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Return to Fear Street #2
The Wrong Girl
Read the books behind Netflix’s Fear Street trilogy!
Poppy Miller swears she will get payback for Jack Sabers’s cruel prank that humiliated her in front of all her friends.
Then her classmates start turning up dead.
All eyes are on Poppy. Is Poppy being framed? Or did the kids of Shadyside High mess with the wrong girl?
In this Fear Street story, only one thing’s for sure—someone is out for DEADLY revenge.
R.L. Stine's Fear Street trilogy
You May Now Kill the Bride (Return to Fear Street, Book 1)The Wrong Girl (Return to Fear Street, Book 2)Drop Dead Gorgeous (Return to Fear Street, Book 3)
Poppy Miller swears she will get payback for Jack Sabers’s cruel prank that humiliated her in front of all her friends.
Then her classmates start turning up dead.
All eyes are on Poppy. Is Poppy being framed? Or did the kids of Shadyside High mess with the wrong girl?
In this Fear Street story, only one thing’s for sure—someone is out for DEADLY revenge.
R.L. Stine's Fear Street trilogy
You May Now Kill the Bride (Return to Fear Street, Book 1)The Wrong Girl (Return to Fear Street, Book 2)Drop Dead Gorgeous (Return to Fear Street, Book 3)
327 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 25, 2018
79 people are currently reading
1328 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,735 books18.8k followersRobert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
April 21, 2021
Well shit! I love the hell out of this cover and I’ll be damned if it didn’t suck ass! I usually love the fear street books, well, the old ones at any rate 🤨🤷🏻♀️
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
October 8, 2018
Wow...
What a hot mess.
The pranks (outside of the first one) are beyond ridiculous and I don’t see anyone thinking they were good ideas.
It takes 2/3 to get going and no one dies until the last 40 pages.
The reveal of the killer is in the last 5 pages and it’s so obvious and done in such an absurd manner that I just don’t know what Stine was going for here. The book just ends, no real resolution just this is the killer BYE
What a hot mess.
The pranks (outside of the first one) are beyond ridiculous and I don’t see anyone thinking they were good ideas.
It takes 2/3 to get going and no one dies until the last 40 pages.
The reveal of the killer is in the last 5 pages and it’s so obvious and done in such an absurd manner that I just don’t know what Stine was going for here. The book just ends, no real resolution just this is the killer BYE
July 29, 2023
going from the first one to this is… such a good LMFAOOO
May 4, 2019
This felt a lot like a Fear Street book of old, with no supernatural elements, short chapters with dumb cliffhanger endings, and thinly drawn characters in a fast moving plot. But that's about all the good things you can say about it. This really wasn't a very good book. The plot description given on the jacket is basically a spoiler. The first half is taken up with the various zzzz pranks that Poppy Miller and her friends play after trouble-making new student Jack Sabers becomes part of their group. Poppy's vows to get revenge and her friends getting killed take up less than 100 pages at the back end of a 328 page book with large, spaced-out font.
The first half is taken up with countless chapters endings with a variation of, "I had no idea of the horror that would follow." It's a lazy way of trying to drum up tension when essentially nothing is happening in your story. A lot of the story just involves us following shallow moron Poppy around as she dumps Keith Carter because she finds Jack so hot and dangerous and dreamy. Or Keith feeling anger and pain over being dumped. Or planning the juvenile pranks they want to play. There are a couple of good moments as the story shifts into gear in the final stretch, but it's not enough to redeem what came before it. And the ending is the absolute pits.
Basically, crap like this is what has killed Fear Street twice now. There's no suspense, no surprises, no scares...nothing really to recommend it. Stine should stick to middle-school horror, because even YA is beyond his capabilities these days. Maybe we'll get another Fear Street reboot when the movies come out, but perhaps they should get some new writers to pen them.
The first half is taken up with countless chapters endings with a variation of, "I had no idea of the horror that would follow." It's a lazy way of trying to drum up tension when essentially nothing is happening in your story. A lot of the story just involves us following shallow moron Poppy around as she dumps Keith Carter because she finds Jack so hot and dangerous and dreamy. Or Keith feeling anger and pain over being dumped. Or planning the juvenile pranks they want to play. There are a couple of good moments as the story shifts into gear in the final stretch, but it's not enough to redeem what came before it. And the ending is the absolute pits.
