I jokingly called it from the beginning, so I feel proud of myself for being like, "I KNEW that's how it was going to end!" at the end reveal.

The format can take some getting used to, but I personally liked it as it felt much more like I was also experiencing the show they were making, as well as the media happening around that time. I recently read a paranormal investigation book called Episode Thirteen that had a similar format, so getting the hang of it in this book didn't take long. It's written much more like you're reading the show notes and script, (as well as including newspaper clippings, phone calls, emails, and fan forum discussions) and less like a straight novel, so if that format doesn't appeal to you, I wouldn't suggest reading this book. (Also, I'm unsure how well it would adapt to an audio format.)

I really enjoyed how every single person seemed to have motive, and even with the "backstage" information we receive of personal emails and texts, at no point are you certain of the outcome. And yet, as can be a pitfall in many mystery whodunit novels, it doesn't feel shoehorned in for shock value, or like a few threads are dropped to make the reveal make sense. Even when you think you know who did it, they bring you back with "but remember these inconsistencies?"

I did really like how the book is broken up in the "episodes," as if we are also watching this show be produced and watched in real time. The "after episode" responses by fans also lead to this, as you could see the fan response and discussions as they went through the show. (Also, I liked how they were all relevant because there were a few fan comments that pointed things out that I myself hadn't picked up on.)

I think if you're looking for a relatively fast-paced mystery novel, where there are surprising reveals and many times you learn information at the same time as everyone in the book, this would be a fun book to read. It's entertaining to make your own bets about who actually was the murderer, and while all the clues fit for the ending, at no point does this book handfeed you the ending before it connects all the dots for you.

(I'd definitely flip through some of the pages first, though, to make sure the format is something you could read since it IS written very differently from a typical mystery novel.)

I also think this book would be a fun adaptation to actually doing its own 8 part true crime mockumentary. I'd watch it.