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Bad Like Us
Two friend groups collide when someone turns up dead over spring break in this heart-thumping YA thriller for fans of One of Us Is Lying and We Were Liars
Spring break is a vibe—until someone gets murdered
Partying with popular classmates they barely know is not what Eva and her BFFs had in mind for their spring break. But things have been off ever since Miles' academic career took a turn for the worse (they don't talk about it), so a trip to a private beach lodge might be exactly what they need. And Eva won’t admit it, but the chance to reconnect with Colton is worth putting up with Piper’s constant livestreams to her thousands of “besties.”
At first, it’s all sand and waves, but tensions run high when an anonymous letter shakes up an already-flailing love triangle.
When someone turns up dead, Eva can’t even trust her closest friends—but she thinks she can trust Colton. As they get closer to the truth, they uncover secrets that upend everything they thought they knew about their fellow spring breakers.
Spring break is a vibe—until someone gets murdered
Partying with popular classmates they barely know is not what Eva and her BFFs had in mind for their spring break. But things have been off ever since Miles' academic career took a turn for the worse (they don't talk about it), so a trip to a private beach lodge might be exactly what they need. And Eva won’t admit it, but the chance to reconnect with Colton is worth putting up with Piper’s constant livestreams to her thousands of “besties.”
At first, it’s all sand and waves, but tensions run high when an anonymous letter shakes up an already-flailing love triangle.
When someone turns up dead, Eva can’t even trust her closest friends—but she thinks she can trust Colton. As they get closer to the truth, they uncover secrets that upend everything they thought they knew about their fellow spring breakers.
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First published March 5, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 201 reviews
January 21, 2025
**3.5-stars rounded up**
Bad Like Us is the most recently released YA Mystery from Gabriella Lepore. This fast-paced novel hit shelves in early March and I couldn't wait to get to it.
After enjoying this author's last two novels, I was expecting a certain vibe and it delivered exactly what I wanted.
In this story, we're following a group of teens setting out together to spend Spring Break at a rustic lodge on the Oregon coast. The lodge is owned by one of the teen's Uncles, making it free and all theirs for the week.
Unencumbered by adult supervision, the kids are looking to party, spend time together and just relax, shaking off recent stressors, of which there are many.
The group, in and of itself, has some complications. At the heart of most of the drama seems to be Piper. Her constant live streams and pot-stirring attitude have everyone on edge. Can't she give it a break?
It's not solely Piper though, there are definitely other tensions brimming just under the surface that make the environment, shall we say, touchy.
Our main perspectives are Eva and Colton. I enjoyed both of these characters and the audiobook did have dual narrators which was great for making their voices distinct.
After a night featuring a campfire on the beach, some adult bevys, and high levels of interpersonal drama, one of the teens is found dead the next morning. The police swoop in and a tense investigation into them all begins.
I enjoy the way Gabriella Lepore builds out teen friendship groups. This is a feature of all of the books that I have read from her and I always get pulled into their lives easily. I also feel like the mysteries are always solid and engaging.
I loved the setting of this one and the set-up of the teens being on Spring Break. A lot of secrets are being kept amongst the group and it ended up going much deeper than I initially anticipated, which I appreciated.
Overall, this was another fun one from Lepore. I'll continue to pick up all of her releases. If you enjoy YA Mysteries, and haven't read her work yet, you should give her a shot!
Thank you to the publisher, Inkyard Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
Lepore never fails to entertain me and I'm looking forward to picking up whatever she puts out next.
Bad Like Us is available now!!
Bad Like Us is the most recently released YA Mystery from Gabriella Lepore. This fast-paced novel hit shelves in early March and I couldn't wait to get to it.
After enjoying this author's last two novels, I was expecting a certain vibe and it delivered exactly what I wanted.
In this story, we're following a group of teens setting out together to spend Spring Break at a rustic lodge on the Oregon coast. The lodge is owned by one of the teen's Uncles, making it free and all theirs for the week.
Unencumbered by adult supervision, the kids are looking to party, spend time together and just relax, shaking off recent stressors, of which there are many.
The group, in and of itself, has some complications. At the heart of most of the drama seems to be Piper. Her constant live streams and pot-stirring attitude have everyone on edge. Can't she give it a break?