Basically, crap like this is what has killed Fear Street twice now. There's no suspense, no surprises, no scares...nothing really to recommend it. Stine should stick to middle-school horror, because even YA is beyond his capabilities these days. Maybe we'll get another Fear Street reboot when the movies come out, but perhaps they should get some new writers to pen them.
July 29, 2020
"Her eyes were wide, crazy. She didn’t answer. She stopped a few feet from me. Kids turned to see what was happening. Before I could call out, before I could scream, Heather raised the knife high- and plunged it deep into her own chest."
I’ve finally made it back for a spooky stroll on Fear Street. I’m ready to scream bloody murder and prepared to get the living daylights scared out of me.
Imagine that it’s the fourth of July and everyone is shooting off fireworks. You don’t know who’s shooting off the biggest and loudest ones but you know that person is out there with a huge eerie grin on their face. Like that meme of all the spider-mans pointing at one another. This is how the mystery flows in this book. It was quite obvious who was the evil killer but it was fun to read all the gruesome happenings that took place to get there.
This took no time to go from normal teenage high school life/drama to psychotic evilness. Good fun turning into cold-blooded murder all for the sake of internet fame.
This book wasn’t fantastic but it wasn’t bad either. It reminded me of watching a horror movie that was so bad that it’s actually good. Overall, this kept me entertained and made me appreciate Fear Street even more. I’m still going to continue reading these and cherish them all while I’m still around.
I’ve finally made it back for a spooky stroll on Fear Street. I’m ready to scream bloody murder and prepared to get the living daylights scared out of me.
Imagine that it’s the fourth of July and everyone is shooting off fireworks. You don’t know who’s shooting off the biggest and loudest ones but you know that person is out there with a huge eerie grin on their face. Like that meme of all the spider-mans pointing at one another. This is how the mystery flows in this book. It was quite obvious who was the evil killer but it was fun to read all the gruesome happenings that took place to get there.
This took no time to go from normal teenage high school life/drama to psychotic evilness. Good fun turning into cold-blooded murder all for the sake of internet fame.
This book wasn’t fantastic but it wasn’t bad either. It reminded me of watching a horror movie that was so bad that it’s actually good. Overall, this kept me entertained and made me appreciate Fear Street even more. I’m still going to continue reading these and cherish them all while I’m still around.
May 18, 2021
I will never get tired of Stine’s writing. Whether it’s Fear Street or Goosebumps, I just can’t get enough of it! I was thrilled when I saw this new series and I knew I had to get my hands on it. And of course it did not disappoint in classic Stine fashion, the first book was great and so was this one! I loved this story so much, it had me wrapped around its finger and I’m not mad about it! It’s entertaining and fun with a spooky twist which is exactly what I was hoping it would be. My only complaint is that Poppy was the most fucking annoying character I have ever crossed in a novel, she alone lost the book a whole star. That being said, I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy this as much as older Stine novels but it most definitely holds up to his other works and I can’t wait to read the next book!
October 4, 2018
This has to be one of the dumbest books I've ever read. None of it made any sense, and the characters were all ridiculous and incompetent. I keep hoping this series will get better, but it seems to be getting worse.
October 29, 2024
One of the worst Fear Street books I've ever read. 150 pages of plotless nonsense, characters pulling dumb pranks, making dumb decisions - and then 150 pages of really dumb mystery regarding some more deadly pranks and revenge tactics followed by more idiotic character decisions and a illogical final act and twist/reveal. Just dumb all the way around.
1.75⭐, rounded up.
1.75⭐, rounded up.
September 20, 2020
1 star. YIKES the writing in this was so bad and the story was horrible. It was a chore to read at times, but at others it was addictive. Review to come.
October 15, 2018
First - yes even before my disappointment - a content warning. There's some...heavy self-harm in this book. Starting on page 80, which happens to also lead into some mental health issues which then in turn begins what came off as, at best, unintentionally ableist.
I'll go into detail, so this is marked for spoilers and please be aware of your own tolerances. If you want the tdlr; version of my issues they are thus:
- the worst pacing
- the worst set up for murdering
- the least likeable characters ever (except Benny)
- bad use of red herring(s)
- everything to do with Keith
Please don't read beyond this point if details of self harm are something you don't want to read or will trigger something for you.
This book was a disappointment on the same level as GIVE ME A K-I-L-L. When the most interesting character is a third tier cop who shows up in a handful of scenes ya got problems.
We can start with Poppy, who doesn't resemble any one on the cover and is the single most conceited person to be written. "My boyfriend is so boring but this guy is Dangerous so off I go". Girllll if you honestly think anyone who is written to sound like an uncharismatic version of Kenickie from Grease is who you should pin your hopes on, you deserve your fate.
