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Let's Split Up #1
Let's Split Up
A nail-biting and perfectly formed Thriller for the YA BookTok generation. This is SCOOBY DOO meets WIN LOSE KILL DIE.
When hot "it-couple" Brad and Shelley are brutally murdered in a manor on the edge of town, a group of teen friends investigate.
Set in Sanera, a small community in California where rumour spreads as fast as the fire on the day of the killings, the theory is the old ghoul who haunts the house after his own murder has finally taken revenge. As Cam, Jonesy, Amber and new-girl Buffy investigate, the rumour feels closer to the truth than they ever dared think possible, and as they enter the mansion themselves, the idea of splitting up to find evidence will prove to be either the best ... or worst decision of all...
A guaranteed page turner full of tension and twists you won't see coming! From BookToker Bill Wood comes SCOOBY DOO meets WIN KILL LOSE DIE Perfect for the YA BookTok generation
When hot "it-couple" Brad and Shelley are brutally murdered in a manor on the edge of town, a group of teen friends investigate.
Set in Sanera, a small community in California where rumour spreads as fast as the fire on the day of the killings, the theory is the old ghoul who haunts the house after his own murder has finally taken revenge. As Cam, Jonesy, Amber and new-girl Buffy investigate, the rumour feels closer to the truth than they ever dared think possible, and as they enter the mansion themselves, the idea of splitting up to find evidence will prove to be either the best ... or worst decision of all...
A guaranteed page turner full of tension and twists you won't see coming! From BookToker Bill Wood comes SCOOBY DOO meets WIN KILL LOSE DIE Perfect for the YA BookTok generation
339 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 26, 2024
499 people are currently reading
20328 people want to read
About the author
Bill Wood
3 books430 followersBill Wood is a British author of young adult mysteries. After earning a degree in Film & Screenwriting at Birmingham City University, he worked as a bookseller while writing his novels and building a presence on TikTok.
His debut novel, Let’s Split Up was published by Scholastic in September 2024 and quickly became the UK’s fastest-selling YA debut of the year. The sequel, Be Right Back is set for publication on October 9th 2025.
When he’s not writing, Bill can usually be found watching old Scooby-Doo reruns or spending time with his dog, Macey.
His debut novel, Let’s Split Up was published by Scholastic in September 2024 and quickly became the UK’s fastest-selling YA debut of the year. The sequel, Be Right Back is set for publication on October 9th 2025.
When he’s not writing, Bill can usually be found watching old Scooby-Doo reruns or spending time with his dog, Macey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,586 reviews
February 29, 2024
The news is out 🔍
So so so excited that Scholastic have picked up Let’s Split Up for release September 26th 2024 - I can’t wait for you to get your hands on it 🤭
So so so excited that Scholastic have picked up Let’s Split Up for release September 26th 2024 - I can’t wait for you to get your hands on it 🤭
January 11, 2026
**3.5-stars rounded up**
Let's Split Up is an entertaining YA Horror novel that made me nostalgic for the scary stories of my youth. This is a multi-perspective story that follows a group of teens in the small town of Sanera, California.
Amber, Jonesy and Cam have been best friends for years, and when new girl, Buffy, arrives, led by Amber, they quickly envelop her into their crew.
Prior to meeting our group though, we get a Prologue, where two of their popular classmates, Brad and Shelley, exploring an abandoned estate, Carrington Manor, end up getting brutally murdered.
That's how this book kicks off, and it definitely sets the stage for what's to come. The deaths of the two students rocks their local high school, and our main cast is caught up in the consequences of all of that.
Rumors fly around the small town that the Carrington ghoul is responsible for Brad and Shelley's deaths, but could that really be true? A paranormal entity is hard to fathom.
When they don't trust the local authorities to figure out what happened to their classmates, Cam, Jonesy, Amber and Buffy decide to investigate themselves, heading to Carrington Manor to dig around.
When things take a turn, and they find themselves in danger, they decide to split up in hopes of getting answers faster, thus breaking a widely recognized rule in Horror.
From there it's balls to wall craziness as these kids just try to survive their town day-to-day. No matter the danger, they're determined to crack this case.
Let's Split Up was a lot of fun. The author mentioned in his acknowledgements at the end that he had wanted to explore what it would be like if Scooby-Doo was scarier, and I think he definitely succeeded.
This gave me all the Scooby-Doo vibes, with a touch of Scream mixed in, making it a truly entertaining YA Horror story. I love that there's already a 2nd-book set to release in the Spring. I'll definitely be reading it.
This is super trope-filled though, I do want to caution you, in case you don't enjoy books like that, but for me, I thought that aspect was so fun.
