published: 2017
pages: 358
ISBN: 978-1-5247-1468-0
read: 2/9-13/2018
rating: gah! i LOVED it!
book: 6 of 12 (secretly aiming for 52 but happy with 30) of 2018
I don't know why it's so hard for people to admit that sometimes they're just assholes who screw up because they don't expect to get caught.
-Nate pg 121
Pay close attention and you might solve this.
On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.
Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?
Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.
On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.
Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?
Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.
MY THOUGHTS
ahh! this book!
this one crept up on me on instagram. sometimes you gotta love that place because i don't think i would have picked this up otherwise. and i honestly think it was the cover because i didn't really research much about it. i just checked it out at the library and went with the flow.
and wow.
what a different take on something that we just recently went through.
(you might know what I'm talking about but i don't want to mention it on here because of spoilers.)
this book had me emotionally tied up because here are these 4 kids who are being accused of a crime that they didn't commit (or did they?) and while the reason that each student had for being blamed was stupid AF, it was still pretty well tied up. enough to make me want to continue reading this. i mean, it made for a good story but the reasoning behind it is so DUMB! ugh! i wish i could say why here but it's a huge spoiler.
i will say this though, I'm glad, BEYOND glad, that:
a) i am no longer a teen
b) i am not in high school and
c) NO type of social media existed while i was in high school. i think i was at the end of high school, maybe even already out, when MySpace blew up.
a lot of the reviews on goodreads state that they saw it coming before you landed at the conclusion and while it is true, it was still a good ride to take because like i always say "just because you know the end, it doesn't mean you know the journey" and this book is a good example of that.
pretty interesting twist to put on a subject that we are all too unfortunately familiar with.
and in my opinion, before you find out why or who, the author does a good job keeping you hooked.
i still can't get over the reason for blaming each student listed above but also the reason that each student was personally chosen after they had already done what they did.
and yes, its a typical high school read. meaning, there's the typical high school stuff: parties, hookups, cheating...all that, with the exception of some things. like there's your usual listed above but then there's other stuff that I'm like "is that even a real thing that can happen!?" i don't ever remember high school being that tough! but then again, anything is possible.
also, i feel like i should mention this but i mean, it's a pretty standard description of the characters.
like YOU KNOW what the nerd is going to do.
you know what the pretty girl is going to do.
you know what the rebel is going to do (albeit, his was the stupidest reason.)
and while you think you might know what the jock is going to do, he "does" but his real secret isn't really that shocking. to me it's a pretty standard "thing" to do to a character now. i would have been more shocked if his secret was that he was banging his 15th cousin thrice removed because he didn't know they were related because he was adopted as a kid and he didn't find out til he was in high school but he didn't want anyone to know because he hated that he had been lied to all his life. *les comes up for air*
overall it was a good read for me and i definitely would love to buy this book to have in my personal library so i will be keeping an eye out for a copy.
jump on over for spoilers.
thanks for reading!
#lesreads on IG
(you know, now that i am re-reading the spoilers before i post, it was so obvious who did it. i mean, obvs you dont know then but there were just so many things. either way, still good rea!)
SPOILERS
all the kids are in detention one day because a teacher found a phone in their belongings when they weren't supposed to have it on them. except none of them know where these phones came from or who they belong to. (which like, i get as a teacher BUT im sure they were cheapish phones. and 1 okay but 4 students with the same claim!?)
they're all in detention along with Simon who is basically the Perez Hilton circa the beginning of his career when he would draw dicks on every one's face at their school.
they're all chatting when all of a sudden there's an accident outside their window.
they all rush to the window and try to figure out what just happened. meanwhile, Simon is drinking water from a cup that he got in the room. out of nowhere, he has an attack and he can't breathe. he has an allergic reaction and Nate is the first one to rush to him while Cooper rushes to the nurses office to find an epipen just to find out that there are none there. nor does Simon have any on him.
it doesn't matter, its too late for Simon. he dies.
then it turns out that there was a trace of peanut oil in his cup and he's allergic so now the last 4 with him are all suspects.
and the reason they are all suspects is because he has dirt on all 4 of them that of course they would not want out. so they are now being blamed because there is ammo. (Simon created an app where he talks shit about everyone. and i wouldn't really say shit. I'd say more like he was just gossiping but that of course had effects on those he would talk about. i mean, some kids tried to commit suicide because they couldn't take it.)
anyway, let's make this short because....i could go on forever.
Simon was the Killer.
TUN Tun TUUUUUUUNNNNNNN!!!!!!
Simon wrote blog posts about all 4 student to convict them. they would be released the day after he died and so forth. he wanted to ruin all their lives and a year after his death, after everyone had been fucked over by his actions, he would release the truth.
because he was tired of his life and tired of the way people just go into schools and start shooting and then kill themselves every time there is a school shoot out, he devised a plan where he would kill himself and frame 4 people to screw them over because they screwed him over at some point in his high school life.
lets go one by one.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
- she gets a phone planted because she "stole" the answers to all the chemistry tests one day because her teacher left his email account open and she just happened to stumble upon it one day at the library. she was at a D grade in that class and all of a sudden, shes back at an A. because of that (and because she was already a grade A student) he had no chance of catching up to her. also, her and some other girl were joining idk wtf and they gave him the wrong deadline date to submit some paperwork in. it was a complete accident but of course he didn't believe that. so he outed her by writing that she had stolen all the answers.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
- Addy was dating i think his name was Jake. she has been dating him for the last 3 years. but one random night, she got drunk and ended up hooking up with TJ. somehow Simon knew and released that. she of course told Jake before the post came out but he still broke up with her.
