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Good Girls Die First
For fans of Karen McManus' One of Us is Lying and films like I Know What You Did Last Summer, comes a gripping thriller about murder, mystery, and deception.
Blackmail lures Ava to the abandoned amusement park on Portgrave Pier. She is one of ten teenagers, all with secrets they intend to protect whatever the cost. When fog and magic swallow the pier, the group find themselves cut off from the real world. As the teenagers turn on each other, Ava will have to face up to the secret that brought her to the pier and decide how far she's willing to go to survive. The teenagers have only their secrets to protect and each other to betray.
Perfect
13-18 year-old mystery fansFans of Karen McManus and Stephen King
Blackmail lures Ava to the abandoned amusement park on Portgrave Pier. She is one of ten teenagers, all with secrets they intend to protect whatever the cost. When fog and magic swallow the pier, the group find themselves cut off from the real world. As the teenagers turn on each other, Ava will have to face up to the secret that brought her to the pier and decide how far she's willing to go to survive. The teenagers have only their secrets to protect and each other to betray.
Perfect
13-18 year-old mystery fansFans of Karen McManus and Stephen King
287 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 2, 2020
444 people are currently reading
13143 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,107 reviews
April 4, 2022
Well, there are three things made me click the request button to demand arc copy of this book as fast as I could:
- the blood chilling, perfect cover ( not the cover at the Goodreads page, I think this book released again with perfectly bizarre new cover)
- The brilliant name
- The intriguing plot: ten teenagers who have ten different and ugly secrets gathered around one of the creepiest amusement park. They stuck in the place. There’s no escape from the island that creepy amusement park is located. Somebody or let’s say bodies start playing deadly games with them. They start to die by one by after they confess their big secret. Who is after them? How can they survive? What kind of game they have to play? What if they turned into bloody killers to work against each other for being last one standing?
Well, I loved those three qualities and impressive promising start of the book but as I reached the last third, the direction of the plot got out of control. It didn’t just waver, the entire plot crashed down and I barely finished the last chapters and I wish it would end sooner.
The characters including heroine Ava who is nerdy, introvert, unsecured girl doesn’t have enough qualities for us to easily resonate with her. And the other nine characters were also one dimensional and easy to hate which contradict with the name of the book because none of the girls of this book is good one and yes, some of them actually die ( semi spoiler alert)
The number of characters are way too much and they are not easily differentiated. All of them are equally weird and irritating and you wish to get rid of all of them so you can finish the book faster to read something with more lovable characters.
Overall: I loved the claustrophobic amusement park theme and 10 teenagers’s gathering who did truly bad things but execution and wrapping up the entire concept were a little weak and character development was one dimensional.
I concentrated the positive facts and promising plot so I’m giving solid three stars.
I wish I would find more things to enjoy this read but unfortunately it didn’t fit my expectations.
I still want to read another works of the author because of creative plot idea she formed.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
- the blood chilling, perfect cover ( not the cover at the Goodreads page, I think this book released again with perfectly bizarre new cover)
- The brilliant name
- The intriguing plot: ten teenagers who have ten different and ugly secrets gathered around one of the creepiest amusement park. They stuck in the place. There’s no escape from the island that creepy amusement park is located. Somebody or let’s say bodies start playing deadly games with them. They start to die by one by after they confess their big secret. Who is after them? How can they survive? What kind of game they have to play? What if they turned into bloody killers to work against each other for being last one standing?
Well, I loved those three qualities and impressive promising start of the book but as I reached the last third, the direction of the plot got out of control. It didn’t just waver, the entire plot crashed down and I barely finished the last chapters and I wish it would end sooner.
The characters including heroine Ava who is nerdy, introvert, unsecured girl doesn’t have enough qualities for us to easily resonate with her. And the other nine characters were also one dimensional and easy to hate which contradict with the name of the book because none of the girls of this book is good one and yes, some of them actually die ( semi spoiler alert)
The number of characters are way too much and they are not easily differentiated. All of them are equally weird and irritating and you wish to get rid of all of them so you can finish the book faster to read something with more lovable characters.
Overall: I loved the claustrophobic amusement park theme and 10 teenagers’s gathering who did truly bad things but execution and wrapping up the entire concept were a little weak and character development was one dimensional.
I concentrated the positive facts and promising plot so I’m giving solid three stars.
I wish I would find more things to enjoy this read but unfortunately it didn’t fit my expectations.
I still want to read another works of the author because of creative plot idea she formed.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
July 30, 2023
It was terrible. I hated every second of reading it and I wanted to dig my brain out from my skull by the end of it. The blurb is manipulative and convinces you to read an enticing mystery book. However it is not a mystery. It is this random clown supernatural thing called whispers who is the villain and gets on your nerves and defeats the whole plot of the book. Not to mention the main character who is psychotic and took pictures while someone was commuting suicide. Are we meant to root for a character like that? It’s abysmal.
All the characters are annoying but luckily this issue is resolved when they all die. Sorry for the spoilers but this book isn’t worth reading anyway. I wanted to give it zero stars but unfortunately it didn’t let me. To finish, this book is a stain on humanity and should be blasted off the shelves of any remaining bookshelves which possess the disturbing inclination to sell this book.