Poppy is certain of two things - Rose Groban is THE WORST and Keith is a drip. In true Stine fashion each chapter - most of the 50 are narrated by Poppy, but Keith, Ivy, Jeremy and Heather all get one or more when the plot demands we follow something related to Poppy but not Poppy directly - ends with a carefully worded hook.
Most of Poppy's end with something like "But I'd learn we were wrong. Dead wrong." Which to her credit is true. Just never about what her or friends thought they were dead wrong about.
After Poppy the Conceited we have Ivy the Dim. Well maybe oblivious is better. Her couple of chapters paint her as a much better person then how Poppy views her. She genuinely cares about her boyfriend Jeremy (even though he's a bit high maintenance at times) and while easily intimidated doesn't get hung up on things for long.
Which of course means as the most reasonable she has to suffer the worst. Stine did you research what would happen to a person's skin??
Then there's Jeremy the...forgettable mostly. Legit Poppy and Keith both say in their POVs he's weird and they never know when he's joking so his questions or ideas are often kooky and potentially horribly bad. He's a sincere guy though and I can understand the problems with having allergies.
Manny's one claim to fame is how he takes nothing seriously. He's always joking, always laughing and NOTHING fazes him. Not the fact the pranks they're pulling, will at best, have his overprotective older brother the Cop shackle him to the house. Nor is he that upset when things begin to literally explode. Life's a big joke for him.
And then there's Keith. This is where mental illness and self-harm come into play. Keith is, from Poppy's POV chapters, boring and straight-laced. He is obsessed with getting into Tufts and is primarily worried that Poppy & Co. are doing really stupid things.
I admit, I was on his side up until his chapter POV. The pet store thing was harmless enough (though given Stine's history of gruesome when it comes to animals running wild I expected the first death to occur early on), but it could have gone real bad real quick. So I gave him a pass for not wanting to do what the Low Rent Kenickie suggested.
I even felt bad since there was a weird time skip in which Poppy broke up with him, but even though everyone acted like it had happened we're not told how or when it happened until a chapter or so later when Poppy offhandedly says something. She's making out with, and thinking about making out with, Low Rent Kenickie for several chapters before we're told.
And then he started with the "none of you know me" and creepy obsessive thoughts in regards to Poppy. He goes from being annoyed at his very irritating little brother to thinking about how Poppy didn't understand and it's all her friends fault REAL QUICK. From there he goes to his desk, has a brief pointless digression about where the Swiss army knife came from, before carefully cutting lines on his shoulders.
"Not too deep. Just like before. Just like the other cuts crisscrossing my shoulder.
Cut. Cut.
Do you see, Poppy? Do you see?
[...]
I made another cut, this one a little longer. [...] I feel the pain of the blade slicing so tenderly into my skin.
Cut. Cut.
It felt so good." (Chapter 11, Keith Narrates, pg. 80 pb ed.)
Guys I don't get triggered by depictions of self-harm usually. Especially not in a series as unrealistic as Fear Street. This came out of nowhere and when taken in the larger context of this book, REALLY not good.
Keith turns out to be the murderer/assault guy (he kills Jeremy and Rose, and while Ivy survives she's permenantly physically scarred for life by a different attack) and we're not given any other clear motivation beyond "I HAD TO MAKE THEM PAY"
Leading up to this revelation we see him frequently cut himself, exhibit abnormal often self destructive behaviors, isolate himself from almost everyone (except the creepy stalker guy at the local liqour store), and drink.
Not once are we shown anyone reaching out to him. In offhand ways Manny says he talked to him (and felt a need to mention how bad he looked), Ivy absently worried a couple times (and mentioned it was because of Poppy dumping him) and Keith vaguely mentions trying to hang out with Ivy and Jeremy, but how awkward it was.
I get why during Poppy's she more or less ignores Keith for a good portion of the books after they break up. She talks about him every chapter, but until closer to the end they barely interact. But of the 10 chapters she does not narrated, 3 are devoted to Keith and the ONLY PERSON to show him compassion is creepy Lucas at the liquor store.
Keith's parents are largely absent, but as we find out later are WELL AWARE of his mental health issues. In fact he's on medication for it. He's had "episodes" before, but his mom is very certain he's still taking his meds so he can't be the killer.
