This book had me from the opening chapter. I went in curious about the lacrosse angle but stayed for the humor, the slow-unfolding mystery, and the incredible queer rep that felt both timely and true to its 90s setting. Each of the four girls in the spotlight brought something unique to the table, and the use of flashbacks to unravel their stories was done with care and tension. There’s plenty of bite and heart here, and it’s all wrapped in a nostalgic murder mystery package I didn’t want to put down.

Kill the Lax Bro by Charlotte Lillie Balogh was an entertaining and enjoyable read.
I was so excited to start this one and y’all it did not disappoint.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, it has all the elements of a good read from plot and intrigue.

I didn't realize this was a 90s book, which was a very nice surprise! Also a locked room element like One of Us Is Lying made it fun as well.

Hancock High is holding their annual lock-in, but when the school's top lax bro ends up dead, who did it and why? Was it quiet Naomi? Unpredictable Tatum? Perfect Jennifer (haha)? Or someone else.

With a past/present narrative and multiple POVs, this book keeps you guessing until the end.

Thanks so much to the publisher for the advance copy for review.

A 90s murder mystery about a group of students... and a very dead star lacrosse player and how they are all connected to him. Hancock High loves it's lacrosse team and at the heart of it is the star player, Troy Richards. During the school's annual lock-in....a body is found and it's Troys. The main suspects are Jennifer ( Troy's girlfriend who is cheating on him with his best friend), Naomi (the Geek), Sassi (Troy's ex girlfriend who has more beef with him) and Tatum (the rebel), and then there is Andrew (Troy's "best friend" who gets in a fight with him and is in love with Jennifer). Troy was messy... but this mystery was even messier. I generally enjoyed Charlotte's writing however the constant back and forth in time jumps, the way the character's aren't really that distinct, and that ending... it just didn't work for me unfortunately. It's not the best ending and I just kind of hoped there would be a clearer or more well wrapped up ending.

Release Date: June 24, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's | Delacorte Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This was such a dark and funny read overall. The setting was very nostalgic and I enjoyed the twists.

Kill the Lax Bro is a fun YA murder mystery which is a fast read that keeps you guessing throughout. Troy is the school’s star lacrosse player and when he turns up murdered on the night of the famous school lock-in, the 5 main suspects team up to try and find out what really happened to him. I really liked how this novel uses a dual timeline to gradually reveal the secrets of each character in the lead up to the murder.

One timeline is the night of the murder as Troy’s ex best friend Andrew and Troy’s girlfriend Jessica find his body and the other timeline is the months leading up to the murder which provides vital information on each character with chapters from their different POVs to help the reader understand their individual feelings towards Troy because of what he had done to them to make them each want revenge.

I liked each character’s unique personality: you have the popular girl, the nerd, the troublemaker and the standout student and I could easily tell them apart as their stories gradually took shape. I also liked Andrew who was Troy’s best friend until something happened at a New Year’s Eve party and I liked how I was kept guessing about what really happened and the reveal was a complete shock! There are some surprising twists and turns throughout the novel which kept me interested in finding out who killed Troy and why.

The book does read more like an early teen novel than YA at times which felt a bit too young for me but it was an intriguing read with enjoyable characters. The ending was interesting and not what I expected to have happened at all but I wasn’t a fan of the epilogue as it leaves the story too open with an ominous last line which confused me more than anything.

Overall, Kill the Lax Bro is a good debut novel from Charlotte Lillie Barlogh with plenty of twists to keep you on your toes. The characters were the best part of the novel and I loved getting to know more about them through their POVs as each piece of the puzzle was slowly being put together.

Tremendous thank you to Charlotte Lillie Balogh, Penguin Random House, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for the eARC!!!

This was my most anticipated read of 2025, I remember seeing an advertisement for the book while scrolling Insta…and knew I needed to get my hands on this book! Marketed to me as including “Himbo’s, Lax Bro’s, Bimbo’s, Y2K/90’s Vibes, and Feminine Rage”, I knew this book would be absolutely ICONIC and align with my interest.

Kill The Lax Bro begins our story on the evening the 1999 Hancock High “Lock-In” before graduation. The story kicks off when our *untouchable golden boy & Lax Bro Star Player* Troy Richards is mysteriously found dead. Five students, all with different reasons to harbor a vendetta against Troy; find themselves entangled in the investigation. Jennifer Lee (Troy’s current girlfriend, and “The Dream Girl”), Andrew Garcia (Troy’s former bestie, and “The Other Lax Bro”), Tatum Stein (“The Rebel”), Sassi DeLuca (Troy’s ex-girlfriend, and “The Academic Overachiever”), and Naomi King (“The Freshman Outsider”). Told through a dual-timeline structure—flashing between the months leading up to Troy's death and the evening of the lock-in—the story slowly pieces together the motives of each of our potential suspects.

