We Know It Was You

Strange Truth #1

by Maggie Thrash

It’s better to know the truth. At least sometimes.

Halfway through Friday night’s football game, beautiful cheerleader Brittany Montague—dressed as the giant Winship Wildcat mascot—hurls herself off a bridge into Atlanta’s surging Chattahoochee River.

Just like that, she’s gone.

Eight days later, Benny Flax and Virginia Leeds will be the only ones who know why. Their search for the truth reveals a web of depravity hiding in plain sight at their picture perfect school. When love becomes obsession, how far will someone go to make their twisted fantasies a reality? And who has the power to stop them?

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Contemporary, Thriller, High School

352 pages, Hardcover

First published October 4, 2016

About the author

MAGGIE THRASH is the author of the critically acclaimed graphic memoirs Honor Girl, which was nominated for a Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and Lost Soul, Be at Peace, as well as two novels for young adults. Rainbow Black is her first novel for adults. Born and raised in Atlanta, she lives in New Hampshire.

You can also find her on maggiethrash.com and on instagram @maggiethrash

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is beyond offensive for numerous reasons including but not limited to: racism, sexism, and the handling of sexual assault. I could give more issues..these were the biggest.

First I'll tell you about a scene found on page. 112-115 where the football coach is explaining respect and consent -

"Let's talk about what you can do to show the ladies respect. Imagine what it's like to be a girl. You got this smokin' bod that everyone wants to get a peep at. Can you imagine what that feels like? No, you can't, because you're dudes, and your bodies are disgusting."

Not only does he consistently refer to women as "the ladies" but he actually goes on to say>>

"Shut up, shut up. If she's nice and wet, then you go ahead and seal the deal. If she's not, then sorry buddy, yes means no, and you better seek other accommodations." He made a jerking motion with his hand.

I mean really?! Do I even have to explain how messed up this is. Absolutely disgusting.

"That's why they have cheerleaders. To give people something to look at."

"Yeah, what's the deal with those chicks?"
"They lost their innocence from being sexually traumatized." Virginia said. "They can't cheer anymore."

Because that's really cool to joke about? And to think I haven't even begun to dig into the racist quotes...

"He had long hair and was dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans. Maybe thirty years old? It was hard to tell with Asian guys."

"He didn't care anymore. Let Virginia Leeds have her creepy thirty-year-old boyfriend. Let townie Asians flood the gates and take over the world for all he cared."

Really nice. And somehow I know I'm sharing the kinder ones...which are in no way kind.

The racist remarks throughout aren't even the only problem here. There's an issue when every single POC is a villain. With four POC, I should walk away thinking "diversity...yay!" Only this book did exactly what we've worked so hard to stop from happening. The POC characters were handled so poorly.

I just realized this whole review could be made up of offensive quotes, so I'll refrain.

Should I dig into the unnecessary stereotypes? Or the moments of slut shaming? Or the 100% unnecessary masturbation scene?

You'd think I'm an easily offended person based off this review, only I'm the complete opposite. I actually like dark and twisted and messed up books. This was too offensive to even be entertaining. It felt like we went backwards in doing away with racism and sexism in books. And how sexual assault is handled. I was appalled.

Oh and sorry but a male being raped by a female doesn't make it okay. The situation is still rape. I don't care if hypnotism was involved. It's ridiculous that we find this out and they decide to act like it never happened. Keep him in the dark. Oh and you just let her go? Not tell the police. Sorry but somehow I think if the gender roles were reversed, this wouldn't fly. There would be a lot more outrage.

Plus the conclusion feels like a cop out. That's beside the point, though.

[Giselle · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was just painful to read. I kept thinking "Oh maybe it'll get better! You know, detailed character arcs where the learn their lesson." Boy was I wrong! I don't know if this was supposed to be a parody, but I wasn't laughing at all.

The first thing? The characters. They were all so stereo-typical like the jocks, cheerleaders, nerds, exchange students etc. Each one had reacted just like we thought they would. It's mostly told from the point of view from Benny and Virginia. Two loners who are also part of the school's only mystery club. They weren't as hateful as the others, but they still judged their classmates rudely. These are judgemental characters who are just so mean and rude to each other. Each character thinks so highly of themselves and they're condescending and superior to one another.

“American girls were vapid and asinine and fatuous. No Winship girl could come up with three synonyms for 'stupid' that quickly.” (190)

“That's why they have cheerleaders. To give people something to look at. (253)

“Yeah, what's the deal with those chicks?”
“They lost their innocence from being sexually traumatized. They can't cheer anymore.” (253)

How is it that every single POC in this book is the villain? How can you treat them like trash after one of them has died? How do you celebrate a suicide like this? Just because they were a pervert? You don't justify suicide that way. The most pressing thing is someone who is a POC ends up raping another character. And no one does a thing!!! I do not like how the author has treated these characters, reducing them all to stereotypes and labels.

The most telling thing were the racist remarks about Asians. Was there a need for this? I really don't understand.

“‘TO-KU-GA-WA!’ Gottfried had boomed in a cartoonish Japanese accent, while Virginia giggled in the front seat.” (151)

“Let townie Asians flood the gates and take over the whole for all he cared.” (221)

“The guy was no one Winn had ever seen before. He had long hair and was dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans. Maybe thirty-years old? It was hard to tell with Asian guys.” (219)

These characters were always wary of what others thought of them. It grated on my nerves a bit.

“Virginia was sitting next to him, but as far away as she could get without insulting him. She didn't want someone to walk in and think they were together.” (55)

There's a scene where the male students are being spoken to about rape. And I don't think in my years of reading have I ever read a conversation like this one, where the teacher is telling males to not rape. But it was done in such an off-hand humourous way that you can't take it seriously. I guess this book isn't supposed to be taken seriously but I can't help it. It's just terrible.

“Let's talk about what you can do to show the ladies respect. Imagine what it's like to be a girl. You got this smokin' bod that everyone wants to get a peep at. Can you imagine what that feels like? No, you can't, because you're dudes, and your bodies are disgusting.” (112)

Then there was the plot. It sounded so interesting. A murder suicide or a murder mystery? I was all for it. But then it just started to falter. Once I realized it was going to be a parody, I just stopped caring. I did keep going just because I wanted to know who was responsible for everything, only to be incredibly disappointed by the lack of respect given to the POC characters. The writing is fine, and the dialogue is all right, but the way these characters treat each other was just despicable. And that ending? Kind of useless.. I won't be reading the rest in this series.

I'm sorry to say I disliked this book a lot. There were many reasons and I just don't think it was entertaining at all. I don't recommend this to anyone because I find it offensive. Thumbs down for me.. I want to erase my memory of ever reading this.

RATING 1/5

QUOTES

“Why is it easier to believe in curses than to believe that a cheerleader could have depression?” (47)

“I'm invisible to them. They don't even see me.” (54)

“Sometimes it's better to do nothing than to do the wrong thing.” (91)

“Because what if the people ogling you were stronger than you, and faster than you, and could probably rape you.” (112)

“We use our power to understand, not to punish.” (234)

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pretty surprised to see such negative reviews here! I would urge people interested in this book to give it a try for themselves. Like some others have said, this book has a dark comedy tone and a lot of satirical elements, which it seems like some people are missing out on by taking everything at face value. The tone and plot bounce around from the mundane to the surreal in a way that I can see how some would find jarring, but to me, that creates the interesting tone of the book. The Twin Peaks/David Lynch comparison is apt.
And yes, the main characters have ACTUAL FLAWS, not just personal stumbling blocks on the path to a pure-hearted moralistic ending. It's not hard to find books where the main characters always make good choices and are "good people". This is a funny, cleverly written book, with a unique perspective. It's also an extremely fun, quick read. Take a chance on this one.

[Kelly]

And lo, at page 225, I decided I could not take this hot mess any more. It's offensive, insensitive, and just plain DUMB.

What in the world is this? And that description "Twin Peaks" meets "Pretty Little Liars" is so bad I can't even laugh about it.

This book can only be described as one you don't want to touch because holy hell. What a disaster.

In a culture, both one within the YA community and beyond, where we're trying to have productive dialog about race, stereotypes, and things like rape culture, this book is such a disservice to readers and their collective intelligence.

S K I P this.

I cannot believe there's going to be more than one book in this series. These characters are dull as dishwater. Not to mention the only bad characters in the book are (wait for it) people of color.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

See more of my reviews on The YA Kitten! My copy was an ARC I got from the publisher via Edelweiss.

*one Nigerian girl and three Korean men, but they’re ALL villains
*Benny is Jewish

WOW, have I been waiting to rant about this. I read We Know It Was You alllllllllllll the way back in April 2016 because my TBR Jar told me I had to. Seeing as I was legitimately excited, I wasn’t keen to defy the almighty jar either. Twin Peaks meets Pretty Little Liars sounds fascinating and twisty! Well, it’s a lie. Instead of the magnetic surrealism of Twin Peaks, we get cockamamie bull that’s also kinda racist.

Disclosure time: I have never seen Twin Peaks, nor have I read or seen Pretty Little Liars. To be properly prepared for this experience, I read up on both so I could understand where We Know It Was You was coming from. DIDN’T HELP A BIT.

Let me put it this way: if you tried to explain Twin Peaks to someone, they’d think it was weird but understand the appeal it has to its cult following; if you tried to explain this book to someone, they’d kindly ask what drugs you were on and where they could get some.

To give what little credit is due, the novel starts out well. Male lead Benny is deeply annoying due to his judgmental nature and how far his head is thrust up his rear end; Virginia is better by only a small margin. Despite all this, the two balance each other out as the primary narrators and rightfully point out flaws in the other that readers won’t think about. For instance, Virginia doesn’t seem that obsessed with her image when we’re in her head, but Benny is right to point out that she is. In addition, the suggestion of magical realism or the involvement of the supernatural kept me turning the pages.

Too bad readers get no supernatural shenanigans or magical realism. Not unless you consider hypnotism supernatural.

Benny and Virginia’s appeal as narrators quickly gets worn out by their lack of character development. Literally the only way they change over the course of the entire novel is that they become friends. Otherwise, they remain exactly the same. The supporting characters are similarly flat and the narrative needs tightening in multiple areas. At some points, it sticks to being written in objective, omniscient third-person; other times, it dives into limited third-person POV full of judgments by the narrating characters. Pick one and stick with it!

But let’s be real, you’re still reading because you want to know what’s so racist about this book. There are exactly four POC characters in this book: Zaire, a British-accented Nigerian girl and classmate of Benny and Virginia’s who is called a “voodoo freak” by another narrator; and three Korean men who play in a band together, one of whom teaches at the school everything takes place at. Oh, AND THEY’RE PART OF A CHILD PORN RING. Benny and Virginia know this and yet don’t do anything to stop the ring, such as go to the police.

That ties into the Benny-has-his-head-stuck-in-his-butt issue. He’s ridiculously possessive of any mystery he’s investigating. No one is allowed to know but him because he wants to be the one who solved it. Of course he doesn’t tell the police about the child pornographers! BUT VIRGINIA IS THE ONE TO SAY THEY DON’T SEE THE POINT OF GETTING INVOLVED.

Sure, it’s not anyone’s problem to get involved when someone is secretly videotaping underage children as they change clothes or otherwise taking advantage of them.

What more can I say about this book’s ludicrous plot with nonsensical happenings, its ability to make sure every narrator has their head stuck up their butt, and its messed up quotes? Why, let you experience some of those quotes!

“So what can you do to make sure you respect the ladies and never rape them accidentally? […] They go apeshit on the monthly and can’t even help it.” (ARC, p. 113-114) (This is from a lecture the boys are given by a coach.)

Then there’s this:

It must be a Jewish thing, Virginia thought. Benny was the most well-mannered boy in school; he was also the only Jew she knew. It seemed like there was probably a connection. (ARC, p. 125)

In addition, there are a lot of value judgments in passing from the narrators, such as Virginia calling Zaire a slut for flirting with Benny and the aforementioned point of Zaire being called a voodoo freak by a background character/very minor narrator. They’re never engaged with critically in any manner, so someone can come away from the book without recognizing the two girls said some awful stuff that shouldn’t be agreed with. This is why one has to make a choice between third-person limited and omniscient. Mix the two and it can send some nasty messages.

Beyond this, I have just two further notes:

1) The word “transvestite” is used. It’s a word that’s been out of vogue for a while and few people from my generation or younger use it, but still nasty. It’s yet another one of the passing value judgments that are never engaged with. (Context from ARC, p. 197: “[Gerard]’d have dressed like a clown or a transvestite or Curious George if he thought it would impress [Brittany].”)

2) This is a 100% accurate description of one scene in the book: “a guy uses a very real bayonet his Atlanta-area school lets him keep in the car to punch holes in guys’ tires, gets horny, and masturbates in his car while still holding his gun.”



If you haven’t read this book, I hope I’ve outlined why that isn’t a good idea. If you’ve already gotten it and read it, I am so sorry. I can’t recommend We Know It Was You in any fashion whatsoever. Just go rewatch Veronica Mars or something.

[Nadine · Rating 1 out of 5]

We Know it was You has rendered me speechless and not in a good way. This book is akin to watching a car accident. You know you shouldn’t look, but you can’t help but stare. Almost everything in this book is problematic. The plot, the characters, and the handling of certain situations were atrocious.

If you’re looking for a book with one-dimensional characters, a mystery that is seemingly solved in the first 100 pages, and problematic and uncomfortable scenes that project unhealthy messages look no further!

Also, the Comparison to Pretty Little Liars and Twin Peaks is so completely off base and, not to mention, an insult to those shows.

The main characters, Benny and Virginia, were one-dimensional. They lacked anything regarding a personality. Benny was a know-it-all jerk whose ability to be condescending at every moment was truly amazing. The only development his character sees by the end of the novel is convincing Virginia to be his friend.
Virginia, on the hand, felt like a sponge. She lacked anything that could make her interesting or worth feeling sympathy. She had no ability to think for herself or any common sense. The best way to describe her character is through her thought process when a man who wanted her to join his porn scheme accosts her and she thinks that she doesn’t want to help him, but she wanted him to like her…

Any high school stereotype that you can think of is in We Know it was You.
Brainless cheerleaders? Check
Stupid jocks? Check
Outcast students you’re supposed to identify with? Check
Sexist messages about how men need to protect “the ladies”? Check
The list goes on and on and on…

One of the most atrocious moments in this book is when the football coach is giving a lecture to the players about consent. His speech is incredibly disrespectful and actually says to “check if she’s wet” as a sign of consent…. Absolutely disgusting.

The mystery is seemingly solved within the first 100 pages. For the next 100 pages I kept wondering why I was still reading since the mystery was already solved. It isn’t until the last act of the book that it’s revealed that there’s another layer to the mystery. I almost DNF’ed this book so many times, but, as I mentioned before, it’s like watching a car accident.

Overall, We Know it was You is an absolutely horrid novel. With one-dimensional characters and a convoluted plot that is resolved much sooner than it should have, We Know it was You is a book to stay very far away from.

[bookmarkbelles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book so freaking much!
They sold me at Twin Peaks meets PPL when I read the synopsis of this book. I find that there's a little bit of a Veronica Mars feel to it as well. So if you're a lover of all three, then this book is definitely for you.

I was not prepared to be taken for a ride when I picked up this book but WOW.... what a crazy ride it was. The amount of plot twists contained in this story had me all over the place. Just when I thought I had things figured out, I was hit with yet another twist, leaving me lost all over again. This story is told by multiple POV's and I loved how they flowed together seamlessly. The author never had to tell you who's POV you were reading at the moment because it was so well written that is was impossible to be confused. I've never read anything like this storyline before. I loved all the character's in We Know It Was You, especially the obsessive Benny Flax. Gerard was a goofball that made me chuckle every time he was in a scene and other character's who also stood out to me was Winn, Zaire and Virginia.

I literally devoured this book and have now added Maggie Thrash to my "Favorite Author's List". Can't wait to see what she comes up with next and I know, without a shadow of a doubt that I will find myself automatically one-clicking it.

[E.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say this was a different read for me. As I was engaged in my favourite past time, chilling at the book store. I came across this little wonder. The cover caught my eye, the teaser on the back peeked my interested; so I went a ahead and read the first chapter. Before I know it, I lost track of time and when I came back to earth, I was like, I have to buy this book. Twos days later, I was done.

In all I have to say, I'm impressed. Normally YA thrillers/mysteries aren't my thing. They're just too childish for me. As someone who loves true crime and pretty much leaves Investigation Discovery on all day, I have a high stander for crime/mysteries/thrillers.

This book did a outstanding job at keeping the realism as well as that Nancy drew busybodyness that we all know and love. The cops are actually involved, they even come to "ask questions" about some evidence that went messing from the crime scene. In most YA's, they make the cops out to be dumbasses that can't tie their own shoes. That one aspect, is what makes me cringe at YA crime. We Know it Was You, doesn't do that, in saying that, the male lead, Benny, has other thoughts on the fuzz, but that's simply his personal opinion.

Speaking of Benny, he was quite the character. He wasn't all brewing and such because he wasn't popular. He had this maturity about him that was almost childlike. This I believe comes from his current family situation, sometimes life makes you grow up fast. Aside form that, I loved him. He voice, his way of thinking and most of all I love how hes in constance conflict with his head and his heart. His a practical person, and the heart being what it is, annoys the shit out of him. If I would have to change something, I would have to say that, he needs to be more assistive. Despite his love for mysteries, he isn't a doer but a watcher. Which, common, isn't a quality for detective work.

Virginia, she was something else. To me she felt like two different people. In her head she was rational, insightful and pretty timed. But when speaking to others she was blunt, harsh, and down right awesome. She wasn't scared to say how it was, and what I loved the most, she speaks somewhat like how I do. She points out the simple things, answers in a simple yet harsh and weaves between the lines. There was a scene where she conversing in notes, it went like this:

"Invite me next time" (implying that she wanted to drink with the guy she liked, and didn't know he was there) in reply Virginia said "I did invite you".

"I thought you went with Benny"

"I did go with Benny"

"Then why did you come home with Gottfried?

"Because home is the dorm where we both live obviously. Where did you expect us to go?"

Virginia is sassy and downright cool as hell in my books. Though she did lose some cools points towards the end, I can't say way because that's a major spoiler, lets just say she needs a lesson on stranger danger.

In all, I highly recommend this book. It's a fast fun read that will have you guessing until the very end. In truth I didn't have it all figured out until the very last drop was given. Take a change on this one, it isn't like you normal YA mystery, this one is something special and is worth your time.

Happy Reading

E.A. Walsh

[Shaun M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

We Know It Was you reads like an episode of Saved by the Bell, assuming it was directed by David Lynch. It is a darkly comic YA story that, while billed as a mystery, is less a question of who did it as why. The book explores modern rape culture, through the lens of two teenagers investigating a suicide at their school. The characters are over the top, but deliberately so, embodying various teenage archetypes, but archetypes that aren't quite right. They're almost grotesque or fun house versions of the tropes we are used to in teen movies like the Breakfast Club. The effect is a permanent sense of unease with almost everyone you encounter. It is to Thrash's credit that she somehow manages to make portions of the book laugh out loud funny while never taking away from the discomfort of the subject or the sense of suspicion the reader feels for everyone involved. Though not for readers with a weak stomach, the pacing, dialogue, and sardonic wit of the story make We Know It Was You a compelling read.

[Stephanie Bain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was hilarious. Ridiculous. And yes it kept me at the edge of seat! The mystery, a few times i got creeped cause like wtf is going on! I just loved the characters, i loved how absolutely weird and f***ed up they were. How aside from the mystery there was a bit of trying to find yourself (but in a very realistic high school kind of way). There was a bit of family and there are still things i need answers too!

I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book! But i loved it!

[Jane (It'sJaneLindsey) · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a complete shit show and I recommend you give this book the hardest of passes.

[Janeli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't get me wrong this book had a shit ton of flaws but I enjoyed it! It just goes to show that it doesn't matter what other people like or dislike. You might hate a book many people love or love a book many people hate. Just try a book even if it has bad ratings, you might me surprised!! I know I was.

[Jesse Nicholas · Rating 1 out of 5]

We Know it Was You by Maggie Thrash is a young adult novel about two teens who are apart of their high school's mystery club who witness the school's mascot jump off the bridge and try their best to solve it. With shoddy writing and a plot that was all over the place, I wouldn't recommend anyone waste their time reading this one.
The Good
There was very little good with We Know it Was You, but it had a few things going for it. One being the concept, but a very loose concept from what we got. I liked the aspect of the two teens trying to solve the mysteries of their old boarding school. Secondly, it had potential for a great cast of characters, but Thrash failed at that too.
The Bad

This might get a bit ranty, because there was definitely more wrong with We Know it Was You, then there was right. We can start with the plot, if you want to call it that. The mystery aspect of it was all over the place. There seemed to be 3 or 4 mysteries thrown in just for fun. What started good turned bad real fast. There was child pornography, hypnotism, and rape as the main focus points and none of them were resolved by the end.

Now don't get me started on the characters. Not a single one was likable. Benny was rude and extremely judgmental. Virginia was crass never thought for herself. She was very self reliant. Can we talk about all the villain type characters being PoC? That is exactly what happened here. It's 2016, come on.

For a mystery novel Thrash's writing wasn't very compelling. With a very loose plot-line, the writing didn't aid the book in any way. Now here is where it get's tricky. There was several racist remarks made in We Know it Was You and I'm not sure if Thrash was trying to make her characters bigots or if she had other motives herself with making them. I felt very uncomfortable reading this book that I found myself putting it down several times because I was appalled.

Overall, I was vastly disappointed and would never read another book by this author again. I have not written many 1 star reviews before, and I don't want to come off rude. I hope this review was constructive enough.

[Hayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A warped dark comedy mystery full of subversively quirky characters and exhilarating observations. See my full review here.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss for the digital review copy.

[Carly [A Beauty & Her Books] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review:

Thank you so much to Simon & Shuster Publishing for sending me a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review of it.

Comparing this novel to both Twin Peaks and Pretty Little Liars was drawn in by the synopsis. Although I have not read or watched Twin Peaks, I have seen many of the episodes of Pretty Little Liars, and I feel that this novel was a great comparison to them overall.

Filled with strange antics and bizarre actions, We Know It Was You will keep you at the edge of your seat. Not just in anticipation as to finding out who done it, but also in keeping up with the banter that is present among all the characters. As well, you feel that you know who the 'killer' is, when the story takes a turn and it ends up being someone completely different.

This is a novel told from the perspectives of teens, which means that there are many things that occur revolving around the school and the student's lives. There are some scenes in this novel that should be rated 16+ (or viewer discretion is advised), as I was not expecting them until I happened to turn the page and continue reading.

The whodunit Maggie Thrash has constructed here isn't wildly shocking, but I don't think it was meant to be. We Know It Was You gets eerily creepy at times, there're a few good twists here and there, but personally, I felt much more interested in how Benny and Virginia were reacting to all these events, rather than in the events themselves.

One thing that I did not enjoy was the constant changing of perspectives. I never really knew who's perspective I was reading, until after few sentences into the chapter. As well, I feel that some of the characters were introduced just for the heck of it. They were there once and were never seen or heard from again...

I did, however, enjoy how everything was divided by the time slots over the eight days in which this story takes place. The changes in locations were helpful, as you were able to follow the case and how it was developing.

Overall, if you enjoy strange yet thrilling YA novels, this book should definitely be placed on your TBR list.

As Always,

-Read On Darlings!

[Eli Ransom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. It made me wonder if there are that many unique people in the real world, or if it is only in the world of the authors mind. Most mysteries are starting to be predictable - this one wasn't (than again I read it in two days so my mind didn't have a lot of time to figure it out). There was only two problems I really actually had with this book:
1. There's a lot of nudity. Which could be some peoples cup of tea (including characters in the book), but it's not mine.
2. Benny rarely thinks of God of talks about being Jewish.... Even while being at the synagogue. That was upsetting.
I also didn't believe all the characters were fully developed or known, but came to peace with that thought when I realized it was probably a technique to bring readers back.
It was most definitely worth winning on Goodreads.

[Peg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was darker than my usual read, but also way more fun. I really loved the main characters and I think I knew these kids in high school. I think I dated Benny. Very clever, fluid writing, devious plotting, wacko characters - what kind of mind comes up with this stuff? Read this alongside Sittenfeld's Prep and you will never send your child to boarding school.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author did a great job writing from different points of view. Lots of red herrings so I didn't have it figured out at all. Good mystery!

[Bern · Rating 4 out of 5]

This ARC was given to me in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, GoodReads and Simon & Schuster Canada!

On the goodreads blurb for We Know It Was You, it says this book is a mixture of Pretty Little Liars and Twin Peaks. It possesses elements from both, this is true, but Maggie Thrash's debut is its own, unique thing - somewhere between a hilarious, sometimes depressing exploration of the high schooler psyche and the strange, sometimes dangerous goings-on inside a prestigious high school academy in Atlanta.

We Know It Was You's main characters drew me in so deep, I'd read an entire book comprised of them having pointlessly pedestrian conversations about completely moronic subjects. Benny, a genius but socially-challenged boy who is obsessed with analysing mysteries, is only not one of the best characters I've seen in a YA book because his associate, Virginia, trumps him completely.

Virginia used to run a Gossip Girl-like blog about the many secrets their school's student body kept, but is now a reformed gossip queen. She's absolutely obsessed with being the most mysterious and unfathomable fifteen year old girl ever, and reading her inner monologue as she struggles to come off that way is absurdly hilarious. I'm not sure if I loved her so much because I identify so much with many of her traits, or because I wish I shared more of them with her. Probably both. And stop judging me for basically being a fifteen year old girl who's desperate to sound cool. Life is hard, okay?

Anyway, there were some ridiculously funny parts in this book, including a recurring gag (for the lack of a better term) where Virginia is constantly horrifying people around her with the knowledge that the nutritional value of junk food is basically the same as that of food they perceive to be "healthy". Among the many laugh-out-loud scenes in the book, though, special mention goes to the bit where a clearly sexist football coach tries to give a crash course on how to not be a rapist to a bunch of dumb jocks. (According to him, guys must learn Girl Langue: no means no, maybe means no, I don't know means no, and sometimes even yes can mean no. The only way way to be sure? Just reach down there and see if they're wet. Men logic!) While I was just as horrified as the main character at this ridiculous, misogynistic speech, I also suffered from some pretty serious giggle seizures.

The book also sounded a lot heavier and more mature than I expected, which I was totally fine with. Being a teenager isn't clean, nor appropriate, or devoid of sex or cuss words. It's messy as f**k, and as much as I like the surrealism of We Know What You Did, it is a right choice that it makes by reflecting this more realistically.

On the mystery side of things, the whodunit Maggie Thrash has constructed here isn't wildly shocking, but I don't think it was meant to be. We Know It Was You gets eerily creepy at times, there's a few good twists here and there, but personally I felt much more interested in how Benny and Virginia were reacting to all these events, rather than in the events themselves. There's just some fantastic character-building here, and I couldn't look away.

In the end, it's almost offensive that this book was compared to Pretty Little Liars - it is far superior, and it doesn't resort to gimmicky repetitiveness in order to shock you. Basically, if you enjoy ridiculously entertaining characters and slightly off-kilter worlds where things seem just the right amount of odd to be disturbing but not wacky, We Know It Was You is the perfect book for you.

[Jamie (Books and Ladders) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Look there are some "redeeming qualities" in this one, which is why I had originally rated it 1.5* on here but after thinking about it, I don't want to give this one any praise for how it handled things so it is 0 stars from me (1 star for searchability though). The characters were lackluster, the setting was alright, but the treatment of POC and sexual assault were HORRENDOUS in this one and I do not want to give any praise to a book that doesn't treat it's characters with respect.

All the villains in this one POC: two Asain men were filming the inside of the girl's locker room and selling the tapes to an international porn ring; the main villain, Zaire, was described as a "brown girl" who had a British accent but was from Nigeria originally. Oh and Zaire not only hypnotized someone to jump off a bridge, but she also hypnotized her ex-boyfriend to have sex with her. That's rape.

So what do our main characters do when they find out that Zaire not only murdered someone, had the intention to murder someone else, AND was actively raping her ex-boyfriend? Nothing. They do fucking nothing. They let her go on a trip abroad saying they will talk to her when she gets back and then are surprised when she doesn't return. Do they tell the police after this? No. Do they tell the victim? No. They just continue on with their lives, looking for the next mystery to be solved.

Fuck that shit.

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[Joelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks Goodreads Giveaways and Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy!
*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

This book is darkly comic and so much fun. I loved the zany characters and how the strange situations and oddball mystery wove together seamlessly. I loved how all of these somewhat goofy elements fit together to make the story flow so effortlessly. Although this book is definitely one I would consider to be light & fun, the overlying message it conveys is valuable: be present in each moment and don't worry so much about whether or not you are being perceived as "correct".

I can't wait to see what Benny and Virginia are up to in the second book!

I would recommend this book to any readers of YA mysteries, dark comedies, or the Pretty Little Liars series.

[Laraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a GoodReads First reads giveaway, in return for an honest review. I really enjoyed this whimsical read and rate it a 4 star read. It tells the story of two outsiders in a private school who come together to form the Mystery Club. Virginia and Benny witness a terrible thing...the school mascot runs away during a football game and jumps off a bridge. Who was in the Mascot suit and why did this happen? The Mystery Club is on the case and it is great fun to follow along!

[abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book rocked. It was pretty much everything I was looking for. I loved how the author included the crime in the book instead of start the book just as it ended, since I enjoy reading mysteries. It was very easy to follow, and I loved how it was written. I felt the characters were extremely relatable as a 17 year old teen girl, and I appreciated that. 10/10 from me.

[Mish · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Every person you share information with, you reduce your own power."

I enjoyed and liked this book, though it has flaws. This book got me through the blurb, but as the story develops I learned that there is more way deeper than that. It is told in multiple POVs, mostly Benny and Virginia's. The author didn't tell whose POV I were reading so sometimes it gets confusing, but most of the time I eventually realize it.

The first half of the book is good, and mainly about what is written on the blurb. The book got boring and has little developments toward the middle, then it will pick up again toward the end. There were social issues included here like child pornography and how women are treated.

Benny and Virginia, the main characters are both outcasts on their school. Benny is Jewish and is obsessed with solving mysteries. He is bossy, mature, and always composed. Virginia, on the other hand, has some things that clouds her mind but on the outside she is seen as self-reliant and strong.

This book possessed a lot of diversity, but some were shown in a negative way.

[Andrea Drews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing mystery, scary but a good ending. So excited when I found out it's part of a series! Will totally check them out when the others come out.

[Camden Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book a few months ago for my birthday and I finally got around to reading it and I'm glad that I did! This book had me hooked as I remember I started reading it at page 10 and suddenly I was already on page 100. I'm surprised there were a lot of negative reviews because of a few quotes which I feel were taken out of context or taken badly as they weren't that bad. I think the only problem I had with this book was the fact that no justice served with the Asian Fusion situation and the whole Zaire situation. I love Benny and Virginia's duo and I was excited to learn that there's a second book so I will definitely check it out to see more of their teamwork. I'm definitely interested in finding out why Virginia had a restraining order and reading more about Benny's personal life which was actually pretty interesting to me. I definitely recommend this book if you're into mystery books with some dark comedy themes to it.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird and often hilarious, and as obsessed with breasts as The Haters is with dicks. At its best it feels like an Easter basket full of awesome eggs--seemingly tossed off, extremely sharp insights, hilarious asides, lines of great dialogue, character moments that bring even supporting players into sudden vivid focus. Recommended for people who, like me, loved Trouble Is a Friend of Mine.

[Nila · Rating 1 out of 5]

First of all, thank you to Goodreads, Simon Pulse, and Maggie Thrash for sending me an Advanced Readers Copy of this book I won in a giveaway.

Before anyone proceeds, there are spoilers in this review.

Now, that we have established that, this is going to be a looong review full of everything that is wrong with this book. So, so sit back and pop your popcorn. I'm honestly not even sure where to start with this.... It was such a mess; I couldn't quite wrap my head around this book. Here're some of the things you can look forward to in this book:

-Mistreatment of POC (Seriously, all the bad guys in this are POC. The one person that dies is, of course, no surprise, a POC. Really, Thrash?)
-Stereotypical characters with no underlying meaning to them whatsoever
-The way topics--such as rape and sexual assault--are handled
-Confusing POVs
-A storyline that essentially falls flat and doesn't make any sense

Yep, that's not even half of why this book is crap... Anyway, when I read the beginning, I was hooked, but then the characters and storyline squashed that for me. Let me give everyone a brief summary real quick before we delve into things. Virginia and Benny both find themselves in the center of a real-life mystery. The mascot everyone assumes Brittany Montague jumps off the bridge. Virginia and Benny find a video showcasing the events that led up to this. They figure out the person in the mascot suit was one of the perverted teachers involved in some underage porn ring. Britanny isn't dead and is fact in alive. This is revealed on page 106 which is far too early for me. They start to look for answers and it gets absurd. The book is also accompanied by chapters that don't make sense and at least ten characters failing to contribute to this story.

Now, on to the two characters partially responsible for this steaming pile of poop. Virginia Leeds and Benny Flax. They're the only people part of Benny's club, Mystery Club at Winship Academy, no one takes seriously. All throughout the book, Benny was pretentious for his good. He manipulates Virginia and accuses her of things. He acts so high and mighty, and I have no idea why when there's only one person in his club. His background story was pretty brief, but I'll admit it was interesting. Virginia isn't better. She is easily manipulated and naive. In several chapters, she puts herself in a position to get potentially hurt. She even gets in a car with a stranger! You would think a fifteen-year-old would have some common sense but not Virginia. Benny uncovers something about Virgina's past, but it's glossed over. But anyway, these two together are the most careless detectives ever.



