Mia’s Reviews > Death at Morning House > Status Update
Mia
is on page 305 of 372
I can’t deal with this book any longerrrrrr. I’ve read the same event in the past timeline about the day Max and Clara died over and over, just from different viewpoints that offer nothing new. The pacing is so off with these flashbacks added in while Marlowe is trying to escape a burning building. There’s no tension or drive to keep reading because the writing is so distanced from it all
— Jul 10, 2026 07:42AM
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Mia
is on page 272 of 372
This is the least thrilling mystery I’ve ever read. I’ve gone from being kind of indifferent about it to being bored by it to now actually just straight up disliking it. I’ve had to spoil it for myself and not even the reveals are shocking enough to make me more intrigued. Marlowe is the wrong protagonist for this book I’m afraid. And that reveal of Max’s killer is literally the worst reveal in the world!!
— Jul 08, 2026 08:10AM
Mia
is on page 200 of 372
This is actually so boring what? I’m so sad! Even now that we’ve got an actual disappearance to solve, it’s still not hooking me in. Can’t bring myself to pick this up and read much
— Jul 03, 2026 09:44AM
Mia
is on page 154 of 372
Yeah…this is definitely not Johnson’s best book. There’s aspects of what could be a great story here but the actual reading experience for me has been uncharacteristically boring for a young adult mystery of this style. I’m worried about how rushed everything will inevitably be, since this is a standalone and I’m almost halfway and there’s still no sign of an actual plot or mystery to solve
— Jun 26, 2026 07:59AM
Mia
is on page 106 of 372
The vibes are great, the setting is great, and the writing is great, as expected from a Maureen Johnson book. But so far, the story just really isn’t hooking me in. Nothing mysterious at all yet. Even the characters don’t quite feel as strong as the ones in Truly Devious (or they’re just a copy of one that already existed in that series lol). Maybe I’m just in a bad reading slump
— Jun 22, 2026 09:52AM
Mia
is on page 67 of 372
So I don’t wanna speak too soon but this is eerily similar to Truly Devious. I know that’s the point, Johnson sticking to what her readers like, but it’s still weird. Ellingham Academy = Morning House. Albert = Phillip. Frankie = Clara. Dr Fenton = Dr Henson. Dual timeline with the mystery from the 1930s and present day teens in 2020s. There’s lots of repetitive exposition atm and no sign of a mystery yet
— Jun 16, 2026 09:37AM
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Jul 10, 2026 07:44AM
And the two separate timelines literally don’t overlap at all!! Riki briefly brings up the past death stuff and the Ralston history but Marlowe literally doesn’t have a single thought about it all. So there’s no mystery. We’re literally just told it all dryly in the flashbacks which also aren’t dramatic or thrilling at all. It’s like reading an author’s planning notes about what’s going to happen in the story, rather than reading a story play out itself
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