Pretty Dead Girls

Received in exchange for a honest review.

this book was awesome. Awesome with a wow factor. I didn’t know who it was until the end. I began to have a idea but wasn’t sure. Monica Murphy does a excellent job keeping you guessing and wanting to know. There are tidbits but they were red herrings. It was great. You never knew what wa next. You had a general idea of the who but not exactly which one would be next.

This was like Pretty Little Liars gone Hunger games and a cross with the Lying game. You have a group of so called friends who truly didn’t trust each other or really like each other that much. One by one they are getting killed but why and who is doing it? Secrets are being revealed, twists are added and no one know who to trust. Even accusations are flying quietly and ripping apart groups and friendships. Why The Lying game? Well look at the lies and secrets these girls have and all the mistrust Penelope shows to Cass. That is like the Emma/Sutton and Ethan. Sutton doesn’t trust anyone and pays a price as Penelope does in some ways and almost loses her life because of it. At times she is Sutton and at times Emma.

We have the it crowd of girls The Larks who really rule the school. Suddenly they are being picked off one by one. As they are dying, the remaining members are seeing each one’s true colors and secrets are revealed.

Our two main characters are Penelope and Cass. Penelope heads up the Larks and even though she is friends with the other girls she has begun to see who they are before this happened. Penelope was at one time just like them-mean and cruel to those they felt were beneath her. She has changed and is becoming more aware of others and what those words do to those they are said to. Cass is the mysterious bad boy that really isn’t bad. He has a past that threads him to those being killed that he keeps quiet.

At first Penelope doesn’t give Cass the time of day but as things occur she lets him in. She also learns that things aren’t always as they seem. There is a fine line between like and hate and it is seen in this book. At times Penelope doesn’t trust Cass even though he has only shown her patience and kindness. He doesn’t pull any punches and like Penelope is reluctant to open up about their secrets. His are ones he is ashamed of but shouldn’t be. They show his resilience and determination to not be a statistic and rise above his problems.

Penelope took longer to like than Cass. I think because she is a cross between Allison, Hanna and Spencer from Pretty little liars to me. And in terms of pretty little liars her Sutton comes out at times for she is spoiled and can be snarky and is great at fooling others. Her facade is slowly does crumble with Cass though. She is trying to reform but she does get snarky at times, she is popular like Hanna but for the wrong reasons and she strives for perfection in grades etc with high family expectations like Spencer. So she had the snark, the secrets, the meanness but also the fear of not being perfect. She didn’t grab you as fast because her attitude is a put off in the beginning. To me Cass is like Caleb and a little bit of Toby from Pretty little liars. He is the quiet bad boy no one really knows but gets close to the popular girl and is off to solve the murders before they are murdered. He’s smart like Caleb with a past that follows him and he overcomes like Toby. He is also suspected like Toby was because of his quiet dark ways and his past.

Cass was great. He was the right amount of mystery, bad boy and goodness Smart and kind as well. He had secrets but was overcoming his past and trying to be a better person. he didn’t judge others like the popular students did and kept to himself. His feelings for Penelope grew as he got to know her.

the story was twisty and intriguing. You really learn little things in slow reveals that will drive you batty in a good way. It takes you in different directions and you see the two main characters change and learn as they get to know one another and be put in more danger. Penelope learns actions have consequences and that secrets are dangerous in some cases. She begins to see that people aren’t always as they seem and becomes more sensitive to others feelings. Cass learns to open up and trust someone. We get two point of views-Penelope’s and the killer’s. The killers is fascinating and the one where we get a few clues behind all that is happening. Seeing the thoughts of the killer in a YA book was great.

A truly great suspense for Ya that keeps you guessing and just wanting to know more.

If mean girls got murderous...

Let me start by saying if "Pretty Dead Girls" by Monica Murphy is any indication of the quality of books that readers will get in 2018, then we are a lucky group. This book had my heart racing and I couldn't put it down. I tried several times and I kept coming right back because the story stayed with me that intensely. 

This story is set in the wealthy, northern California coastal town of Cape Bonita. It's wealth, beauty, and over-achievement in every corner. This includes the students at Cape Bonita Prep School. The school even has a special group for ten ambitious female students, called the Larks. Unfortunately,  the Larks seem to be targeted for a different reason these days. 

This story is told primarily from Penelope Malone's viewpoint. However, we do see glimpses of our killer. Our villain is cold and brutal. The girls of the Larks are ferocious in their pedigrees but this killer could care less. One aspect I really enjoyed about the villain here is how hard it was to figure out who it was. You aren't entirely sure if this is a male or a female, you never know what time frame in history the characters are talking about. It never becomes confusing, you only become more curious about the killer and their victim and how on earth they got to the position they are currently in. 

Penelope is the president of the Larks and has sometimes been called "the queen". I enjoyed her character a lot and I have to applaud the author for not only having the suspense and action in this story, but the characters were still exceptionally developed. When we initially see Penelope, she's so rigid and over-extended. She's got big plans and there is nothing getting in her way. When she sees her friends being rude, she takes it in stride. Seeing her character evolve throughout this story was enjoyable. There was one scene in particular where Penelope snaps back at someone and I admit I quietly cheered her on as I read along. 

Penelope isn't trying to solve the mystery alone, as she ends up teaming up with Cass, a guy from her class. He's mysterious but it's not necessarily in a bad boy, scary way. He's just unknown and somewhat misunderstood. Everyone in town has secrets and Cass happens to know about a lot of them. It was interesting to watch he and Penelope's relationship grow, as they are not only getting to know each other, but also trying to figure out who the killer is. 