It's not solely Piper though, there are definitely other tensions brimming just under the surface that make the environment, shall we say, touchy.
Our main perspectives are Eva and Colton. I enjoyed both of these characters and the audiobook did have dual narrators which was great for making their voices distinct.
After a night featuring a campfire on the beach, some adult bevys, and high levels of interpersonal drama, one of the teens is found dead the next morning. The police swoop in and a tense investigation into them all begins.
I enjoy the way Gabriella Lepore builds out teen friendship groups. This is a feature of all of the books that I have read from her and I always get pulled into their lives easily. I also feel like the mysteries are always solid and engaging.
I loved the setting of this one and the set-up of the teens being on Spring Break. A lot of secrets are being kept amongst the group and it ended up going much deeper than I initially anticipated, which I appreciated.
Overall, this was another fun one from Lepore. I'll continue to pick up all of her releases. If you enjoy YA Mysteries, and haven't read her work yet, you should give her a shot!
Thank you to the publisher, Inkyard Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
Lepore never fails to entertain me and I'm looking forward to picking up whatever she puts out next.
Bad Like Us is available now!!
August 3, 2023
➳ 3.5 stars ✰
if there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that i love a good ya mystery/thriller. so when i saw this on netgalley i HAD to have it.
and it delivered! this was a really easy, fast paced read and perfect for a good summer read (it takes place during spring break when it’s still cold but it just gives summer read yk?).
i really liked the characters + how they were portrayed. i feel like in a lot of ya books, you can tell that the author is writing teenagers how they perceive them, but the authors are never teenagers so it ends up a little awkward? for the most part in this, the teenagers felt like actual teenagers and i didn’t really cringe while reading them.
as far as the plot goes, i liked it enough. i didn’t entirely guess the ending (only a part), but it also didn’t really come as a suprise. there was also a subplot that was a bit of a mystery (involving miles), and what happened there i didn’t see coming. it was clever how the author worked all of it in together. plus that little romance subplot? oh i was living for that. the flashbacks that were worked in were also helpful and i liked having the extra insight when it would be important later.
what i didn’t like? some of the characters felt underdeveloped. noah and javier in particular, i just didn’t really connect with them because i felt like i didn’t know them. other than that i enjoyed everything well enough! i’ll definitely be looking for other books by gabriella lepore.
thank you to netgalley + inkyard press for the arc!
if there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that i love a good ya mystery/thriller. so when i saw this on netgalley i HAD to have it.
and it delivered! this was a really easy, fast paced read and perfect for a good summer read (it takes place during spring break when it’s still cold but it just gives summer read yk?).
i really liked the characters + how they were portrayed. i feel like in a lot of ya books, you can tell that the author is writing teenagers how they perceive them, but the authors are never teenagers so it ends up a little awkward? for the most part in this, the teenagers felt like actual teenagers and i didn’t really cringe while reading them.
as far as the plot goes, i liked it enough. i didn’t entirely guess the ending (only a part), but it also didn’t really come as a suprise. there was also a subplot that was a bit of a mystery (involving miles), and what happened there i didn’t see coming. it was clever how the author worked all of it in together. plus that little romance subplot? oh i was living for that. the flashbacks that were worked in were also helpful and i liked having the extra insight when it would be important later.
what i didn’t like? some of the characters felt underdeveloped. noah and javier in particular, i just didn’t really connect with them because i felt like i didn’t know them. other than that i enjoyed everything well enough! i’ll definitely be looking for other books by gabriella lepore.
thank you to netgalley + inkyard press for the arc!
December 31, 2023
Eva and her friends go to a private lodge for spring break. Their friend Piper is a social media influencer who likes to stir things up. A murder occurs and they all have something to hide. This story goes between past and present and I couldn’t hardly put it down. It was a great read with fascinating characters. Thanks NetGalley and Inkyard Press for this ARC that will be released March 5, 2024!
February 20, 2024
Spring break is a vibe---until someone gets murdered.
Got your attention too right?
Secrets, lies, gossip, cuteness, sadness, childhood ties and death.
This book has it all!
I really enjoyed the flashbacks and continuous streams from different POV the author uses to unravel all the bits of the plot.
