This is a gripping thriller. The pacing is fast and very intriguing. The characters are well developed. The twists are very good.

This young adult thriller had an intriguing storyline that kept me engaged throughout. While the pacing occasionally felt slow, the charming protagonist, Spencer, made up for it with her tenacity and drive to uncover the truth. I particularly enjoyed including her emotional support service dog, Ripley, whose presence added depth to the narrative. Although some twists and endings were predictable, plenty of exciting moments still captured my attention. While it may not become an instant favourite, this book is worth a read, especially for young adult mysteries and thrillers fans. Overall, it's a compelling and enjoyable addition to the genre, and I look forward to exploring more from this author in the future.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book but unfortunately it didn’t live up to my expectations. It wasn’t a bad book as such, but it didn’t feel different enough to other YA mystery/thrillers.

I thought this book was ok, the twist just wasn't that surprising and thought there could of been a bit more character development.

I enjoyed this, though I think I am a little tired of "spoiled rich kid does bad thing" stories now.

My biggest thing is that the title isn't really indicative of the story - the List itself is only really alluded to and while it plays a part in the ending, it's not very important throughout.

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I was umming and ahing over giving this four stars, because I guessed how it would play out but honestly I had so much fun with it that it deserved it. This is a really good mystery and you spend the first half wondering if things are really as Spencer thinks, which keeps the tension nice and high.

I found Spencer a little hard to relate to in places, but given recent trauma and the Vicodin, that’s fair lol. It’s set in a very privileged high-achieving high school so sometimes the characters aren’t super likeable. And I especially hated the podcast ones, and I wanted more about what the ending meant for them. But Ripley is clearly the Best Doggo and I’m glad Spencer’s has her!

This is not one that gets super into the motivations of key people but it IS a lot of fun to fly through. 4 stars.

Four students. A fatal car crash. Three come out alive – and they will do anything to bury the truth.Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. This was a creative and absorbing tale! Definitely recommend this one!

Thank you netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book, and many aspects of it like the characters and the direction the plot went in. Would absolutely recommend this book, so I give it 4/5 stars.

I am a fan of the campus novel. Give me a book with a campus in it and it ticks one of my boxes. Melissa de la Cruz's The Headmaster's List initially hits that criteria. The Headmaster's List is set in an elite high school that can make or break its students. Attending can be a springboard for greater things later in life. The question is how much can money and prestige protect you from the consequences of a deadly crime?

I really enjoyed The Headmaster's List. It was a good mystery that kept you on your toes until the final reveal. It is a perfect read for any crime lovers - especially with the mixed media format that de la Cruz has used.

There were some things that I thought seemed a bit wrong or not fully explored such as the recovery from the accident seemed to happen really fast or certain characters were not as developed as they could have been and felt a bit like discourse markers.

However, this didn't dampen my enjoyment of the story.

The Headmaster's List by Melissa de la Cruz is available now.

For more information regarding Melissa de la Cruz (@MelissadelaCruz) please visit www.melissa-delacruz.com.

For more information regarding Macmillan Children's Books (@MacmillanKidsUK) please visit www.panmacmillan.com.

When a high school party goes wrong, it results in the death of a 15 year old boy. Ethan, who was driving the car at the time, obviously gets the blame. His ex girlfriend Spencer, who was also in the car with him, cannot remember anything about the crash and is determined to investigate, to find out what happened for her own benefit, but also to prove Ethan’s innocence. She teams up with Ethan’s best friend Jackson to investigate the events surrounding the accident.

I enjoyed the story and found it gripping for the most part. The timeline seemed a bit messed up - they went back to the scene of the party several weeks later and found rubbish and evidence still there; Ethan’s trial started relatively soon after the accident, but went on for weeks. I also couldn’t understand why they would have a civil trial rather than a criminal one. I was willing to forgive these flaws in the plot until the ending, which was utterly ridiculous. Without giving away spoilers, the complete change in one character and Spencer not speaking to her parents when she discovered the truth were just simply too unlikely to be believable. This spoiled what had been, until then, quite a good story.