Personally, specifically in YA Horror, I love to see all the tropes. It makes it feel more nostalgic for me, bringing me back to the stories I enjoyed as a youngster, when I first fell in love with my most favorite genre.
It's pure entertainment. The characters were fun and I enjoyed their relationships a lot. I think it will be fun to follow them again on different cases. They have so much room to grow, and I wanna be there for it.
Initially, I wasn't crazy about getting three different perspectives -- Jonesy, Amber and Cam -- but I did come to really enjoy that aspect. I think as the story continued it started to make more sense for it to be told that way.
Overall, I think this was a really enjoyable read. It's not perfect by any stretch, but I like how it didn't take itself too seriously. It was revisiting some of the best tropes in Horror, and I adored the added Scooby-Doo vibes. As mentioned above, I'm looking forward to the 2nd-book.
Thank you so much to Scholastic for providing me with a copy to read and review. I'm looking forward to reading more from Bill Wood!
Let's Split Up is an entertaining YA Horror novel that made me nostalgic for the scary stories of my youth. This is a multi-perspective story that follows a group of teens in the small town of Sanera, California.
Amber, Jonesy and Cam have been best friends for years, and when new girl, Buffy, arrives, led by Amber, they quickly envelop her into their crew.
Prior to meeting our group though, we get a Prologue, where two of their popular classmates, Brad and Shelley, exploring an abandoned estate, Carrington Manor, end up getting brutally murdered.
That's how this book kicks off, and it definitely sets the stage for what's to come. The deaths of the two students rocks their local high school, and our main cast is caught up in the consequences of all of that.
Rumors fly around the small town that the Carrington ghoul is responsible for Brad and Shelley's deaths, but could that really be true? A paranormal entity is hard to fathom.
When they don't trust the local authorities to figure out what happened to their classmates, Cam, Jonesy, Amber and Buffy decide to investigate themselves, heading to Carrington Manor to dig around.
When things take a turn, and they find themselves in danger, they decide to split up in hopes of getting answers faster, thus breaking a widely recognized rule in Horror.
From there it's balls to wall craziness as these kids just try to survive their town day-to-day. No matter the danger, they're determined to crack this case.
Let's Split Up was a lot of fun. The author mentioned in his acknowledgements at the end that he had wanted to explore what it would be like if Scooby-Doo was scarier, and I think he definitely succeeded.
This gave me all the Scooby-Doo vibes, with a touch of Scream mixed in, making it a truly entertaining YA Horror story. I love that there's already a 2nd-book set to release in the Spring. I'll definitely be reading it.
This is super trope-filled though, I do want to caution you, in case you don't enjoy books like that, but for me, I thought that aspect was so fun.
Personally, specifically in YA Horror, I love to see all the tropes. It makes it feel more nostalgic for me, bringing me back to the stories I enjoyed as a youngster, when I first fell in love with my most favorite genre.
It's pure entertainment. The characters were fun and I enjoyed their relationships a lot. I think it will be fun to follow them again on different cases. They have so much room to grow, and I wanna be there for it.
Initially, I wasn't crazy about getting three different perspectives -- Jonesy, Amber and Cam -- but I did come to really enjoy that aspect. I think as the story continued it started to make more sense for it to be told that way.
Overall, I think this was a really enjoyable read. It's not perfect by any stretch, but I like how it didn't take itself too seriously. It was revisiting some of the best tropes in Horror, and I adored the added Scooby-Doo vibes. As mentioned above, I'm looking forward to the 2nd-book.
Thank you so much to Scholastic for providing me with a copy to read and review. I'm looking forward to reading more from Bill Wood!
October 29, 2025
I really wanted to like this one - it sounded so amazing and promising. However, this book has a major issue that all my other issues stem from. It is advertised as YA but it reads like it was written for a child. I teach teenagers, teenagers are not stupid. Reading this book would make you think they are. It is all tell and no show.
So Cons
The characters are so stupid despite them being smart in the book. The teens, the adults - everyone. This is extremely clear when the most obvious clue in one of the mysteries is dropped and none of them bar one figure out what it means INCLUDING THE MAN WHO HAS BEEN SEARCHING FOR YEARS. This is just one example.
The characters are in no way developed and any interesting fact is swiftly abandoned. For example, fi you are going to give your character controlling parents COMMIT. The relationships are therefore also not developed in any way. They are all hollow.
I just think slashers are generally better as movies where you can’t see the ridiculousness so clearly.
I think this book being set in the USA but written by a Brit does it a disservice. I wish it had been set in the UK an area which would have read as more authentic.
Pros
This was very readable, it has a good pace which is a problem a lot of debut's have and this one doesn't.
I think the mystery was a good one, it just needed some work in the details.
I think individual scenes were very well written. When more action was happening, the writing got better. So I hope that as the author publishes more books his writing will develop more in line with this.
