The Cheerleaders picks up 5 years after 5 cheerleaders died in different ways and follows Monica as she tries to piece together the clues to find out what actually happened to them whilst also dealing with personal issues.

The book is not bad, I actually liked the writing style and the tone of the book. The book is darker than your typical YA mystery novel both in the content/themes of the book and also the atmosphere of the book. I liked the main character; Monica was well written especially her emotions and struggles as she goes through a lot whilst uncovering the mystery.

I just did not like the mystery aspect of the book. Monica solves/discovers things way too quickly and she finds a lot of stuff out throughout the book but not much time is spent on each ‘reveal’ and so there is no build-up of suspense/tension and things are discovered and then dismissed too quickly. Throughout the book there are a few chapters from Monica’s sisters perspective which I did not like, especially because the resolve for her sister was rushed and so we get this perspective to understand her sister and yet her story feels unresolved, it feels kind of pointless in the end.

I also found that the side characters were not developed enough, Monica’s relationships with the side characters were all bland and so I did not care for any of them. I also found the main reveal disappointing, it was very cliché and the rushed and I thought it could have been built up a bit better to make it more shocking. There are also other things that happen in the book which I do not think were addressed well or enough which was disappointing.

2/5

An intriguing concept with a satisfying payoff, The Cheerleaders is a YA novel that teases and entertains throughout.

Synopsis: Something dark happened in Sunnybrook. 5 years later, the horrific deaths of Sunnybrook's cheer team are long-solved and the suspect dead, so why does something still not feel right?

This is a 'whodunnit' we care about solving. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader captivated but never fatigued. Additionally, the POV switches from Monica in the present day (the teenager trying to solve the town's mysterious deaths) to her dead cheerleader sister in the past. This switching of POV's keeps the narrative fresh and adds nuance to the story and to one of the victims. The story is well-paced in this respect; I kept meaning to take a break at the end of a chapter but found myself continuing on. There were plenty of hints at what really occurred 5 years ago throughout that make sense at the end a-la Agatha Christie and there is a payoff, just not the kind of payoff you expect...

The main characters are interesting and realistically teenage enough that we *want* to know what happened to them. However, some of the side-characters are dull and not fully-fleshed out (the mother in particular). Heavy topics: unwanted pregnancies, drug use, suicide etc. are constantly brought up to give the narrative depth and are mostly deftly handed. This is a book that doesn't coddle the reader.

Yet, this would have been a stronger mystery/detective novel if there was more actual investigating. For a character that is desperately trying to solve a crime, there wasn't much of an investigation. Most of the story plays out like this: A speaks to B, B tells A a clue, rinse and repeat.

There's always something fascinating about putting the shiny, bright, idealised American Cheerleader at the centre of a dark and twisted plot. I did enjoy The Cheerleaders and was invested in knowing what truly happened all those years ago in not-so-sunny Sunnybrook, but I would have enjoyed it much more if the investigator of these crimes did some more sleuthing.

Firstly, I really enjoyed this book. I'm really enjoying reading YA mystery thrillers and this is one of the better ones that I have read! The concept is intriguing straight away. I love it when a book presents to me a mystery and then tells me that more people may know the truth than you first think.

The Cheerleaders also deals with some pretty heavy topics, and is not the light read I had expected it to be from the cover. There was so much within the book that was both realistic and relatable; I really found myself connecting with both Monica and her sister throughout.

It was a super easy read and I found myself not wanting to put this down as I just had to know what happened next! So many YA mystery stories can be cheesy, but this one was honestly the complete opposite.

Thank you to both Macmillan Childrens Books and NetGalley for my copy of this title.

This is a solid thriller mystery - I didn't give it higher than three stars purely because I didn't care about the characters too much and there was nothing too standout different about it. However it was compulsive enough reading for me to finish it and I really liked the ending which slightly subverted the genre in that it wasn't all neatly tied together. It was cleverly done and for teens who won't yet have read too many crime/thriller mysteries yet it is good so I will still be recommending it for year 10 plus.

This book was OK.

Marketed for fans of Karen Mcmanus I thought this one was a poor comparison. Like I say it was ok, but thats all.