Except...he kind of is lady and far be it for me to tell you how to live your life, but if your son is known to a) not take rejection well, b) not take disappointment well and c) get violent when either happens...maybe keep a better eye on if he's taking his meds. And where he's at. AND WHAT HE'S DOING.
Look I low key was blaming Poppy for everything too, but not because it's was her job to watch Keith. I blame her because she made horrible reckless mistakes...and never learned from them.
More things happen, Rose dies horribly and then we're at the final scene and Keith confesses it all because Heather and Poppy cooked up a plan to confess to the murders? Or something? It's convoluted as heck.
Though it boils down to the same motivation as in GIVE ME A K-I-L-L; dude is conveniently mentally unwell so all of his actions are because of THAT and not because our main character was a BAD person.
It all wraps up with smiles a page later. No consequences, no one is grieving either Jeremy or Rose, Ivy seems to be "ok" after being burned by acid and they all go for a burger at Lefty's (not really but I'm sure it happened).
It's like the fact Keith was documented as unwell was thrown in as a "Hey Stine, you can't just have him cutting himself and murdering folk suddenly". What's worse is the second Keith cut himself I KNEW he was the culprit. The red herring about Heather being violent was too obvious (though also, she may need someone to talk to), the heavy handed "I'll make you ALL PAY" from Poppy was just badly done and Lucas was such an after thought creeper...
Oh and there is 0% supernatural stuff in here. After how much I enjoyed YOU MAY NOW KILL THE BRIDE I had such high hopes. While this does 'feel' like the old Fear Streets, it didn't have any real... connection to the brand. Oh Keith moved to Fear Street - which at any other time would have been more then enough reason for him to go murdering folk, but in this instance was frustrating.
I'll go into detail, so this is marked for spoilers and please be aware of your own tolerances. If you want the tdlr; version of my issues they are thus:
- the worst pacing
- the worst set up for murdering
- the least likeable characters ever (except Benny)
- bad use of red herring(s)
- everything to do with Keith
Please don't read beyond this point if details of self harm are something you don't want to read or will trigger something for you.
This book was a disappointment on the same level as GIVE ME A K-I-L-L. When the most interesting character is a third tier cop who shows up in a handful of scenes ya got problems.
We can start with Poppy, who doesn't resemble any one on the cover and is the single most conceited person to be written. "My boyfriend is so boring but this guy is Dangerous so off I go". Girllll if you honestly think anyone who is written to sound like an uncharismatic version of Kenickie from Grease is who you should pin your hopes on, you deserve your fate.
Poppy is certain of two things - Rose Groban is THE WORST and Keith is a drip. In true Stine fashion each chapter - most of the 50 are narrated by Poppy, but Keith, Ivy, Jeremy and Heather all get one or more when the plot demands we follow something related to Poppy but not Poppy directly - ends with a carefully worded hook.
Most of Poppy's end with something like "But I'd learn we were wrong. Dead wrong." Which to her credit is true. Just never about what her or friends thought they were dead wrong about.
After Poppy the Conceited we have Ivy the Dim. Well maybe oblivious is better. Her couple of chapters paint her as a much better person then how Poppy views her. She genuinely cares about her boyfriend Jeremy (even though he's a bit high maintenance at times) and while easily intimidated doesn't get hung up on things for long.
Which of course means as the most reasonable she has to suffer the worst. Stine did you research what would happen to a person's skin??
Then there's Jeremy the...forgettable mostly. Legit Poppy and Keith both say in their POVs he's weird and they never know when he's joking so his questions or ideas are often kooky and potentially horribly bad. He's a sincere guy though and I can understand the problems with having allergies.
Manny's one claim to fame is how he takes nothing seriously. He's always joking, always laughing and NOTHING fazes him. Not the fact the pranks they're pulling, will at best, have his overprotective older brother the Cop shackle him to the house. Nor is he that upset when things begin to literally explode. Life's a big joke for him.
And then there's Keith. This is where mental illness and self-harm come into play. Keith is, from Poppy's POV chapters, boring and straight-laced. He is obsessed with getting into Tufts and is primarily worried that Poppy & Co. are doing really stupid things.
I admit, I was on his side up until his chapter POV. The pet store thing was harmless enough (though given Stine's history of gruesome when it comes to animals running wild I expected the first death to occur early on), but it could have gone real bad real quick. So I gave him a pass for not wanting to do what the Low Rent Kenickie suggested.
