Final Friends Trilogy

Final Friends #1-3

by Christopher Pike

This is an omnibus edition of the "Final Friends" series of horror titles for teenage readers: "The Party", "The Dance" and "The Graduation"

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Horror, Romance, Fiction, Thriller, Fantasy

701 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1993

About the author

Christopher Pike is the pseudonym of Kevin McFadden. He is a bestselling author of young adult and children's fiction who specializes in the thriller genre.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

McFadden was born in New York but grew up in California where he stills lives in today. A college drop-out, he did factory work, painted houses and programmed computers before becoming a recognized author. Initially unsuccessful when he set out to write science fiction and adult mystery, it was not until his work caught the attention of an editor who suggested he write a teen thriller that he became a hit. The result was Slumber Party (1985), a book about a group of teenagers who run into bizarre and violent events during a ski weekend. After that he wrote Weekend and Chain Letter. All three books went on to become bestsellers.

Reviews

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you RottGrl for letting me know I had TWO reviews of this book up..so I have combined them into one!


“Pretty girls always hate other pretty girls.”
― Christopher Pike, Until the End

This is a YA trilogy that is about 900 pages long.

This is told in three installments. The plot revolves around a group of friends and one of them is killed at a party. The death is declared a suicide.

Alice, the girl killed, has never been suicidal but she was found with a gun in her hand. Everyone said it was a suicide. That is what the autopsy lists.

Only Michael does not believe it. Michael is a genius..literally..he is smarter then many people twice his age and he knows Alice did not kill herself.

This book is an exploration of friendship, secrets, trauma, guilt and deceit. As Michael digs deep, he discovers he does not know his friends as well as he thought. And really anyone could have killed Alice. He also discovers love for the first time but the object of his affection is dating someone else so there is a but of romance as well.

If one does not want to read all three together they are available separately but really this series is unputdownable so best to just put some time aside and gobble it up!. Four stars for a fascinating trilogy. Huge book but worth every page.

So this is broken into three parts and I really enjoyed each one, with part one being my favorite and part two being my least. Part three of coarse is the conclusion and man what a ride Pike takes us on!

One thing I want to make clear. This is an any age book. As long as you like mysteries, do not mind reading about high school kids and like or do not mind long books, you will have a field day with this one. Each part is also available as a stand alone book if one wants to do it that way.

I cannot stress how good the character development is. I adored Sara as well as Russ. But I also strangely liked Bubba. His wit was apparent so early on that I really did not want him to be the killer . He was a great character.

SPOILERS:

I did not love the end although I did not dislike it. There had been so many suspects I was a little let down that it wound up being who it pointed to being all along. That was almost a surprise because it was so obvious it was Polly I did think a few times, maybe we were being led in the wrong direction.

The books winds up a bit to neatly..I confess to rolling my eye s as it sort of morphed into chick lit with the ending. .but then again..after reading so many pages, it is nice to have a decent ending. All in all, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to readers of mysteries or YA or suspense!

[Ernest Oh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book for a variety of reasons. Firstly, I liked the genre of the book: romance, mystery, young adult. Secondly, it was very well crafted in terms of both the plot and the characters. Many people seem to disagree with the latter, however, stating that they could not finish the book because of their dislike towards certain characters, Jessica (main protagonist), for instance. I however, strongly disagree with that opinion and also think that one does not have the right to 'review' a book without even completing it, after all, development is a crucial factor in novels, and it does take time. Characters like Jessica hart may initially be portrayed as immature, irresponsible, self-centered, but that all changes throughout the book as the characters develop. Jessica learns to become selfless, learns to love, learns to be understanding and responsible as the novel proceeds and without completing the novel, it is impossible to note this development which is one key factor that enables me to confidently say that this book was a fabulous.

In regards to the story line, I found the mystery genre a very interesting combination with the romantic side of the novel. Initially they seem contradictory, but Christopher Pike does well in blending the two together in this novel, balancing them out well throughout. The mystery of the friend's death at the party was undoubtedly a strong component of the plot, and it grabbed my curiosity all the way through to the end. I must however admit, the ending to this whole 'murder case' was a bit disappointing, but still not disappointing nonetheless.

In terms of the author's writing skills, I claim that it is one of the best. His use of language is incredible and as I read, I could picture out every scene crystal clear. Humor is also evident in this book, giving us a break from the tense atmosphere from time to time.

