This compelling young adult novel is part thriller and part coming-of-age story and impressively manages to combine a tightly-plotted murder mystery with a beautifully-drawn outsider protagonist already dealing with some tough issues. Luca Laine Thomas is just two months shy of turning eighteen and lives on the seemingly idyllic Parris, an island populated by the predominantly white and wealthy. For outsider Luca, a black, mixed-race, queer girl troubled by intrusive thoughts, the island’s history of unsolved deaths of young women deemed accidental (or wilfully ignored in Luca’s opinion) makes her feel like it’s cursed. Three years ago this curse took Luca’s best-friend, Polly, when she was pulled out of the ocean that she was so frightened of going near. Still deeply traumatised by these events the arrival of a hot new neighbour moving into Polly’s former home next door catches Luca’s eye but gives rise to conflicting emotions. Before Luca can explore her attraction to Asian new girl, Naomi, the curse strikes once again with Luca’s idolised older sister, Whitney, found dead following a party. Suddenly everyone on the island becomes a suspect and Luca can’t ignore the same feeling that she had about Polly’s death, namely that it’s more than a mere curse, and below the surface of paradise island lies a far darker truth.

Sceptical that the Parris PD and Detective Charles will make a decent fist of investigating Whitney’s death given their history with previous cases and in particular Polly’s death, Luca, assisted by Naomi, decides to take matters into her own hands. Pivotal well-timed revelations from Whitney’s gang of friends ratchet up the tension but also test Luca’s mental health to the limit and force her to question everything she thought she knew about her sister. Barrow never loses sight of Luca’s struggle with grief for both Whitney and Polly and her daily battle with intrusive thoughts never feels like a box ticking exercise but integral to her being. The chemistry and emotional connection between Luca and Naomi is both sweet and well-observed and Luca exploring her sexuality contrasts well with her relentless pursuit of the truth about the night Whitney died. The secondary cast aren’t the most likeable but all are individual and their clear characterisation makes for a gripping murder mystery with an unpredictable outcome. Luca’s sense of identity is memorably positive and her wry humour and brave determination to be true to herself had me rooting for her all the way. Rebecca Barrow’s prose is superb and this is a haunting, thought-provoking story that handles multiple important issues with sensitivity. Although there is a lot going on in this thriller it never feels overcrowded and it combines short chapters with a pacey, powerful narrative that doesn’t sugarcoat anything and tackles serious topics with honesty and compassion.

This wasn’t a bad book. I thought the premise was sp interesting but the writing itself just didn’t captivate me in the way I was hoping. It was slightly slow, and at times lost the momentum that the book started out with which was a shame.

An atmospheric young adult thriller with dark secrets and a haunting curse, Bad Things Happen Here is the perfect book for young readers this summer. With refreshing characters, a beautiful setting, and a modern observation of what it is to be young and explore one's self and sexuality, all with a bit of murder on the side.

As with most young adult thrillers, the thriller aspect is only a small part of the story which only had much of an impact at the end. But before that, Bad Things Happen Here is a brilliant coming-of-age story with phenomenal representation, so I would consider it more of a powerful exploration of identity than just a thriller.

Luca is a brilliantly original lead character. Although she has her flaws, she's also very confident, empowering and headstrong, all of which make her an engaging character to follow.

I was hoping for more descriptions of the island as I couldn't really picture Parris away from the book's cover, but the small-town setting works well to heighten the tensions and I really got a feel of summer with the lazy days spent with friends and the spark of new relationships.

I could really see this being made into an indie film with talented young actors set against beautiful sunset-hued backdrops and an indie pop soundtrack, so I think Barrow perfectly captures that sense of melancholy and the emotions of being on the cusp of adulthood.

Barrow is sure to be a very popular author with young adult readers as this is exactly the kind of book that we need to see in our modern all-encompassing world, and it's definitely one that I would recommend this summer.

It's been 3 years since Luca lost her best friend Polly on the cursed-with-unsolved-murders-of-young-women island of Parris. Then her sister Whitney is found dead. With the police's investigation going nowhere again, she decides to solve the mystery herself. She utilizes the help of her new neighbor Naomi with whom feelings seem to be developing. Will they figure out the truth of the curse?

