Fun teen crime fiction set in a boarding school. Ticks off all the tropes of its multiple genres, but also feels fresh and funny, with some excellent commentary on class and race.

This Book Kills is a well written and plotted YA thriller that will likely to appeal to anyone who enjoyed One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. MacManus or Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. It's got a good mystery hook, plenty of twists and turns that never felt contrived and relatable characters, even if they were teenage idiots on occasion.

Set in an elite boarding school, Jess is one of the scholarship kids. Not born into money like the vast majority of her classmates, she has to be 'exemplary' to justify her place in the school. However when a murder is committed using her short story as a basis, that place is threatened. Jess knows she had nothing to do with Hugh's murder, but she also knows that the school board may not see it like that. With the police being seemingly useless and the Private Investigator the family hired not being much better, Jess starts taking apart the murder to try and figure out who is responsible before she gets kicked out.

There are a lot of unexpected surprises throughout this novel and it will come as a surprise to virtually nobody that I didn't figure out who the killer was until the final reveal. I never was much good at putting the clues together. The mystery is eked out well, with the reader being fed drips and drabs of information at the same time as Jess finds them out. It builds up the characters well; Jess has never had much to do with the elite in the school, so she's having to piece together the picture from the ground up.

And interspersed with this you have the upper class boarding school setting and the mystery of the Regia Club, a secret society of students that have more influence on how the school runs than they ought to have. The two lines interweave well, as Jess tries to figure out just how involved the Club are in the murder even as somebody is desperately trying to get her to back off the case.

All in all, a well written and interesting novel. It is definitely aimed at the young adult market, making it a light thriller, but it conveys the atmosphere, characters and mystery well.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my review copy of this title.

Karen M McManus has paved the way for Authors to write murder mystery books.

This book was phenomenonel. It was surrounded by murder and mystery and I just loved it.

I wasn't expecting the twist and turns to happen. Even I was excited and questioning everything I knew. I thought I knew who killed Henry. I should have seen it coming but this book was clever.

I am so grateful I had the opportunity to read this. It was a brilliant book.

Disclaimer. I was given a free Advanced Readers Copy of this book and all thoughts are my own.

Jess Choudhary, scholarship student, and a bit of a misfit finds herself at the heart of this school-based murder mystery. Aimed at the YA/teen market I thought it really hit the mark - as a fan of Robin Stevens' Murder Most Unladylike series I can see this book appealing to girls who have grown up and are looking for other titles in the murder mysteries genre.
I have to admit to not being a YA/teen - and there were elements which I did feel that were aimed far more at a younger audience than myself - having said that I found it didn't take long for me to be sucked into the story and I found that I raced through the last third of the book wanting to know who was the murderer. I am grateful to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book kills

A young adults murder mystery set in a posh private school in the UK. Jess, a scholarship student who struggles to fit in, finds herself at the centre of a murder investigation when her classmate Hugh gets killed in the same way she had written in one of her short stories. As the plot thickens, secrets are undug and people reveal their real personalities. This books keeps you guessing till the very end.

What I liked

The characters are well rounded and believable. There is little left to clichès. Even the most stereotypical of Jess's fellow students achieve a level of depth that gives them credibility.

The solution to the mystery is clever. I had not see it coming (more on that below) and the solution keeps little to guesswork. It all ties up quite nicely in a neat wrap. The resolution at the end is satisfying and realistic enough not to leave any incredulity nor bitterness. A good balanced ending.

What I didn't like

The ways the clues come up are a bit non-sensical. Even when the set of information remains the same, someone would randomly make a connection and boom, new clue available. I get it that most of the times it was the killer providing red herrings, but even actual clues I felt were a bit out of the blue. The clearest example is the way Jess solves the mystery. What actually gave her the hint to solve it? She just walks to the murder scene for not the first time and...what? An enlightenment from the sky?

I did not appreciate the level of dizziness the middle part left me with. For big chunks of the books I felt like I was going around and around without making any real progress. The story hit rock bottom when labyrinthic dungeons appeared out of nowhere in what till then looked like a state of art modern school.

Finally, the title doesn't really make much sense to me. She wrote a short story, not a book. And this book, This Book Kills, did not kill anyone.