I even felt bad since there was a weird time skip in which Poppy broke up with him, but even though everyone acted like it had happened we're not told how or when it happened until a chapter or so later when Poppy offhandedly says something. She's making out with, and thinking about making out with, Low Rent Kenickie for several chapters before we're told.
And then he started with the "none of you know me" and creepy obsessive thoughts in regards to Poppy. He goes from being annoyed at his very irritating little brother to thinking about how Poppy didn't understand and it's all her friends fault REAL QUICK. From there he goes to his desk, has a brief pointless digression about where the Swiss army knife came from, before carefully cutting lines on his shoulders.
"Not too deep. Just like before. Just like the other cuts crisscrossing my shoulder.
Cut. Cut.
Do you see, Poppy? Do you see?
[...]
I made another cut, this one a little longer. [...] I feel the pain of the blade slicing so tenderly into my skin.
Cut. Cut.
It felt so good." (Chapter 11, Keith Narrates, pg. 80 pb ed.)
Guys I don't get triggered by depictions of self-harm usually. Especially not in a series as unrealistic as Fear Street. This came out of nowhere and when taken in the larger context of this book, REALLY not good.
Keith turns out to be the murderer/assault guy (he kills Jeremy and Rose, and while Ivy survives she's permenantly physically scarred for life by a different attack) and we're not given any other clear motivation beyond "I HAD TO MAKE THEM PAY"
Leading up to this revelation we see him frequently cut himself, exhibit abnormal often self destructive behaviors, isolate himself from almost everyone (except the creepy stalker guy at the local liqour store), and drink.
Not once are we shown anyone reaching out to him. In offhand ways Manny says he talked to him (and felt a need to mention how bad he looked), Ivy absently worried a couple times (and mentioned it was because of Poppy dumping him) and Keith vaguely mentions trying to hang out with Ivy and Jeremy, but how awkward it was.
I get why during Poppy's she more or less ignores Keith for a good portion of the books after they break up. She talks about him every chapter, but until closer to the end they barely interact. But of the 10 chapters she does not narrated, 3 are devoted to Keith and the ONLY PERSON to show him compassion is creepy Lucas at the liquor store.
Keith's parents are largely absent, but as we find out later are WELL AWARE of his mental health issues. In fact he's on medication for it. He's had "episodes" before, but his mom is very certain he's still taking his meds so he can't be the killer.
Except...he kind of is lady and far be it for me to tell you how to live your life, but if your son is known to a) not take rejection well, b) not take disappointment well and c) get violent when either happens...maybe keep a better eye on if he's taking his meds. And where he's at. AND WHAT HE'S DOING.
Look I low key was blaming Poppy for everything too, but not because it's was her job to watch Keith. I blame her because she made horrible reckless mistakes...and never learned from them.
More things happen, Rose dies horribly and then we're at the final scene and Keith confesses it all because Heather and Poppy cooked up a plan to confess to the murders? Or something? It's convoluted as heck.
Though it boils down to the same motivation as in GIVE ME A K-I-L-L; dude is conveniently mentally unwell so all of his actions are because of THAT and not because our main character was a BAD person.
It all wraps up with smiles a page later. No consequences, no one is grieving either Jeremy or Rose, Ivy seems to be "ok" after being burned by acid and they all go for a burger at Lefty's (not really but I'm sure it happened).
It's like the fact Keith was documented as unwell was thrown in as a "Hey Stine, you can't just have him cutting himself and murdering folk suddenly". What's worse is the second Keith cut himself I KNEW he was the culprit. The red herring about Heather being violent was too obvious (though also, she may need someone to talk to), the heavy handed "I'll make you ALL PAY" from Poppy was just badly done and Lucas was such an after thought creeper...
Oh and there is 0% supernatural stuff in here. After how much I enjoyed YOU MAY NOW KILL THE BRIDE I had such high hopes. While this does 'feel' like the old Fear Streets, it didn't have any real... connection to the brand. Oh Keith moved to Fear Street - which at any other time would have been more then enough reason for him to go murdering folk, but in this instance was frustrating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2021
“I knew he was trouble. Everyone knew he was trouble. But we were bored and we were restless, so we went along with his prank.
And, of course, that was the start of more trouble than I could handle.”
1.5/5
Well this was bad. The characters are the worst, all lame teen stereotypes who lack consciences. The lengths Poppy went to get YouTube views and impress a guy (and we don’t even know why, other than she thinks he’s attractive) were gross.
