Whilst I adore a YA thriller/murder mystery, I found this one to be a tad formulaic and I ended up getting a tad bored throughout and wishing I could speed it up. Maybe I’ve read too much into this genre recently, but it just blurred into a few other titles that had crossed my bookshelf.

The blurb hooked me but sadly once I started reading it became clear this book wasn't one I was going to enjoy all that much. DNF at 8%

This book was an excellent read! The cover is beautiful, and just makes you want to crack it open, start reading, and never put it down again! The plot is what will really draws you in. It’s the end of senior year and this group of friends wants to have one last night of fun before they all go their separate ways. So why not do that in a mysterious mansion located on its own private island, complete with Rolls-Royces and jewlery/costumes from the roaring 1920s. The friends even leave their technology at home for the fullest experience. Suddenly a murder occurs! (Hence where this great title comes from). Anyone could have done it- at least they all have a motive. Two detectives are brought in to question the young adults and figure out who the killer is and why they murdered one of their friends. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a cozy Agatha Christie style mystery!

Suddenly A Murder is a fun and engrossing mystery that has you invested from the first page trying to work out who did it and why. Very enjoyable read!

2 ⭐️

I was really looking forward to reading this but unfortunately it fell flat for me.

I loved the setting for the book. The old house on an isolated island that was in their favourite movie. Secret passages and 1920s clothes. It sets a great atmosphere.

The plot twists in the last 20 pages were good. I had not guessed some of those. I also liked izzys relationship with her sister.

The issue for me was lots of things happened that would jeprodise a police investigation, and the twists came too late. You don't get the opportunity to figure out who did it yourself. Instead, you're told that all these things happened. There is no way for us to have known about half of these things. A big part of my enjoyment in books like this is trying to guess the killer and the way this is written suggests who did it from the very start while giving you nothing to suggest otherwise.


I received an advance review copy of this book, and this review represents my honest opinion. Thank you to netgalley, Lauren Muñoz, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Bonnier Books UK in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book a lot better when it was called Knives Out.

Perhaps that is a bit unfair but I can't help but feel the movie's influence throughout the whole of this book, and not in a good way. Young female protagonist who seems undoubtedly guilty early on? Check. Determined sleuth who teams up with said young protagonist to add stress to their situation? Check. Heck, the other detective in the audiobook even has the same accent as Daniel Craig! It was very distracting.

Despite all this, the main reason I have an issue with this book has nothing to do with Knives Out and everything to do with the fact it doesn't play fair. From the very start of the murder, we are told the main character goes into the room of the victim with a knife. We are not told what she does in that room. She then talks mysteriously about her 'secret' for the rest of the book. The clear implication is that she has killed him, and yet (despite being the POV character) she never actually says those words so it is painfully obvious that we are being misled. I don't like this and it left a sour taste in my mouth, particularly because without this subterfuge I think it becomes incredibly obvious who is the real killer.

There are some strengths of this book. I liked the characters well-enough. They were a bit more fleshed out than your typical YA thriller/mystery, and while I found the love interest to be the blandest, I liked reading about everyone else. The detective is pretty good and I feel like the book would have been stronger written from her POV, not the least bit because it would solve the POV issue from above. There is one genuine twist which was clever and surprised me, although admittedly that's because I was actually expecting the book to go for a darker option.

Overall, I would say I love the writing style of this book but the elements themselves didn't work for me. If this author releases another book, I would definitely give it a try for the aforementioned strengths mentioned. I just wish this book was a little more original and a little less unfair with its mystery

Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

Suddenly a Murder follows recent high-school graduate Izzy Morales on a luxurious, 1920s themed trip to a remote mansion with her young socialite best friends and classmates. Arranged by her best friend Kassidy, the trip is supposed to be a celebration, but things quickly turn sour when Kassidy’s boyfriend is found dead. All of the teens are suspects with solid motives and, when an eccentric pair of detectives arrive on the scene, more secrets than any of them could have suspected start to emerge.

This book was so much fun. It took me a little while to get into it and I ended up putting it down for a couple of months when I didn’t instantly get into it, but as soon as the pace picked up, I literally couldn’t put it down. Izzy is a fascinating, completely unreliable narrator, and I loved discovering all of the characters’ drama along with her. I found myself suspecting everyone along the way, and the way she withheld information to add to the plot twists kept me completely hooked.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good YA murder mystery, but especially to fans of One of Us is Lying and Agatha Christie. It’s a fun, fast-paced, unique whodunnit mystery with a strong cast of dramatic teen protagonists, a huge amount of plot twists and a completely perfect setting, and I’m excited to read whatever Lauren Munoz releases next.

✨My Thoughts✨

Wow the prologue gets straight into the action, it hooks you straight away and doesn’t let you go until the very last page!.

Who wouldn’t want stay in a mansion that’s been preserved from the 1920s and fully immerse yourself in the time period?.

I was engrossed in this YA Locked Room Mystery, it kept me wanting more and more, it was thrilling and so engaging and I really felt for a few of the characters even though they could have made better choices.

This was a look of two halves for me.

It took me a long time to get into the story and get a feel for the different narratives. Different sections of the story are told through the viewpoint of different characters and the time jumps about from past to present.

At the beginning of the book, all of the characters are pretty unlikeable. There is so much emphasis on the fact that Izzy has brought a knife to the island, that it’s pretty clear that she is not going to be involved in what happens.

