Heartbreak Homes

For my first Netgalley ARC, Jo Treggiari knocked it out of the park! This book sucked me in from the beginning and kept me engaged and guessing all the way through - I finished it in a matter of hours. The short chapters, told from different points of view, made it easy to keep reading. Though YA thrillers tend to have some stock character types (the jock, the cheerleader, the outcast, etc) and this novel is no exception, I was really pleased with the character development of both Frankie and Martin. I was particularly fond of Martin and loved the recurring nods to his journalistic mind.

Though I was anticipating a more complex twist in terms of who is behind it all, I still found myself satisfied at the end. Hats off to Treggiari for an engaging, well thought out thriller and I look forward to more of her books to come!

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book but I really liked it. It’s essentially a murder mystery told in a very locked room theme. I would consider it an updated spin on Agatha Christie.

4.25 for the YA genre

I really enjoyed this book! I love multiple pov in mystery. It really gives us a better look into the goings on of the story, as perceived by more than just a main character. The characters were very relatable and the mystery/twist was a nice surprise.

This book is reminiscent of Holly Jackson and Karen McManus, I’ll definitely read more by this author.

This book is most deff going on my bookshelf when it comes out. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I went into this kind of blind and I am not disappointed.

Thanks NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing for this eARC, these opinions are my own. I found myself intrigued through this book! Frankie, Martin, and Cara are all at a party when the host ends up dead. Martin has just been in an altercation with him, Frankie’s best friend like him but she was not a fan, and Cara and her friends weren’t even invited to the party. Can the figure out who did it? Are they suspects as well? Do the people they thought they could trust have secrets? I honestly couldn’t figure this one out till close to the end and even then I though I might be wrong! I also hadn’t anticipated some of the things that come out at the end! I enjoyed Frankie, Martin, and Cara. I think Cara and her friends had been through so much! There were a few holes for me but maybe I just missed them in my read. In any case they weren’t that big and didn’t distract from the major plot! I highly recommend reading this if you like LGBTQ+ mysteries! Can’t wait to read it again!

I’m a sucker for a YA murder mystery so I was really excited for this one. Admittedly, this wasn’t exactly what I expected. It’s advertised as a locked-room thriller but doesn’t necessarily fit the category for me. I knew it was about a murder at a high school party so I expected all the characters to be stuck at said party with an unknown murderer among them. That did not happen at all. This takes place over the course of many days as the characters work to understand what happened that night. So, is it really a locked room thriller? No, not really. But thankfully, it was still a very solid read! It follows the POV in alternating chapters from three different outcasts from different backgrounds; Frankie, a girl whose best friend recently became popular and is into the It boy, Martin, a boy who used to have money and be popular but now is poor, and Cara, a homeless girl who comes to the party for free stuff. Now everyone’s a suspect in a murder but who actually did it? And why?

So much fun! Pretty predictable for an adult reader and I guessed the culprit literally the second the character was introduced, but I think this will very much appeal to the YA crowd it’s intended for. Overall, totally recommend to fans of Holly Jackson and Karen McManus.

Treggiari is a new-to-me author and I feel this was a great introduction to her writing style, definitely going to check out her other titles.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Great book. Kept me interested and was very well written. I would definitely read more from this author!

This was a really great murder mystery. It had the fast pacing and twists of a Karen M Mcmanus bulk who I love.

Cara, Frankie and Martin all share the narration. Each giving a fresh view on the situation and allowing the reader to learn more and more as the storyline progresses. On top of this they allow the reader to become emotionally invested in not only solving the mystery but in the characters themselves.

I am looking forward to more books by this author.

A back to school blowout party gone wrong. Frankie and Jessa are at the party so Jessa can try to win over Malcolm, the popular senior throwing the party. Martin is there to blow off steam after his dad lost everything and they had to move. The party house is the symbol of a bad real estate deal that left half of the town in financial ruin. Cara and her group of girls have been squatting in the house and steal things from the party guests. After a brutal fight, a dead body is discovered. Frankie, Martin, and Cara team up to find out who the killer is.
I like the book plays out from various perspectives of different characters. It makes the story more interesting to view it from different people's perspectives. It was a little predictable as far as twists and the ending, but still a good book overall. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

This book was written so differently and it worked. Love the dual perspectives, love the characters and how their lives interact with one another. It gave the feel of many classic stories but with modern twists.

I’m not exactly sure what high blood pressure is, but I’m pretty sure I have it after concluding Heartbreak Homes.

This book right here put me on a ride of a lifetime . There was no slowing down, I was thrown right into the chaos. Every time I caught my breath, I was gut punched by another twist and left speechless.

This book right here is THE book of the year and I want to be the first to let you know all that this book is a must read for all my blood, guts, gory and suspense lovers! You know my, blood sucking soul sisters (and brothers)

Once again i received the highest honor imaginable by being allowed to read and review this sure to be best seller before its release date.

Teaser :

A gripping locked-door YA murder mystery told from multiple perspectives from Governor General's Award – and Crime Writers of Canada Award – nominated author of The Grey Sisters and Blood Will Out.

The back-to-school blowout filled with drinks and drugs isn't Frankie's scene, but she would do anything for her childhood best friend, Jessa, whose recent ugly duckling transformation has her hanging with a new crowd and vying for pretty boy Malcolm – the popular senior throwing the all-out rager on his father's deserted development property.

Martin hasn't heard from his old friends since his father lost everything and moved them across town. Until the party invitation. Between working double-shifts and avoiding his father's sad-guilty routine, Martin decides to blow off some steam. But the party house is a monument to the bad real estate deal that left half the town in financial ruin – and the heart of all that has gone wrong for him and his family.

Cara and her crew of lost girls have been squatting in a model home on the property, stealing for their survival. The party is the perfect mark – privileged kids, abundant alcohol, and dark corners. The girls score big with their haul, but the celebration is short-lived when they learn their temporary home is at risk of discovery. They could be split up and forced back onto the unsafe streets.

In the wake of a brutal brawl, the guests find a lifeless body―and this murder is only the first. Escalating violence drives Frankie, Martin, and Cara to forge new bonds, and together unmask a killer. Narrated from multiple perspectives, Heartbreak Homes is about what compels us to kill – and the true face of justice.