So Cons
The characters are so stupid despite them being smart in the book. The teens, the adults - everyone. This is extremely clear when the most obvious clue in one of the mysteries is dropped and none of them bar one figure out what it means INCLUDING THE MAN WHO HAS BEEN SEARCHING FOR YEARS. This is just one example.
The characters are in no way developed and any interesting fact is swiftly abandoned. For example, fi you are going to give your character controlling parents COMMIT. The relationships are therefore also not developed in any way. They are all hollow.
I just think slashers are generally better as movies where you can’t see the ridiculousness so clearly.
I think this book being set in the USA but written by a Brit does it a disservice. I wish it had been set in the UK an area which would have read as more authentic.
Pros
This was very readable, it has a good pace which is a problem a lot of debut's have and this one doesn't.
I think the mystery was a good one, it just needed some work in the details.
I think individual scenes were very well written. When more action was happening, the writing got better. So I hope that as the author publishes more books his writing will develop more in line with this.
October 5, 2024
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review as part of the book tour hosted by Kaleidoscopic book tours.
Let's Split Up is a fun, nail-biting YA mystery thriller with horror undertones. This was such a nostalgic 90s vibe read that took me back to my point horror and scooby doo days.
We follow a group of school friends who have taken in a new friend to their tight-knit group after she moves to the area. As murders start to commence at and with links to an old gothic house, the group decide to investigate the murders and house themselves. As suspicions arise, lives are endangered, and a budding romance unfolds, can the group uncover who the murderer is before it's too late.
This was such a fun, easy read that pulls you in from the first three chapters. I didn't guess the murderer correctly but enjoyed the red herrings thrown at me throughout the book. I'm hoping there will be a second book as I'd love to learn more about each character and future investigations.
Let's Split Up is a fun, nail-biting YA mystery thriller with horror undertones. This was such a nostalgic 90s vibe read that took me back to my point horror and scooby doo days.
We follow a group of school friends who have taken in a new friend to their tight-knit group after she moves to the area. As murders start to commence at and with links to an old gothic house, the group decide to investigate the murders and house themselves. As suspicions arise, lives are endangered, and a budding romance unfolds, can the group uncover who the murderer is before it's too late.
This was such a fun, easy read that pulls you in from the first three chapters. I didn't guess the murderer correctly but enjoyed the red herrings thrown at me throughout the book. I'm hoping there will be a second book as I'd love to learn more about each character and future investigations.
January 15, 2026
˖ ⁺ ౿ 🔪⋮ 2.25 stars .ᐟ
⤿ arc review
⊹ my thoughts
unfortunately, this one fell short in so many ways for me. first of all, talk about cliché… a group of teens in a small town + a haunted manor + a murderer on the loose! sometimes i’m alright with them, but it just wasn’t executed very well imo. it all felt pretty underwhelming and predictable, and i wasn’t satisitfed with the ending.
another big issue for me was the writing, which did a lot of telling rather than showing. it felt really dumbed down for a ya book if that’s the right term 🥲
i couldn’t connect to our characters—they all seemed one dimensional. oftentimes i felt their decisions were nonsensical or rash. and even though they’re supposed to be intelligent, i just found a lot of what they did ridiculous, or they weren’t able to pick up on clues.
a few things that i did enjoy about this book: the pacing was decent, and if the mystery and characters were more intricate and developed, it may have been more enjoyable. i appreciated that this was an homage to 90s horror films + i’ll cut the author some slack since this was his debut novel :)
⤷ on the positive side, this was my very first physical arc, which is so exciting!!! thank you to scholastics for the arc 🤍
⤿ arc review
⊹ my thoughts
unfortunately, this one fell short in so many ways for me. first of all, talk about cliché… a group of teens in a small town + a haunted manor + a murderer on the loose! sometimes i’m alright with them, but it just wasn’t executed very well imo. it all felt pretty underwhelming and predictable, and i wasn’t satisitfed with the ending.
another big issue for me was the writing, which did a lot of telling rather than showing. it felt really dumbed down for a ya book if that’s the right term 🥲
i couldn’t connect to our characters—they all seemed one dimensional. oftentimes i felt their decisions were nonsensical or rash. and even though they’re supposed to be intelligent, i just found a lot of what they did ridiculous, or they weren’t able to pick up on clues.
a few things that i did enjoy about this book: the pacing was decent, and if the mystery and characters were more intricate and developed, it may have been more enjoyable. i appreciated that this was an homage to 90s horror films + i’ll cut the author some slack since this was his debut novel :)
⤷ on the positive side, this was my very first physical arc, which is so exciting!!! thank you to scholastics for the arc 🤍
October 9, 2024
I’m sorry this was so so disappointing omg. The storyline is not believable in the slightest. I was so excited to read it as it was promoted for the ones who like scooby doo/ scream but I didn’t expect it to be a bland copy and even quote something word for word from Scream?? It was hard to imagine the manor as it wasn’t well described and all over the place. Some parts of the story didn’t even need to be added as they had no place in it. And the ending?? Wtf. In what right world would a PARENT react LIKE THAT???
