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How the Other Half Die: This steamy YA thriller is Gossip Girl meets the White Lotus
Dream vacation . . . or holiday from hell? A steamy thriller, full of family scandal and murder. This is White Lotus meets Gossip Girl.
The ultra exclusive Mokani Island is Avery's happy place. This summer, she's invited her college roommate, Nora, to hang out in paradise and party with her super rich friends.
But the vibe feels off from the start. Avery's ex can't get over their split. Her best friend is acting weird. A hot new staff member can't keep his eyes off her. And nobody likes Nora, who keeps sticking her nose where it doesn't belong. Everyone on the island is hiding something - and some secrets are worth killing for.
A tropical storm is brewing, and before long someone is going to end up dead ...
Tropes
· Friends-to-lovers
· Love triangle
· Murder mystery
· Haves and have nots
The ultra exclusive Mokani Island is Avery's happy place. This summer, she's invited her college roommate, Nora, to hang out in paradise and party with her super rich friends.
But the vibe feels off from the start. Avery's ex can't get over their split. Her best friend is acting weird. A hot new staff member can't keep his eyes off her. And nobody likes Nora, who keeps sticking her nose where it doesn't belong. Everyone on the island is hiding something - and some secrets are worth killing for.
A tropical storm is brewing, and before long someone is going to end up dead ...
Tropes
· Friends-to-lovers
· Love triangle
· Murder mystery
· Haves and have nots
- GenresYoung Adult
310 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 3, 2025
2 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 13, 2025
the premise is really good and interesting but the execution is sub par.
July 7, 2025
How the Other Half Die is a compelling story of friendship, secrets & how they can affect everything!
I love the 3 different points of views. I really feel the helped with the reveals & some of the shocks.
I was blown away by the epilogue. What a shocking last minute twist!
I would recommend for fans of Then Things Went Dark, We Were Liars & Karen Mcmanuses books.
I love the 3 different points of views. I really feel the helped with the reveals & some of the shocks.
I was blown away by the epilogue. What a shocking last minute twist!
I would recommend for fans of Then Things Went Dark, We Were Liars & Karen Mcmanuses books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2025
When Avery brings her friend Nora home to join them for their luxurious annual vacation on Mokani Island, holiday hotspot for the decidedly privileged, the last thing she expects is for everything to go wrong.
Her best friend's acting weird, her ex boyfriend even weirder, and Nora's excessive interest in the business of others perhaps weirdest of all. And they aren't the only ones with secrets, because her parents aren't behaving normally either. What is going on?!
An enjoyable read that provides plenty of entertainment this gets 3.5 stars and is well worth checking out.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Her best friend's acting weird, her ex boyfriend even weirder, and Nora's excessive interest in the business of others perhaps weirdest of all. And they aren't the only ones with secrets, because her parents aren't behaving normally either. What is going on?!
An enjoyable read that provides plenty of entertainment this gets 3.5 stars and is well worth checking out.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
July 1, 2025
Avery and her family travel to the luxurious Mokani Island Resort every year, alongside the outrageously wealthy Devereux’s and Vandenburg’s. This year, her college best friend, Nora, joins them. What dark secrets does the island hold? And why does everything seem so different this year?
Firstly, thank you so much to Team BkMrk for my proof copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this books vibes, brimming with socialites, scandals and secrets! The plot kept me hooked and the character dynamics worked really well. There were definitely bits I didn’t see coming which is always an added bonus when reading a thriller style book.
A good summer read!
Firstly, thank you so much to Team BkMrk for my proof copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this books vibes, brimming with socialites, scandals and secrets! The plot kept me hooked and the character dynamics worked really well. There were definitely bits I didn’t see coming which is always an added bonus when reading a thriller style book.
A good summer read!
September 22, 2025
A crime thriller/mystery book based on an island? SIGN. ME. UP.
I really enjoyed this book! I came for the picturesque island landscapes but stayed for the twisty mystery that kept me guessing right up until the very last page.
Just as I thought I had the mystery sussed out, a curveball was thrown! I definitely need to keep an eye on this author because that was a fantastic debut novel and I hear there's some semblance of a sequel in the works already!
All of the characters brought something to the table but I was rooting for Avery the whole time! That girl deserves better!