This book was such a thrill to read! I loved the twists and the turns, it left me gasping throughout. I would highly recommend this if you enjoyed 'One of Us is Lying.'

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan and Kara Thomas for providing this to me in exchange for an honest review.

This book was incredibly gripping to me. Five years ago, five cheerleaders died, two in a car accident, two in a murder and one by a supposed suicide. There is a mystery surrounding their deaths that Monica (a sister to one of the cheerleaders) shake. Slowly as the novel progresses Monica tries to uncover the truth behind the deaths, and in doing so uncovers a lot of uncomfortable truths.

The mystery aspect was brilliant, although slightly predictable in some places, some twists took me completely by surprise and make you second guess other things. The story line did have me hooked and I finished it very quickly, the switching between Monica's present and her sister's past five years ago added more to the story, coming at the perfect time and always leaving more questions than answers.

I also loved the ending, I found it perfect in a lot of ways. The novel is a lot darker than I was expecting for a YA, but that made me like it more as it was intriguing and dealt with some really dark issues. However, I did think that the police not being able to solve certain things or notice discrepancies in the reports due to emotional blindness wasn't too realistic. Also throughout the novel the depiction of grief was incredibly moving, although I really didn't like some of the decisions that Monica made and found her character quite annoying I think that her actions can be explained by grief. Ultimately I think that this is a really good YA mystery.

“All the house is doing is existing, not bothering anyone. It’s exactly the type of thing that offends my mother.”
— Kara Thomas, The Cheerleaders

Give me a O, give me a M, give me G. What does that spell? OMG! This book was such a fun read. I really have a love for all things YA murder mystery.

The Cheerleaders follows the five deaths of the Sunnybrook High cheerleaders. Two died in a car accident. Two more were killed by a neighbour. And one committed suicide.
Five years later, Monica (sister to Jen, who committed suicide) is determined to find out the real story. Her sister would never have taken her own life, and something else doesn’t sit right with her about the other cheerleaders’ deaths.
Monica won’t stop until she uncovers the real story.

This was such a fun read- albeit a bit dark- but I really enjoyed it. There is just something fascinating about there being multiple murders/deaths in a book— to figure out how/if they connect.

My only note is that I couldn’t follow all the characters. As this book goes from present day (Monica) to five years prior (in Jen’s pow), I found it a trifle disorienting. This is only because of the side characters though. Both Monica’s and Jen’s friends read, and acted, pretty much the same to me. So I had a hard job distinguishing them.

But the plot line itself was great, and I loved Ginny (Monica’s friend). She’s this little shy girl with a dark side. Awesome, right?

Thank you so much NetGallery and Macmillan Children's Books for this readers copy!

Read. Be happy. Stay safe.

I always thought that I’d like thriller novels but I always found that a lot of the adult books just had plots that…were kinda meh to me. So the recent influx on YA thrillers have been amazing because I’m absolutely loving it.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this through the publisher and NetGalley!

The Cheerleaders came out a few years ago in the US but will be coming out in September in the UK. It follows a girl called Monica, the younger sister of one of five cheerleaders who died in a single week 5 years before. On the anniversary, Monica stumbles across something that belonged to her sister and now she has begun to wonder if everything that she has been told about that time is true or if someone else was involved.

This book was incredibly dark and difficult. I have to give trigger warnings for domestic abuse, suicide, abortion, pedophilia, alcoholism, drug abuse and there may even be a few other things I can’t think of off the top of my head. Basically, this isn’t a light read so bear that in mind before you pick this book up.

But if you do feel okay to deal with those topics? Pick this book up, seriously.

I could barely put this book down. It wasn’t perfect but it was so easy to get through and every time I did I just wanted to keep reading. Most of the time I can guess who the killer is in a thriller novel. But this time? I didn’t. Even though looking back I can see the hints that were there, I didn’t catch them. This was a thriller that was actually intriguing and I love that.

There are flashbacks to Jennifer; the older system in the time up to her death and it was very clear that she wasn’t in a great place mentally. And that made it so hard read because you can see the build up and that actually hurt to read. And that’s good. So good.

I could have done with a little more detail when certain things were figured out. It felt like a few more things could have tied up but overall it was a very good read.

I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend picking it up.