October 22, 2024
absolutely cackling at the fact I thought this would be a 4 or 5 star read 😭
July 24, 2024
A Love letter of nostalgia to spooky 90s kids with way more darkness! Let’s split up is the perfect transitional read into pumpkin spice season 🎃
When a small town is has to come to terms with the deaths of two of its most popular teens, an unlikely group of friends has to come together to try solve the mystery & stay alive.
Let’s split up is full of found family , romance &
a healthy sprinkling of horror!
It’s the perfect mix of old and new think Scooby doo meets Riverdale!
This book had me literally guessing right until the very end (I still got it wrong whoops!)
OVERVIEW:
YA Horror / Thriller
Found family
Queer nostalgic & full of mystery
TLDR - I stayed up all night reading this I couldn’t stop
Finally to Bill thank you for trusting me to read your baby early I literally couldn’t sleep after this it was WILD!
When a small town is has to come to terms with the deaths of two of its most popular teens, an unlikely group of friends has to come together to try solve the mystery & stay alive.
Let’s split up is full of found family , romance &
a healthy sprinkling of horror!
It’s the perfect mix of old and new think Scooby doo meets Riverdale!
This book had me literally guessing right until the very end (I still got it wrong whoops!)
OVERVIEW:
YA Horror / Thriller
Found family
Queer nostalgic & full of mystery
TLDR - I stayed up all night reading this I couldn’t stop
Finally to Bill thank you for trusting me to read your baby early I literally couldn’t sleep after this it was WILD!
October 1, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
If I had a nickel for everytime it was the history teacher I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.
If I had a nickel for everytime it was the history teacher I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2024
I guessed the killer on page 23. Page 23 out of 334. It made the whole book feel very underwhelming and predictable unfortunately. I wish there had been more twists, and more thriller aspect.
October 4, 2024
I was really excited for this but unfortunately I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped. The characters weren't interesting and their voices all sounded the same, so most of the time I didn't know who's perspective I was reading from and had to flip back and check.
Another thing is that this was marketed as YA but felt like it was written more for pre-teens. A lot of telling, rather than showing.
There were 28 mentions of horror movies, by the way. Anytime things got interesting it was immediately dashed by "But this isn't a horror movie!" or "Haven't you ever seen a horror movie before?" Every time.
Another thing is that this was marketed as YA but felt like it was written more for pre-teens. A lot of telling, rather than showing.
There were 28 mentions of horror movies, by the way. Anytime things got interesting it was immediately dashed by "But this isn't a horror movie!" or "Haven't you ever seen a horror movie before?" Every time.
November 2, 2025
3.7 ⭐️ This was such a fun, camp, and eerie thriller. Spoke to my Scooby-Doo and 90s slasher films loving heart 🔪
Is this cheesy? Yes. Is that exactly what I wanted? Also yes. This feels so reminiscent of mystery shows I grew up with and there’s something very nostalgic in the way Wood writes.
I will say it was a bit predictable but I’m not sure if that’s because I’m an adult and this is lower YA leaning. Either way I enjoyed the campy horror vibes and eerie town feels.
Rep// Two MCs are White MLM, Black MC. Romance featured is MLM.
TW’s listed below, please skip if you don’t want vague spoilers.
TW// Fire, death, burning alive, stabbing, murder.
Is this cheesy? Yes. Is that exactly what I wanted? Also yes. This feels so reminiscent of mystery shows I grew up with and there’s something very nostalgic in the way Wood writes.
I will say it was a bit predictable but I’m not sure if that’s because I’m an adult and this is lower YA leaning. Either way I enjoyed the campy horror vibes and eerie town feels.
Rep// Two MCs are White MLM, Black MC. Romance featured is MLM.
TW’s listed below, please skip if you don’t want vague spoilers.
TW// Fire, death, burning alive, stabbing, murder.
October 12, 2024
2.5 rounded down!
I REALLY wanted to love this and while it was easy to read and I sped through it, the writing felt younger than YA.
I felt myself cringing at a lot of it. I didn’t really feel like any characters made me feel any type of way. I figured out who it was as soon as that particularly character was introduced; everything felt very predictable.
I will definitely give his next book a read just to see if anything changes but I’m really quite disappointed.
I REALLY wanted to love this and while it was easy to read and I sped through it, the writing felt younger than YA.