Did the characters make mistakes that had me yelling at the book?
Of course, they're teenagers.
The mystery was well developed and the characters all had great back stories with equal time on the pages. And the setting?
Freaking gorgeous and has me all kinds of jealous!
Much love to frenzy books for my ARC as part of the Harper Collins Canada Influencers program.
Got your attention too right?
Secrets, lies, gossip, cuteness, sadness, childhood ties and death.
This book has it all!
I really enjoyed the flashbacks and continuous streams from different POV the author uses to unravel all the bits of the plot.
Did the characters make mistakes that had me yelling at the book?
Of course, they're teenagers.
The mystery was well developed and the characters all had great back stories with equal time on the pages. And the setting?
Freaking gorgeous and has me all kinds of jealous!
Much love to frenzy books for my ARC as part of the Harper Collins Canada Influencers program.
February 11, 2024
I enjoyed this one! I always love a YA/thriller type of book and this delivered! I found the first half of the book was a little slower for me, however the second half really picked up and I could not put it down! I liked the characters but there was some that I felt were barely part of the book until the end-ish. Eva and Colton I connected with as they were the POVs, so I really liked hearing things from both their perspectives.
I also love the plot being a remote-cottage thriller vibe!
I also love the plot being a remote-cottage thriller vibe!
April 16, 2024
I wanted to enjoy this more. The plot and pacing was all over. Why did it take so long for the police to tell them someone died? How is that classified? Piper was the most annoying person ever and I can not understand how 3 people wanted to date her in this story. That’s the biggest mystery. Actually most of the characters were annoying. The reveal of the killer at the end was lackluster and the end felt so rushed. Another book to remind me again that I’m happy I wasn’t popular and didn’t have friends back in high school.
May 25, 2024
3,75⭐
Really entertaining but not long enough. Everything was rushed because it was so short. But men.. it was good 👌 I feel this could be part of The Dark Pictures Anthology 🎮😂 with A LOT MORE drama
It was interesting to include interviews and some Instagram videos (in text😂) through out the chapters, it brought rhythm.
Really entertaining but not long enough. Everything was rushed because it was so short. But men.. it was good 👌 I feel this could be part of The Dark Pictures Anthology 🎮😂 with A LOT MORE drama
It was interesting to include interviews and some Instagram videos (in text😂) through out the chapters, it brought rhythm.
December 9, 2024
Man, I wanted to like this one more than I actually did. It has its moments, but unfortunately "Bad Like Us" suffers from an overly large cast of characters with uneven development, too many jumps between POV and past/present events, nearly 120 pages before it gets to matching up with the crime happening, and when it finally finds its stride, ends too quickly with loose ends. 3 stars. Full review coming.
March 25, 2024
This was such a wonderful read, I loved watching the mystery unfold!
dnf
October 2, 2024This bored me :(
July 21, 2023
[3 stars]
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I'm a person who enjoys a classic murder mystery like this, so the premise intrigued me. Since the book only takes place over a handful of days while at an off-the-grid beach house on spring break, I expected it to be character-driven as the teens grapple with the before-and-after drama they are thrust into.
Two friend groups merge into one when two members of separate quartets start dating. Not all of them like each other, though, and a dramatic breakup a few months prior has things tense even before the characters arrive at their spring break destination: an off-the-grid beach house where they're the only people for miles.
I found this to be an entertaining, quick read that can be done in one sitting. The plot moves quickly, the chapters are short, and enough things happen that there's no boring lull.
I wish the characters were more fleshed out. To me, they felt one-dimensional at best, and for some of them, I couldn't even tell you a single thing about their personalities. I liked Eva the most, as we spend the most time in her POV, but I wish I knew more about what drives her, what her motivations are in life, and just more about her in general. Is the fiercely loyal? Clever? Witty?
As for Colton and Eva's dynamic, I just couldn't feel the chemistry between them. We are told that they feel a connection, but I certainly couldn't. I wonder if this is partially due to how flat the characters are in general— I couldn't tell what things they had in common aside from surfing. More background info would also have been nice— have the friend groups just not talked since middle school? Or do certain members cross over, just not that often? Knowing these things would have made Eva and Colton's instantaneous click seem more understandable.