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK! I ALREADY WASTED HOURS OF MY LIFE THAT I WILL NEVER EVER GET BACK READING IT SO JUST TAKE MY ADVICE AND RUN!!!!! NEVER AND I MEAN NEVER READ THIS BOOK!!! 😡😡
All the characters are annoying but luckily this issue is resolved when they all die. Sorry for the spoilers but this book isn’t worth reading anyway. I wanted to give it zero stars but unfortunately it didn’t let me. To finish, this book is a stain on humanity and should be blasted off the shelves of any remaining bookshelves which possess the disturbing inclination to sell this book.
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK! I ALREADY WASTED HOURS OF MY LIFE THAT I WILL NEVER EVER GET BACK READING IT SO JUST TAKE MY ADVICE AND RUN!!!!! NEVER AND I MEAN NEVER READ THIS BOOK!!! 😡😡
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2020
I was so excited for this book, I've really been craving a great YA thriller. This was nothing like I was expecting. I know this is a book that will really work for some people but it just isn't for me. Ten teenagers all receive an invite to an abandoned island, each with a secret they are hiding. One by one they start to die. That was the pitch I heard and I was here for it. It sounded like the type of thriller that could keep me guessing and hold my attention. I was wrong.
I didn't end up loving this and I'm really sad about that. I thought it would be a book I couldn't put down but ended up being a book I had to force myself to get through. I honestly believe this has more to do with how this was marketed. I was expecting a thriller where you spend the book trying to figure out who is behind it all. It wasn't that at all. I'd have probably enjoyed it more if I'd known going in this was more of a supernatural Stephen King type book.
The other issue I had was that it was very predictable. You could guess almost every secret because there was no subtlety to the little snippets thrown in to come back to later. I also really feel like this wanted to be the YA version of IT. I wasn't surprised to get to the end and see that the author bio stated they were a big King fan.
In the end this book REALLY wasn't for me but then I'm not a supernatural fan. If this had been marketed to me better than I'd have probably known it was one to buy in for work - the teens will LOVE it - but it wasn't one to read myself.
I didn't end up loving this and I'm really sad about that. I thought it would be a book I couldn't put down but ended up being a book I had to force myself to get through. I honestly believe this has more to do with how this was marketed. I was expecting a thriller where you spend the book trying to figure out who is behind it all. It wasn't that at all. I'd have probably enjoyed it more if I'd known going in this was more of a supernatural Stephen King type book.
The other issue I had was that it was very predictable. You could guess almost every secret because there was no subtlety to the little snippets thrown in to come back to later. I also really feel like this wanted to be the YA version of IT. I wasn't surprised to get to the end and see that the author bio stated they were a big King fan.
In the end this book REALLY wasn't for me but then I'm not a supernatural fan. If this had been marketed to me better than I'd have probably known it was one to buy in for work - the teens will LOVE it - but it wasn't one to read myself.
July 17, 2020
A gripping read!
I was always a huge fan of Point Horror as a teen, so this took me right back; it's deliciously dark, a little bit tongue-in-cheek, and has a satisfyingly high death count!
Abandoned funfairs are always a bit of a winner on the creepy front, and the author does a great job of maxing this out - I particularly liked the scenes in the hall of mirrors.
I keenly await the next one!
I was always a huge fan of Point Horror as a teen, so this took me right back; it's deliciously dark, a little bit tongue-in-cheek, and has a satisfyingly high death count!
Abandoned funfairs are always a bit of a winner on the creepy front, and the author does a great job of maxing this out - I particularly liked the scenes in the hall of mirrors.
I keenly await the next one!
October 24, 2021
Thank you so much to Kathryn Foxfield and Sourcebooks Fire for my copy of this book that comes out November 30th. The premise completely grabbed my attention and I was totally intrigued. Good Girls Die First was about Ava, a girl who is lured to an abandoned carnival in fear that someone knows her secret. There she meets nine other people who have also been asked there in a mysterious note. After the group realizes that they’re cut off from the mainland, they start to turn on each other while wanting to discover who brought them there, and why.
Thoughts: This was a classic YA book full of teen romance, drama, and lots of secrets. The plot was so intriguing and the setting was so unique and chilling. Unfortunately there were so many characters that were similar that it was confusing to read about. They were very stereotypical and literally defined as “the shy one” or “the sporty one” which was pretty immature writing if you ask me.
The plot was both confusing and predictable. The secrets are basically obvious immediately, so the reveals weren’t too much of a shock. I loved how creepy the book started out, but then it got kind of boring and the multiple storylines began to blend together. The characters were not likable and I wish the villain would have been revealed later because it did take away some of the enjoyment. Great concept but not my favorite book. It could have been shorter, less revealing, and packed a much bigger punch. 2.5 stars.
Thoughts: This was a classic YA book full of teen romance, drama, and lots of secrets. The plot was so intriguing and the setting was so unique and chilling. Unfortunately there were so many characters that were similar that it was confusing to read about. They were very stereotypical and literally defined as “the shy one” or “the sporty one” which was pretty immature writing if you ask me.
The plot was both confusing and predictable. The secrets are basically obvious immediately, so the reveals weren’t too much of a shock. I loved how creepy the book started out, but then it got kind of boring and the multiple storylines began to blend together. The characters were not likable and I wish the villain would have been revealed later because it did take away some of the enjoyment. Great concept but not my favorite book. It could have been shorter, less revealing, and packed a much bigger punch. 2.5 stars.