I felt myself cringing at a lot of it. I didn’t really feel like any characters made me feel any type of way. I figured out who it was as soon as that particularly character was introduced; everything felt very predictable.
I will definitely give his next book a read just to see if anything changes but I’m really quite disappointed.
October 23, 2024
dnf at 34% lol
tried to like this but it reads like a children's book not a y/a.
i didn't care for the romance (final straw, it was cringe to read)
all the characters sound the same and ... british despite only one being british.. which was revealed at around 18% i'm sure?
this book is set in the usa but the language IS uk english so it doesn't read well.
really wanted to enjoy this and im unsure at how anyone finished it and rated it so highly. so disappointed :/
tried to like this but it reads like a children's book not a y/a.
i didn't care for the romance (final straw, it was cringe to read)
all the characters sound the same and ... british despite only one being british.. which was revealed at around 18% i'm sure?
this book is set in the usa but the language IS uk english so it doesn't read well.
really wanted to enjoy this and im unsure at how anyone finished it and rated it so highly. so disappointed :/
Read
October 23, 2024The comps for this book are perhaps the most accurate I've ever seen, Bill knew his mission and knew his audience. This fast-paced thriller is such a compulsive and quick read, and a wonderful YA horror ode to Scooby Doo and cheesy slasher movies.
CW: murder, violence, blood & gore, hospitalization, fire, alcoholism, kidnapping, child death
CW: murder, violence, blood & gore, hospitalization, fire, alcoholism, kidnapping, child death
December 29, 2025
i really enjoyed bill wood on tiktok so i picked up this book when i saw it was released in the united states. i think that connection to the author let me put on some rose colored glasses. this wasnt really groundbreaking storytelling and i wont be continuing the series, but it wasn't outright offensive to me either. i think young adults would enjoy this most. i also thought because of some of the promo tiktoks that it would be a lot more romantic than it was. i would say this is more like a 2.5⭐️ read but I'll round up.
December 12, 2024
I picked up "Let’s Split Up" purely to support the author after following them on social media for a while, and I’m glad I did! I’d been stuck in a reading slump, and this book pulled me right out of it. While the story was somewhat predictable, it was still an entertaining, slightly spooky, and occasionally funny read - perfect for kicking off October.
One of the characters describes this story the best: "Murders, haunted house, group of teens thinking they're smart enough to solve the mystery themselves, a bumbling sheriff, credulous public, the manipulative reporter? All the clichés are there".
A fun, light horror read that delivers exactly what it promises.
3.75/5 ⭐
One of the characters describes this story the best: "Murders, haunted house, group of teens thinking they're smart enough to solve the mystery themselves, a bumbling sheriff, credulous public, the manipulative reporter? All the clichés are there".
A fun, light horror read that delivers exactly what it promises.
3.75/5 ⭐
December 10, 2024
The best way I can describe this is a bad episode of scooby doo where Fred, daphne and velma were on vacation and a non funny version of scoobs and shaggy had to solve it by themselves.
May 13, 2025
1.5 stars
this was a quick and simple read but it wasn’t at all as brilliant as many reviews claim it to be. it was a blatant copy of scooby doo and scream, i understand paying homage and being heavily inspired but this was just a complete copy. i decided to rewatch the scooby doo movies & scream before i wrote my review so i could give it a fair comparison and it is quite literally just a copy. It just copy’s things from both franchises and plonks them together without any dash of originality.
i also felt like for a ya book it read a bit too young? im the target demographic for ya as i recently turned 17 and i mostly read ya stuff but this was so juvenile. everything was spelled out for the readers and some of the phrasings/stringing of sentences just felt awkward/stilted? I put that down to it being because the story is so quintessentially american but the author is english. it just read quite childishly and i felt like the writing didn’t flow very well in many parts.
in general i felt pulled out of the story and struggled to suspend disbelief as the characters are meant to be super smart yet they do the most stupid things when it’s obvious that it’s not going to work out how they wish it will!
i also felt like the characterisation wasn’t very strong, i felt no emotional connection to the characters and they felt like Mary sues with a few specific traits and it was obvious what stereotype they were meant to be ‘the smart one’, ‘the jock’ etc but that was it.
the thing that makes scooby doo so great is the groups dynamic, if the group didn’t have such a strong good dynamic then it wouldn’t hit half as hard and in ‘let’s split up’ the group just didn’t feel real? we’re supposed to believe they’re these people in this universe but they just felt like caricatures and i don’t feel like their bonds were built up enough (or rather they were but it wasn’t done well) for me to believe in the group’s friendship. if the characterisation was stronger it’d be more believable but they were barely even distinguishable when switching from the separate povs and that to me shows how the character voices & personalities just weren’t strong enough.