3.5 stars

This is quite a ride of a book, and not the lightest of reads. While I was expecting it to be pretty hard hitting (a sister delving into the death of five girls within a few months), I was not expecting it to be quite that full of tricky subjects, and some seemed there for sensationalism more than anything.

I think the major attraction for me was that it was not only about finding out what happened to the girls, but also Monica discovering more about her older sister, because the age gap meant they weren't that close. I liked the parallel between the social trouble the two girls had in that year, and the sense it gave that some of the core issues are very common - and more needs to be done about it.

Like a typical thriller, there are twists and turns, which come down to an ending that I wonder if I ought to have seen coming? I found it hard to put down, wanting to know how they'd uncover the truth - which is the point of a thriller for me: addictive reading.

THE CHEERLEADERS was a strange book to be reading right now, as the story is inextricably bound up with cops. I'm not quite sure how I felt about that, but I was just very aware of their central role in it and the way they were portrayed (I read it as they were shown to be good people but ones who made mistakes). I wonder if that is partly why it didn't get a higher rating - I wasn't concentrating fully on the book because I was critically examining the role of the cops.

3.5 stars!

I love true crime shows and podcasts, and whenever I watch or listen to one, I can usually guess in a matter of minutes who the killer was. Apparently, that same skill does not extend to literature, because The Cheerleaders kept me guessing throughout and left me surprised with the final conclusion. (The final chapter was for sure worthy of five stars!)

I feel like there could have been more substance to the uncovering of the mystery surrounding the deaths of the five cheerleaders. As it was, Monica didn't do much true 'sleuthing' save for a nail-biting sequence at the police station and in her stepfather's office, just talked to an assortment of people, meaning that there wasn't as much tension in the plot as I'd have liked. I also wish that we'd spent a little more time with Monica's feelings towards Brandon at the end of the novel - he committed statutory rape against her, and though she admits that she is a victim even though she doesn't feel like one, she still puts a great deal of blame on herself for 'using' him.

Overall, this was a quick, fun-to-read thriller that dealt with a lot of serious issues- I for one appreciated that the author chose to begin with Monica in the aftermath of an abortion, since we need to normalise and stop vilifying these things that many women around the world will go through - but could have expanded upon the emotions tied to them more. I've heard great things about Thomas' other novel, Little Monsters, and am eager to give that a try!

The Cheerleaders is a dark and twisty read that captivates you, and compels you to keep turning the page. It makes you gasp out loud in shock in parts. It's a fantastic read.

The Cheerleaders is a story about a town called Sunnybrook, where there are no more cheerleaders because five years ago five cheerleaders died in strange circumstances. I didn't read much more than that, and I won't say much more than that because in a thriller/mystery is best to go in a little blind.

There are some triggering subject matter covered in this one, so be warned if you find things like abortion, suicide, sexual assault, domestic assault, drugs and murder difficult,

So for me this started with a bang, straight into some controversial topics from the get-go, which i wasn't expecting and I enjoyed that about it. It surprised me from the start. Throughout the book this continued, a lot of controversial topics and themes going on, but the author was bold and unashamed writing about it, but also did it in a way that didn't feel too harmful. I appreciated this and enjoyed how she incorporated these into the story and handled them.

I enjoyed the pace of the story, there may not have been a lot of action throughout it, it was more investigatory through conversations and read more like a character study in parts, but I enjoyed that about it. I managed to fly through this in a couple of days and the last few pages were a ride and I couldn't put the book down because I was excited about it.

The only thing about this story I wasn't overly pleased with is that is was unsurprising. For a mystery thriller, or something put in that category at least you expect some twists, and although there were some smaller twists it wasn't shocking. I could see some of it coming, there was no light-bulb moments, I didn't gasp - I just wasn't shocked. But that's not to say I didn't enjoy it.

Like I said before, it's more of a character study novel with a mysterious'thriller theme, but it doesn't feel like a thriller/mystery book to me.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review,

Loved Loved Loved this book. I read it in one day because I simply could not put it down and I had to know what happened.

I really liked Monica our main protagonist and indeed Ginny who becomes a vital part of this books dynamic, I found their friendship to be very believable and was very much rooting for them to succeed where so many other had failed.

This book is not shy in dealing with the realities and difficulties of being a teenager these days.