February 12, 2025
I hated this book. I had so many issues with it that I don’t even know where to begin. The characters; they were all such awful people. I couldn’t find any redeeming quality in any of them and it got to the point where I really didn’t care who was going to die next. Their stupidity was unbelievable and the dialogue of each of them was so forced and cringey. It was like a 50-year-old was writing how they think teenagers talked and oh boy was it bad. I also feel like the author wanted to include all of these characters but only fleshed out half of them so I found myself getting the others mixed up and they just blurred into one.
I don’t know whether it was because I lost interest pretty quickly or what but I feel like the author was trying to do way too much and something that should have been focused on more was setting the scene. I really struggled to visualise the setting that they were in.
In a thriller I LOVE to be shocked and I never usually see what’s coming but every reveal was so predictable that I saw it coming from a mile away and it just felt like I was reading words on a page instead of being sucked into the story. Overall, this 300 page book was way too long and dragged so much. I’m sure it has it’s audience but unfortunately, that’s not me.
I don’t know whether it was because I lost interest pretty quickly or what but I feel like the author was trying to do way too much and something that should have been focused on more was setting the scene. I really struggled to visualise the setting that they were in.
In a thriller I LOVE to be shocked and I never usually see what’s coming but every reveal was so predictable that I saw it coming from a mile away and it just felt like I was reading words on a page instead of being sucked into the story. Overall, this 300 page book was way too long and dragged so much. I’m sure it has it’s audience but unfortunately, that’s not me.
April 24, 2021
This is.... not a mystery.
It sounds like a mystery. It starts like a mystery. But it is in fact. Not a mystery. (Nor is it good.)
It sounds like a mystery. It starts like a mystery. But it is in fact. Not a mystery. (Nor is it good.)
October 26, 2023
Wasting time
I don’t like it. I know better books than this.
I don’t like it. I know better books than this.
October 20, 2022
I was most excited for the drama and secrets. And atmosphere. Those things all fell a little short for me. This is YA, and while normally I can get behind YA, this one may have been a little too young for me. It seemed to hold itself back on every front. Secrets, scariness, and drama. There are sensitive topics like rape and suicide in here etc, but it never actually commits to exploring those topics. So it’s really just mentions and never goes into detail. So if you have triggers, but aren’t triggered by just the mention, you might be okay! Message me if you want to know more about that.
It was fun and the idea was actually really cool. It held my interest either way. That’s the most positive I can say about it. I can’t say I loved it, but I can say I was curious about how it would end. So I guess the author did something right there. I actually really loved what the creature/entity haunting this carnival turned out to be. It was a pretty unique concept. Though I will say it’s explanation was not done super well.
It was also pretty predictable as far as the secrets go and how they tie into one another. I guessed almost all of them. There also seemed to be an issue with showing instead of telling. The deaths were nothing to write home about. But eh, it just wasn’t for me. Hopefully it works out better for someone else!
I think if you normally can’t handle horror, or paranormal books, you would possibly do well with this one! Or if you’re super young…. I’d even venture to say middle school age. At around that age I would have probably enjoyed this more.
Don’t listen to the reviews complaining about the characters though. None of the characters were like able, but they weren’t supposed to be. That’s the point, and that was the fun part!
On to the next!
It was fun and the idea was actually really cool. It held my interest either way. That’s the most positive I can say about it. I can’t say I loved it, but I can say I was curious about how it would end. So I guess the author did something right there. I actually really loved what the creature/entity haunting this carnival turned out to be. It was a pretty unique concept. Though I will say it’s explanation was not done super well.
It was also pretty predictable as far as the secrets go and how they tie into one another. I guessed almost all of them. There also seemed to be an issue with showing instead of telling. The deaths were nothing to write home about. But eh, it just wasn’t for me. Hopefully it works out better for someone else!
I think if you normally can’t handle horror, or paranormal books, you would possibly do well with this one! Or if you’re super young…. I’d even venture to say middle school age. At around that age I would have probably enjoyed this more.
Don’t listen to the reviews complaining about the characters though. None of the characters were like able, but they weren’t supposed to be. That’s the point, and that was the fun part!
On to the next!
August 23, 2022
How in the fuck did this get published? I almost DNF, but I just had to see it through. I’m almost considering dousing this book in gasoline and using it as a fire starter at the river this weekend. 🥲
March 29, 2022
Dieses Buch hat mich schon ab dem Erscheinungstermin fasziniert, aber ich habe es nicht gekauft. Zu Weihnachten hab ich dann bekommen. Es hat mich zu Beginn ein wenig irritiert, was hier passieren wird. Doch dann ging alles Schlag auf Schlag und ich war mittendrin im Geschehen und konnte nicht glauben, was sich die Autorin alles ausgedacht hat. Wow, teilweise war es echt heftig und sehr psychologisch. Ich würde es sogar als Psychothriller bezeichnen. Das Ende hat mich jedoch einfach nur noch verwirrt und ich weiß nicht was ich damit anfangen soll.
4 Sterne
4 Sterne
May 12, 2020
Thank you very much to Scholastic for sending me through an early release of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Let's start off by saying this book was so different from what I was expecting and I don't even know. I thought this book would really steer down the YA thriller route, but it surprised me and was much more horror-based than I expected with a bit of fantasy too. It sort of reminded me of Other Words for Smoke in terms of the villain and the way the fantasy collided with real life in a creepy way.
