Book Review: Bad Like Us by Gabriella Lepore


 **Disclaimer: I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Genre:  Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Release Date: March 5, 2024
Description:
"Spring break is a vibe—until someone gets murdered
Partying with popular classmates they barely know is not what Eva and her BFFs had in mind for their spring break. But things have been off ever since Miles' academic career took a turn for the worse (they don't talk about it), so a trip to a private beach lodge might be exactly what they need. And Eva won’t admit it, but the chance to reconnect with Colton is worth putting up with Piper’s constant livestreams to her thousands of “besties.”
At first, it’s all sand and waves, but tensions run high when an anonymous letter shakes up an already-flailing love triangle.
When someone turns up dead, Eva can’t even trust her closest friends—but she thinks she can trust Colton. As they get closer to the truth, they uncover secrets that upend everything they thought they knew about their fellow spring breakers."

This was a typical whodunit YA mystery/thriller novel. It had an interesting premise and was pretty easy to read and get through. We have an array of characters-some you trust, so you don't. It was pretty obvious who was going to end up murdered based on the lead-up to the incident. Despite the tragedy, I still didn't feel attached to any of the characters, not even our narrators. They weren't bad by any means, just not overly interesting. I also feel like the authorities could've played a bigger role, as I felt that their presence didn't feel strong enough even though a murder took place. 

For the actual mystery itself, it felt a bit underwhelming. All the secrets that were revealed by the characters didn't exactly live up to the build-up they were given, but I will say they were woven into the mystery rather well and it kept the plot going. 

Despite my share of cons of this book, it was still a pretty good read, so if you're craving a quick YA mystery thriller, this is still worth a read.  

Overall rating:  3.5/5

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