I'd love to read more by this author

A gripping YA mystery - the characters are well built and relatable and the author does a great job of moving the plot along and building tension.

This book was OK, it wasn’t terrible but it didn’t really bring anything new to the table and it often feels dragged out.
5 years prior to this story, there is a series of deaths involving a group of cheerleaders - 2 are killed in a car crash, 2 are murdered and 1, the main character Monica’s big sister, ends her life. 5 years on, Monica finds something that starts her looking into these deaths, are they connected. What is the truth? And is a killer still out there?
I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review by NetGalley so I’ll be honest, there were a lot of problems, for me at least, for others this may be fine.
My biggest issue is how sensitive subjects are handled in this book and I hope the finished copy comes with *trigger warnings* - abortion is a part of the story but never discussed with any impact or emotion (I don’t Ben think the word abortion is used), suicide is glided over (and it’s difficult to talk about without spoilers but something happens and it’s frustrating) and statutory rape also plays a part and with it, victim blaming. The survivor of this rape somehow defends their rapist by saying they “used” them too because they were sad (!?), while the rapist says the minor looked and acted older so they told themselves it was OK.. Whether that is what either character thought, I needed it to be made clearer how wrong that was and I hate to think of anyone else in a similar position, a minor with an adult, readImg this and justifying it similarly. Monica’s grief is hinted at but never truly explored, I wish, along with the above topics, mental health had been looked at, she is actually quite horrible to friends who don’t remotely hold her accountable for it. I actually wanted to know more about these girls instead. Monica becomes obsessed with the truth and does some truly terrible things to find it.
My other bug bear is how terrible the police department looked in this story and how two 17 year old girls find all the answers - again it’s hard to full break down without spoilers but they literally missed EVERYTHING!

I didn’t hate this book, yes it felt longer than it needed to, the ending felt a little obvious and it’s in need of trigger warnings, but it did keep my brain occupied and if you read it with a pinch of salt, it’s actually pretty enjoyable.

A really strong YA mystery, in the vein of 'One Of Us Is Lying' and 'A Good Girl's Guide to Murder'. In the space of a month, five years ago, five cheerleaders were dead. Young women on the cusp of adulthood, with everything ahead of them. Monica's sister was the last to die, and her suicide continues to haunt Monica. She knows something isn't right about what happened all those years ago and, as her present day starts to unravel, it's clear the past needs to be solved.
The end result is a book that is truly gripping. Monica is a well-portrayed protagonist, with understandable edges and cautiousness. The occasional hop to the past, to see things actually happen, added so much tension to proceedings. All in all, a pleasure to read!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for gifting me a copy of this book to review. This is a YA thriller with multiple mysteries. There are 3 mysteries in the book and honestly I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would.

It was an interesting idea but it didn’t grip me and maybe it could have been better. I found the mystery reveals were expected or I felt a little meh about it as I wasn’t really invested. There doesn’t seem like there’s a lot happening in the book which left me a little bored. It reads like other YA books which is good but I haven’t been reading much YA lately as I haven’t been in the mood for it. The characters were okay but I would t say they were memorable. The writing was okay, I found it easy to read and I liked the style but I wasn’t a fan of the heavy themes. I didn’t really like the ending and felt let down. I won’t say more because spoilers.

There are some heavy themes in the book which I wasn’t prepared for and I wish I’d have checked content warnings before requesting. I don’t mind some heavy darker themes because I know they exist and need to be mentioned but I prefer to be prepared for them and I wasn’t which is my own fault. The topics are hard to read and it almost made me stop reading.

Triggers include - suicide, murder, death, abortion, statutory rape and substance abuse.

Overall I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I thought I would but I would say to still give it a go if this sounds like the type of book you like.

https://books-i-recommend.com/2020/08/07/review-the-cheerleaders-by-kara-thomas/

“There are no more cheerleaders in Sunnybrook, but that doesn’t mean anyone else is safe.”

I’ve seen this book a lot online, so I was really excited to have the chance to read it before the paperback release on 3rd September. It sounded right up my street – I love a dark YA thriller – and this book certainly delivered. With plenty of twists, and some really interesting characters, The Cheerleaders is a solid entry into the YA thriller genre and will satisfy any readers looking for a great mystery.