This book is about ten teens who are all anonymously invited to a burnt down, ruin of a carnival with the question 'can you keep a secret?'. They are all very different and don't really know why they're there, but they all seem to be hiding their own secret. Gradually over the course of days, the mystery unfolds and the horror of the plot sets in. That's all I'll say about the plot. And honestly, I don't really know what I was thinking for half of this book. It managed to scare me within the first 50 pages, which I was reading near to midnight and refused to leave my room to pee for fear of god knows what hiding in the shadows.
After the initial creepy moment, I found I wasn't quite as surprised by this book and felt it kind of spelt out the plot for me from this point onwards. So I think I lost the intrigue element a little, the more I read. But I was interested in seeing how the characters unwove as the writing explored them more in the situation of trauma. I have to say though, I didn't really like any of the characters, they were all incredibly flawed, but I don't mean that in a bad way. This book has a dark atmosphere and I feel like the characters have dark souls to match.
I enjoyed that this book was set in the UK (I'm fairly sure?), which I quite liked. I always like reading a book set in the same area as me because I feel we don't get enough big YA thriller books set in the UK. The setting itself though is definitely suited to the horror genre, it is dark, run-down and somewhere easy to get lost. It fits perfectly in the nightmare setting, which makes it an interesting setting to read about.
My reason for giving this book a three-star review is that it was missing something, something I can't put my finger on. I felt like I was pulled in but then the plot wasn't varied enough to keep me hooked. The setting didn't change so we felt isolated, and I certainly thought that Foxfield writes this feeling well. But for me, there were almost too many different storylines going on at once to really feel gripped and intrigued as the book progressed. Overall though, I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to fans of thrillers with a slight fantasy/different turn.
Let's start off by saying this book was so different from what I was expecting and I don't even know. I thought this book would really steer down the YA thriller route, but it surprised me and was much more horror-based than I expected with a bit of fantasy too. It sort of reminded me of Other Words for Smoke in terms of the villain and the way the fantasy collided with real life in a creepy way.
This book is about ten teens who are all anonymously invited to a burnt down, ruin of a carnival with the question 'can you keep a secret?'. They are all very different and don't really know why they're there, but they all seem to be hiding their own secret. Gradually over the course of days, the mystery unfolds and the horror of the plot sets in. That's all I'll say about the plot. And honestly, I don't really know what I was thinking for half of this book. It managed to scare me within the first 50 pages, which I was reading near to midnight and refused to leave my room to pee for fear of god knows what hiding in the shadows.
After the initial creepy moment, I found I wasn't quite as surprised by this book and felt it kind of spelt out the plot for me from this point onwards. So I think I lost the intrigue element a little, the more I read. But I was interested in seeing how the characters unwove as the writing explored them more in the situation of trauma. I have to say though, I didn't really like any of the characters, they were all incredibly flawed, but I don't mean that in a bad way. This book has a dark atmosphere and I feel like the characters have dark souls to match.
I enjoyed that this book was set in the UK (I'm fairly sure?), which I quite liked. I always like reading a book set in the same area as me because I feel we don't get enough big YA thriller books set in the UK. The setting itself though is definitely suited to the horror genre, it is dark, run-down and somewhere easy to get lost. It fits perfectly in the nightmare setting, which makes it an interesting setting to read about.
My reason for giving this book a three-star review is that it was missing something, something I can't put my finger on. I felt like I was pulled in but then the plot wasn't varied enough to keep me hooked. The setting didn't change so we felt isolated, and I certainly thought that Foxfield writes this feeling well. But for me, there were almost too many different storylines going on at once to really feel gripped and intrigued as the book progressed. Overall though, I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to fans of thrillers with a slight fantasy/different turn.
May 24, 2021
This book was...
Something. Something seems to be the word for this. And when searching through other reviews to see if it was just me with a very particular problem about this book, it turned out that hey, I'M NOT CRAZY AFTER ALL.
About half way through this book I was asked by my mother how it was going, was I enjoying the book, to which I said, 'I have no idea what is going on.'
Now, let me elaborate. As with many others, after scouring the reviews to try and figure out if this was just a me thing, I was under the impression that one of the ten teenagers, if not someone closely binding them all together, had something to do with what was going on.
I had put it down to everything from hypnotism to spiking the alcohol they had all been drinking; no-where in the marketing did I gain the impression that this book was supernatural.
Not- at- all.
So when everything about the supernatural elements to the story started coming out, it left me feeling kind of- bleh?
I was indifferent to it, suddenly I was no longer solving a mystery but more just being told to...go along with it??
Because it's never spoken about how Whispers came to be? Because it's never spoken about whether other beings like him exist? Why can he only stay within the mirrors or reflections, a talk of his history, of the other beings he had possessed over time. It was more just thrust into your face like, he is the bad guy who can get into your head.
There, that's all you need to know.
AND YET HE CAN BECOME A GIANT SEA MONSTER, WHAT!?!
Also let's talk about how much I hate the characters, because in no fucking way are they realistic representations of teenagers.
Stealing, I get. Someone being a twat, hey I get.
Having to hear a guy justify rape and then have the victims best friend say oh, she lied and did it for attention? That shit set my teeth on edge.
Another character who did fights for money? Another who for HALF AN HOUR PHOTOGRAPHED A GIRL WHO COMMITED SUICIDE. AND DID NOTHING ABOUT IT.