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

Mysterious, privilege and full of gossip, this book delivered on all fronts. The mystery was intriguing enough to keep me reading and I was interested in the characters and their lives. I really warmed to Spencer quickly and wanted her to succeed in getting to the bottom of the accident.

It was really wonderful to see a service dog! Service dogs work really hard and can be useful plot devices but I rarely see them in books! I think this is only the second book I've read where the character has a service animal! So that was really good to see,

I guessed a couple of the plot points which made me feel really clever but I always question whether that means that they were obvious because I am not good at guessing plot points usually! But I do think in this case that I just picked up on one or two clues in the text. Maybe I'm just getting better at guessing!
If you, like me, eat up books about terrible things happening to privileged teenagers, this might be the book for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

Another to add to the growing list of teen/young adult thrillers/mysteries that will likely be popular! A genre that I, admittedly, am enjoying as much as anyone else, for someone who is neither a teen or a young adult at this stage in my life.

De la Cruz's writing style is simple, flows easily, and is very, very easy to consume in a handful of sittings, which works well for the kind of story that this is. The plot isn't anything groundbreaking, and some semblance of it had undoubtedly been done before, but who really cares? It's enjoyable, and it's a formula that has been seen to work time and time again.

The characters were likeable enough, and the decisions they made were sometimes stupid and sometimes perfect and always more or less right on for the teenagers that they are supposed to be. Though most of the twists and turns aren't exactly too difficult to work out for most critical readers, I'll admit that it definitely took me longer to recognise the big twist (the identity of the real villain) than it usually would have, and I was super satisfied with the conclusion of this one as a result.

It's fun, it's easy, and I think it'll be popular with readers of Karen M. McManus and the like.

For fans of Gossip Girl, One Of Us is Lying A Good Girls Guide to Murder and Five Survive, The Headmasters List is the perfect YA thriller. This is everything One of Us Is Lying could have been. It hit the mark straight off the bat. The suspense... the tension... I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I fell in love with the characters and the plot. I absolutely will be reading more of Melissa de la Cruz's work in the future.

I loved this book. I was gripped from the start.
Loved the characters. I loved how there were things I suspected, yet there were still surprises.
A must read for anyone who enjoyed One of Us is Lying or Good Girls Guide to Murder.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and MacMillan Children’s books for sending me this ARC! This one had a strong start but my God the ending annoyed me.

This is a YA thriller following Spencer who has just survived a car accident that killed a fellow high schooler and injured three others. It is thought to be an open shut case because Ethan, Spencer’s ex boyfriend was driving and he has confessed to causing the accident. However, Spencer can’t remember anything and things don’t seem to add up so she and Ethan’s best friend Jackson team up to try and find the truth.

The twists in this were good I will admit, I saw most of them coming but I still enjoyed them personally. This was a decent YA thriller that discusses some social issues but also not really. The book is called “The Headmaster’s List” but honestly it wasn’t really that much a of a part of the book. I was expecting some dark academia with that title but nope it was totally under utilised in my opinion.

I don’t usually go into spoilers in my reviews and I’m not about to start but what I am about to discuss really impacted my rating so I feel the need to include it. I’m not going to include names but the person who was driving was speeding at 120mph and faced no consequences for that. Nothing. Because of another incident they got off completely scot free and that doesn’t sit right with me. If they hadn’t been speeding the crash may not have been fatal but everyone just ignores that and it really annoyed me and seemed unrealistic.

Honestly I didn’t really like any of the characters in this book apart from Olivia and Ripley the dog. Spencer was okay as a main character and I feel that this book depicts trauma extremely well but she’s also incredibly selfish and focused on her own goals. Honestly it’s just a bunch of rich kids not realising their own privilege for most of the book.

If the premise sounds interesting to you check it out but I wouldn’t say this is an absolute must read. I would definitely give this author another go, her other book “Going Dark” sounds good. The Headmaster’s List was released on the 2nd March so you can get it now if you want to read it. I’m a little behind on reviews at the moment because my chronic illness is bad but I’m hoping to catch up this month!