And then the location. The off-the-grid beach house is a cool setting, especially since they have crappy cell service... or do they? There are several group chat conversations that seem to go on without a hitch. This could have added to the suspense in the story, but it didn't really amount to anything.
I don't understand why nobody was told about the body until the police showed up and had the sheet over it. The fact that the characters weren't immediately woken up and alerted by the character who found the body was odd. Due to the setting being so remote, it would have taken a WHILE for the police to arrive, so there was plenty of time to tell the others.
Some of the chapters were unnecessarily short with random endings that cut off in places that are supposed to add suspense, but only do so superficially, like someone knocking at a door. The next chapter would then pick up exactly where the previous one left off, in the same POV, so I was confused about why the other one ended.
I also felt that there could have been more tension between the characters for turning on each other. Eva was adamant that Miles didn't do it, but Colton proposed the idea that he did, and Eva was fine with that??? More mistrust would have raised the stakes.
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I'm a person who enjoys a classic murder mystery like this, so the premise intrigued me. Since the book only takes place over a handful of days while at an off-the-grid beach house on spring break, I expected it to be character-driven as the teens grapple with the before-and-after drama they are thrust into.
Two friend groups merge into one when two members of separate quartets start dating. Not all of them like each other, though, and a dramatic breakup a few months prior has things tense even before the characters arrive at their spring break destination: an off-the-grid beach house where they're the only people for miles.
I found this to be an entertaining, quick read that can be done in one sitting. The plot moves quickly, the chapters are short, and enough things happen that there's no boring lull.
I wish the characters were more fleshed out. To me, they felt one-dimensional at best, and for some of them, I couldn't even tell you a single thing about their personalities. I liked Eva the most, as we spend the most time in her POV, but I wish I knew more about what drives her, what her motivations are in life, and just more about her in general. Is the fiercely loyal? Clever? Witty?
As for Colton and Eva's dynamic, I just couldn't feel the chemistry between them. We are told that they feel a connection, but I certainly couldn't. I wonder if this is partially due to how flat the characters are in general— I couldn't tell what things they had in common aside from surfing. More background info would also have been nice— have the friend groups just not talked since middle school? Or do certain members cross over, just not that often? Knowing these things would have made Eva and Colton's instantaneous click seem more understandable.
And then the location. The off-the-grid beach house is a cool setting, especially since they have crappy cell service... or do they? There are several group chat conversations that seem to go on without a hitch. This could have added to the suspense in the story, but it didn't really amount to anything.
I don't understand why nobody was told about the body until the police showed up and had the sheet over it. The fact that the characters weren't immediately woken up and alerted by the character who found the body was odd. Due to the setting being so remote, it would have taken a WHILE for the police to arrive, so there was plenty of time to tell the others.
Some of the chapters were unnecessarily short with random endings that cut off in places that are supposed to add suspense, but only do so superficially, like someone knocking at a door. The next chapter would then pick up exactly where the previous one left off, in the same POV, so I was confused about why the other one ended.
I also felt that there could have been more tension between the characters for turning on each other. Eva was adamant that Miles didn't do it, but Colton proposed the idea that he did, and Eva was fine with that??? More mistrust would have raised the stakes.
February 27, 2024
I’ll admit I struggled a bit in the beginning with this one. It was a bit slow and there are so many characters to keep track of. The back and forth dual timeline also through me off occasionally. But once the drama started to pick up I couldn’t put the book down, literally, I finished in hours. I really liked that there was a couple smaller mysteries within the big mystery here and I actually didn’t see most of the reveals coming.
Read
March 1, 2024Young Adult Mysteries & Detective Stories, Young Adult Social Themes, Thrillers & Suspense
February 8, 2024
[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Bad Like Us releases March 5, 2024
2.75
A group of 9 friends take a road trip to a remote beach house for their senior year spring break, but only 8 leave alive.
This murder mystery is told though multi-pov and mixed media that includes group text messages, vlog style videos, and interview transcripts, as well as some non-linear flashbacks.
I liked the overall suspense of not knowing who the murderer was and having to analyze every character interaction to determine who was the most suspicious and for what reasons.
