“You have to take things as they are, not how you hear they're supposed to be.”

Stars (Out of 10): 9/10 Stars

Favorite Character: Stevie and Nate! Jury isn’t out on David yet

Spoiler Free: I have never felt so betrayed by a book while still loving it. I am just plain mad at the state this book has left me in. I mean I loved every second of this book, but the ending is so frustrating and unsatisfying!

Okay, now to back it up to the rest of the book. I honestly loved every part of it. I recently watched Sherlock (the BBC show), and so I’m just super into detectives/watching people solve crimes right now, and this book was perfect fit with that! Stevie notices the little details in a similar way (though to a lesser extent when compared to Sherlock), but this skill is also combined with realistic traits, such as her anxiety and difficulty making friends/expressing emotion. She’s still entirely human, unlike some portrayals of Sherlock. Additionally, I just found her narration super funny to read, and I felt myself click with her way of seeing the world almost right away. It made reading the book such an amazing and fun experience!

In terms of plot, the book also did super well. It did a good job of both hiding facts that were detrimental to the ending while still putting them right in plain sight. It both didn’t give away the twists too soon while still ensuring they didn’t just come out of nowhere, which is just the best thing a mystery plot can do in my opinion. It also did a good job of paralleling the 1936 murder with the present one, making it super interesting to see both of them being solved simultaneously. Additionally, the book still blended in enough romance and friendship to keep the book feeling realistic and relatable, and it overall just did an amazing job of connecting with me as a reader, even if I’m not necessarily a super huge crime fan.

The setting of the book also fit in perfectly. We get this secluded manor that is both house and school, and carries dark undertones due to its past. However, it still functions super well as a scholarly setting, and doesn’t give the book too gloomy of a vibe. Additionally, all the secret pathways and crevices added a bit to the setting/plot as well, although I do feel this whole set of tunnels could have been utilized a bit more (only one was really focused on.)

The only reason I even dropped this book a star was due to the ending. Throughout the book, we’re given 3 main questions, as well as many sub ones, yet the ending only truly answers one of the subquestions, leaving me utterly lost on the answers to our main plot points. While I get the need to stretch the murder arc farther into the series, and not to give too much away too soon, I still expected some sort of closure, and the super ultra ending just leaves me wanting more, and feeling as if I didn’t truly read the end.

Overall, I did absolutely love this read, even though it’s left me super frustrated! Am now anxiously awaiting the next book!

Careful! Spoilers beyond this point!

Spoilers:

Spoiler

Oh my goodness. I feel so tricked! Instead of giving me the answers to the murder mysteries, we just get a cliffhanger ending on who David’s dad was!

Speaking of which, whaaaaaat??? I never saw that coming, though I do completely understand David lying about it. I’m just hoping it bodes well for the romance (since I am super into that), but I’m thiiinking it would be okay since David has shown (in context clues to Stevie), his issues with his dad, so maybe they can bond over common hatred?

(I’m just dying over here)

Also, random theory that I now want to share since I’m pretty sure it’s wrong, but I totally thought Larry, our security man, was going to be our guy. There are so many references to the thin line between solving crime and committing it, and Stevie even says the skills can probably be applied both ways, that I totally expected something to be off about him when we found out he was a detective. Oh well! Misleading foreshadowing.

Spoiler