How the Other Half Die is fast paced, twisty as hell and so entertaining!
I really enjoyed this book! I came for the picturesque island landscapes but stayed for the twisty mystery that kept me guessing right up until the very last page.
Just as I thought I had the mystery sussed out, a curveball was thrown! I definitely need to keep an eye on this author because that was a fantastic debut novel and I hear there's some semblance of a sequel in the works already!
All of the characters brought something to the table but I was rooting for Avery the whole time! That girl deserves better!
How the Other Half Die is fast paced, twisty as hell and so entertaining!
October 10, 2025
The description of this book is perfect, it really did feel like Gossip Girl crossed with the White Lotus. There is a wide array of characters in the book and it highlights the divide between the insanely rich and the people who work for them and how messy it can be to try and bridge that gap.
It feels like every single character is carrying baggage loaded with secrets and lies and that obviously makes this a very interesting YA thriller. Because just when you think you know where the story is going, someone else turns up with a new secret and everything twists around again.
I really enjoyed this and it did feel like watching an episode of a YA show about socialites and the drama that comes with them. I liked the range of characters and i loved how many twists and turns the story took.
It feels like every single character is carrying baggage loaded with secrets and lies and that obviously makes this a very interesting YA thriller. Because just when you think you know where the story is going, someone else turns up with a new secret and everything twists around again.
I really enjoyed this and it did feel like watching an episode of a YA show about socialites and the drama that comes with them. I liked the range of characters and i loved how many twists and turns the story took.
September 5, 2025
CW: murder, death, violence, sexual assault, harassment, abuse, classism
How the Other Half Die was a pulse-pounding YA thriller with plenty of excellent twists and turns.
I love a book that is basically rich people behaving badly but facing the consequences. Also, I absolutely love the specific subgenre of destination thrillers that take paradise and turn it into a nightmare. This delivers an intriguing tale within both of these spaces with a great romantic thread as well. It is pacy and captivating, keeping the pages flowing nicely. The tension is built wonderfully with the sense of the oncoming storm about to hit these characters.
Roscoe’s characterisation is stellar – in just a few pages, you have the exact sense of this group of spoilt rich teenagers and the way their group formed, but may now be splintering. What the rest of the book delves into is just what else is going on, adding layers to these initial sketches and allowing you to connect more as a reader. Because you move between perspectives, you can connect different pieces of the puzzle and gain new insights into previous actions. It is a tragic tale here but one that seems all too familiar. These relationships are fracturing under the weight of the secrets and scandal they each hold and for their wider families. Nothing is as simple as it may first seem. Contrasting this is Leo, who has had access to the island because of his father working there. He’s an outsider that has previously felt like an insider with the friendship group but everything is going to shift this year.
Everything culminates in an explosive showdown and a very satisfying ending, even though Roscoe may have a final surprise in store.
How the Other Half Die is a great YA thriller to binge-read this summer and would pair well with watching the new adaptation of We Were Liars.
How the Other Half Die was a pulse-pounding YA thriller with plenty of excellent twists and turns.
I love a book that is basically rich people behaving badly but facing the consequences. Also, I absolutely love the specific subgenre of destination thrillers that take paradise and turn it into a nightmare. This delivers an intriguing tale within both of these spaces with a great romantic thread as well. It is pacy and captivating, keeping the pages flowing nicely. The tension is built wonderfully with the sense of the oncoming storm about to hit these characters.
Roscoe’s characterisation is stellar – in just a few pages, you have the exact sense of this group of spoilt rich teenagers and the way their group formed, but may now be splintering. What the rest of the book delves into is just what else is going on, adding layers to these initial sketches and allowing you to connect more as a reader. Because you move between perspectives, you can connect different pieces of the puzzle and gain new insights into previous actions. It is a tragic tale here but one that seems all too familiar. These relationships are fracturing under the weight of the secrets and scandal they each hold and for their wider families. Nothing is as simple as it may first seem. Contrasting this is Leo, who has had access to the island because of his father working there. He’s an outsider that has previously felt like an insider with the friendship group but everything is going to shift this year.
Everything culminates in an explosive showdown and a very satisfying ending, even though Roscoe may have a final surprise in store.
How the Other Half Die is a great YA thriller to binge-read this summer and would pair well with watching the new adaptation of We Were Liars.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews