Vindicated: The YA Thriller Conclusion―Emancipated Venice Beach Teens Face Murder and Betrayal

Emancipated #3

by M.G. Reyes

Murder will out in the shocking conclusion to the Emancipated trilogy, where no one is who they seem and the truth has a nasty habit of showing up uninvited.

No alibis. No escape. No surrender. The six Venice Beach housemates have made some life-alteringly bad decisions since they were each legally emancipated from their parents, including confronting a killer. And the consequences have been deadly.

Now, they’re hiding out, trying to find a way out of the mess they’ve made without getting themselves killed when one of the housemates disappears, two fall in love, and another betrays them all. And when the secrets they’ve been keeping are finally laid bare, they’ll wish they’d never started looking for answers in the first place.

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

352 pages, Hardcover

First published July 11, 2017

About the author

M.G. (Maria Guadalupe, aka Lupita) Reyes was born in Mexico City but moved to England as a young child. Before becoming a writer, she worked as a scientist and ran an Internet business.

EMANCIPATED is her first foray into contemporary realist fiction for young adult readers. The idea for the series arose from late-night email discussions with fellow YA author Michael Grant, a fascination with beach life and Californian road trips, and with twisty, crimey stories where Bad Things Happen to Nice People, like FARGO. If you've only read the first book, tighten your seatbelt because the ride is only just getting started.

She also writes adventure novels as M.G. Harris and is the author of the best-selling series about an ancient prophecy of apocalypse, THE JOSHUA FILES, and GEMINI FORCE ONE, a trilogy created with Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson and funded initially via a hugely popular Kickstarter campaign.

Her latest book 'SONATA - a paranormal gothic romance' was published in April 2021.

Reviews

[Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn, wat een spannende boekenreeks. Echt een aanrader!

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the final book in the Emancipated trilogy and I was so excited to finally read this book. I love this trilogy as a whole as it’s thrilling, addicting, and it kept me reading each page. I truly don’t understand why these books are not more hyped, like they are very underrated but amazing reads. If you guys are into dramatic shows like Gossip Girl, 90210, Riverdale etc.. then please read these books, I think you would enjoy them a whole lot. Even though Vindicated was not my favourite out of the trilogy, I still enjoyed my time reading it. By the way, my favourite in the trilogy is Incriminated (the second book). And I have a full review on the first book on my blog.

Onto my thoughts about this third book in particular. Overall, I really enjoyed the final book just as much as I enjoyed the previous two. However, there was something about this one that lacked and made me less interested in reading. What made it not a favourite of mine was the pacing and the slightly forced romance between Paolo and Grace. Plus my lack of connection with each of the characters made the novel slightly less interesting. With the pacing, I found that the story didn’t really pick up until the last 100 pages (and this is where the addicting and suspenseful qualities come into play). Paolo and Grace’s romance was a tad forced and seemed unnatural at times. Actually, the romance wasn’t all that necessary. I think everything still would’ve worked without the romance involved.

But it was still super addicting and suspenseful and lots of things were happening. I honestly didn’t expect a lot of things to happen the way they did. I was pretty surprised actually. Overall, it was still a great read and I would recommend you guys to read this trilogy.

Full review is also on NicoleHendersonReads

[Stephanie A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder. So. Much. Murder. This trilogy keeps running up that hill (of crazy), and I read this ridiculously fast because I was desperate to know how many more terrible decisions and catastrophe could befall this group before it got wrapped up (answer: a lot). To that end, I received enough answers to be at peace.

Even though I'm frustrated I don't know what happened with John-Michael, and all in all there were not nearly as many legal consequences as I expected/kind of hoped for by the end given ALL OF THE MURDER they committed, aided and/or abetted -- without even getting into the other crimes, I am really happy I got on this ride. I never cared about any of the characters as individuals, but I didn't see a need to treat them as more than chess pieces in the plot anyway, so that worked out just fine (except I am still upset about the rude death of the sweet British tutor).

[Jennifer Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an action packed final book to the Emancipated series. The plot twists were epic, the devastation and emotions were genuine. You truly felt each roommate’s feelings as this story ramped up.
It was ALMOST disappointing how the bad guys had such simple easy deaths but the storyline was amazing. I love that Grace and Paolo are finally a thing.
I almost hated the ending- it isn’t clear what John Michael did- go to the cops or run but as the story ended i think i like it better this way. You can imagine him being selfless and doing time for his crimes to protect his friends, or on a beach somewhere finally getting a tan.

[Laura Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as interesting as the first two books in this series, this story picks up right where the second leaves off and shows all the downfall of what happened the night of July 4th. This book is filled with so many plot twist and an ending that you never see coming which makes this is a really fast paced book and keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. I love how the story is told from all six peoples perspective to better help you understand the story.

[Mariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a good ending to the series. While I was unhappy about the ending in some ways, it still felt like a solid way to end the trilogy. I really didn’t expect all the twists that this book had, it kept me drawn in the whole time. The plot may not have been the most realistic, but it kept me entertained and waiting for what could happen next. I’m sad it’s over and hope to read more from this author in the future.

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

there was some insta love, things fell into place way too easily. it was an ok read. there wasn't any character development and the book was plot based. in this case it didn't bother me that the book was plot based but the characters were very shallow. I couldn't connect with them which is a key part to a great book. overall would only recommend for a quick read that doesn't make you think.

[lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like I'm being generous with *** rating. I was really wanting to love this series. But, I just couldn't do it. The story picked up in the second book, but by the third, I felt it was just a little too far fetched and unbelievable. The whole premise is a little wacky, to start with, and then the plot just drug on and on.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is always refreshing to read a series where the 2nd and third book is better than the first book. I really enjoyed this series. It is about 6 teenagers who are all emancipated(no longer under their parents/guardians care legally). They all live together and every teen has a secret. The first book felt mundane to me and just like teenage drama but now I realize it was meant to be that way to buildup for the second and third books. The story twists to meld all of the secrets together and uncover darker truths and mysteries. I overall recommend the series if you are into mystery, drama and suspense. I really enjoyed the plot of the books but I will say I was not very attached to the characters so if you read to feel connected to the characters this might not be a series for you.

[Lexy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really scared for how this book would turn out since I really liked the other books in the trilogy but I was honestly Satisfied with the ending. Yeah I had some problems with losing some characters but I really that it was an okay ending not completely tragic.

[Torimac · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s really interesting to read how the author developed the idea and then executed it. I am planning to read one of her other books.
However, I really felt this was one book, divided into three parts. Not 3 books in a serial.

[ghostyspacesuit · Rating 4 out of 5]

i liked how this book was written and it didnt talk a lot of about the characters but it wasnt needed as its fast paced typa book

side note: i got this book from a book fair cause i liked the cover and the blurb seemed interesting andd it was a good read indeed

4/5

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

My least favourite of the series so far I think. The pace was so slow and the storyline just didn't hold my attention well.

[Em Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

FUCK!!!!! I'M EMOTIONAL FOUND FAMILY ALWAYS FUCKS ME UP!!!!!