If you enjoy Scream Queens, Pretty Little Liars, Riverdale, The Vampire Diaries (there is no paranormal but there is a similar vibe), I think you would love this book. I read this in a day because it was that captivating and I needed to know what happened. A fantastic book; I would definitely read this one again!

Pretty Dead Girls by Monica Murphy is a full length, standalone, YA romance novel with thriller elements.
Come to Cape Bonita were secrets and lies are hidden and a horrible tragedy gets exposed.
Penelope Malone is one of the most popular girls in highschool. And when other in-girls turn up dead, she believes she´s next . Cass Vincenti, aboy from her physics class seems to be involved too. He´s a bit nerdy, geeky.
Let me tell you, this book sucked me in. I was captivated from the beginning. I read the book in one sitting, I had to know what happens to the characters. Pretty Dead Girls is full of unexpected twists and turns, written in a dual POV and Monica Murphy outdid herself.
I give 5 stars and say thank you, Monica Murphy !

**“I can practically read your mind,” he says, his gaze locked on his feet. “You’re all the same.”
“Who are all the same?”
“All of your group. Your girls. Your squad.” He says the last word with contempt as he looks at me, his mouth tipped up on one side. “There’s not a single thing that’s different about any of you. You’re all cut from the same cloth.”
I glare at him, insulted by his assumption. “You don’t know me.”
“Ah, but I do.” His smile fades. “You just don’t realize it yet.”
My heart racing, I hurry out of the office before Cass Vincenti can say anything else to upset me.

Oh, I love me a good HS drama story and throw in a murder mystery? yes please!!

This story has it all, rich entitled poplar kids, jocks, mean girls, cliques, and the dangerous, sexy and mysterious ‘bad boy’ who keeps to himself and let’s not forget there is a killer in their mist. Someone is targeting the senior members of The Larks, the most prestigious group in school, ran by the head cheerleader. These girls are popular, they run the Larks doing charity works, volunteering and organizing school events. But there is more to these girls and this elite club than meets the eye. And someone isn’t happy with some of the members.

When one of the members of the Larks turns up Dead, it raises the question of who is out to get these girls, and why? Information from an unlikely source had Penelope second guessing all that she knows and suspecting those she considers friends.

Bonded by tragic events, Penny must rely on someone she never thought she would and someone who she can’t stop thinking about.

This YA has everything to keep you reading to the last pages trying to find out who done it. And there’s even a budding romance in there. A great way to start the new year of reading for me. I throughly enjoyed this book.

An interesting story that will keep you guessing, an entertaining story that had a Pretty Little Liars feel to it.

I quite enjoyed the dual perspective that this story is told in, the insight into what’s going on in the killers mind is very interesting.

If you’re looking for a YA novel with a good mix of suspense and drama, you won’t be disappointed with this book!

What a fantastic first book of the new year. A murder mystery reminiscent of Scream Queens and Pretty Little Liars (the book series, not the TV show. We don't talk about the TV show). I was HOOKED from the first chapter. Completely blown away!

What made this book extra creepy was chapters from the killer in between chapters from the MC, Penelope. It added that extra level of scary and it completely threw me off everytime I thought I guessed who the killer was. Those chapters were what really gave this book all my stars.

This book reminded me of Scream Queens and Pretty Little Liars, like I mentioned above. Confession time: I've only seen the first half hour of the first episode of Scream Queens. Monica Murphy did mention in her acknowledgments that she got inspiration for this book from Scream Queens and I totally see it because of the mean girl trope. However, I much prefer this book over that show. And prefer you all get nervous about the mean girl trope, let me tell you, it was a different spin on it. I won't say how but it was really well done.

Penelope is a much more likable MC than those two and their MCs I mentioned above. She had a lot of growth in a short of amount of time, which is always a plus. But she still acted like a teenager, with her mood swings and attitude. But she was still kind and caring, under her facade of being a mean girl. I also liked the relationship between Cass and Penelope. It was adorable and there times I wanted to hit them in the head because well....they were being teenagers. I digress. They have worked their way into my heart.

Truly this was a GREAT start to 2018. I am going to find more books by this author and put this one on my Amazon wishlist. It was just that good! I hope my 2018 is filled with more books like this. So, in conclusion, if you are looking for thrillers set in a high school setting, this is the book for you!

ps- isn't that cover just gorgeous!

Thrilling! An amazing storyline, with twists and turns as well as a roller coaster of intrigue and high school drama, that sucks you into the secretive, spiteful and dangerous world of Cape Bonita Prep school.
Penelope Malone has been looking forward to her senior year, and finally being president of The Larks, her schools, small, prestigious group, of the smartest, most athletic and most respected girls. But, when her fellow Senior Larks, start getting murdered one by one, is Penelope next? Or is she the killer? Or is it the quiet, yet handsome Cass Vincenti who has suddenly become interested in her? Does he really like her? Or is it a rouse to get close enough to kill his next victim?
Monica Murphy brings it all! High school drama filled with romance, first love and spiteful mean girls that don’t care about anyone else but themselves! As well as danger and intrigue as the police and students try to catch a serial killer.
I couldn’t put this down! It had my heart pounding with fear as well as swooning from young love. Loved it!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Not what I expected from Monica Murphy in this book. I didn’t know what to make of this book when I first read the blurb and didn’t know what to expect when I started reading it.

I did like Cass the best. But I was trying to figure out who the killer was from the beginning. I didn’t like the Lark girls much. Well except for Dani, I liked her. I wanted to slap both Penelope and Courtney trying to be the queen bee in school even while their friends were being murrdered. I could see why the killer did what they did. Some of the girls weren’t very likable. Not that murder is ok ever. These girls were just nasty even right before they died.

Great book. I figured out who the killer was about half way throgh the book. I highly recommend this book.