Final reflections

Overall, I liked This Book Kills. It entertained me during my holidays amd kept me guessing till the end. There is a great deal of work behind all characters and how their movements and goals interconnect with each other. The novel is not faultless, but nothing that cannot be brushed aside for the overall enjoyment of reading a well-crafted story.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a light read and a mystery with a satisfying finale.

Jess is a scholarship kid at a fancy private boarding school but when a boy is murdered, Jess finds herself under suspicion as the murderer took their inspiration from a short story that she wrote. Jess must clear her name or risk losing her scholarship just for the bad press the school is facing. But a lot more going on behind the scenes than Jess realises and she is soon in danger of becoming the next victim.

I loved the concept - a fun, fast-paced school murder mystery that doesn't take itself too seriously, perfect for fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson. I know this one will go down very well in my secondary school library.

I really enjoyed this book- I am not usually a fan of thrillers but found this had enough dark academia vibes to pull me in. This book was such a page turner and the pacing was spot on.

The characters were very well crafted and developed well throughout the book

I did start to think I knew who the murderer would end up us, and while I was correct there was definitely enough doubt cast in the writing that made me question myself and while I wasn't surprised I was kept on my toes throughout. .

I think this is such a great YA book or indeed an introduction to thrillers- I have no doubt that anyone reading this book as a Young Adult has an exciting life ahead of them reading thrillers, dark academia and indulging in a true crime podcast or two.

THIS BOOK KILLS was a whirlwind, and a good one at that.

Hugh Henry Von Boren is murdered, sticks laid out besides his dead body spelling out ‘help me’. Jess Choudhary wrote a short story in which a character is killed in the exact same way Hugh was shortly before his death. Then, Jess receives a thank you note from the murderer, for the inspiration, and if Jess can’t figure out who murdered Hugh and stop them from murdering anyone else, she risks losing her scholarship, and her life.

Lately, I’ve had a bit of difficulty getting hooked on a book and reading it until the end, and while personally, reading a book in six days means it took me ages, I was quite surprised with myself for taking such a short amount of time—compared to my recent reading times. This book hooked me from the very beginning. The premise was so interesting and unique. A murder based upon a short story? Sign me up.

Jess was a delightful main character, with a strong personality that shone on every page. She was quite shy, but I think that added to her character, especially as she seemed to come into herself as we get further into the book. I was sad we didn’t get to see more of her passion for creative writ-ing, as it was such an important part for Hugh’s murder, but that didn’t really impact the overall premise of the book.

The side characters in this book also helped make it shine. I loved the progression of Sum-mer and Jess’ relationship. It was enemies to lovers but in a platonic way that I really enjoyed. I loved the subtle love interest that was more of a slow burn romance. It’s definitely unusual to see a slow burn romance in a young adult mystery and it was a nice change.

The mystery left me guessing throughout the entire book. I had so many ideas as to who I personally thought the murderer was and I was wrong every time. Usually when I’m reading mystery books, I’m able to guess at least two thirds of the way in but this time I was genuinely still guessing up until the murderer was revealed. I know that if I was to reread, I’d be able to pick up on all of the subtle clues to who the murderer was.

This was genuinely a fun ride and Ravena Guron is definitely a young adult mystery author to watch. With the right fanbase, I believe she could become as popular as authors like Holly Jackson and Maureen Johnson. She’s definitely already as good as them on terms of plot and prose. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book all together a little bit too predictable. The writing was good in that it felt easy to read. But I had figured out the plot about 15% the way through the book. So it wasn't the most enjoyable read for me.

*3.5/5
I didn’t start out with high hopes after encountering a character named Clementine Tangerine but as the story progressed i found myself getting interested. Halfway through I thought it would be a good book to recommend to fans of Holly Jackson and Karen McManus- proper sleuthing with school politics. Unfortunately, the ending let it down. I had a theory about whodunnit at 15% (Kindle) and I was indeed correct. That in itself wouldn’t disappoint me, but the cliche confrontation of the deranged killer, who spends forever expounding on the why and how, did. Another storyline received a similar resolution too.

This was really interesting! It took me a while to get into it but once the plot started to thicken and the characters started to gather information about what was happening I really enjoyed it!

How can you not see that title and be super intrigued.. especially us book lovers...