I think the downfall for me was the large cast of characters because it didn’t allow for the reader to get to know each of the individuals that were on the trip on the same level — for instance, there was so much about the twin’s family history but I hardly know anything about Javier other than the fact that he was Piper’s boyfriend.
All in all, it’s a pretty quick read and I tend to enjoy pnw settings, but there are some glaring plot holes pertaining to the level of remoteness that are still bugging me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Bad Like Us releases March 5, 2024
2.75
A group of 9 friends take a road trip to a remote beach house for their senior year spring break, but only 8 leave alive.
This murder mystery is told though multi-pov and mixed media that includes group text messages, vlog style videos, and interview transcripts, as well as some non-linear flashbacks.
I liked the overall suspense of not knowing who the murderer was and having to analyze every character interaction to determine who was the most suspicious and for what reasons.
I think the downfall for me was the large cast of characters because it didn’t allow for the reader to get to know each of the individuals that were on the trip on the same level — for instance, there was so much about the twin’s family history but I hardly know anything about Javier other than the fact that he was Piper’s boyfriend.
All in all, it’s a pretty quick read and I tend to enjoy pnw settings, but there are some glaring plot holes pertaining to the level of remoteness that are still bugging me.
August 19, 2024
3.5 stars
December 31, 2023
3.5⭐️I liked this. It was high school but not overly high school to where it was cringy for me. I liked the slow, behind-the-scenes, not-in-your-face romance. This was a quick read. The chapters switched point of views and were very short, which I didn’t mind. It helped make the story more fast-paced and quick. One thing that was iffy for me was the pacing of the plot. There were flashbacks that were unclear to me and made me confused. Sometimes, I felt left out. Like I wanted to know what was going on during some of the memories, but I.. was lost. Obviously, a lot became clear as I read. However, there were a couple moments where I’m like ‘why did I need this?’ This book was perfectly spooky in a mysterious, murderous way. Definitely a page-turner that I didn’t want to put down and did not want to end!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Inkyard Press, for this dark, suspenseful, and gripping ARC!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Inkyard Press, for this dark, suspenseful, and gripping ARC!
October 5, 2023
My Thoughts
Spring break for these 9 teens means heading to a remote beach lodge owned by one of the boys’ Uncle Paul.
The atmosphere there is peaceful as it is far away from city noises but also city amenities, the lack of which also means a lack of easy accessibility for help and even reliable communication once things start going wrong.
What happens during these few days will stick with everyone involved for their entire lives as the worst vacation ever!
Unlike what happens in Vegas stay in Vegas what happens to Alice, Colton, Danny, Eva, Karly, Miles, Noah and most especially Piper must be revealed and the truth told.
This tale is why I am so glad that for spring break I stayed home.
[EArc from Netgalley]
September 13, 2023
Solid four stars, this was ALMOST amazing. I loved the way it was set up, I loved getting the transcripts from Piper's videos and the police interviews. I do think there could have been a little more in the police interviews. But, this was ALMOST so great. I just felt like the characters needed a little more depth. Everyone was just very surface level, even our MCs. I feel like I don't know much about Eva at all. There wasn't enough identifying information for me to even tell you who is who in the cover. This really has five star potential, but it just fell a little short.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 16, 2024
This was unfortunately not my favorite book by Gabriella Lepore and I hated that I didn't like this one that much. I did love the scene where the story was set: a secluded cabin on the Oregon coast, but it was the plot and characters that I could not connect with. The plot was slow with nothing much happening and there were too many characters to attempt to connect with any of them. The romance also came out of nowhere and didn't add anything to the story. I think if there had been less characters and more focus on the mystery then I would have liked this better. Thank you Edelweiss for an ARC.
July 25, 2023
* thank you NetGalley and Inkyard Press for an ARC in for an honest review. *
Bad Like Us was an interesting book. Set at a remote beach cabin in the woods, seven friends must battle each other to figure out who killed their friend. There was a lot going on this story, and admittedly, while it wasn’t incredibly unique, I did not guess the ending! I was pretty invested through out the story, and everyone had just enough secrets to keep it interesting until the end. I’d recommend this for anyone who’s a fan of books like One Of Us Is Lying.