also a big part of the story centred around the romance between two of the characters but because the characterisation wasnt strong in turn the romance was weak and i felt no emotion towards it so it just dragged the story on even more (had it been well written it would’ve enhanced the story but it wasn’t). in order for a story to be compelling you have to make the readers invested in the characters, but it didn’t so the story didn’t work in many ways because it hinged on the readers emotional reactions and due to the lack of character building no emotional reactions occurred whatsoever which ruined the whole enjoyment of it.
i felt like the book was just writing about the characters reacting to the events and not them actually going through it? it was written strangely I don’t know how to describe it but it just felt off. it was like my diary entries back when I was a kid ‘and then he called me this and I was annoyed and upset and then I went home’ was the kinda vibe of it almost??
all in all it wasnt the worst read but i just feel like it wasn’t original at all and unless you’ve never seen scooby doo or scream then there’s no point in picking it up. i picked it up because i LOVE scooby doo and wanted a similar story but this wasn’t at all original in any way. it is marketed as being similar to scream and scooby doo, and i knew that but it literally IS scooby doo and scream rolled into one.
maybe if it was written in a more compelling manner then i wouldnt be as disappointed, but all this book had going for it was the nostalgia and the fact that it emulated scooby doo and scream (but it was way worse than either of those franchises).
it’s clear the author loves both scooby doo and scream and i respect that and that’s why i thought it’d be good because it was clear to me in his promotion vids that he was so passionate about the concept but the execution was just off…
i feel mean writing this review as it’s quite negative but it’s just my personal feelings and i know many people feel differently and i would recommend to read it if the concept is one that interests you as you may love it, but for me i was let down by it.
this was a quick and simple read but it wasn’t at all as brilliant as many reviews claim it to be. it was a blatant copy of scooby doo and scream, i understand paying homage and being heavily inspired but this was just a complete copy. i decided to rewatch the scooby doo movies & scream before i wrote my review so i could give it a fair comparison and it is quite literally just a copy. It just copy’s things from both franchises and plonks them together without any dash of originality.
i also felt like for a ya book it read a bit too young? im the target demographic for ya as i recently turned 17 and i mostly read ya stuff but this was so juvenile. everything was spelled out for the readers and some of the phrasings/stringing of sentences just felt awkward/stilted? I put that down to it being because the story is so quintessentially american but the author is english. it just read quite childishly and i felt like the writing didn’t flow very well in many parts.
in general i felt pulled out of the story and struggled to suspend disbelief as the characters are meant to be super smart yet they do the most stupid things when it’s obvious that it’s not going to work out how they wish it will!
i also felt like the characterisation wasn’t very strong, i felt no emotional connection to the characters and they felt like Mary sues with a few specific traits and it was obvious what stereotype they were meant to be ‘the smart one’, ‘the jock’ etc but that was it.
the thing that makes scooby doo so great is the groups dynamic, if the group didn’t have such a strong good dynamic then it wouldn’t hit half as hard and in ‘let’s split up’ the group just didn’t feel real? we’re supposed to believe they’re these people in this universe but they just felt like caricatures and i don’t feel like their bonds were built up enough (or rather they were but it wasn’t done well) for me to believe in the group’s friendship. if the characterisation was stronger it’d be more believable but they were barely even distinguishable when switching from the separate povs and that to me shows how the character voices & personalities just weren’t strong enough.
also a big part of the story centred around the romance between two of the characters but because the characterisation wasnt strong in turn the romance was weak and i felt no emotion towards it so it just dragged the story on even more (had it been well written it would’ve enhanced the story but it wasn’t). in order for a story to be compelling you have to make the readers invested in the characters, but it didn’t so the story didn’t work in many ways because it hinged on the readers emotional reactions and due to the lack of character building no emotional reactions occurred whatsoever which ruined the whole enjoyment of it.
i felt like the book was just writing about the characters reacting to the events and not them actually going through it? it was written strangely I don’t know how to describe it but it just felt off. it was like my diary entries back when I was a kid ‘and then he called me this and I was annoyed and upset and then I went home’ was the kinda vibe of it almost??
all in all it wasnt the worst read but i just feel like it wasn’t original at all and unless you’ve never seen scooby doo or scream then there’s no point in picking it up. i picked it up because i LOVE scooby doo and wanted a similar story but this wasn’t at all original in any way. it is marketed as being similar to scream and scooby doo, and i knew that but it literally IS scooby doo and scream rolled into one.
maybe if it was written in a more compelling manner then i wouldnt be as disappointed, but all this book had going for it was the nostalgia and the fact that it emulated scooby doo and scream (but it was way worse than either of those franchises).
it’s clear the author loves both scooby doo and scream and i respect that and that’s why i thought it’d be good because it was clear to me in his promotion vids that he was so passionate about the concept but the execution was just off…
i feel mean writing this review as it’s quite negative but it’s just my personal feelings and i know many people feel differently and i would recommend to read it if the concept is one that interests you as you may love it, but for me i was let down by it.