I started this.. and couldn't stop this is definitely going to be a hit YA thriller for 2023 and I think everyone should read it!!

The setting for this book - posh, elite boarding school for the rich.. and only 2 scholarship students per year group.. it helped the dynamic of the whole who Dunnit trope.

Speaking of Tropes this book had so many.. - the quiet weird kid, the over achiever, the girl who is better than everyone else, the rich kids.. and the popular boy taking an interest in the poor girl. Its a proper typical YA book but a bloody good one!!!

The characters were so well developed, and the author gave us a little of background info about each of them so we could really understand their personalities but still left room for the unknown mysteries about them.

No room for any type of spoilers here, just jump in and start reading, you seriously won't be disappointed.

Thank you to Netgalley, Usbourne and Ravena Guron for the ARC.

This Book Kills by Ravens Guron

When Jess wrote a short story about murder with the not so friendly, Summer, the last thing she expected was someone to use her plot in detail to kill a fellow student. The killer thanks her for her plot, then threatens to kill her next if she doesn’t own up to her guilty secret.

There has been such an influx of Young Adult thrillers since the success of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, that I was worried this one wouldn’t be any good. I was completely wrong and got swept up in this boarding school drama. I had absolutely no idea who the killer was and the story kept me guessing right until the end.

This book is well written with diverse characters competing in a world where old money still means privilege. Jess maybe not be the killer, but the school are ready to make her a scapegoat as one of the only two scholarship students. There are moments of humour hidden within the tension and I found I couldn’t put the book down.

This book has S.T.A.G.S. and One of Us Is Lying vibes and is a strong addition to the YA thriller genre. I would definitely recommend it to students and I can’t wait to get a copy for the school library.

I enjoyed this book a lot. The teen drama added to a good mystery was perfect.
The characters and storyline were well thought out.
It kept me guessing all the way through and just when I thought I knew who dunnit, a twist in the plot would occur and I’d be back to square one. I didn’t see the ending coming and was very surprised.
Loved the whole thing and would definitely recommend.

3,5/5 stars. Thanks to the publisher and the author for an advanced reader’s copy of the novel.

I think it’s safe to say that I only wanted to read this book because of the AGGGTM mention. I was right, this is a great murder mystery debut.

The main character, Jess, is an Indian scholarship kid, which is not seem much in the main characters. I liked her character arc and gained confidence at the end.

However, my favourite character was definitely Summer. I honestly think that the book would’ve been a five star read if Jess, still the same physically and in background, had Summer’s character. I think that the novel leans into the “smart quiet Indian kid” stereotype, while a strong, ambitious and sometimes rude character would be truly refreshing.

The book was engaging enough that when the killer was revealed, I was happy to find out I was right! I thought some parts of the novel were too obvious with red herrings, as every other character was used as one. And while it was not the best in plot sense, the shock value was probably aimed for.

The highlight of this book was definitely the formatting where the killer is revealed. One chapter ends with “I realised who the killer is! They’re in front of me!” You, the reader, change the page quickly to read the rest, but then you’re met with a command and notes page. The author, unlike anyone I have seen, asks you to write who you think the killer is. The next chapter’s first sentence has that person as subject. I thought that was a great way to connect your readers to the story, because even I, who did not much care, was pushed to give an answer.

All in all, a great novel, and I am sure the author will improve even more!

I have always enjoyed reading YA literature and this debut novel, a thriller, is set in an elite boarding school. Jess is there not through family money but because she obtained a scholarship and so feels inferior to the rest of her classmates who flaunt their wealth and the status of their families. She has one friend, Clem, who seems to like her for who she is. Jess enjoys writing and together with another scholarship student, Summer, writes a short story, a thriller, in their extra-curricular class. When one of their peer group is murdered and she discovers that the means of his murder are exactly the same as the murder scene in her short story, Jess starts to investigate in case she becomes a suspect.

The pace of this novel keeps your attention and there are all the stereotypical characters that you would expect in a novel set in an elite boarding school; the rich girl who sneers at everyone with less money than her family have, the loner who sits and doodles, the popular boy. It also has the 'I like him but does he like me' trope. But there are plenty of red herrings, plenty of twists and although I did guess the killer, it did not spoil the book. As a reader, I was invested in Jess and followed her. An interesting element was the inclusion of blank note pages before the big revelation so that a reader can, like Jess, write down all the clues, write down thoughts and then turn the page and see if they are right. That was unexpected and I'm sure I would have used the space if I hadn't already worked it out.

