Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

The Amateurs - Sara Shepard

February 12, 2020.
Requested by Maria and Charlie.

Yayy! Thank you, Jenna

Maria wrote: "Yayy! Thank you, Jenna"

You're welcome. :) Enjoy!

I started this today! Through chapter 4 (view spoiler)[ Interesting how Aerin isn't into it now that she knows Maddy and Seneca are just teens. So this isn't going as smoothly as planned, for them.

I also find it incredibly interesting how Seneca took Maddy for a guy (which DOES sound like a girl's name, actually). That changes everything for her, apparently. Also funny how Maddox thinks his being a guy was obvious lol. I am really liking Seneca.

Do you think Maddy's past has anything to do with how Aerin treated him (kicked him out so quickly)? (hide spoiler)] interested to know your thoughts!

Just read the first chapter on my lunch break, so I won't click your spoilers yet! I'm really enjoying it so far. (view spoiler)[ I love that you jump straight into the story. One minute the girls are playing together, the next, one is gone.

I'm getting Sadie vibes from this book. Though I hope this one has a happier ending than that one. I love a good mystery but I just need everyone to be okay.

I love the idea of the website, it's a really cool concept. I purposely didn't read the blurb for this one, I wanted to go in blind. I saw it was Sara Shepard and knew it would be my kind of book. I've read some of her other books and loved them so I've got very high hopes for this one. (hide spoiler)]

Glad you're enjoying it! I love the concept, too. This is my first Shepard. I've wanted to read something by her, but her main series is way too long. My cousins enjoyed this one so I'm intrigued

Maria wrote: "Glad you're enjoying it! I love the concept, too. This is my first Shepard. I've wanted to read something by her, but her main series is way too long. My cousins enjoyed this one so I'm intrigued"

If you like this, I would recommend The Lying Game series, it's only 6 books long (and they're all quite short) but it's gripping and very fun.

I'll keep that in mind, thanks for the rec!

Maria wrote: "I started this today! Through chapter 4 Interesting how Aerin isn't into it now that she knows Maddy and Seneca are just teens. So this isn't going as smoothly as planned, for them.

I also find ..."

4 chapters in! (view spoiler)[

I think Aerin got her hopes up and now she's seen the investigators are teenagers, she assumes they'll be useless and that's why she was so awful to them. She definitely seems stuck up, she was super rude to Maddy. I wonder if they were ever friends.

Seneca's reaction to Maddy is weird. I wonder if she has some sort of trauma too. (hide spoiler)]

Through chapter 12. Well, this is a little stereotypical. (view spoiler)[ I don't like the way some characters are described. Madison, Maddox's sister, is the ultimate girly Asian girl. What with her screeching and pink clothes. And Hello Kitty. I don't know anyone this old who's into Hello Kitty

Anyway, I'm glad she's some help.

Also, ever since ch 7 or so, I'm not trusting these boys. Especially Brett. When you read his prescriptive, there's something ominous. Like the narrator's skipping over some details that would be too obvious (probably just me overanalyzing, I don't read many thrillers so I'm not good at guessing).

Even if Kevin did the murder, Brett may have been involved somehow. You saw how he rescued Seneca? Super fishy (hide spoiler)]

Charlie wrote: "Maria wrote: "I started this today! Through chapter 4 Interesting how . . ."

You raise some good points - I can't comment on them as you'll find out the answers later anyway!

Maria wrote: "Through chapter 12. Well, this is a little stereotypical. I don't like the way some characters are described. Madison, Maddox's sister, is the ultimate girly Asian girl. What with her screeching a..."


Madison's description bugged me too, she seems very two dimensional. But nice, which is a pleasant surprise.

I think Brett (view spoiler)[ coming to the rescue was really fishy too. I don't trust him.

I love books like this, because I'm rubbish at guessing what's going to happen, everything is a surprise. (hide spoiler)]

Same

I've fallen behind a bit. Been busy with classes and all. Will try to catch up today

No problem, no rush :)

20 chapters in (view spoiler)[ so it doesn't seem like Kevin killed Helena, this Loren guy seems like a good suspect.

They're about to interview the guy from the band, I'm very curious about him. (hide spoiler)]

Charlie wrote: "No problem, no rush :)

20 chapters in so it doesn't seem like . . . "

Yeah, we totally (view spoiler)[ got the tone of that yearbook dedication wrong.
I feel like a lot of the kids here are into older people lol. Kevin, Helena, Maddox...

Did you see how Seneca got the info out of the art gallery's receptionist? She's so cool. She probably IS the smartest of them! (hide spoiler)]

@Maria agreed! Seneca is super cool! She was very smooth with that receptionist, very believable.

In finished! (view spoiler)[ I can't believe the ending! Freaking Brett!

There's still so many questions unanswered. Why did he kill Helena, why did he frame Mr Ingram? What about the running coach?! In those messages on Under Wraps (is that what it's called?!), Who is the 'she' he kept talking about?

My theory is obviously wrong but here is what I thought happened:

It was Mr Ingram's son that was dating Helena and using the apartment. He was also dating Katharine the running coach at the same time. She got jealous and killed Helena. Mrs Ingram found the body, assumed her husband did it and covered it up. When DNA was found in the apartment, Mr Ingram thought his son did it and so he pretended to have the affair in order to protect him.

Clearly it was Brett but some things just don't add up.

I really enjoyed this, it was really fun and I'd like to continue the series in the future. (hide spoiler)]

Nice, Charlie! That's really elaborate and would totally make sense, except for the ending, of course. I'm actually disappointed. (view spoiler)[ Brett was already fishy from the get-go. And I picked up the comment: "blondes would be the death of him" comment at that party in New York he threw..when he was trying to kiss the drunk Aerin.

It so would make sense for Catherine to be the killer! She's strong, too, and could beat up the guys alright. So I don't know. Hers storyline isn't finished yet, though.

It's probably clear now that the "her" in Mr. Ingram's messages wasn't Mrs. Ingram. (hide spoiler)]

The plot was sloppy. Not much happened in the first half, felt like they were just roaming around and getting to know each other. And then they picked up on some clues after the first half, as if the mystery solving just started then.

I can only imagine reading the sequel because of the characters. Shepard worked quite a bit on them, knowing this would make it into a series. I love Seneca, and I like Maddox. I think I'd miss them after a while.

What about you? Would you be continuing the series?

I do want to continue at some point. I'm curious as to how it all unfolds.

I agree about the plot being sloppy, some things weren't resolved and others were a little too convenient and seemed to happen all at once. I did really enjoy it though.

Cool! Maybe we can read the other ones together, whenever we feel like it?

Thanks for buddy reading with me! 😊 it's always fun with mystery reads especially

Absolutely! I'd say sometime in the next few months for sure.

Thanks for reading with me, it's been great!

Charlie wrote: "Absolutely! I'd say sometime in the next few months for sure."

Ok!