September 2, 2025
Thanks to Netgalley and Scholastic for the pre-release copy of Let's Split Up by Bill Wood. Below is my honest review.
Billed as Scooby Doo meets Scream, this one had so much potential to be one I would really love. I love horror movies. I love mysteries. I absolutely adore Scooby Doo.
Unfortunately, while the setting was great and the characters were decent, the reveal wasn't well executed - I guessed the killer the first time they were introduced, extremely early on. It was too obvious. Also, the prose and dialogue needed some editing. Written by an author from the UK but set in the US, there were quite a few UK vernacular moments that ended up in the book that should have been shifted to US terms. There were also so many incomplete sentences in the beginning that it took me out of the story.
Overall, it was a fun story. Just needed some tweaking to make it a great book.
Three stars. Recommended for Scooby Doo fans who are okay with it being a little Scream-adjacent but are also willing to overlook flaws for fun.
Billed as Scooby Doo meets Scream, this one had so much potential to be one I would really love. I love horror movies. I love mysteries. I absolutely adore Scooby Doo.
Unfortunately, while the setting was great and the characters were decent, the reveal wasn't well executed - I guessed the killer the first time they were introduced, extremely early on. It was too obvious. Also, the prose and dialogue needed some editing. Written by an author from the UK but set in the US, there were quite a few UK vernacular moments that ended up in the book that should have been shifted to US terms. There were also so many incomplete sentences in the beginning that it took me out of the story.
Overall, it was a fun story. Just needed some tweaking to make it a great book.
Three stars. Recommended for Scooby Doo fans who are okay with it being a little Scream-adjacent but are also willing to overlook flaws for fun.
November 17, 2024
It's Scooby-Doo, minus Scooby, and everyone is gay and a Millennial.
I ended up liking this more than I originally thought I would. The writing was a bit jarring to begin; the story is set in the US, but the author uses British spelling and terms. Once you get used to that, you have to adjust to the story feeling like it was written for ten year olds at times. Kind of weird to be condescended to by a YA book. Also, the Scooby-Doo thing is so blatant it feels like there should have been a fifth character walking around holding a sign that says Scooby-Dooby-Doo every twenty pages or so, just to really beat you over the head with it.
So, yeah, this is the fast food version of YA fiction; it's full of salt, fat, and preservatives and isn't good for you, but it's quick and filling and tastes better than it looks.
I ended up liking this more than I originally thought I would. The writing was a bit jarring to begin; the story is set in the US, but the author uses British spelling and terms. Once you get used to that, you have to adjust to the story feeling like it was written for ten year olds at times. Kind of weird to be condescended to by a YA book. Also, the Scooby-Doo thing is so blatant it feels like there should have been a fifth character walking around holding a sign that says Scooby-Dooby-Doo every twenty pages or so, just to really beat you over the head with it.
So, yeah, this is the fast food version of YA fiction; it's full of salt, fat, and preservatives and isn't good for you, but it's quick and filling and tastes better than it looks.
October 10, 2024
Loveddd this!!
Small town Scooby-doo meets Scream. Major 90's, early 00's vibes.
I read this collectively in a few hours, such an easy read, a fun, enticing plot and great characters. It has you suspecting many people, and I noticed a very very small detail that lead to me knowing the killer before the reveal (blame my writer brain) which I don't think many people will pick up on.
Perfect for those who are younger, or getting into reading and want a fast paced, gripping and less gruesome murder mystery.
4.5/5
Small town Scooby-doo meets Scream. Major 90's, early 00's vibes.
I read this collectively in a few hours, such an easy read, a fun, enticing plot and great characters. It has you suspecting many people, and I noticed a very very small detail that lead to me knowing the killer before the reveal (blame my writer brain) which I don't think many people will pick up on.
Perfect for those who are younger, or getting into reading and want a fast paced, gripping and less gruesome murder mystery.
4.5/5
October 5, 2024
I don’t usually leave book reviews but I was so excited for this and it’s probably one of the worst books I’ve ever read. I feel like a child could write a better book. It was so obvious what was happening and the way the writer had to explain everything made it unbearable.
Really sad about how much I didn’t enjoy this!
Really sad about how much I didn’t enjoy this!
April 11, 2025
this was great
January 13, 2026
I was really looking forward to this book, pre-ordered it as soon as I could, thought it would be right up my street...I guess that's why I'm so disappointed that it wasn't.