Synopsis

Five years ago, the town of Sunnybrook was struck by tragedy. Five cheerleaders died over the course of a month – Bethany and Colleen were killed in a tragic car accident, Susan and Juliana were murdered, and the final girl, Jen, completed suicide. Everyone believes they found Susan and Juliana’s killer – Jen’s stepfather Tom, a police officer, shot him during the arrest. However, Jen’s sister Monica never quite believed that her sister killed herself, and her uncertainty grows when she finds her sister’s old phone, along with a series of photos sent on the anniversary of her death each year, in her stepfather’s desk. She begins to follow the trail, trying to work out what really happened to the murdered girls – and her sister. Still reeling from a recent abortion after her relationship with an older man, Brandon, and growing more and more distant from her friends, Monica turns to another member of her dance team, Ginny. However, her new friend may know more than she is letting on, and as Monica starts to discover more of the town’s secrets, she ends up more in danger than ever before.

Review

As a classic YA thriller, I loved the plot of this book – it was so rich and complex, without being difficult to follow. The resolution of the book was really strong, with all of the main questions answered in a really satisfying way for the reader. All of the characters were also well-written, with the complex relationships between them being particularly well-developed, especially through the chapters that followed Jen in the time leading up to her death. I loved the relationship that developed between Monica and Ginny, and enjoyed reading about Ginny coming out of her shell as her and Monica became friends. For me, Ginny had the most interesting arc of all of the characters, and the very last chapter of the book really added to that in a way I wasn’t expecting and really liked.

However, whilst I enjoyed the plot overall, I felt the abortion Monica recovers from as the book starts was gratuitous. How this affected her relationships with others could have easily been explained by her uncertainty about her previous relationship with Brandon, and as it was often forgotten about as the plot progressed, I don’t think it was necessary to the story. That Monica described herself throughout the book as having used Brandon because she was sad was also uncomfortable and, whilst I’m glad the resulting legal ramifications for Brandon were explained, I wished the dynamics of this had been explored further to make it clearer that in no way was she the user in this situation.

I also personally found the plot quite predictable as someone who loves and has read a lot of YA thrillers. However, for a YA audience less familiar with the genre, the plot twists and pace of this book are perfect and, given the complexity of the mystery, even if you guess some of the twists, you’ll still want to keep reading to find out if you’re right.

If you’re an older YA reader and thriller fan looking for your next fix, this will definitely hit the spot, and I’d recommend picking up the paperback on 3rd September.

Rating: 4/5

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book was kindly gifted to me in the form of an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. My thanks go to Macmillan Children’s Books and NetGalley for sending me a copy.

When I read the blurb for this book, it reminded me of Karen McManus's 'Two Can Keep a Secret', leaving me hoping for a YA thriller with satisfying twists and a dark edge. It certainly ticked all the boxes, presenting a compelling mystery and leaving the reader guessing until the very last page.

Five years ago, five cheerleaders died in separate but suspicious circumstances: Bethany and Colleen were killed in a car crash, Jules and Susan were murdered by an intruder and Jen, apparently plagued with survivor's guilt, committed suicide. The murder suspect was apprehended and shot, all cases seemingly tied up neatly at the time. However, five years later Jen's little sister Monica finds herself following a trail of clues to what really happened, the commonly accepted explanation full of inconsistencies leading her to explore this deadly mystery.

The reader follows Monica's narrative with some flashes to Jen's past which was a well-structured way of allowing us to fully immerse ourselves in the events of five years ago (although Jen's narrative ends quite abruptly - I would like to hear the end of her story as some bonus material!). The premise and many aspects of the plot handle some very dark and harrowing themes which add to the brutality and heartache of the deaths at the core of this mystery. I appreciated how Monica grew, coming to terms with her grief and finally forging a better relationship with her mother across the novel, and her pure burgeoning friendship with lovely Ginny. However, many of the characters are left flat - we could have cut Monica's participation in the dance team and her two friends completely without losing anything from the central mystery.

Overall, this book will be a hit with its target teenage audience, the themes and drama reminiscent of an episode of Riverdale with an interesting final twist. Despite some problematic handling of the darker aspects of the plot, the way the untangling of the mystery will leave the reader hooked.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.