Bad Like Us was an interesting book. Set at a remote beach cabin in the woods, seven friends must battle each other to figure out who killed their friend. There was a lot going on this story, and admittedly, while it wasn’t incredibly unique, I did not guess the ending! I was pretty invested through out the story, and everyone had just enough secrets to keep it interesting until the end. I’d recommend this for anyone who’s a fan of books like One Of Us Is Lying.
September 11, 2023
This is a good YA thriller who done it.
Eva is going to a cabin in Oregon for Spring break. When one of them ends up dead. Every one of them has a reason.
This book was a good fast paced thriller that kept you thinking. I was very impressed with a the storyline and the character back story.
The storyline kept me invested through out the book and was face paced.
I like how the story kept jumping from months before and present time.
Definitely up there with Karen McManus One of Us is Lying.
Eva is going to a cabin in Oregon for Spring break. When one of them ends up dead. Every one of them has a reason.
This book was a good fast paced thriller that kept you thinking. I was very impressed with a the storyline and the character back story.
The storyline kept me invested through out the book and was face paced.
I like how the story kept jumping from months before and present time.
Definitely up there with Karen McManus One of Us is Lying.
April 9, 2024
2,5⭐️
March 25, 2024
Bad Like Us is a YA "Isolation" mystery. Eva and a bunch other friends go to a cabin for spring break of their senior year is high school. All of the have secrets and someone ends up dead. I was really looking forward to this one since I have enjoyed the last 2 books that I have read by this author. Sadly, this one was disappointing.
The reality is that I was bored. There is no tension. Nothing is creepy. There were way too many characters and too many perspectives. Most of the boys sounded the same and I had a hard time keeping everyone straight. It wasn't hard to figure out who ends up murdered. There is also another reveal that I called very early on. The fact that there is no resolution to that reveal in the end was a major disappointment. I also have an issue with two of the characters and their college money problem. Given their financial circumstances, both boys would be prime candidates for financial aid as well as scholarships. Also, they could choose to go to a local college and live at home. That saves a lot of money. A simple conversation with their guidance counselor would have cleared that up for them. Why are we using that for crime motivation? I know it's nitpicky, but it's not reality and it's a tired trope. Anyway, this was a disappointment. I'm not sure I would really recommend it. I hope that the next book is better.
The reality is that I was bored. There is no tension. Nothing is creepy. There were way too many characters and too many perspectives. Most of the boys sounded the same and I had a hard time keeping everyone straight. It wasn't hard to figure out who ends up murdered. There is also another reveal that I called very early on. The fact that there is no resolution to that reveal in the end was a major disappointment. I also have an issue with two of the characters and their college money problem. Given their financial circumstances, both boys would be prime candidates for financial aid as well as scholarships. Also, they could choose to go to a local college and live at home. That saves a lot of money. A simple conversation with their guidance counselor would have cleared that up for them. Why are we using that for crime motivation? I know it's nitpicky, but it's not reality and it's a tired trope. Anyway, this was a disappointment. I'm not sure I would really recommend it. I hope that the next book is better.
March 24, 2024
Spring Break is a vibe—until someone gets murdered.
🏄
Eva and her BFFs are headed to a remote cabin in Oregon for Spring Break. She’s been more excited if she knew the other half of the group better. Hanging out with Piper, the social media influencer, especially has been hard, but Eva has high hopes to spend more quality time with Colton, the boy she’s liked for a long time. Everyone is having a great time until an anonymous letter sparks a fight between the group’s love triangle. The next morning one of them is dead. Eva wonders who she can trust among the group, even wondering about her best friends.
🏄
I’d read Lepore’s first YA thriller and didn’t love it. Had I known this was by the same author that wrote This Is Why We Lie I probably wouldn’t have picked it up and that would have been a mistake. This was a very solid locked room thriller book that reminded me of Suddenly A Murder. This will be a hit with tweens and teens for adding in the social media aspect.
