirby is a journalist for a local newspaper and lives in a shared house with a group of single friends. When Esme a glamorous new housemate turns up she reveals that she is a successful true crime vlogger and introduces Kirby to the world of Show Me, a new social media platform like Tiktok. However, when Esme goes missing Kirby is drawn unto the investigation of a serial killer from thr 1990s...

This was a fun read that had lots of twists and turns and kept me guessing!

This book was really good fun! I liked the main character Kirby and enjoyed following her as she tried to solve the mystery of the 'Crowhurst Killer', both in the present and flashbacks to 12 months ago. I thought the setting of a rubbish flatshare in a rubbish town was brilliant, and the story was funny and interesting in equal measures.

All of the characters felt believable, and it was fun following the clues about what happened 30 years ago and what was happening now. Parts I guessed, parts I didn't, but the journey was really enjoyable.

I really enjoyed this one, I loved the fresh, new style of the way this is written.
This is a fast paced, interesting read, that is using the concept of newer apps to tell the story.
It’s entertaining & gripping whilst having a sense of humour about it,
I’m really looking forward to reading more like this in the future and more from this author.
Thoroughly enjoyable. Would highly recommend this one.

it. It was a kindle book which I read in bed and I kept sleeping late because I always wanted to keep reading.
It did give me YA vibes but I didn’t mind that.

I liked the dual time POV’s, getting to go back and ‘relive’ what happened, but also read the ‘now’ and see Kirby process and come to terms with everything.

I liked the different twists and turns, and how it worked out in the end, even though one of the twists was guessable.

I would recommend this book and also read more from this author.

First of all, a big thanks to Aria & Aries and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc.

2 stars

The most annoying part about this book was the newer language and apps mentioned. This might be solely my opinion but I just don't like it when they're talked about because it seems awkward, and one of the main characters was all centred around social media, which made it slightly cringey to read.
Other than that, I found the plot quite interesting though I feel like it didn't hit as hard because I predicted some of it, but that may just be because I am more of a true crime person. It dragged at moments, and I did feel like dnf-ing it, but when I passed the first half it picked up the pace.
This may be going against what I said before, but I just didn't like the main characters, I didn't feel like I could relate to them and also didn't like the way they had no character development or proper background.

With that said, I wouldn't recommend this book but some may try it and like it.
Thank you again :)

Thank you to Head of Zeus | Aries Fiction and Netgalley for the arc in return for an honest review.

I was pleasantly surprised and hooked by the plot and it's characters. The dynamics of the group felt so real and I found myself connecting with them , as the converations felt so natural.

I don't usually enjoy switching timelines but I found that it fit perfectly with the pace of the story and I couldn't wait to switch back to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together.

I was truly surprised by the ending and would recommend this to anyone who wants a fast paced, small town mystery with lots of twists and turns, that will keep you guessing until the very end

The writing is extremely modern, twisty and quick witted, I enjoyed the concept of ‘show me’ a fictional online/app similar to TikTok. I felt the book was in line with current trends, and the impact and dangers of having an online presence.
I’d recommend this if you’re after a good “who done it” read.

I really enjoyed L.M. Chilton's other books, so I was really excited to be able to read this. I was really glad to not be left disappointed. I hope Chilton's has more books to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for this ARC.

Thirty years ago, Peter Doyle killed a handful of teenagers at the annual Crawe Fayre in Crowhurst, a small town in Surrey, then threw himself off the cliffs at Staker Point. It's what Crowhurst is still most famous notorious for - that and sausage rolls.

Twelve months ago, a girl called Esme joined the four flatmates Kirby, Dave, Dylan and Seema who were calling themselves The Deadbeats in their WhatsApp group, at their run-down flat in Crowhurst, with the intent of investigating the spree killer via a true crime video site called ShowMe ("Tik Tok is so last year").

In the present day, Kirby and the others seem to have left Crowhurst behind, but suddenly a strange message hits the old group chat. It's from Esme - but Esme died a year ago. Slowly Kirby, the journalist, begins to piece together not only what happened twelve months ago but also 30 years ago. Is Peter Doyle still alive and now coming for the former flatmates? Because someone is killing them off one by one.

Unfortunately, I don't seem to be the target audience for this. I couldn't connect to the young hip characters and their constant need for validation via followers. The humour seems forced and childish and is certainly not laugh-out-loud funny. Also, calling a 42" TV a mega beast felt needlessly melodramatic.

I found the dual timelines confusing and irritating, and the present day killings didn't make sense as there seemed no need for them. Even the explanation we got seemed unhinged. We got some heavy hinting throughout (Fitbit! Broken necklace! Noisy, vibrating printer press!) but none of it pointed to something really important.

I liked the twelve months ago narration but every time I got into it, the timeline changed to the less interesting present day timeline. The whole thing strongly reminded me of slasher film I Know What You Did Last Summer so maybe read it if that is your thing.