- Nate was chosen because he simply hooked up with Cooper's girlfriend (prior to them being together) at a party without even caring that she wanted him (because Simon wanted her really bad and he thought he had a chance because she once drunkenly made out with him). that's it really. stupidest reason ever.
- Cooper is the best pitcher at school and is being scouted by schools for scholarships and potentially the leagues. his "secret" that leaked out was that he was doing steroids. except, he's not. the only reason that he got better senior year was because his father told him to hold back. to not show them all what he had right away, that way, come senior year, everyone would see an improvement and think everything of him. his actually secret is that he is gay and is in love with a male model. except, his secret was changed because Simon wasn't the only one in on this plan. Jake (yes Addy's ex) was in on it too. and to him, having his friend be accused of 'roids was better than having him outed as gay. oh!, he was chosen because he asked Victoria or Virginia, i don't remember her name to un-invite Simon from her annual something party because Simon did something that made Cooper feel uncomfortable and well, Simon felt humiliated.
so those are the reasons.
after Simon dies, the cops find these posts and eventually they go live.
it turns out that because Simon knew that Addy cheated on Jake with TJ, he basically blackmailed him into helping him out once Janae (simon's only other friend who was madly in love with him) decided she did not want to help him out.
so Jake was the one posting everything afterwards.
afterward, posts would come out detailing what was going on in the investigation making it seem like it was one of the 4 that was personally writing the posts. Jake was a total control freak and Addy let him get away with it but because he dumped her, he lost his in to what was going on. so one day, he invites her over and asks her about what's going on in the investigation.
she has nothing really to say so she makes up some dumb story that the investigation is going so slow that one day they saw a cop (i forgot his name) eat a whole box of donuts.
anyway, all along, Janae is basically depressed af so Addy invites her to hang out in the "murderers" club because being dumped by Jake showed her how she really was never in.
she eventually invites Janae over to her house and the whole purpose for that home visit was to plant evidence in Addy's room making it seem like she was the one doing it all.
except that Janae backed out and just up and left.
so the next best suspect was Nate.
because no one is ever home and he never secures any of his stuff.
meanwhile in the background, Bronwyn's sister is doing her research and finds out that Simon was into some dark websites where they would talk about and glorify school shootings so Bronwyn starts piecing things together. then she starts doing her own research with the gang but goes on overdrive once they arrest Nate.
one night, they're all reading over the supposedly posts that one of them is releasing when they come across the whole donut story.
that's when Addy adds things up.
she goes over to Janae's house with Cooper because Janae has taken to missing school.
Addy basically gets her to confess everything.
how Simon was behind it and how Jake has taken over and she cant believe it.
then, of course because there is no proof because Jake has it all, they come up with the plan to record everything on Addy's phone.
sho'nuff, Jake shows up, gives Janae shit for planting it all on Nate and NOT on Addy.
and Addy is in the kitchen recording on her phone when her fucking phone goes off! (she had some rihanna song so Jake knew!)
she runs out the kitchen, he runs after her, she trips, he's choking her out, Janae tries to stop him, he decks her, he basically almost kills Addy and then Cooper (he was waiting out in his truck) knocks him out.
so after all of that, they release Nate and Jake is taken to where Nate was at.
(i also didn't mention that throughout the progression of this story Nate & Bronwyn started dating...but anyway,..)
Nate breaks up with Bronwyn.
she tries making it work but he wont let her in.
Addy recovers and moves in with her sister (her mother was a tooooooootal bitch!)
and after months, Nate finally decides, hey! maybe i should be with Bronwyn and so he goes to her concert thingy and it ends with them planning to go to the movies.
...so for the sake of all that, I'm going to say that they end up together in the long haul.
as always, there is always stuff i left out but i think i left out a lot more than i gave ya here (not accidentally) but read the book either way, pretty good.
she eventually invites Janae over to her house and the whole purpose for that home visit was to plant evidence in Addy's room making it seem like she was the one doing it all.
except that Janae backed out and just up and left.
so the next best suspect was Nate.
because no one is ever home and he never secures any of his stuff.
meanwhile in the background, Bronwyn's sister is doing her research and finds out that Simon was into some dark websites where they would talk about and glorify school shootings so Bronwyn starts piecing things together. then she starts doing her own research with the gang but goes on overdrive once they arrest Nate.
one night, they're all reading over the supposedly posts that one of them is releasing when they come across the whole donut story.
that's when Addy adds things up.
she goes over to Janae's house with Cooper because Janae has taken to missing school.
Addy basically gets her to confess everything.
how Simon was behind it and how Jake has taken over and she cant believe it.
then, of course because there is no proof because Jake has it all, they come up with the plan to record everything on Addy's phone.
sho'nuff, Jake shows up, gives Janae shit for planting it all on Nate and NOT on Addy.
and Addy is in the kitchen recording on her phone when her fucking phone goes off! (she had some rihanna song so Jake knew!)
she runs out the kitchen, he runs after her, she trips, he's choking her out, Janae tries to stop him, he decks her, he basically almost kills Addy and then Cooper (he was waiting out in his truck) knocks him out.
so after all of that, they release Nate and Jake is taken to where Nate was at.
(i also didn't mention that throughout the progression of this story Nate & Bronwyn started dating...but anyway,..)
Nate breaks up with Bronwyn.
she tries making it work but he wont let her in.
Addy recovers and moves in with her sister (her mother was a tooooooootal bitch!)
and after months, Nate finally decides, hey! maybe i should be with Bronwyn and so he goes to her concert thingy and it ends with them planning to go to the movies.
...so for the sake of all that, I'm going to say that they end up together in the long haul.
as always, there is always stuff i left out but i think i left out a lot more than i gave ya here (not accidentally) but read the book either way, pretty good.
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