One thing I didn't quite like about this book however, is the large range of character perspectives throughout. Perhaps on the positive side, by doing this, we get the insight to many (around 5 or 6) different characters in the novel, allowing us to connect with each one. On the negative side, it seems it furthers us away from the main protagonists(jessie and michael) which we (or at least I) most looked forward to read. Nonetheless, each character was unique and was fun to read (although, as I said, I would have liked to read more in the focus of Jessie/Michael)

Overall, I have rated this book a 4/5 - Not a masterpiece, but a very good read, and I would recommend it to anyone, especially teenagers as it is, after all, a young adult sectioned book.

[Circa Girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I re-read this series recently for nostalgia sake since Christopher Pike is the author whose work got me into reading. I'm surprised so many people found the characters unlikable because I feel the author's development of the various characters in the series is one of the best traits of the books. Even the shallow characters like Jessica change significantly over the course of the book and witnessing their coming of age and identity transition is very powerful. I also love his subtle inclusion of spirituality (non-categoried), horror, humor, and romance in various places.

In many way this series holds up even better now as I am able to appreciate Micheal and Jessica's relationship and romantic chemistry more. In addition, Pike is really good about appreciating quirkiness in his characters with this series- Bubba, Sara, and Kats were funny, weird, awkward and quirky enough to be original, memorable, and refreshing. I also feel that Pike is very good at expressing through his character's development, the main plot themes of grief, death, and lingering questions, as well as the maudlin atmosphere of the graduation ceremony that the hardest element of transitioning into adulthood is letting go and saying goodbye to many comforts, friends, and priorities. All of the characters are shaken by the death of their friend and have to face the fact that life is short, unfair, and tomorrow cannot be promised. Following from this, several characters, Micheal especially, are put up against the concept of the afterlife, spirituality, and the horror of the unknown. The unknown being represented as many things in this story: murder suspects & motive, the afterlife, post-highschool life, the people they are going to become, sex, etc. Altogether, the message of the horror of coping with change and entering an unknown phase of life I think is meaningful and empathetic to nearly any reader.

The only negatives I can recall is the ultimate conclusion and revelation of the murder mystery. SPOILERS AHEAD. I thought Polly's delusion of Clark was creepy and interesting, but making out the death of one of the characters to be an accident and something sympathetic killed the dramatic tension. It was even weirder that despite being a lunatic, tampering with evidence, and intending to kill many people, Polly's friends forgive her and convince her to forgive herself and move on. WHAT THE WHAT?! It even went so far as to have all the girlfriends, including Polly, laugh and cry together. Seeing as Pike has been willing to go to darker places in his other books invovling mystery, I'm going to assume this safe choice had to do with insecurities about the YA market or perhaps the publisher he worked with wanted to lighten up the horror, tension, and dark themes a bit to be appropriate to the genre. Either way, don't go into this series for the mystery because it will disappoint you. Go into this series for the excellent character development and romance.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This really should have been a 2 star read. I thought about DNF’ing this book so many times, but I will admit, I had to find out what happened. So In turn, I’ll give it 3 stars.

I dunno. Maybe I’m too old to have read this. ALL of the characters in this book, except Nick and the Rock annoyed the ever living piss out of me. I disliked them all so much, I wanted to stab my eyes out with a rusty fork. And I have teenagers the same age as these kids!!! My teenagers don’t even act like that lol

The premise of the book was alright. I think that is the reason why I kept reading, because the author worded the story in a way that I just had to see who was doing these things. And I thought I had it pegged to who it was...I was wrong.

If you want to waste some time and want something to be an in between, read this. It’s about all I can offer for this.

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before Stephen King eclipsed all other authors in my heart, there was another. One I think of as my "pre-Stephen-King" and that was Christopher Pike. I devoured all of his books I could get a hold of in high school. The other big horror writer of the day was R. L. Stine and I don't remember what it was that I preferred in Christopher Pike. I think I liked how some of his stories were less "evil dead cheerleader" and more "bizarro sci-fi murder mystery". With time travel. And lizard people evolving into humans.