The solemn, tinged with melancholy narrative makes you feel like you are in Luca's everyday life, like she's confiding in us. Little details are placed there to set the scene, make it relatable. It is soft and brutal at the same time, honest. A beautiful and oftentimes heart-wrenching portrayal of emotions.

A slow burner, the mystery is there, though I did wish for more of it and maybe more from it. It subtly sinks its claws into the story, twisting it this way and that. Full of flawed characters and flawed decisions. This story has a compassionate outlook on mental illness sporting a protagonist that is in therapy and takes med. The depiction of her intense thoughts is done so well. Also the budding of whatever is between Luca and Naomi.

A grounded and touching portrayal of grief, this is thought-provoking, makes us think about if we bring things onto ourselves. Peeks behind the curtain of a sparkly environment. What the curse symbolizes for each of you to decide for yourself.

A murder mystery that's an eloquent study of human nature, on an island with a shiny exterior, where we start to see the truth, the dark secrets.

3.5 stars.

I see this as a coming of age tale told through the lens of a girl who is just now coming to realise that the mundane is more scary than the mythical.
Learning that people are flawed, and things have never been how you thought they were can be terrifying at any age let alone as a teenager who is grieving.

This story was wonderfully told, twisty, but a little formulaic and leaves a few too many loose ends for my liking.

I liked the tone shift from “wonder teenager saves the world” to “melancholic, grieving teenager stumbles through the darkness in her life”.

Nice to see LGBT+ representation but wish Luca had come out by then end of the book. It feels weird that she went through so much growth in other aspects but that was left as just a thing that only two other people knew about her. I don’t know if I’ve articulated that well but it felt not enough for me.

As soon as I picked this book up and read the blurb, I knew I would love it. It is full of everything I love - murder, mystery, suspense, twists and turns!

The story follows Luca who lives on an island and has lost her best friend Polly and now her sister Whitney. After meeting Naomi (the new girl who lives next door), Luca decides they should take the investigation into their own hands as she feels the police are not investigating it properly. Will Luca discover the truth or will she end up in danger?

I found the characters very likable, especially Luca! There are so many twists and turns, and there is so much going on to keep you hooked. I personally did not find the reveal predictable at all and I am normally good and figuring things out.

I found this a really quick and easy read, the chapters are sharp, jam packed and always leave you wanting more. If you are looking for a perfect summery murder mystery, then this book is for you.

With such a title I wasn’t expecting this to be a barrel of laughs, but I just found it all a bit too much: the unremitting tension surrounding the “curse” of the island, Luca’s mental illness, worrying whether events will tip her over the edge. While I did worry for her, I didn’t much like her and I didn’t feel any warmth towards any of the other characters, either.

I found the writing style interesting at times – for example the weather and the island are almost like characters themselves – so I’d like to give it 1.5 stars. As I can’t, I’ll round it up to 2.

bad things really do happen there- in a wealthy enclave where everyone is friendly, except when they are not.,
Grieving the loss of a friend Luca is tangled up in the sudden disappearance of her older sister. Believing the police to be biased and the investigation flawed she takes it upon herself to try and find her sister and the truth.
Unfortunately despite the premise being great I found the characters hard to imagine into reality- they seemed a little wooden. That in itself made the book harder to really get into and made some of the people almost interchangeable in my mind- meaning I had to keep flicking back to check I was following the plot correctly.

I was disappointed with this one, I was really hoping for better. I didn’t like the characters and the story was slow and quite boring. I’m afraid this one wasn’t for me. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

There are plenty of bad things happening in Parris, as the title suggests, and I enjoyed the dark twists and turns of Luca's investigation into her sister's death.

