This books was a bit of a struggle to read. It was not as engaging as I had hoped. Fans of Sara Shepard may still enjoy the book.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Amateurs by Sara Shepard.

Just like Ana and Elsa in Frozen, Aerin and Helena go out to play in the snow. But after Aerin goes back outside after a quick trip in, Helena is never seen again.

Cut to a few years later when a bunch of young amateur sleuths see Aerin's impassioned plea for help in discovering Helena's disappearance, and a ragtag ratchet detective force is created. Everyone is young and hot and hot for each other, which definitely adds drama to the already dramatic scene, and baby, you got yourself a ya crime novel!

This is my first Sara Shepard, and I can definitely see the appeal. If I was seventeen, I probably would have been all over this, with crushes on all the cute boys to boot. But alas, I am old and cranky and over it. I really don't care about YA vapid romances, and to be honest, I couldn't really keep with the actual story either. Ugh, when did I get like this?

It takes a bit to get into, but I definitely think that teens who follow things like I'll Be Gone in the Dark or Sadie or Serial and are looking to solve a crime will see themselves in it.

The ending is so worth the ride - I'm not even really into Mystery/Thrillers but I definitely will continue with the series if they all play out like this. I'll admit I'm a bit skeptical of modern day teenage sleuths but Seneca and the gang definitely kept me intrigued. I enjoyed this story enough to want to continue with the series, but not enough to want to dive in to PLL. 3 out of 5 wine glasses.

Sara Shepard has done it again - created a group of teens/young adults who are engaging and realistic and who deserve our empathy and interest. In this case, they are a group of college aged teens & 20-somethings whose passion is solving cold case murders. They have connected through an online chat/forum and set out to solve the mystery of a young woman who disappeared & was found dead 5 years ago. The police have found nothing.

Through chapters that are told from alternating points of view (3rd person viewpoint) we learn about each character and what motivates them -- the murdered girl's sister, a family friend & his half-sister, a stranger whose own mother was murdered, and the young man whose grandmother was murdered.

This book kept my interest throughout the entire thing. There were twists and turns everywhere and enough romance and humor and suspense to keep me guessing until the very end. It is book one of a series, and I can see the series gaining popularity equaling Shepard's other series. She really seems to have a knack for writing about teens and sucking her readers into their worlds.

Very fun and a good read, but I came away from it a little underwhelmed. Not sure it will be one I highly recommend.

Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to download this title before it was archived

I loved the premise of this book. The thought of teens each having their own reason for trying to help solve cold cases was really intriguing. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and know that my teens will as well. I have already purchased this addition to my collection.

Really cute concept, but I wish I liked this more than I did

I'm guessing this will be another looooong serious from the author. It's different from her other works, but I'm not sure on the idea. I kind of don't believe in the setting, su that makes it pretty hard to enjoy this one

"The Amateurs" is another great series starter from Sara Shepard. I can't wait for book two!

Fun and witty. Characters were honest and relateable. Great plot

This is another hold over from last year on my Netgalley account. I have never read a book by Sara Shepard, but my students all love her Pretty Little Liars series so I thought I would give her a try. I am glad I did. This book was very well done with a lot of misdirections and surprises that made it a thoroughly enjoyable read. The ending was amazing as well and it made me happy that I already have the galley for the next book so that I don’t have to wait till November to see what happens.

This group of kids did an excellent job of sleuthing. They know a lot about the case before they get started, but are able to unravel more as the week goes by. I was a little put off by the budding romances, especially the crush that Brett develops on Aerin. And there was a lot of teenage angst that annoyed me too. They just didn’t seem relevant to the story and at times slowed it down as well. The relationship between Maddy and Seneca got a bit wearisome as well, but hopefully they will work it out eventually.

I think I liked Seneca the best. She is smart and determined to find the answers even when everyone else thinks that they have solved the murder, she always finds something that doesn’t sit right with her. She isn’t confident though, which is often her downfall. She is for the most part the leader of the group, but I don’t think she sees it that way. She is also calm in crises situations which is a good quality in a detective.

Maddy was a little bit of an issue for me. Maddy was always making bad decisions, but his heart was in the right place. His relationship with his coach is something that was distracting to the main story line, but I have a feeling that something more will happen with that before too long.

Brett was a character who bugged me throughout most of the book. I couldn’t quite figure him out. He at times seemed charming but his inner dialogue didn’t match up to his actions. I also didn’t like that he always seemed to be in costume, or acting, not being his true self.

The plot was excellent, I love murder mysteries that always keep you guessing. There was a lot of misdirection in this book and the addition of a stalker that was trying to keep them from solving the murder was a nice touch as well. Even though they are able to solve the mystery of who killed Helena we are left with a lot of loose ends that I am looking forward to seeing how they are resolved. A great start to a thrilling and suspenseful trilogy that will keep you turning pages way into the night.

This was a wonderful story about a group of friends - but I found that the extra drama just wasn't necessary. I understand that there are more books in the series, but this could be a great standalone story if not for the ending. I almost wish the "After" chapter was just the start of the next book because I figured it out with the others, but it was just extra.