The few plot twists (especially in the final act) had my jaw dropping and racing to finish the book to see just how everything played out. Once you start this one…you WILL NOT want to put it down, I devoured this one up in two days! I loved the references to New England as a fellow New England baddie myself, the Glossary at the beginning as well as each chapter being named after an iconic 90’s/00’s jam was a nice nostalgic touch for us Millennials!

Each character will remind you of typical 90’s/00’s film archetype, and that’s part of the charm of Kill The Lax Bro. You find yourself engrossed with these characters that’ve been wronged, yet also feeling some sympathy for Troy.

Full of revenge, humor, and slapstick 90’s slang that reminded me of 90’s/00’s films like “Jawbreaker”, “Mean Girls”, “John Tucker Must Die”, and a sprinkle of “Pretty Little Liars”; Kill The Lax Bro is the perfect “Nostalgia Read of Summer 2025”! I truly NEED a film or TV adaptation now, as I was casting it in my head while reading. I truly hope that we see more novels from Charlotte in the future, as this debut was “totally radical”!

I loved this one. Total 90s nostalgia overload in the best way — from the chapter titles named after 90s songs to the dark academia girl gang seeking vengeance.

The full cast audiobook is perfection with such a big ensemble — every voice pops. Tatum stole the show for me — her biting sarcasm gave major John Bender (Breakfast Club) vibes. She's layered, flawed, and completely magnetic.

There are twists on twists, and while the ending is a bit ambiguous (don’t say I didn’t warn you), it stuck with me. That last line? 🤔Still thinking about it.

Read this if you love:
🎧 Locked-room vibes
🎶 Killer 90s soundtrack
👑 Girl-powered mystery
🌀 Twists you didn't see coming
🎬 Honestly, this should be a movie

This book gives off Breakfast Club meets Fear Street! I loved that the MCS were an unlikely group of people all conspiring against one person.
This book is from numerous perspectives which got confusing at some points because I’m super bad with names and kept forgetting who was who 😅
I did enjoy this book immensely and read it in one sitting. I know that this is supposed to be a sports themed book but it really feels like it could be part of summerween too so if you’re looking for a ya thriller with lacrosse being a side story definitely get this book!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

❇️ huge thanks to netgalley and delacorte press for providing me an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. all thoughts and opinions are mine! ❇️

🥍: this book was slam dunk! or maybe i should say a goal? i dont know… i hate lacrosse tbh…

📖: i’m not good at summarizing books but basically this is a circa 1999 high school ya locked door murder mystery! everyone hates troy richards, the star lacrosse player and resident playboy at hancock high. so when he is found d e a d during the annual school lock-in the night before graduation, an unlikely group of “friends” needs to find out who killed him before anyone points the finger at any of them.

andrew (ex-best-friend), sassi (ex-girlfriend), tatum (deadbeat), and naomi (lab partner) all have different reasons for wanting troy richards. gone. or do they?

💭: this was so good im shaking….

i read it in about 4 days (and definitely n o t because i was putting off the e-arc…) and basically binged it by the pool each day. so yeah, maybe my opinions are skewed because i was quite literally in paradise when i read it but hey, what i can say? 😎

i thought the concept was amazing as is, however i will say i was a little misled that i thought this was going to be one of those books that takes place in under 24 hours (LOVE those kind!!) but it actually alternates between “now” during the lock-in and “then” which is the semester leading up to it. i ended up really liking that set up because everytime the author switched the timelines they were s u r e to give us a cliffhanger…. there were at least two mini-cliffhangers on how they ended chapters were i was like “wow okay i need to take a breather (in the BEST way).

i have no other words than this was top. fucking. tier. please read this book. period. slay.

I'm not normally one for thrillers, but Kill the Lax Bro is the exception! The 90s vibes, the whodunnit mystery, the unlikely group of friends a la The Breakfast Club, the suspects and alibis. All of it merged to form an unputdownable book. I binged this in one day because I just had to know what happened. If you want to know who killed the lax bro, you'll have to read it for yourself.

Thank you to the publisher for the copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have to admit, the title of this one absolutely drew me in. I love me a good novel set in the 90's, give me all of the nostalgia, and this was definitely a fun read. I think my students will enjoy it and I will for sure be purchasing it for my HS library. I found the characters to be unique and fun to follow and overall it was just a fun read, which sounds weird giving that its a murder/thriller story, but it scratched an itch that needed to be scrached.

At the annual Hancock High lock-in the day before graduation, Troy Richards is found dead by the very people who have spent the last semester trying to ruin his life and take away his beloved lacrosse. Andrew wants revenge, Tatum wants what’s owed her, Sassi needs him out of the way to secure her future, and Naomi wants to prove that she’s not the pushover everyone believes she is. These four unlikely companions decide to bring Troy down through a sequence of pranks and embarrassments, so who was it that decided to kill the lax bro?