Recently, I've noticed Pike's been making something of a comeback, so I thought it might be interesting to revisit some of the YA out when I was a teen (dating myself I know). I began this trip with one of Pike's most popular series, the Final Friends trilogy, now republished as one book, Until the End. I should note that this isn't my first return to Pike as an adult. I tried to read The Cold One and let's just say it did NOT hold up.

I am, however, delighted to say that Until the End does hold up. It's a decent little murder mystery trilogy. Although it might have been better had I not remembered the solution to the mystery or if any ONE of the possible suspects had a real motive. That's probably the biggest flaw of the books. The mystery centres on the apparent suicide of Alice McCoy at the end of a party ringing in the new school year. The case appears open and shut but only Michael's obsession, and a few tiny inconsistencies, make it a mystery. The problem is, none of the people left at the end of the party have a reason to kill Alice. She's a sweet, beautiful young girl that everyone loves. If this were written today, she'd have secret lovers that are too old for her and steal people's boyfriends. But she doesn't - Alice is exactly as she seems and Pike never tries to make us think otherwise.

The focus really isn't on the murder/suicide mystery itself. Pike treats it more like a subplot for Michael to occasionally dwell on rather than the driving force of the trilogy. Mostly the series is about how these people navigate their senior year and fall in love with each other. The book is full of romances built on very little. Characters meet, become attracted to each other, stumble through misunderstandings and then somehow end up in love even though a lot of them spend months apart and never talk. The most developed relationship is between two of the characters who never get a pov - Bubba and Clair. They are the only couple to actually date throughout the whole senior year and the only one I can see extending beyond high school.

Let's talk about Bubba and Clair, shall we? Clair is easy - she's the gorgeous head cheerleader who I think we're supposed to hate, but is actually sweet, levelheaded and not a mean girl (another thing that would be different today). I actually wish we could have gotten to know her better. Bubba, on the other hand, oh Bubba. Well, Bubba sucks. He's my least favourite character. He's very Barney Stinson - misogynistic womanizer, inexplicably rich and somehow magical. He knows everything, controls everything, and despite his awfulness, everyone accepts and loves him. His only redeeming qualities are his loyalty to Clair and his friendship with Michael. Generally, I find him unrealistic and creepy.

As for the other pov characters, Jessica, Michael, Polly, Sara, and Nick, my favourite ones are Sara and Nick. Sara is feisty and bossy. When I'm reading her chapters, the book is energized and fun. Nick has a nice contemplative simplicity that I find I can like and respect. Jessica is too self-deprecating and despite being down on herself for her flaws, some genuine and others exaggerated, she does nothing to better herself. Polly's chapters just make me sad - she is truly the tragic character in all of this. I just want to hug the girl. Michael's problem is the same problem with Bubba - he's not very realistic. Sure, he's a better person than Bubba, but he's too perfect.

Michael is a quiet genius who is well-loved and a "good person". I think we're all supposed to be in love with him - like half the cast is - but I wasn't. He obsesses over Alice's death, but only sometimes. There are many weeks and months that go by without him working on it just so everything can be solved at graduation instead of at a less plot convenient time. He's also apparently smarter than everyone else (something we're told more than shown) and he even discovers a new comet.

Despite the flaws though, the books are a fun, easy read. They are not scary and there's no real tension until the climax when things actually ramp up quite a bit. If you want something light to read with a bit of a mystery, then pick this one up.

[Daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book and I definitely recommend it for the different perspectives and the realistic vibes I was getting and there r a few flaws but overall a good read on goodreads!😉

[Miz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just like a modern day Agatha Christie. However it was loooooooonnnggg and really didn't need to be presented as three novels. But how it unfolded was really interesting, until the end reveal which was a bit of a letdown. So was good, then bad, and overall it was passable.

[Sassy Sarah Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Dance- 1 star
The Party- 1.5 stars
The Graduation- 2 stars

Full thoughts to come later.

[Carol Storm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not finish, but I did read the entire first novel of the three books included and I'd like to share some thoughts.

When I picked this book up I was expecting a Fear Street or Goosebumps type read, but aimed at teenagers. The strange thing about it is that it was much better than I was expecting, as far as characters were concerned, but much worse as far as thrills and horror.

There are a bunch of teenagers introduced in the first book, and I really connected with several of them. There's a tough black kid from the hood who's trying to fit in at a rich all-white school. There's a bad-boy athlete who stands up for some misfit kids against the jocks, even though he has a serious drinking problem. There's a girl named Jessica who has prom-queen looks but is seriously interested in chemistry and science. There were a lot of positive things building up.

What wasn't building up was any real terror or suspense. Two sisters are dating some creepy guy who's obviously some kind of old-fashioned vampire -- but the whole book plays out and he never shows his hand. There's a tragic death at the end, but it doesn't come across as supernatural, just really sad. And there are no clear cut winners.

So I bailed after the first novel of the three. But this was a book someone just dumped at the library in a grocery bag, so what the heck.

[Alyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is book is three books in one so it is really thick. It is told from multiple points of views so if you don't like books like that then don't bother reading this book. It might confuse you like it did some people. I wasn't confused though but then I'm used to reading books with multiple view points.

The different points of views are from these characters:

Jessica - A Senior. New to the high school. Typical popular female interests such as cute guys and being homecoming queen.

Michael - A Senior. One of the smartest kids in the high school. Has a crush on Jessica after he meets her.

Sarah - A Senior. New to the high school. Friends with Jessica. Outspoken.

Polly - A Senior. New to the high school. Friends with Jessica and Sarah.

Nick - A Senior. New to the high school. Becomes friends with Michael.

The first book, The Party, is where we meet all of the characters. It is the beginning of a new school year and Alice decides to throw a party at her house. She wants to invite some of the most popular kids in the school to attend the party but her older sister Polly doesn't want one. Alice gets Sarah and Jessica, friends of both sisters, to convince Polly to allow the party to happen, which they do. Alice is throwing the party because her old High School was closed down and all the students were split and sent to two different High Schools. She wants the party so kids from both schools can get to know each other better. A few things happen before the party. New friendships and crushes are created. You see the beginning of a love triangle. You get a sense of what type of person each character is. Then the night of the party arrives and as usual the party gets out of control with uninvited people showing up and at the end of the party one person ends up dead. The police believe it's a suicide and closes the case. Only one person, Michael, doesn't think it's true. He was close friends with the person who died and felt the person wasn't suicidal at all.

The second book, The Dance, is about the Homecoming dance. Everyone has moved on with their life except for Michael. He has decided to take the case into his own hands but he is having trouble piecing everything together because not everyone wants to talk about what happened at the party. Those who did talk didn't tell everything too for their own reasons. This book ends with another accident on the night of the Homecoming dance.

The third book, The Graduation ends with everyone meeting up again a few months after the night of the accident on Homecoming night. It appears everyone went their own way after the accident. Michael has spent all of his time searching for clues to the death of his friend. He finally pieces everything together while on the cruise, which is the Senior class field trip. The mystery is solved and everyone lives happily ever after.

The first book was slow. I felt it was slow though because there are so many characters. The second book if anything was even slower. It got slower once I solved the mystery. I just kept reading to see how long it would take Michael to solve everything and to see what happens once he solves it. The third book is the better of the three books. It was a much faster read and we get to see everything connect. There were some things that came as surprises to the characters but it didn't surprise me at all. For example, I knew why Bill acted so strange around Jessica. I knew since the first book but she didn't see it at all until the last book. And of course the author doesn't reveal why until the last book either but it's pretty obvious in the first book.

I'm giving this book only three stars because the first two books dragged on too long and because I wasn't surprised with any of the surprises. I also didn't like Jessica at all. She's as selfish as selfish comes and she is beyond stupid. I can't stand girls like her. All the other characters were fine though.

[Adelina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is excellently written. I could not put it down. Every chance I got I read it. When the mystery of who killed Alice is revealed, it is a little confusing to understand but if you read that section once or twice again, it becomes clear. Throughout the book, my guess on who it was changed almost every chapter. You won't be able to put this book down because Pike keeps you guessing till the end.

[Kennedy · Rating 1 out of 5]

So dumb!!!

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

June 2025: Finished another reread and my previous rating and review stands.

July 2022: Finished a reread & my previous rating and review stand.

Original review below:

Until the End by Christopher Pike is his original trilogy titled Final Friends. Until the End contains the three books: The Party, The Dance, and The Graduation. The Party and The Dance were both originally released in 1988 and The Graduation came out in 1989. I wish they would have kept the original Final Friends title, because it’s an actual line in the book and I think it ties the trilogy together a bit better.

When I found Until the End at a bookstore during some travel, I squealed. No lie. Squealed loudly and most likely frightened the couple browsing in the next aisle over. The squeal came from stumbling upon the “Pike” name on the book’s spine. As a teenager and into my early twenties, I bought and devoured every Christopher Pike book available. I was obsessed. When I picked up Until the End and discovered that it was the entire Final Friends trilogy in one, super-thick book—I knew it was coming home with me. It took all I had not to plop down in the aisle and begin reading right there.

The Final Friends trilogy or Until the End is a YA mystery/thriller that’s contemporary. Because it was written in the late 1980’s, the pop culture references reflect that time, ie: mention of the “big TV movie The Day After” and of course, and of course, no cell phones plus what now would be considered archaic technology. Set in California, the story follows a group of friends and acquaintances attending the same high school. Most of the story is told from the perspective of Jessica Hart and Michael Olson.

Book One: The Party introduces the main characters and sets the stage for the tragedy that will bring them all together and tear many of them apart. Like many good mysteries, The Party ends with a dead body and a lot of questions.

Book Two: The Dance is the aftermath of that tragic party. Author Pike takes readers on a ride exploring the various reactions/coping mechanisms each character employs while also attempting to deal with daily teenage life. There’s ample witty dialogue, teen crushes, and general high school drama woven in as well, but the main thread continues to be the mystery. The Dance concludes with Homecoming and another tragedy.

Book Three: The Graduation picks up on the last day of high schools for this band of seniors. They’ve all experienced many ups and down during their last year of high school. Their all-night senior party aboard a cruise ship to Catalina is to be a great celebration, but someone has other plans. Everyone who had been present during the party when a life was lost, will be on that boat. More than one person has an agenda, and everyone is shocked by the revelations.

All three books of the trilogy are fast-paced and offer enough clues that an observant reader can begin to put together a theory or two on the who, what, and why. The characters, although a bit cliche at times, are overall likable and Pike does give them growth, as well as redemption for those in need of it.

Even after 30 years, the Final Friends trilogy by Christopher Pike still delights and entertains me. My inner teenage was transported back in time and that was just plain fun!

[Cici · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book thinking Big book. $8? Hell yes! I was hoping for a good book, or three books. I could only get past the first and that was pretty hard. I got a little lost from all of the this-character here-that-character-there-cant'-forgot-about-that-character. I can't even remember all of their names! There were just so many of them.
The book is supposed to be like this. "It’s the start of the school year, and the popular girls have decided to throw the best party, one their friends will never forget. But hooking up and hanging out are the farthest things from their minds when the unthinkable happens: Someone doesn't make it out of the party alive.
The death is declared a suicide, but nothing quite adds up. Convinced there’s a murderer on the loose, no one knows who they can turn to or who they can trust. Nowhere is safe, not the homecoming dance, not even graduation.

The truth will terrify them, but it must be revealed. Their lives depend on it.

First of all I'm almost positive all of the friends will never forget. I mean a girl died. It's not easily forgettable.
Second of all, in the first book, nothing happened till the last 20 pages.

I couldn't finish this book for the life of me. Not because of the size. I've read bigger in a day. I love big books. I really do. And, I fell in love with Christopher Pike's
Remember Me Omnibus: Remember Me; The Return; The Last Story. But, this book left me disappointed.
Other people may disagree though. Since I own this book, one day I will try to read it. Or, I'll just donate it.

[Edwina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Until the End by Christopher Pike was at first, let me tell you, an exceptional read. The first time I received this book as a gift and tried to read it, it was a complete failure so I decided this time round I would read it and not give up halfway or something like that. After nearly a week of intense reading, I have to say Until the End has exceeded beyond my expectations because it's hell of a good book. It focuses on high school students from their sophomore year all the way throughout to their graduation and how a party, one night, goes terribly wrong when a close friend of the group of teenagers is found dead. As the blurb states, some think it's suicide but within the close group of friends they know that it's not exactly a suicide but a murder. What I liked about this book was it kept on the edge of my seat the whole time. There was so much suspense and mystery and like a crime novel, it felt like an episode of Criminal Minds or CSI: NY. It's descriptions were superb and you could almost feel a gloomy sense of strangeness when reading the novel. It effectively puts the reader in the place of the novel. Every character was written articulately as well as the relationships that are formed in the novel which definitely resembles what high school students/teenagers would have during that time of their life. I can say that Christopher Pike is a good author given that this book was not a letdown regardless of it having 846 pages. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

[Carmen Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the ending of the book. It definitely made up for the rest. Overall, I'll give this book 3 out of 5 stars because it had the romance, the action, the mystery, and suspense. It kept me interested. I would say there were definitely slow parts. There were parts that you didn't really understand why they were in the story at all, but by the end everything clears up and you finally understand why it was included in the story. The main character, Jessie, annoyed me at first because she was so set on superficial things (i.e. becoming homecoming queen, having the popular boyfriend). But in the end, she seemed to have gotten a little more wise, so she wasn't as annoying. I loved Michael! He was probably my favorite character of the book. He was intelligent, strong, attractive; everything I'd want my boyfriend to be. Plus, he named the comet that he discovered after Jessie! So cute!!!

[Maddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is an easy but you do have to think all the way through. this book keeps you wondering until the last couple of chapter when the big secret is revealed. i also found this story very sad because i could connect with one of the main characters in the book and her relationship with her friend. i think this relationship is a very relatable to most people so it will touch home with many. when you start this book it is almost impossible to put down because of how it gives you clues to the secret but the clues do not connect until the end. the way this book lead you on as you read is almost the same way the movie "the sixth scents" only makes sense when you finish it and how you do not even think about that possible until they tell you about it. this like many of the books i like is a young adults book but might also be enjoyed but some adult women as a relaxing book.

[Michelle (Pink Polka Dot Books) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Im still reading but I don't know if I'm going to make it! It's really boring and the characters are completely unlikable. With as many as there are you'd think there would be a few that I could gravitate to, but I really can't stand any of them. Michael is okay, but he's got to be the dumbest smart kid that there ever was. Another thing is that for a GIGANTIC book I think it is written for preteens because the writing is too young for my reading level. We'll see if I can get through it. I really want to because I bought it and put it on my list for a book club challenge :(

[Lacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too unrealistic for me. Examples:
1. Polly is not arrested at the end, even though she blew up a boat and caused bodily harm. She also tampered with evidence.
2. Plans of several people all line-up for a final meeting in the engine room.
3. The beautiful, model/cheerleader falls in love with the short, fat, obnoxious smart guy who gets her pregnant and then shows up late to pick her up from the abortion. Yeah, I can see why she would want to marry him right after graduation. As if!!

The list can go on, but it was just too predictable and not realistic.

[Mari Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, this book will change your life. So incredibly well written, great story, A MUST READ.

I remember reading this the first time and I just had my eyes glued to the pages during all of the school day. Eventually the principal came up to me and said "What is that book, you've been reading it nonstop." May I remind you, principals rarely ever interact with students. If you are considering reading this book, I give you my word that it is a fantastic piece of art that you will not be able to put down!

[Jada Simone · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the first few chapters I was going to give up Christopher pike has a unique way of writing and I think this book is different from what he normally writes but the end was both surprising and fantastic I recommend that if you're reading this book you should just tough it out and read to the end

[Fatima Souane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reason why this is a big novel is because it has three books put together: The Party, The Dance, and The Graduation. I believe that this book was fantastically written and well done! Michael was so smart. Jessica and Michael are my favorite character. I strongly recommend this novel. I am glad i finished it in three days!

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love this story.. a combination of 3 books. a high school murder mystery set in the 80s'. great writing for a young adult book. and an absolutely amazing story. one of my all time favorites.

[Stina Lindenblatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's actually more like a 3.5 stars. I would have ranked it higher, but the first half of the book is kind of slow. I couldn't put it down once I got to GRADULATION.

[Gene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoroughly confusing until the end (SEE WHAT I DID THERE? And it wasn't even on purpose at first!!).

[Karol · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a very interesting ending. Not something I expected to happen, though events seemed kind of bunched up or randomish.

[zoey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alrighty. I have some thoughts. First things first, I regret using my own money to buy this book. It was an okay book, but definitely not worth the 13 Canadian dollars plus tax and shipping I used. I should have asked for someone else to buy it for me for Christmas or something.

Secondly, this book was written in 1988 and 1989. Which doesn't excuse the body-shaming and f-slur used in this book, but at least gives context. The body-shaming was...a lot in this book. It was gross.

Now, when I first read this book, I think I tolerated Bubba. I probably saw him more as the comedic character. This second read though, I couldn't stand him. He just got worse and worse as the novel went on.

Also, Sara and Russ' relationship is not it. "They're at each other's throats. They're in love" (836). I really don't think that is a very healthy relationship to have. It kinda sounds like it's trying to be "they challenge each other to be better" but the amount of yelling and arguing Sara and Russ do...I really don't think they should have ended up with each other. I think they need to be alone and have some self-discovery.

I have a lot of bad things to say about this novel but I still rated it 3 stars. Again, it was...alright. Perhaps if I hadn't read this book previously and nostalgia wasn't a factor, my rating would be lower.

SPOILERS BELOW

I'm going to go back to the body-shaming because I saved the pages with the worst ones. They are all directed towards Polly, who is described as not being thin like all the other characters in the book. They think so awfully towards her.

"Polly had already gotten ahold of a candy bar. She ate a lot of sweets these days, and it showed, especially in her face. What a pity. When thin, Polly was a doll" (23).

"[Polly] ate like a bird. She had lost twenty pounds in the last two months since she had lost her sister Alice. It was weird, she looked better than she had in years" (262).

"[Polly] looked—in Sara's truly unbiased opinion—downright voluptuous. That was what happened when fat girls got skinny" (269).

"Clark showed interest. 'How's [Polly] looking these days?' 'Thin and sexy'" (833)

Furthermore, Jessie was kind of annoying. "Jessica didn't take compliments well. To simply accept them, she felt, was to acknowledge that her looks were important to her...On the other hand, she did love to be complimented" (14). It just reminded me too much of Y/N fanfics where the main character "isn't like other girls".

Also, why was Jessie even singing at graduation? That made no sense to me. There was no scene beforehand where it showed that Jessie sang, let alone could play the piano. The plot point seemed to come out of nowhere. Did she really have to be involved with the grad ceremony that bad?

[Kacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been trying to read this book for 7 years. At first I thought I just hated the writing style. I also had started reading the book at such a bad time in my life that I figured I'd never get to read through it all.

I restarted it multiple times, never getting through half of the first book (since this is actually three novels in one) I only read through The Party once the very first time I read it. I couldn't put it down this time however. Partly I wanted to actually finish it. I mean it has been on my bookshelves and stashed with my collection of books as I've moved 5 times since buying it!

I gave it 5 stars because the ending completely changed the story for me. It's this whole mystery but the second book is kind of a dud to fill it up to three novels, not really giving much but to round the characters out a little.

This series (originally called Final Friends) has been out for decades! It's definitely not the hot commodity that a lot of other series are but to finally read the whole book I'm happy to have it in my collection. Will I reread it? Probably not. Will I recommend this to anyone? Not necessarily unless they like this author or they are looking for something different because it is a long read since there's three books to it!

[Regina · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I first started reading I was all in for who these characters were and what was going to happen in throughout this series. Pike's writing is simple enough to allow me to flow through the pages in a quick manner. But as I continued into the second book I found myself slowing down. It seemed like too much of a filler without as much detail on information of the death as I would have liked. I felt that even though Michael knew all these details about the case the readers weren't informed until almost the end of book 3. Considering all of my start and stop with it, I'm sure I forgot a few things that were shared.

The amount of characters and their dating/not dating lives did get confusing at times. I don't even remember the introduction of some of them or why they came into the story in the first place. I feel Pike could have cut out a couple of the characters and the series would have been just as interesting.

All in all, I did enjoy reading this. Unfortunately, the amount of time spent reading it was far longer than I would have liked. I'm sure there was a ton I grazed over and forgot due to that. Maybe I would have rated it higher had I not put it down so much.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected to flat out detest this book because of how outdated the majority of descriptions were for the all the characters. However, I found myself still entrenched in the mystery of it all, just like when I first read it. As an adult, I was able to see Pike's craft. Some sentences were jarring and at times the POV roved in ways that worked for the story but at times distracting. This time, I read this book as a reader and a writer and I enjoyed the ride. I actually want to read his adult novels now to see if I'd still enjoy his suspense tricks on the page. Enjoyable overall. A few hiccups but enjoyable.