CW: death, violence, blackmail, gaslighting, classism, poverty, alcohol, gambling, murder
3.75 ⭐️rounded up
🏄
Eva and her BFFs are headed to a remote cabin in Oregon for Spring Break. She’s been more excited if she knew the other half of the group better. Hanging out with Piper, the social media influencer, especially has been hard, but Eva has high hopes to spend more quality time with Colton, the boy she’s liked for a long time. Everyone is having a great time until an anonymous letter sparks a fight between the group’s love triangle. The next morning one of them is dead. Eva wonders who she can trust among the group, even wondering about her best friends.
🏄
I’d read Lepore’s first YA thriller and didn’t love it. Had I known this was by the same author that wrote This Is Why We Lie I probably wouldn’t have picked it up and that would have been a mistake. This was a very solid locked room thriller book that reminded me of Suddenly A Murder. This will be a hit with tweens and teens for adding in the social media aspect.
CW: death, violence, blackmail, gaslighting, classism, poverty, alcohol, gambling, murder
3.75 ⭐️rounded up
October 9, 2024
Honestly, I feel like the blurb just oversold the book, made it way prettier (I know it's the purpose of a blurb, but still I feel like I got less than what I was expecting).
It's high school drama where teenagers hides very important stuff or what they did to the police instead of helping them out to find the murdered (I kept rolling my eyes with all those lies). The death come in pretty late in the book, we just keep watching kids lying to each others, and then suddenly we're in action and confrontation. We don't get any hint to help us guess the murderer while reading, so it just happens in the end and the dénouement comes in harshly without even being surprising - was it maybe because none of the characters were interesting to me, and therefore it didn't felt shocking to see who were guilty?
It's high school drama where teenagers hides very important stuff or what they did to the police instead of helping them out to find the murdered (I kept rolling my eyes with all those lies). The death come in pretty late in the book, we just keep watching kids lying to each others, and then suddenly we're in action and confrontation. We don't get any hint to help us guess the murderer while reading, so it just happens in the end and the dénouement comes in harshly without even being surprising - was it maybe because none of the characters were interesting to me, and therefore it didn't felt shocking to see who were guilty?
November 30, 2025
I decent 3-star mystery thriller. It was not as high stakes as most of the thriller I read but I still read it at a fast pace. I will say the duel POVS was not necessary as they did not have enough personal voice, I found myself at multiple points forgetting whose POV I was reading.
Edit - now Ive really thought about there is one plot decision that the author makes that we get no context for. I genuinely thought she was making a commentary on race with that decision but it turns out she wasn't so I am very confused as we the readers are not even reason as to why this thing happened. Obviously we don't need to be spoon feed information and can infer but it doesn't necessarily make sense especially when you find out one character lied and the police know they lied but they never bring him back for questioning?? rather bring another character into custody and it's explained with a horrible explanation that's just bad police work ig.
Edit - now Ive really thought about there is one plot decision that the author makes that we get no context for. I genuinely thought she was making a commentary on race with that decision but it turns out she wasn't so I am very confused as we the readers are not even reason as to why this thing happened. Obviously we don't need to be spoon feed information and can infer but it doesn't necessarily make sense especially when you find out one character lied and the police know they lied but they never bring him back for questioning?? rather bring another character into custody and it's explained with a horrible explanation that's just bad police work ig.
May 4, 2024
I received a copy of Bad Like Us from a Goodreads Giveaway.
This story captured my attention and it was difficult to put down. I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened next. The short viewpoint chapters made it a quick read.
I look forward to putting this in the Little Free Library that I manage to share with my neighborhood!
This story captured my attention and it was difficult to put down. I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened next. The short viewpoint chapters made it a quick read.
I look forward to putting this in the Little Free Library that I manage to share with my neighborhood!
June 23, 2024
⭐️3.5⭐️
honestly the plot twist was underwhelming and it ended rlly abruptly that somehow everyone was involved? it felt unfinished even though it definitely had an ending. i don’t know if id recommend this one for like thriller readers, but it was a very easy read.
honestly the plot twist was underwhelming and it ended rlly abruptly that somehow everyone was involved? it felt unfinished even though it definitely had an ending. i don’t know if id recommend this one for like thriller readers, but it was a very easy read.
November 16, 2024
ok i just want to say that i was 99.999% close to guessing it correctly so go me😂😝 anyway, i really loved how this was just a good mystery!! you need those! 4.5⭐️
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