There is nothing, nothing at all that makes me want to like or relate to these characters.
I understand making mistakes and being forced to repent for them, but the author picking these horrific secrets and then advertising them as being your basic everyday teenagers?
Girl, come the fuck on. Not even the main character made me want to root for her, for me to even care about her.
Quite frankly, as each character was individually plucked off for whatever reason, I just found myself shrugging my shoulders like whelp, that's another one gone.
I DIDN'T CARE, what does that tell you?
Sigh...I am so done.
Something. Something seems to be the word for this. And when searching through other reviews to see if it was just me with a very particular problem about this book, it turned out that hey, I'M NOT CRAZY AFTER ALL.
About half way through this book I was asked by my mother how it was going, was I enjoying the book, to which I said, 'I have no idea what is going on.'
Now, let me elaborate. As with many others, after scouring the reviews to try and figure out if this was just a me thing, I was under the impression that one of the ten teenagers, if not someone closely binding them all together, had something to do with what was going on.
I had put it down to everything from hypnotism to spiking the alcohol they had all been drinking; no-where in the marketing did I gain the impression that this book was supernatural.
Not- at- all.
So when everything about the supernatural elements to the story started coming out, it left me feeling kind of- bleh?
I was indifferent to it, suddenly I was no longer solving a mystery but more just being told to...go along with it??
Because it's never spoken about how Whispers came to be? Because it's never spoken about whether other beings like him exist? Why can he only stay within the mirrors or reflections, a talk of his history, of the other beings he had possessed over time. It was more just thrust into your face like, he is the bad guy who can get into your head.
There, that's all you need to know.
AND YET HE CAN BECOME A GIANT SEA MONSTER, WHAT!?!
Also let's talk about how much I hate the characters, because in no fucking way are they realistic representations of teenagers.
Stealing, I get. Someone being a twat, hey I get.
Having to hear a guy justify rape and then have the victims best friend say oh, she lied and did it for attention? That shit set my teeth on edge.
Another character who did fights for money? Another who for HALF AN HOUR PHOTOGRAPHED A GIRL WHO COMMITED SUICIDE. AND DID NOTHING ABOUT IT.
There is nothing, nothing at all that makes me want to like or relate to these characters.
I understand making mistakes and being forced to repent for them, but the author picking these horrific secrets and then advertising them as being your basic everyday teenagers?
Girl, come the fuck on. Not even the main character made me want to root for her, for me to even care about her.
Quite frankly, as each character was individually plucked off for whatever reason, I just found myself shrugging my shoulders like whelp, that's another one gone.
I DIDN'T CARE, what does that tell you?
Sigh...I am so done.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2022
Good girls die first took a turn I wasn’t expecting at all and I still don’t know if it satisfied me. I thought it would be a regular YA-Mystery/Thriller with some Whodunit-elements, something I adore in books, but it took a different road and went more horror and paranormal, which was interesting, at least.
The characters felt very flat to me, they (mostly) all were very self-absorbed and there wasn’t much that made them likeable. There wasn’t much substance at all, only their secrets which isn’t the greatest character trait.
Now, what is most important in a mystery? The mystery itself. Trying to guess what it’s all about, in this case their secrets, and what is going on on this island. We learn pretty fast what is going on on that island, which doesn't leave much room for guessing. And the secrets are mostly so predictable, that there rarely is a shock moment when something is revealed. It’s not very cleverly constructed, sadly.
I do think there are a lot of people who would enjoy this book immensely. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more, if I had known what to expect.
The characters felt very flat to me, they (mostly) all were very self-absorbed and there wasn’t much that made them likeable. There wasn’t much substance at all, only their secrets which isn’t the greatest character trait.
Now, what is most important in a mystery? The mystery itself. Trying to guess what it’s all about, in this case their secrets, and what is going on on this island. We learn pretty fast what is going on on that island, which doesn't leave much room for guessing. And the secrets are mostly so predictable, that there rarely is a shock moment when something is revealed. It’s not very cleverly constructed, sadly.
I do think there are a lot of people who would enjoy this book immensely. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more, if I had known what to expect.
October 31, 2021
The synopsis of Good Girls Die First gave me Dame Agatha ‘And Then There Were None’ vibes but that’s where the comparison ended.
Each character receiving an invitation to an isolated island, in this case a deserted pier where once was a popular amusement park, now abandoned and each with a terrible secret. And while I loved the creepy setting of Good Girls Die First, the plot was difficult to follow and felt fractured and chaotic.
There’s a lot of characters to keep up with and none of them with remarkable enough qualities to be memorable outside of being horribly unlikeable. This just added to the confusion of the story and I found myself having to refresh myself on who was who.
Mildly entertaining but mostly confusing and disappointing. Didn’t live up to the cover, sadly.
2.5 rounded up to 3
My thanks to SourceBooks Fire for this gifted DRC.
Each character receiving an invitation to an isolated island, in this case a deserted pier where once was a popular amusement park, now abandoned and each with a terrible secret. And while I loved the creepy setting of Good Girls Die First, the plot was difficult to follow and felt fractured and chaotic.
There’s a lot of characters to keep up with and none of them with remarkable enough qualities to be memorable outside of being horribly unlikeable. This just added to the confusion of the story and I found myself having to refresh myself on who was who.
Mildly entertaining but mostly confusing and disappointing. Didn’t live up to the cover, sadly.
2.5 rounded up to 3
My thanks to SourceBooks Fire for this gifted DRC.
November 28, 2021
2,5/5
Knížka je doporučována pro fanoušky Karen McManusové (Jeden z nás lže, Dva tajemství neudrží), a tak jsem od tohohle čekala něco podobného.
Místo toho jsem spíš dostala takový YA thriller s prvky nadpřirozena, což mi nesedlo.
V příběhu na mě bylo taky moc postav (10 teenagerů), každý měl jiný příběh a pozvánku k molu, ale i přesto jsem se v nich nemohla zorientovat. Postavy mi místy lezly hrozně na nervy! Občas to jejich chování bylo trochu nesnesitelný. Začátek knížky byl dost seznamovací a popisný, v polovině mě to celkem bavilo, ale konec se mi vůbec nelíbil.
Jako plusy musím vyzdvihnout určitě obálku a (nevyužitý) potenciál samotného příběhu.
Pokud vás baví horory s prvky fantasy, tohle by mohla být fajn oddechovka, mně ale nesedla, za mě tedy nedoporučuju:(
Knížka je doporučována pro fanoušky Karen McManusové (Jeden z nás lže, Dva tajemství neudrží), a tak jsem od tohohle čekala něco podobného.
Místo toho jsem spíš dostala takový YA thriller s prvky nadpřirozena, což mi nesedlo.
V příběhu na mě bylo taky moc postav (10 teenagerů), každý měl jiný příběh a pozvánku k molu, ale i přesto jsem se v nich nemohla zorientovat. Postavy mi místy lezly hrozně na nervy! Občas to jejich chování bylo trochu nesnesitelný. Začátek knížky byl dost seznamovací a popisný, v polovině mě to celkem bavilo, ale konec se mi vůbec nelíbil.
Jako plusy musím vyzdvihnout určitě obálku a (nevyužitý) potenciál samotného příběhu.
Pokud vás baví horory s prvky fantasy, tohle by mohla být fajn oddechovka, mně ale nesedla, za mě tedy nedoporučuju:(
January 5, 2021
maybe it wasnt right age group, but I was really quite bored . it started off really good, but half way through & I was really not enjoying.
November 8, 2023
the best part about this book was the lesbians👍
January 9, 2022
This book wasnt for me it had a great description but it was everywhere Im sorry.
April 14, 2021
I thought this was going to be so exciting but the whole time it just felt ridiculous and instead I’m just disappointed.
The book seemed promising and the idea of 10 teens trapped in an abandoned carnival with the threat of secrets sounded great - a bit cliché but the Agatha Christie vibes are there - but everything turned out to be extremely cliché and it was hard to follow.
Firstly, all the characters names irritated me because it was like the author was picking all the popular people names (Ava, Scarlett, Imogen, Livia, Noah, you get the gist) and it felt a bit like the pick me group and each character had these stereotypical personality traits too.
Secondly, everything was really jumpy, one minute you was in a club and the next there’s lightning and a photo booth and blood and I don’t know how we got there. The whole plot/writing was jumpy from the beginning and I struggled to picture everything properly, it was too complicated in places.
Thirdly, the plot itself didn’t make sense. Without going into too much detail, how could Whispers be real? The ending was disappointing and I expected so much more from it all.
And lastly, while I can usually go along with the suspension of disbelief, I couldn’t with this. Where were their parents? Why did no one look for them? Does no one care that their 16 year old kids are all missing for days on end?! Did these kids not have to use a toilet or eat or drink?! They were there for ages and there wasn’t a mention of anything realistic! Also the way time worked on the island was ridiculous, like I get that “it works differently here” but it was just so confusing.
Ultimately, I was disappointed and I didn’t feel thrilled by it at all. None of the secrets were that exciting and honestly it was nice to finish. It was an easy read, but it wasn’t a good read. With a thriller I expect to feel anxiety and have to put it down (because I’m a nervous wreck naturally) but I breezed through this only feeling that once near the beginning, because it just didn’t hold me.
I personally wouldn’t recommend it, although it’s quite a quick easy read if you still want to give it a go, it was just really disappointing.
The book seemed promising and the idea of 10 teens trapped in an abandoned carnival with the threat of secrets sounded great - a bit cliché but the Agatha Christie vibes are there - but everything turned out to be extremely cliché and it was hard to follow.
Firstly, all the characters names irritated me because it was like the author was picking all the popular people names (Ava, Scarlett, Imogen, Livia, Noah, you get the gist) and it felt a bit like the pick me group and each character had these stereotypical personality traits too.
Secondly, everything was really jumpy, one minute you was in a club and the next there’s lightning and a photo booth and blood and I don’t know how we got there. The whole plot/writing was jumpy from the beginning and I struggled to picture everything properly, it was too complicated in places.
Thirdly, the plot itself didn’t make sense. Without going into too much detail, how could Whispers be real? The ending was disappointing and I expected so much more from it all.
And lastly, while I can usually go along with the suspension of disbelief, I couldn’t with this. Where were their parents? Why did no one look for them? Does no one care that their 16 year old kids are all missing for days on end?! Did these kids not have to use a toilet or eat or drink?! They were there for ages and there wasn’t a mention of anything realistic! Also the way time worked on the island was ridiculous, like I get that “it works differently here” but it was just so confusing.
