I love going into a book blind, meaning I don’t read synopsis and base my interest on the cover and maybe word of mouth. All I knew going in is that this book was about murdered cheerleaders. I was ready. In the mood I was in, i was ready to Texas Chainsaw some cheerleaders by way of Scream.

That is not at all what I got, but I am not disappointed. For most of this book the cheerleaders are already dead. It’s five years later, and Monica has been asked to participate in a memorial for the toppled pyramid. Besides not wanting to do it, she also wonders what really went on. Were all five deaths connected? Or were they exactly what they appeared to be. She is determined to find out.

This book is more a mystery but I wouldn’t call it a thriller. Yes it has thrilling moments, but no long drawn out seat of your pants action. It’s a slow build like the original Halloween movie. It uses bumps and shadows to get your heart pumping and keep the reader turning the pages. And it does it well.

I actually want to complement the author for the first chapter or two. I had to ask myself multiple times if what I think was happening was really happening. So many parents would have been up in arms about that scene, and while it was done exceptionally well, I kept wondering why include it? Is this to make the reader think about how crazy life has become for Monica since her sister died, or how out of control she is, with no one noticing. Originally it seemed gratuitous, like, I’m gonna write throw this controversy in covered in description, and it will be okay because I never use the A word. And for me it’s FINE. I love how it’s done. Just, this is what is happening. And by the end I know that the scene is not gratuitous, but integral. I’m not going to tell you what this scene is because I don’t want anyone to say I’m not reading this because it contains …. Something. It contains reality.

While Monica is the main lead, we meet a shy dance teammate Ginny who is the sounding board none of Monica’s better friends can be during this emotional time. Plus, we do actually get to know Monica’s sister. Sporadically, there are chapters that take the reader back in time leading up to the deaths of the cheer team.

Overall I enjoyed this quick and fresh read. It pulls no punches, does not skirt around topics, and feels very now. It’s not a blood and gore horror book, but rather an Our Town, for a new generation that must live and grow up in our current society.