“‘The O’s [Baltimore Orioles] just blew another one…You guys ever been to Camden Yards? It’s a nifty little park. … Deserves better than this.’”
^^^the only thing that made sense in the entire book.
Big Fear Street fans may like it. It has classic (…or overdone) themes such as jealous sisters and suspicious friends.
October 21, 2023
The cover and the back of the book make The Wrong Girl seem as if it may be really good but we have to go through a lot to even get anywhere close to what we are promised.
I couldn't even round it up to three stars. A lot of talk and not a lot of action.
Well there is some action but if you were looking for anything like the first Return To Fear Street book or some sort of gore and slasher fest...nope.
Pranks...lots of pranks. I won't spoil what prank it is that is humiliating and cruel that has main character Poppy Miller wishing for payback on Jack Saber because yes it is all of those things but not many of these characters are very nice.
Poppy and Jack are kind of terrible people, Poppy's sister Heather is so sympathetic but to a degree that you are annoyed by her presence, Poppy's BFF Ivy is very vain about her hair and Poppy's rival Rose is prideful about her acting and just a nasty piece of work.
Poppy's boyfriend Keith is a little boring and no fun and buddy Manny is the guy who thinks he is funny and sometimes he is but other times he is just annoying. The only character who isn't a pain to a degree is Jeremy because he just happens to be one of those people who is literally allergic to everything. Not in a hypochondriac kind of way: he has really bad asthma and can go into shock without the right pills or injections.
I feel sorry for people like that so Jeremy is the only character I could probably stand IRL...
A big reason why I probably end up not liking anyone is all of the first person narration from the POV of Poppy, Ivy, Keith and I think one chapter by Jeremy and one by Heather.
Lots of petty jealousy, cat fights, violent fantasies and so many characters with tempers it is hard not to see any of them as being crazy enough to kill someone. The deaths we do get are unnerving, there are some twists but the reveal is hinted at and not at all surprising.
The end is also part cringe because of sarcastic and mean-spirited quips from characters I just really didn't feel needed a second chance or had any kind of character growth. I know it's a lot to ask of Shadyside teenagers but it does happen...
The Wrong Girl may be the wrong book for you to read if you want a good Fear Street story but if you are curious and have time on your hands...check it out.
I couldn't even round it up to three stars. A lot of talk and not a lot of action.
Well there is some action but if you were looking for anything like the first Return To Fear Street book or some sort of gore and slasher fest...nope.
Pranks...lots of pranks. I won't spoil what prank it is that is humiliating and cruel that has main character Poppy Miller wishing for payback on Jack Saber because yes it is all of those things but not many of these characters are very nice.
Poppy and Jack are kind of terrible people, Poppy's sister Heather is so sympathetic but to a degree that you are annoyed by her presence, Poppy's BFF Ivy is very vain about her hair and Poppy's rival Rose is prideful about her acting and just a nasty piece of work.
Poppy's boyfriend Keith is a little boring and no fun and buddy Manny is the guy who thinks he is funny and sometimes he is but other times he is just annoying. The only character who isn't a pain to a degree is Jeremy because he just happens to be one of those people who is literally allergic to everything. Not in a hypochondriac kind of way: he has really bad asthma and can go into shock without the right pills or injections.
I feel sorry for people like that so Jeremy is the only character I could probably stand IRL...
A big reason why I probably end up not liking anyone is all of the first person narration from the POV of Poppy, Ivy, Keith and I think one chapter by Jeremy and one by Heather.
Lots of petty jealousy, cat fights, violent fantasies and so many characters with tempers it is hard not to see any of them as being crazy enough to kill someone. The deaths we do get are unnerving, there are some twists but the reveal is hinted at and not at all surprising.
The end is also part cringe because of sarcastic and mean-spirited quips from characters I just really didn't feel needed a second chance or had any kind of character growth. I know it's a lot to ask of Shadyside teenagers but it does happen...
The Wrong Girl may be the wrong book for you to read if you want a good Fear Street story but if you are curious and have time on your hands...check it out.
September 21, 2021
Another good one by one of my favorite authors! The whodunit is easy to figure out but I enjoy the adventures (even cheesy ones!!) getting to the reveal!
April 26, 2021
DNF. I read 16 chapters (and then skipped to the end...), 112/328 pages.
October 20, 2018
I wanted to love this book, not because Stine and fear street are known for their literary prowess, but because these books are fun, quick easy reads that are usually at least a good story.