The novel got into its stride in the second half of the book.

I was genuinely intrigued to find out who was responsible for the murder and how the events would pan out.

The premise of this book is great. I love the idea of staying in the isolated mansion and living the film star life with vintage clothes. I did warm to characters, particularly Izzy and Kassidy as the story progressed.

The world of YA thrillers is pretty crowded, but this one does seem to be a popular read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my gifted copy of Suddenly A Murder.

Just gotta say i loved this so much i went out and bought the book from Waterstones.

Tell me you couldn't put a book down without telling me you couldn't put a book down.

I was hooked from the very start it just screamed the Netflix movie Do revenge and i loved every second of reading this. I kept trying to guess who it was throughout but whenever my mind felt certain it was one particular character the author threw in a curveball that made me second guess and look at a different character

Teens and a murder mystery? What's not to love?

Cinematic, gripping, and downright terrifying, this is a story that you won’t want to miss. I didn't see the twist and turns coming, I had a hard time putting the book down when I got to the halfway mark. To be fair though the two different timelines were a bit confusing to me but it was nice that the author had a heading to let us know what timeline we are in...

I was shocked at the end because chapter 40 hit me in my feels because I had multiple ppl with cancer so I was totally crying in my weekly vlog I was making. I won't say who or why for spoilers but look up content warnings and just enjoy the ride!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Suddenly A Murder by Lauren Muńoz

Izzy is on a post graduation trip hosted by her best friend Kassidy, on the remote island location of one of her favourite films. With only a few school friends and a handful of staff present, there are limited suspects when Kassidy’s boyfriend is found stabbed to death. But who did it?

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I can see why everyone has been raving about this book a lot. Strained friendships, secluded location, and a mystery to solve while they’re trapped on the island due to a storm. I did enjoy the mystery aspect of it, especially the reveal and last 10% of the novel.

But I have to say, it was a bit of a slug until then. I found that there was emotional depth lacking to this novel. For example, when the main characters best friend finds her boyfriend stabbed to a very obvious death, the events are over in a matter of sentences. There’s no time to build the tension or explore the shock and heartbreak of the characters. And I found that happened quite a few times in the novel, things were just brushed over very quickly. That, and a lack of reason to root for any of the characters, I found it a bit lacklustre and dull.

Not a terrible read, but could’ve been better.

In the grand tradition of a Christie mystery, Suddenly A Murder is a teen crime drama that is a really good page turner.

The novel focuses on privileged teenagers who travel to a private island to celebrate their graduation. Once on the island, the teens cannot leave and all of them is carrying more than their luggage with them. Each of them has a secret. When one of the party ends up murdered each of the teenagers are questioned and each has a motive.

With red herrings abound, dark twisted tales and a dramatic climax I can honestly say this is one of the easiest reads that I have read but I did not solve the crime. It was very well written.

Suddenly A Murder by Lauren Munoz is available now.

For more information regarding Hot Key Books (@HotKeyBooks) please visit their Twitter page.

I wanted to love this 1920s themed murder mystery, but unfortunately I just wasn't convinced by the twists or the ending. Nothing was particularly surprising, and I wasn't interested in any of the characters. A real shame because it was a brilliant premise!

This was a well written locked room mystery that keeps you guessing and trying to work out who the killer is throughout.

Each of the characters have a motive and are all possible suspects. I really like how the story is told with present day chapters and flashback chapters to past moments for each character which show their relationships with each other which are very complex and full of drama. The flashback chapters also give possible insight as to what may have driven them to murder.

I loved the two detectives that came into the story and their different personalities and approaches to trying to solve the mystery.

I thought it was really symbolic that the final reveal is told in the peak of a raging storm. I did not expect the reveal at the end at all.

Overall I thought this was really intriguing and it had me fully engaged. I will definitely be looking out for more from this author.

Thank you to Bonnier Books UK and NetGalley for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Okay so to start with this book was really easy and fun to read. It was the sort of book that you could sink down into and really relax and enjoy. I found myself really looking forward to my sessions reading the book. I also loved the whole 1920s theme. I would really like to go away for a 1920s roleplaying holiday (although I would probably die without my kindle).

The problem I had with this book though was the whole way it was set up to make it look like Izzy did it. I'm not going to say whether she did it or not, that would be a spoiler. But right from the start I didn't buy that she did it. If she did it, why did she not seem more guilty right after. She didn't act like she had just committed murder.

But then on the other had, if she didn't do it, why wasn't she more surprised by the fact that there was a murder!! I just spent the whole book trying to work out whether I should be disappointed in one respect or the o
ther. This made the ending just feel completely flat because it didn't make sense to me.

I think I would have enjoyed this book more if it had been a straight murder mystery rather than have Izzy set up as the killer straight away.

3/5 stars! This story kind of works as a YA mystery story, but I couldn't find myself pulled into the story. I read it and it was fine, but nothing stuck out as special to me. I would probably try another book by this author to see if it's a one-off.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A dark and twisty thriller featuring a cast of very young characters, a closed circle plot and a murder.
It kept me reading and on the edge. The author did a good job and delivers a tense and fast paced story.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I already know my students are going to be obsessed with this! A dark and twisty YA thriller that will have you guessing right up until the last moment.

I was really excited to read this as the blurb was really interesting, unfortunately i just wasn't a fan of the writing style and the characters were not my favourite i just couldn't connect to them.