Overall, a story that I would probably read again - and might pick up the other ones. So we'll see. I would recommend picking up this book if you are a fan of Sara Shepard's other stories.

Lightweight mystery/suspense/thriller perfect for fans of Sara Shepard.

"Just one more day to hug her, tell her I love her, all that shit. I'd trade that for anything."


Shepard has done it again, I am invested in this group of friends getting to the real killer and all staying alive! That ending... OMG.. I need the second book now! I have to know what happens next!

We have Aerin, Seneca, Maddy, & Brett who are all amateur high-school/college teenagers trying to solve murders. Two of them want to solve the murder of a loved one, and the other two just want to help. I'm not going to go into each of the characters personalities or anything like that, because that is really apart of what made me enjoy the story so much.

This makes it a very complicated story to tell at times it would seem, but it's not. We switch perspective each chapter, which really helps us see how/what everyone's feeling and how they are helping the case. The group surprisingly work together fairly well after a few hiccups that happen, but ultimately they make a pretty good team, as long as no one is drunk.


Did things very conventionally fall together once again? Yes
Did the teenagers make dumb decisions that were extremely unsafe? Yes
Did they keep things from the police? Yes

Honestly at this point for me these are just things that are going to happen in a Shepard novel, its how she writes and it's what I've come to enjoy about her books. They make them a little too similar at times, but at the end she always throws something in that was very unexpected and has me drawn back in once again. I also love how easy I can read her books, yes they are very thrilling, but there also ones that don't scare me too much either. I can't wait for book two and to see what happens next.

Review will be posted May 26th, 2017

Before I even start my review. I want to kick it off with some amazing quotes that highlight just how truly....... special this book is. I want to make sure it is known that this is a YA mystery/thriller.

There was something perhaps too cruel and perverse about discussing a seventeen year old's pelvic region, the cradle of all her blossoming reproductive organs, the knobby bones that constructed her hips and butt, with the public.

But even that curled her toes now. She'd sat on hsi lap. She wanted to go wash her butt right this instant the memory felt so fresh.

Amateurs is just like every single other Sara Shepard novel I have read. There is the pretty blonde girl that gets murder, no one knew she was in a relationship with an older man, people jump to conclusions at the slightest hint of involvement, and of course... there is the adult seducing an underage child (in this case it happens not once but TWICE in the book with two different characters).

This book was just so out there it was laughable. The 4 almost 5 individuals set out to solve a crime. They didn't know each other before, but as is life they become instant BFFs within like 5 minutes and can't live or breathe without each other.

Some amazing highlights from this book include:
- A character who blackmails a gay character and threatens to tell the entire world he is gay when he is not out of the closet

-An immature 19 year old who is treated and acts like she's 14

-A 19 year old who goes to meet 'Maddy' whom she has only texted with and talked with online. Only she gets pissed when 'Maddy' turns out to be a guy and not a girl. Hello!

-A bunch of teens super sluething it up, but they are too set on partying and not doing what they should (which is solving a crime). The book is like 90% teen drama and 10% mystery.

-The worst detectives ever in the entire world. They are subtle, stupid and just no way would anyone at all ever act like this unless they were like 5.

I gave this book 2 stars because it was so out there it was almost funny. So I couldn't possibly give it 1 because it served a purpose, just not the intended purpose of the book.

I was a little hesitant to read The Amateurs because I enjoyed Pretty Little Liars so much that I was afraid it wouldn't compare. No worries my friends... Sara Shepard has done it again! I was instantly pulled into the dramatic and fast paced world she created. Four young adults join together to attempt to solve the murder of Helena Kelly, only to become more wrapped up and involved than they could have ever dreamed. With turmoil and betrayal around every corner, the group learns to never believe things are what they appear to be.

I absolutely love Shepard's writing style and it feels very similar to her other novels. This is definitely a "read in one sitting" kind of book! I became instantly hooked and couldn't put it down. The characters were interesting and each had their own little quirks, which I loved. Shepard does an amazing job of introducing certain characters who are supremely important and also others that are just meant to throw you off. I love that! I always want to figure out the mystery on my own, but Shepard made that virtually impossible.

The Amateurs was a well written and thrilling story filled with mystery, drama, and enough edge-of-your-seat action to make you want to finish the book in one sitting. I absolutely adore Sara Shepard and can't wait for the sequel. I would highly recommend this book to YA lovers. It was a fun, fast paced read and I loved it!

Shepard's books and I never get along it seems. I didn't like the writing, the mystery was mediocre, and everything else was dull for the first half.

This book was so much better than I originally expected it to be. I thought it would be a fun mystery to read with a unique premise. I looked forward to reading it and even thought I had the killer figured out. I even felt proud of myself when it seemed to be turning out that way. Then of course we ran into plot twist after plot twist. The way it ended was phenomenal and actually had my jaw dropping. I cannot wait to read this next book and I sincerely hope Freeform picks up this as a new TV series now that Shephard's previous series, Pretty Little Liars will be ending. This would make a terrific TV show that I would certainly watch.