Luca Laine Thomas lives in Parris, a beautiful island populated by wealthy socialites, an insular world of parties, weddings, wild times and also the unsolved and mysterious deaths of several young people. Luca is still getting over the death of her best friend when she attends a party with her sister, who fails to come home. She is later found dead and Luca starts to believe that a curse hangs over the island that causes 'bad things to happen here'. She meets a mysterious new friend, Naaomi, who may or may not represent a new love interest for her as she explores her romantic feelings for her, but who also seems to want to help (or hinder?) her investigation into the truth behind her sister's untimely death.
There's plenty here that should be really appealing - the world of rich people with nothing better to do than keep secrets of affairs, pregnancies and elaborate drug dealing businesses and the cover and premise both have great appeal for teens well versed in crime dramas and thrillers like One of Us is Lying. Unfortunately so many plot threads are just left hanging, there's a lack of any real suspense or any characters to really care about which means it's overall pretty unsatisfying.

It has all the elements of a nice young adult novel. Plus the mystery shade.
A new girl comes in town. She has moved right nextdoor, in the same house where Luca's best friend used to live before the curse would kill her. Luca knows it was the curse, even though nobody believes in it. Or they probably do, but just do not want to show they do. Luca is supposed to hate the new girl. She won't replace Polly, but damn she is beautiful and damn she has a crush on her, a big one.

The style is clean and the dialogue fierce and fast paced like any young adult novel is nowadays. I liked the area of mystery that surrounds Polly and her death.
What i did not like was the use of the names! It took me a while to understand that Luca is a female name. Not clear at all - even withstanding breaking stereotypes and stuff. And of all town names, it had to be Parris? Again, it took me a few pages to be sure it wasn't the capital of France.

Set on an island where many lead privileged life’s this thriller looks into the mystery of several deaths. Is there a curse, how are the murders connected. Told from the perspective of a teenage girl with enough twists ant turns to keep it interesting.

A murder mystery book that at first I thought was not for me, soon had me engrossed and living the story with the characters. Young peoples lives woven together by the curse of the island. Is it all in Luca’s mind? or is the island responsible? Rebecca Barrow has written a twist and turn who or what dunnit book that keeps you guessing all the way through. Interweaved within is a tender love story that you know is probably doomed but you want it not too be. This is a book that you can take away on holiday and immerse yourself in for a couple of days.

Thank you Bonnier Books UK and Net Galley for the electronic ARC

Bad Things Happen Here follows the story of Luca Laine Thomas. To the outside world, she lives on an exclusive island escape. But to her she lives on a cursed island. This is an intriguing murder mystery that whilst it was enjoyable, I wouldn’t say it gripped me as much as I expected. Thank you to NetGalley, Bonnier Books UK and the author for the chance to review.

Loved this YA thriller all about Luca, a girl who is mourning the death of her best friend Polly. Luca is convinced the idyllic, priveleged island of Parris is cursed. A new girl moves into Polly's house next door and she and Luca start to develop a relationship. Luca's sister is discovered dead after a party and Luca thinks the curse has struck again. You find out more about the relationships between the characters on the island as secrets and twists are uncovered whdn luca and Naomi start to investigate the death.
I really enjoyed this book, finished it in 2 days. As I was reading the first few chapters, I could visualise it as a film. It would make a great film!

This is an intriguing story of love, loss and betrayal. The book is set in a small, wealthy town this is great at keeping a secret. The book was beautifully written and kept my attention the entire time. There were curveballs and shocking revelations throughout.

Luca Laine Thomas lives on an island that appears to be cursed. She's still grieving over the death of her best friend, murdered 3 years ago. Other people ignore the curse as the island appears idyllic to outsiders, but, Luca cannot. Then, her sister is killed.

This is an excellent YA read. It's an enthralling whodunnit whilst also dealing with the difficult subjects of; mental health, grief and sexuality.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Books for the opportunity to preview.

A bit of a random story to begin with but once you are into the thread of the story it steps up and becomes very good and well written

ARC read


Luca is on the hunt to find the truth about the murder of her sister, on her journey she discovers everyone has secrets and what she thought she knew isnt actually truth.
She has her own secrets after all.

I loved the murder mystery of this book but I sometimes struggled with the age of the girls, luca is supposed to be 17 but I found her to be childish and so are the older girls, it got confusing.
The twist at the end though! I did not see that coming at all.

I thought the ending could have been abit better. She should have left with Naomi.

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