Show me a heroine who likes to read, and I’ll show you a character that, 9 times out of 10, I’ll connect with almost immediately. This was one of those wonderful times: I loved Dottie and I loved Stevie, and although many of the characters are quite quirky I was happy to go along with it. (Teenagers are quirky, okay? Especially when we’re so good at one thing that it starts to define us — and I imagine that only gets reinforced when this one thing gets you into the prestigious Ellingham Academy.)

I’m a sucker for boarding school stories, amateur detectives, big groups of friends with colorful personalities. As a bonus, Maureen Johnson’s sense of humor matches mine wonderfully: dry, self-deprecating, just a bit cynical.

This book isn’t perfect, but it definitely has that special something that brings a story to life.

content warnings: 

on-page murder and death, non-graphic violence, blood, underage drinking, on-page panic attack

rep: 

MC with anxiety, queer Black secondary character, nonbinary minor character (they/them), diverse minor characters