BUT, the POV character for 90% of the book, Poppy, is completely insufferable. “Oh I’m not the best actress so Rose must be the antichrist”. “Oh Keith is very cute, very nice, but SUCH a bore, time to fuck off with this guy Jack who I have nothing in common with, guess I’ll change my whole personality so we can kiss kiss”. “My sister is fat and untalented, I wonder why she’s so mad all the time”. Blah blah blah. All you get is a spoiled self entitled brat whining about how she’s a victim and that her decision had nothing to do with it.
On the other hand— things that got this book an extra star, (strongly considered a 2-star) was the creative violence. I will keep this spoiler free, but I liked that we weren’t dealing with a garden variety slasher, but instead somebody who was using their brain to cause pain for Poppy’s friends and drama for poopy Poppy.
I wouldn’t say DON’T read it, but if you’re triggered by self-injurious behavior or are sensitive to mental health issues being used as a plot device rather than as a way to give meaningful insight to the character, avoid this book.
BUT, the POV character for 90% of the book, Poppy, is completely insufferable. “Oh I’m not the best actress so Rose must be the antichrist”. “Oh Keith is very cute, very nice, but SUCH a bore, time to fuck off with this guy Jack who I have nothing in common with, guess I’ll change my whole personality so we can kiss kiss”. “My sister is fat and untalented, I wonder why she’s so mad all the time”. Blah blah blah. All you get is a spoiled self entitled brat whining about how she’s a victim and that her decision had nothing to do with it.
On the other hand— things that got this book an extra star, (strongly considered a 2-star) was the creative violence. I will keep this spoiler free, but I liked that we weren’t dealing with a garden variety slasher, but instead somebody who was using their brain to cause pain for Poppy’s friends and drama for poopy Poppy.
I wouldn’t say DON’T read it, but if you’re triggered by self-injurious behavior or are sensitive to mental health issues being used as a plot device rather than as a way to give meaningful insight to the character, avoid this book.
Read
January 14, 2020DNF at 24%
“I had no way of knowing that she would be so awful. I mean, her performance was so lame, so...dead, I was waiting for Mr. G. to hold a finger under her nose to see if she was breathing.”
Seriously? Is it just me or the characters were starting to lose their common sense when it comes to certain, personal things?
Look, Mr. Stine is a talented author but I don’t think this book of his doesn’t fit into the horror genre. It’s more of a kid’s version of a thriller.
“I had no way of knowing that she would be so awful. I mean, her performance was so lame, so...dead, I was waiting for Mr. G. to hold a finger under her nose to see if she was breathing.”
Seriously? Is it just me or the characters were starting to lose their common sense when it comes to certain, personal things?
Look, Mr. Stine is a talented author but I don’t think this book of his doesn’t fit into the horror genre. It’s more of a kid’s version of a thriller.
Read
May 2, 2021DNF- I did not like any of the characters.
March 26, 2019
I was expecting a Fear or a Goode to show up, so I was surprised that this story didn't have any of that. The synopsis mentions that Poppy's friends keep dying, but that doesn't start to happen until a little over half way into the novel. I was expecting a Scream situation, but I was pleasantly surprised with how R.L. Stine worked his way into the main plot.
Like the rest of the novels in this series, the ending reveal happened abruptly, but unlike the others this one had a better flow to it. It's still campy, still fun and I'm sad that I've now finished all of the books in the Return to Fear Street series.
Like the rest of the novels in this series, the ending reveal happened abruptly, but unlike the others this one had a better flow to it. It's still campy, still fun and I'm sad that I've now finished all of the books in the Return to Fear Street series.
February 8, 2022
When a book needs three quarters of its total page count to get to the point of the synopsis on the back-cover, its a good indication the pacing is off - and by a long way.
I know this is aimed at teenagers but, honestly the 'pranks' and juvenile nature of the characters (and adults) reads like it's targeted at a younger audience despite there being some truly dark elements to this shady story.
I wanted more than this return to Fear Street gave me.
I know this is aimed at teenagers but, honestly the 'pranks' and juvenile nature of the characters (and adults) reads like it's targeted at a younger audience despite there being some truly dark elements to this shady story.
I wanted more than this return to Fear Street gave me.
September 23, 2020
This was like a blast from the past, going back and reading RL Stine and returning to the fear Street series. Sadly now the kids in Fear Street have cell phones and talk about Instagram. But kudos to RL Stine for bringing the series into the modern age. I still prefer to read the original stuff. The ending was a little sudden and horribly contrived, but I enjoyed this read all the way through, rudiculous as some of it was. One thing I have to give Mr. Stine credit for, this book had so many red herrings, it wasn't quite as predictable as i expected. In fact, all the way to the final page I had my doubts about whether my theory was true.