I'll start with the positives; I did enjoy the little nods to things like Scooby-Doo and Scream, they could probably have been leaned into a little more, but I enjoyed what we got on that front. The prologue set a nice tone of dread and terror...but I didn't really feel that again throughout the rest of the book unfortunately.
I knew it was YA going in so I wasn't expecting the mystery to be anything super special or complicated, but I guessed who was behind things ridiculously quickly. The clues given pretty much smack you in the face, I feel like they could have been included in perhaps a more subtle way. The characters, however, didn't seem to put any of the very obvious clues together, which felt odd since two of them are supposed to be super intelligent. This intelligence wasn't really shown for the most part, however, only told to the reader by other characters, which leads me to my next point.
A massive pet peeve of mine is to be TOLD a character is something, and multiple times throughout this book, other characters tell me one of them is an empath - hell that character even declares herself an empath at one point - but that wasn't really shown outside of one instance at the start. I actually had to flick back to the start of the chapter a couple times to see whose perspective I was reading from because I didn't really feel like the characters had any kind of distinctive voice.
I will say I overall thought the plot was still interesting, my enjoyment was just slightly ruined by how obvious it was, and the relationships between the characters was lovely. I'll likely still take a look at the authors next works just to see if they do anything differently in the future, but this book was unfortunately a let-down for me.
I'll start with the positives; I did enjoy the little nods to things like Scooby-Doo and Scream, they could probably have been leaned into a little more, but I enjoyed what we got on that front. The prologue set a nice tone of dread and terror...but I didn't really feel that again throughout the rest of the book unfortunately.
I knew it was YA going in so I wasn't expecting the mystery to be anything super special or complicated, but I guessed who was behind things ridiculously quickly. The clues given pretty much smack you in the face, I feel like they could have been included in perhaps a more subtle way. The characters, however, didn't seem to put any of the very obvious clues together, which felt odd since two of them are supposed to be super intelligent. This intelligence wasn't really shown for the most part, however, only told to the reader by other characters, which leads me to my next point.
A massive pet peeve of mine is to be TOLD a character is something, and multiple times throughout this book, other characters tell me one of them is an empath - hell that character even declares herself an empath at one point - but that wasn't really shown outside of one instance at the start. I actually had to flick back to the start of the chapter a couple times to see whose perspective I was reading from because I didn't really feel like the characters had any kind of distinctive voice.
I will say I overall thought the plot was still interesting, my enjoyment was just slightly ruined by how obvious it was, and the relationships between the characters was lovely. I'll likely still take a look at the authors next works just to see if they do anything differently in the future, but this book was unfortunately a let-down for me.
January 7, 2025
The Story was alright, however the ending was so silly?? And not in a good way. what do you mean the mum encourages them to become some sort of detective team? after they all almost got murdered (with multiple deaths before them)? So unrealistic and random i’m so confused about this choice? i’m sure preparing for a sequel could’ve been done in a different way. It seems so out of place and unserious, i’m seriously so confused about this choice??😭😭
July 19, 2024
This was genuinely wonderful. Imagine if you took all the best parts of a Riley Sager thriller, wrapped it in the horror trope knowledge of Grady Hendrix and then stored it in a YA sized box covered in Scooby Doo and Ghostface stickers.
I loved every minute. I read the first 30 pages, life got in the way and then read the next 300 pages in one sitting as soon as I could. The ending caught me off guard, the characters were layered and believable and the imagery was something else, this is one of those rare books where you can picture every scene in vivid detail. Especially locations.
If like me, you're a big fan of YA horror/thriller - you will absolutely want to read Let's Split Up!
I loved every minute. I read the first 30 pages, life got in the way and then read the next 300 pages in one sitting as soon as I could. The ending caught me off guard, the characters were layered and believable and the imagery was something else, this is one of those rare books where you can picture every scene in vivid detail. Especially locations.
If like me, you're a big fan of YA horror/thriller - you will absolutely want to read Let's Split Up!
November 26, 2024
2.5 stars.
I went in with totally different expectations. It ended up reading very young teen except for a few moments but ultimately it wasn’t enough to engage me. The final reveal wasn’t satisfying. On the plus side, it was easy to read and quick to get through.
I went in with totally different expectations. It ended up reading very young teen except for a few moments but ultimately it wasn’t enough to engage me. The final reveal wasn’t satisfying. On the plus side, it was easy to read and quick to get through.
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August 14, 2025Admittedly teared up seeing the author photo at the end. I've followed Bill for a couple of years now and he's one of my favorite bookish content creators. His journey has been such a cool one to follow and I'm so proud seeing him achieve his goals.
I'm not rating this because it's not my usual genre, but I had a fun time with it and I look forward to seeing where the story goes.
I'm not rating this because it's not my usual genre, but I had a fun time with it and I look forward to seeing where the story goes.
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