The other characters portrayed the usual stereotypes. Vapid, beautiful cheerleaders, sexist jock, the loner no one wants to hang around, etc. Each of these characters had their own chapter one point or another. It was seriously confusing and frustrating. I know Thrash wanted us to see things from different character's views, but it was too much. Most of them offered nothing to the story whatsoever. I couldn't remember who was who or who was doing what because of how all of them were carbon copies of each other.

The bad guys in this are as I mentioned--POC. Zaire Bollo is the villain in this book. She's from Africa somewhere and everyone treats her like crap. That is not excusing what she has done like rape. I was honestly hoping she wouldn't be the one behind all of this. The other I guess you could call villains were Asian. Mr. Choi who jumped off the bridge was involved in this thing where he took secret videos of the under aged Winship cheerleaders. The second villain has also participated in this too. Can you believe this? I mean, seriously. This is how, I, a POC, is reduced to. (Oh yeah, I can't forget the racial microagressions of Asians a Goodreads user pointed out!)

Side note: Where are all the adults in this?? The adults at Winship are useless. Maybe a couple of times they tried putting a stop to things. For the most part, though, they just let the kids run rampant. The police didn't do much except arrest people and ransack Virginia’s room. Why was no one here to protect these kids?

At this point, the book is cluttered with nonsense characters, making the story even more confusing! Yippee! I was honestly disappointed when the book didn't hold up its promise. This was supposed to be about Brittany Montague and her suicide. I was expecting Benny and Virginia to uncover secrets about Brittany’s past. Instead, the story does a whole 360. Brittany is alive. I was surprised the author unveiled this so early for the readers on page 106. It killed the whole book for me. We only hear about Brittany during the book two or three times after this. The synopsis was misleading, and the author should've changed it to something more suitable. I don't give a damn about plot twists, don't build the plot around something/someone that won't matter after 100 pages.

The chapters were all jumbled together I could hardly remember anything. Some of them barely made any sense. Like this one chapter where this guy gets into his car and starts jerking off.. I’m not even sure what purpose it served the story. I feel as if most of these were filler chapters just to fill in the gaps. There were too many points trying to connect the story and it didn’t work out.
As if, the story could get any weirder, the plot takes a weird twist. We eventually find out why Mr. Choi jumped off the bridge. Zaire had accidentally hypnotized him into doing it when she was actually trying to get her ex Gottfried to commit suicide. We figure this out when Zaire somehow mind controls the cheerleaders into doing weird things at a spirit show. Now, at this point I’m sitting there like:



HYPNOTISM?? THAT’S ALL THRASH COULD THINK UP FOR THIS?!!

The answer to the mystery didn’t make sense. Hypnotism was at play for this. She continually hypnotizes and manipulates people. I’m confused now; it didn’t even make any sense. It was almost like the author said “Hey! I’m getting to the end of the book, and I realize I have no answer for this. Hypnotism!” What makes it even worse is that she was using to hypnotism to rape her ex-boyfriend. Once the main characters find out, it’s like they forget after a chapter or so. They’re not concerned about the fact she’s raping her ex. They don’t even call the police! The way it was handled was so disrespectful.

Benny and Virginia try to stop her from hypnotizing again but fail to do so. She ends up getting away at the end.



That’s my cue to leave.

[Cassie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. Mystery was kind of solved in the middle of the book and did not feel like it had to continue on for as long as it did. You knew who did it, but not why and that's why the book dragged on. No resolution either, kind of disappointing. That is why it took me so long to finish this book, I thought it could have ended right in the middle. Benny and Virginia to me seemed like flat characters, and you never figured out the mystery with Virginia, which added further to my disappointment. Overall it had some potential if it was executed better, but it didn't add up in the end for me.

[Michael Du Pré · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of those rare works of fiction which is written for young people but transcends its genre. The writing is crisp, sharp, and smart, the characters are interesting, nuanced, and unconventional, and the themes are complex, layered, and thought-provoking, as much for an educated adult reader as for its putative target audience. The author deftly avoids the clichés and pitfalls inherent to the genre, and brings us something unique, intriguing, challenging, humorous, and lots of fun.

Good writing addresses deep and painful issues of the human soul, in a way that makes the reader consider them from a new perspective, and that challenges his assumptions. In order to do that, the writer must be open and generous with his or her own soul, and be willing to be honest and vulnerable. This takes a lot of courage, because inevitably if you make yourself vulnerable, mean and stupid people are going to attack you.

But Maggie Thrash has exhibited just that quality in this book. There are things in here which may challenge you and make you uncomfortable. There are things which the shallow and opinionated will immediately recoil from and reflexively reject. But they are things that are real; things that are honest; things that are true; things that need to be considered and dealt with. You don't have to agree with anyone else's conclusions, and the author doesn't offer you any neat and easy answers: but you will come away thinking, and THAT is the mark of a truly good work of art.

If you love Ghost World, Fight Club, Scott Pilgrim, Phoebe in Wonderland, and that sort of super-smart, subtle, and subversive satire, then you'll probably love Maggie Thrash. If you don't get those, then you will probably be unable to get this, and are most likely one of the Awful Normals: move along, please.