October 14, 2019
Super weird and the story telling was paced kinda off. None of the characters were really likable and you didn't care what happened.
February 2, 2020
A throwback to the kind of book - by the author - that I read in middle school. Rushed ending, but, man, Stine, 76 now, just won't quit.
October 12, 2021
Omg was I bored.... The 1st fear street in this remake was interesting. This one literally mentions Fear street to say a guys mom has trouble sleeping since she moved there and the guy himself feels a darkness.... that's it.... that's the paranormal. Considering the 1st one has time travel and a family of witches.... this one was hugely disappointing. The idea of what happens is ok which is why this is 2 instead of just 1. Like 2 teens actually die so it gets another star as bad as that sounds. 😅 It was just so.... cheesy.... everything takes a few seconds to figure out and it's predictable.... I don't know if I'll be buying the 3rd one... I might just stick to the original Stine.
September 2, 2019
I actually liked this one more than the first book in the series. Fear Street books are campy corny fun and always seem to end very abruptly with the killer confessing in like the last two pages, with hardly any explanation, but they bring me back to a time when the only thing I had to worry about was doing homework.
February 17, 2020
Bad.
Just bad.
Just bad.
September 21, 2020
1.5 stars. This one was colossally bad. 😂 Not enough build up, too many iPads, off the charts ridiculous plotting and dialogue. Oh R.L. *shakes head*
August 11, 2021
The 2nd novel in this reboot series of Fear Street, The Wrong Girl held much of the same formula as any other books in the series: cliffhanger endings, creepy lovers, and hot-headed friends. Bored with their usual routines, Poppy and her friends start doing pranks to bring some excitement until she becomes a victim of their deadly shenanigans, she swore revenge. And when her friends start to meet grisly deaths, all eyes turn to Poppy as the culprit.
I felt that this book was just okay, it wasn't too bad as others said, but it was very slow for the premise it promised. You May Kill The Bride was a good start, as the air of tension was throughout the plot leading to a nice buildup, but here, it felt very weak, even the murders took forever to start. It also doesn't help that Poppy is also not the best of likeable characters, which seems to be how most of the main protagonists in this new series are like now. While a little closer in style of the old series, Wrong Girl was a middle-of-the-road read that could have been a lot better.
I felt that this book was just okay, it wasn't too bad as others said, but it was very slow for the premise it promised. You May Kill The Bride was a good start, as the air of tension was throughout the plot leading to a nice buildup, but here, it felt very weak, even the murders took forever to start. It also doesn't help that Poppy is also not the best of likeable characters, which seems to be how most of the main protagonists in this new series are like now. While a little closer in style of the old series, Wrong Girl was a middle-of-the-road read that could have been a lot better.
October 3, 2018
I can't seem to help myself with these books. They just remind me of my childhood. I can't say they're "great books" but they are fun! Easy quick reads that are pretty easy to figure out what is going on.
Poppy and her friends are bored. While at the mall one day they run into Jack. He wants to pull a prank on his old boss and they are all for it. They decide to form a group that pulls pranks and it's all fun and games until the pranks start to go horribly wrong. What is going on? Why do all the pranks end up not as planned? As her friends start to turn on her they also start getting hurt. Some even die. Who is doing this and why is Poppy the main suspect?
Poppy and her friends are bored. While at the mall one day they run into Jack. He wants to pull a prank on his old boss and they are all for it. They decide to form a group that pulls pranks and it's all fun and games until the pranks start to go horribly wrong. What is going on? Why do all the pranks end up not as planned? As her friends start to turn on her they also start getting hurt. Some even die. Who is doing this and why is Poppy the main suspect?
June 26, 2022
I feel like Stine (or ghost writer if that’s the case) was trying to build more character development and it just didn’t work. The fear street books were always just over 100 pages and very much plot driven. This was 327 pages and a whole lot of crap. More than half this book could have been cut out and I think it woulda been pretty good. Also could they not have chosen different names than Jack and Rose, like really all I could picture was Leo and Kate on Titanic. The only thing I loved about this was the cover.
November 19, 2018
I really enjoyed this one! I loved how it was a modern story but had hints of the original Fear Street novels! The story itself was really interesting and kept me guessing until the end, total page turner! I can't wait for the next one!
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