Ultimately, I was disappointed and I didn’t feel thrilled by it at all. None of the secrets were that exciting and honestly it was nice to finish. It was an easy read, but it wasn’t a good read. With a thriller I expect to feel anxiety and have to put it down (because I’m a nervous wreck naturally) but I breezed through this only feeling that once near the beginning, because it just didn’t hold me.
I personally wouldn’t recommend it, although it’s quite a quick easy read if you still want to give it a go, it was just really disappointing.
November 30, 2021
"So unheimlich wie spannend: ein mörderischer Pageturner der Extraklasse
Ava wird zum Portgrave Pier gelockt, einem verlassenen, heruntergekommenen Freizeitpark in ihrer Heimatstadt. Genau wie neun andere Jugendliche, von denen sie manche kennt, manche nicht. Jeder von ihnen hat eine rätselhafte, erpresserische Einladung erhalten – mit der Anspielung auf ein großes persönliches Geheimnis, das er um keinen Preis verraten will. Bald verschwindet der Pier im Nebel, sie sind von der Außenwelt abgeschnitten. Jemand dringt in ihre Gedanken ein und schickt ihnen Botschaften. Offenbar sollen sie sich gegeneinander wenden, Opfer werden gefordert. Spielt ihnen ihr Gehirn Streiche? Ava muss sich ihrem eigenen Geheimnis stellen und die Frage beantworten, wie weit sie gehen würde, um selbst zu überleben. "
Das Pech verfolgt mich wie die Schuld und die Geheimnisse der Protagonisten. Menno. Die Geschichte sollte ein Jugendthriller sein, aber was habe ich bekommen? Irgend so eine übernatürliche Geschichte mit einem "Geist" der "Whisper" heißt und den "Einen" braucht, sodass dieser weiterleben kann indem dieser den Körper einer der Jugendlichen übernimmt. Wow.
Also mir hat das Ganze überhaupt nicht gefallen. ich fand es verwirrend, unlogisch und schlecht.
Die Charaktere bleiben seicht und ich mochte alle nicht. Es gab den einen oder anderen Moment wo ich dachte interessant, aber das verflüchtigte sich aber leider sehr schnell.
Ne das war nichts für mich. Ich kann dieses Buch nicht weiterempfehlen. Ich weiß auch gar nicht was das mit einem Thriller zu tun haben soll. Naja was solls.
Ava wird zum Portgrave Pier gelockt, einem verlassenen, heruntergekommenen Freizeitpark in ihrer Heimatstadt. Genau wie neun andere Jugendliche, von denen sie manche kennt, manche nicht. Jeder von ihnen hat eine rätselhafte, erpresserische Einladung erhalten – mit der Anspielung auf ein großes persönliches Geheimnis, das er um keinen Preis verraten will. Bald verschwindet der Pier im Nebel, sie sind von der Außenwelt abgeschnitten. Jemand dringt in ihre Gedanken ein und schickt ihnen Botschaften. Offenbar sollen sie sich gegeneinander wenden, Opfer werden gefordert. Spielt ihnen ihr Gehirn Streiche? Ava muss sich ihrem eigenen Geheimnis stellen und die Frage beantworten, wie weit sie gehen würde, um selbst zu überleben. "
Das Pech verfolgt mich wie die Schuld und die Geheimnisse der Protagonisten. Menno. Die Geschichte sollte ein Jugendthriller sein, aber was habe ich bekommen? Irgend so eine übernatürliche Geschichte mit einem "Geist" der "Whisper" heißt und den "Einen" braucht, sodass dieser weiterleben kann indem dieser den Körper einer der Jugendlichen übernimmt. Wow.
Also mir hat das Ganze überhaupt nicht gefallen. ich fand es verwirrend, unlogisch und schlecht.
Die Charaktere bleiben seicht und ich mochte alle nicht. Es gab den einen oder anderen Moment wo ich dachte interessant, aber das verflüchtigte sich aber leider sehr schnell.
Ne das war nichts für mich. Ich kann dieses Buch nicht weiterempfehlen. Ich weiß auch gar nicht was das mit einem Thriller zu tun haben soll. Naja was solls.
April 12, 2023
Good Girls Die First was a promising YA paranormal thriller, with the perfectly creepy setting of an abandoned pier funfair. It took a while for this book to grab my interest but even when it did, I never really loved reading it. The secrets for which the characters were invited to the pier were pretty predictable, so it would have been nice for them to have been a little more puzzling. Also the mystery at the heart of the entire book was explained relatively early on. Once this was revealed, the tension and horror were no longer there in quite the same capacity, and it became more about survival. However with not being attached to any of the characters, I was not particularly engaged with this either.
Throughout the story most of the characters made obviously stupid decisions, possibly as a result of what was going on around them, but this did not make their stupidity any more fun to read about. The characters themselves were incredibly flat, often solely defined by one characteristic or event from their past.
Good Girls Die First had an interesting premise, but unfortunately it was an underwhelming read. The characters were one-dimensional and the secrets that propelled the plot were very predictable.
Rating - 2/5
★★
There is also a link to this review on my blog here!
Throughout the story most of the characters made obviously stupid decisions, possibly as a result of what was going on around them, but this did not make their stupidity any more fun to read about. The characters themselves were incredibly flat, often solely defined by one characteristic or event from their past.
Good Girls Die First had an interesting premise, but unfortunately it was an underwhelming read. The characters were one-dimensional and the secrets that propelled the plot were very predictable.
Rating - 2/5
★★
There is also a link to this review on my blog here!
April 15, 2022
This is one if the most beautiful book covers I've ever seen, and I had to have it!
Unfortunately, the book didn't live up to the cover.
Here's what I did like:
~The abandoned carnival setting was so creepy! Loved the imagery and the atmosphere.
~I liked that this was a locked room style mystery with a supernatural twist.
~The supernatural twist was well done. I enjoyed the villan, the mind games he played and the characters' slow descent into madness
As for what went wrong:
~The plot has as much subtlety as a brick to the head. There was no foreshadowing or build up of tension. The slow unraveling of secrets should have come as a shock. Unforunately, everyone's secrets were glaringly obvious from the start. Likewise, the question of who will die next should have come as a shock, but the sequence and circumstances under which each character dies was revealed at the beginning of the story. It was all very anticlimactic.
~And the ending was kind of not an ending at all, but not one laced with enough ambiguity to be interesting.
This book wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. If you're looking for YA fiction centered around a creepy carnival, watch the 2019 Are You Afraid of the Dark reboot instead.
Unfortunately, the book didn't live up to the cover.
Here's what I did like:
~The abandoned carnival setting was so creepy! Loved the imagery and the atmosphere.
~I liked that this was a locked room style mystery with a supernatural twist.
~The supernatural twist was well done. I enjoyed the villan, the mind games he played and the characters' slow descent into madness
As for what went wrong:
~The plot has as much subtlety as a brick to the head. There was no foreshadowing or build up of tension. The slow unraveling of secrets should have come as a shock. Unforunately, everyone's secrets were glaringly obvious from the start. Likewise, the question of who will die next should have come as a shock, but the sequence and circumstances under which each character dies was revealed at the beginning of the story. It was all very anticlimactic.
~And the ending was kind of not an ending at all, but not one laced with enough ambiguity to be interesting.
This book wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. If you're looking for YA fiction centered around a creepy carnival, watch the 2019 Are You Afraid of the Dark reboot instead.
June 4, 2023
Ava receives a note asking her to go to an abandoned carnival on Portgrave Pier. If she does not show up, her darkest secret will be revealed.
When she gets there, she realizes that other people that she knows have been blackmailed as well. But what secrets are they hiding?
I truly loved the setting for this book. What is more atmospheric than an abandoned and cursed carnival. The idea for the story and the atmosphere were great but I wish the author would not have held back so much with the horror. The focus was a bit more in the drama and the secrets (that include trigger warnings) than in the more horrific aspects and history of the place that could have been exploited a lot more in my opinion.
There also seemed to be an issue with showing instead of telling and the plot was predictable. Some things are also revealed a bit too early and it makes the mystery element just go out the window.
But this is going to be perfect for YA readers looking for a creepy paranormal story that is easy to handle if you are a newbie to horror.
When she gets there, she realizes that other people that she knows have been blackmailed as well. But what secrets are they hiding?
I truly loved the setting for this book. What is more atmospheric than an abandoned and cursed carnival. The idea for the story and the atmosphere were great but I wish the author would not have held back so much with the horror. The focus was a bit more in the drama and the secrets (that include trigger warnings) than in the more horrific aspects and history of the place that could have been exploited a lot more in my opinion.
There also seemed to be an issue with showing instead of telling and the plot was predictable. Some things are also revealed a bit too early and it makes the mystery element just go out the window.
But this is going to be perfect for YA readers looking for a creepy paranormal story that is easy to handle if you are a newbie to horror.
April 6, 2022
oh. my. god. the only word I can think of to describe this book is chilling. truly chilling. I've had this book for ages and tried to read it a couple times now but I'm really not good with scary things so this got to me. this time however I read it during the day to make it less scary. honestly, the way everything just worked together in the end was amazing, all the pieces of the puzzle just perfectly lined up which I loved. the relationships between all the characters are so clear and defined it was incredible to read the interactions. there were so many bits where every detail matters, it's quite astounding to read a book where you can tell everything is so well thought out beforehand. the only thing I would say is that it probably is more aimed at teenagers/young adults. I would definitely recommend this even if it's not normally your kind of thing. I can already tell that I'll still be thinking about this book for months to come.
July 19, 2025
it kind of seemed like five survive, just a different font. none of the characters really had a likeable personality and i just couldn’t connect with any of them. i wasn’t a big fan of the ending and i feel like there were parts in the book that had me confused because the plot just spiralled out of control a bit
November 24, 2021
Too fast-paced and sloppy for me. I dont know how teenagers can be so stupid and there were so many points where something important was brushed over by them. They were all very unlikable too apart from Esme and Noah.
September 30, 2023
when i saw the villain was called Whispers, i knew this wasn't gonna be mindblowing stuff
June 20, 2023
so confusing
October 14, 2024
Il libro è molto particolare, la trama per come è strutturata e per certi aspetti mi ha ricordato "dieci piccoli indiani" di Agatha Christie. È una via di mezzo tra thriller, fantasy e horror e seppur non è proprio il mio genere l'ho divorato, proprio per capire come finisse la storia. L'epilogo mi ha abbastanza soddisfatto, con colpo di scena finale.
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