I'd heard quite a bit of buzz on this one. Had a bit of a wait to get a library copy. It's one I didn't really look closer at (didn't read the blurb) to based on the cover image, I think I was expecting a little more of a fun summer/beach read. I wasn't quite ready for murder!

It was probably better for me, this NOT having a tagline with "the murder mystery with a twist" because then I tend to take it as a challenge, second guessing everything and everyone.  I don't know that this had a twist per se ... although (as with most "realistic" reads, it pushes the suspension of disbelief some.

SPOILER

While I could buy the theft ring set up by the employees ... it seemed a bit of a stretch that they would jump to quickly and easily to premeditated murder. There IS a difference between ripping someone off, and killing them. That's a line that is difficult to cross, even for those already breaking the law. And then to have so many people in on it! Charlie, Garrett, KJ, Cedric, Madeline. You'd think that ONE of FIVE people would have had second thoughts, would have been stressed enough to go to the police and make a deal before it happened. And, it's hard to get away with murder, right? And here, there's five people in on it. And then to have Garrett go so ballistic that he decides to take out two other people? Just a regular kid who's grown up on the island is actually this big murderer?  I also really felt like the Hudson storyline got dropped ... so Ric basically killed that kid back then. As Traci and Whelan find out, they are just happy to have "answers"? Was there any talk of getting Ric arrested? That's why Whelan  came ... just gonna let that go?

Okay, probably best not to think too much about it. I enjoyed the story while it was going, it's more thinking back on it after it ended that I struggled the most. 

It was a bit of a challenge at the start ... 3rd person/past tense ... in the minds of multiple characters.  There's a prologue, when Traci was young. Chapter one is Traci's POV. Chapter two is Parrish. Chapter three is Olivia (last name Grayson - name I note). Chapter four is Shannon. Chapter five is Felice. Chapter six is KJ.   Chapter eight is a flashback to 2002.  Chapter 11 is Garrett.  Chapter 17 is Whelan ...

Bare bones Table of Contents - just the chronological chapters (75 of them). While there were headers in the above mentioned chapters (introducing characters, their backstory), these aren't included on the TOC. 

I went with the audio edition, but had the Kindle copy on hand too. The narration was good, although many of the girls sounded SO young and cartoonish (the narrator does voice cartoons - including Ash in Pokemon). There was a Q&A with the author/narrator after the book which I went ahead and listened to too. 

Content: ProFanity (x24) - some slight sexual content (mention of rape), drinking/drug use ... and of course murder.

Closer to a 3.5 for me on reflection.