This story is uniquely told through multiple perspectives as well as an interrupted timeline. Set at the end of the ‘90s, the nostalgia will appeal to more than just a young adult audience. If you love sarcastic mysteries and remember what it was like to try to survive high school, this novel I for you!

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the ARC!

This one was pretty disappointing overall to me. I felt like the plot was nonsensical at times where the characters would do something that would make absolutely no sense. This also was not really a mystery/thriller as it is made out to be, I did not really find it to be at all suspenseful. Although some of the content was more YA, it almost seemed immature in the writing and how the characters were portrayed. There was one twist I did not see coming and appreciated, but that was really the best part about this book. I wish the 90's nostalgia was done better - a lot of time it felt forced into the story. The chapter heading song titles were interesting though! Overall not necessarily one I would recommend, except maybe to a YA who has a more immature mindset and would be able to somewhat connect with the characters.

Thank you publishers for the e-arc!
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The 90’s murder mystery of Kill The Lax Bro is inciting and intriguing! The chapter titles coupled with snappy and very decadent appropriate dialogue was something that I enjoyed.

Overall, I found the story itself to be lackluster, and I felt that the ending left me walking away unsatisfied. There were also a few loose threads that I would have liked more follow-up on. I also felt that the transitions between past and present were entertaining but left me feeling not necessarily connected to the present storyline as much as I should have been.

Some of these things definitely could have been changed in the final version considering this is just an ARC! However, these are my thoughts based off of the copy I was provided to review.

Thank you Delacorte Press @delacortepress Random House Children’s Books @randomhousekids and Charlotte Lillie Balogh @charlottelilliebalogh for this free book!
“Kill the Lax Bro” by Charlotte Lillie Balogh⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Genre: YA Murder Mystery. Location: Hancock High School Cafeteria. Time: late 1990s.

The night before graduation, Hancock High celebrates at the annual cafeteria lock-in. It’s packed with denim jackets, denim overalls, slap bracelets, illicit cheap booze, and the synthy sound of Ace of Base. But then the body of senior Troy Richards is found. He’s the star lacrosse player, handsome, entitled, never held responsible for his actions, admitted to Harvard-he’s a jerk. Troy’s ex-best-friend and former lacrosse bro Andrew, ambitious over-achiever Sassi, rebel with a heart of gold Tatum, and quiet freshman Naomi all have reasons to resent him. But would they kill him?

Author Balogh has written a murder mystery that skewers high school stereotypes, including the boys we love and love to hate: the lax bros. It’s a mashup of modern-day murder mysteries and your favorite 90s teen movies. Her get-back-at-your-ex scenarios (boyfriend, best friend, whatever) showcase a group of unlikely friends determined to exact revenge. Balogh’s darkly funny plot is enhanced by her use of 6 narrators, each with their own secrets. It’s funny, fresh, twisty, and it’s 5 stars from me 📚👩🏼‍🦳#KillTheLaxBro #CharlotteLillieBalogh

The 90's teenager in me loved this. I see how this can be comp'ed with Jawbreaker, John Tucker Must Die, I'll add Heathers into that mix. Older gen YA readers will love this. Even still, greatly paced and plotted. Some confusion give the 4+ POV..took awhile to feel out all the personalities. Great debut from an experienced author.
Thank you to RandomHouse Children’s (Delacorte Press) and NetGalley for the ARC for review!

This book really felt like one of those classic 90s teen movies, especially during the spring lock in. The narrative voice was great and pulled me in immediately from the prologue. I liked the multiple POVs and felt like they really provided a full view of the story as the mystery grew and unravelled. It was also easy to keep them apart as each character had a really unique tone. I thought the 90s songs as chapter names was also a nice touch.

Kill the Lax Bro by Charlotte Lillie Balogh is a sharp, darkly comedic murder mystery set in the 1990s that unravels the glossy surface of high school life to expose the secrets beneath. When Troy Richards—the popular but divisive star of the lacrosse team—is found dead during Hancock High’s graduation lock-in, four very different girls become unlikely suspects. Jennifer, Naomi, Sassi, and Tatum each had reasons to hate Troy, but which one wanted him gone for good? As the investigation unfolds, so does a biting critique of high school cliques, toxic masculinity, and the complex truths hidden behind teenage facades.

As a 90's baby myself, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole vibe of this story. I appreciated the dual timeline and the twists sprinkled throughout, and thought this was a solid read. I enjoyed seeing the characters' backstories, as they added more depth to the overall story. The ending wasn't quite as climactic as I was expecting, but still an enjoyable story! I would read more by Charlotte.