An excellent YA debut.

I could not recommend it enough! “This Book Kills” deserves all the hype in the world!

I can’t remember the last time I was so immersed in a book, that I spent a full all-nighter finishing it, gasped at every hint and literally jumped (all the while dropping the book in excitement) when I correctly guessed who’d done it!

The most popular and rich kid in Heybuckle School, Hugh Henry Van Boren, has been found dead. And as soon as the new arrive, the student body is very keen to find the murderer. Our main character, Jess, is a student in this school. Not being rich, she is working hard to keep her grades good and her record clean so she doesn’t lose her scholarship.

However, she finds herself at the centre of the investigation when it’s revealed that Hugh died in the exact same way as a character in a short story that she wrote. On top of this, Jess receives an anonymous tip, thanking her for the inspiration, and sending a threat her way.

Jess needs to solve this murder urgently, as time is running out. She may not only lose her scholarship, but she may end up also losing her life!

I greatly enjoyed “This Book Kills” and rooted for Jess from the very beginning.
We are instantly introduced to this posh high-school, where Jess feels an instant disadvantage being “the scholarship girl”. We can feel this through her interactions with the other students and teachers.

It also doesn’t help that the school has an anonymous secret club called the Regia Club, where students are asked to pull dangerous pranks on each other. And the adults know this is happening and yet decide to not act upon it, due to reputation.

“Just because things are easy for you, doesn’t mean they’re easy. Just because people are good to you, doesn’t mean they’re good. You can’t close your eyes and then claim ignorance – people who let bad stuff happen are just as bad as the people who do bad stuff.”

I wouldn’t say this is the deadliest thriller of 2023, but it’s for sure the most intriguing YA thriller I have read so far. It kept me on the edge of my seat; the clues, the drama, the plot twists just kept coming. I ended up predicting the culprit, but I don’t think it was very predictable. I loved the fact that the book stops at a certain point and tells you to make a prediction, because a reveal is about to happen. As soon as I got the reveal, I was beyond happy that I guessed it right. This interaction with the book made me completely forget whether my prediction was predictable or not.

I am certain that this book will take the reader community by storm in the new year. Jess is a heroine that we will want to be friends with, although we’d rather not be in her shoes. If you’re about to pick any YA thriller in the new year, let it be this one. As This Book Kills.

When Hugh Henry Van Boren is found dead at Jess’s boarding school the student body is in shock and wondering who the murderer could be. Jess finds herself at the centre of the investigation when it comes to light that Hugh died in exactly the same way as a character in a short story she wrote.

When Jess receives an anonymous text thanking her for the inspiration she knows that if she doesn't solve this mystery she'll have something in common with Hugh. She will be dead too. She clubs together with unlikely friends as if she doesn’t solve the mystery she could lose her scholarship.

I loved the characters in this book. With names like Clementine Tangerine what’s not to love. Brilliantly addictive and I loved how the chapters were written. The story had vibes of Karen M McManus and Holly Jackson and I think that this book will become a YA must read. The killer well I did guess but only just before it was revealed so in no way did it spoil my enjoyment of the book. Great book for both YA and adults.

Many Thanks to the author and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book before being published in exchange for an honest review.

I chose this book because I have loved Karen McManus and Holly Jackson books. However, this book was a bit disappointing. It was too long. 400 pages that went on and on and on.
The pacing was quite slow for me, and I had to fast-read quite a few paragraphs.
I didn’t enjoy the characters or the feeling in the school. Too many posh students. I couldn´t connect with them, not even with Jess.
I also wasn´t surprised by the end because you can start guessing from the middle of the book.
Not the best crime book that I have read this year.

3.5/5 Written in the first person narrative style this YA thriller is engaging from the beginning with plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing who the killer is well into the text. A highly enjoyable story with good pacing throughout, this would be a great read for fans of the 'One of us is Lying' series as it is similarly concerned with a mysterious murder of a classmate and is chock full of fun twists and turns that keep you eager to continue reading!
Thank you to Netgalley.co.uk and Usborne Publishing for the free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.