This book focuses on a car crash that injured three people and killed one, and who is guilty. Spencer was injured badly during the crash but is adamant that her ex-boyfriend was not responsible for the crash - although he was found guilty and given a prison sentence. However, Spencer doesn't know when to stop and she is determined to learn the truth. The book is well-written and gripping and had plenty of twists and turns towards the end. I didn't expect the ending, and I was happy to have a surprise ending. This is the first book that I have read by this author, but it definitely will not be the last, especially if she writes anymore YA Thrillers.

Spencer wakes up in hospital after a car crash which involved a fatality. Four students were in the car returning home after a party: Spencer, her ex Ethan, & two other pupils from their school, Tabby Hill, & Chris Moore, who was tragically killed. All four of them are part of the 'Headmaster's List' at the school, a group of high achieving students which allegedly gains the members advantages when applying to college. Ethan is being investigated for having driven under the influence & reckless driving, but Spencer can't remember what happened.

She has been left with scars, broken bones, & PTSD from the crash & her parents get a service dog, Riley, for her return to school. Spencer remembers catching Ethan cheating on her & their screaming argument but nothing much about the crash itself, but she believes it was an accident & that Ethan is not to blame. She teams up with his best friend, Jackson, to find out what really happened, but it seems that someone may not want them to find out the truth.

I found this a little difficult to get interested in at first, but after a certain point, it did start to pick up. I thought the conclusion was rather good, even if I had already worked most of it out. Spencer was a sympathetic main character, & her budding friendship with Jackson was done well without being overly rushed. The best character of course was Riley the dog, who was just the best good girl. Overall, this was a little bit too predictable & it failed to catch the imagination. My rating 3.5 stars (rounded up)

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Macmillan Children's Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

When Spencer Sandoval wakes up in hospital after being involved in a horrific car crash, she has little recollection of how it all happened. One of her classmates is dead, her boyfriend is accused of murder and Spencer finds that the only way to stop herself unravelling is to throw herself into an investigation of what really happened, and whether everything from that night was really as everyone is telling her.

This is a really fast-paced, entertaining mystery story. I always find that books with mixed mediums have a great page-turning quality and this one, with its combination of interviews, podcasts and Spencer's POV was no exception. Although a little predictable at times, I was hooked from start to finish and loved uncovering what really happened alongside Spencer.

If you're looking for a fun, easy, high-school mystery, this is definitely worth a read. I did guess a few of the twists fairly early on, but that didn't make it any less interesting to read, and I'm excited to add some of Melissa's other books to my TBR!

The Headmaster's List by Melissa de la Cruz follows Spencer from the moment she awoke in the hospital after the traumatic car crash to the point where there is finally justice. When Spencer along with her service dog and Jackson were not convinced that her ex-boyfriend is guilty they go on their own adventures. Losing friends and taking many risks, this story will have you on the edge of your seat. Spencer goes through a lot and she would definitely not have managed if it wasn't for her service dog Ripley.

I really loved this book as it was exciting, full of mystery and shocking. This book kept me up late at night as I enjoyed every moment of it and it was greatly gripping. Following Spencer on a really low point in life with all those around her with privilege was exciting and the story took you on a big adventure. The ultimate person responsible is the last person you would expect. I especially liked Spencer's constant companion, Ripley, who just added another element to the story.

There is not really anything I disliked about this book apart from maybe a lack of a contents page but actually, this added to the excitement and thriller aspect of this book as you did not know when it was going to end, but this did not matter as it was a really gripping book.

One section of this book which stood out to me the most is the moment when Spencer got rejected from her first choice college/university. This is actually part of the book I was able to identify with the very most, literally being able to understand the feelings Spencer was going through having recently been rejected from my own first-choice university. Therefore, this will most likely be part of this book which will stay will me in great detail for a very long time. I was surprised at how real these emotions in this fictional book actually were.

Altogether, I rate this book 5 stars making it outstanding as it is highly gripping and takes the reader on a massive adventure and really gives the reader a really big shock at the end when we finally find out who did it. I would like to say a big thank you to both NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Books for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book in return for an honest book review.

A gripping thriller for the YA audience. Studious Spencer has her world literally turned upside down after being a passenger in a fatal car crash following an end of summer party. With no memory of the crash, crippling anxiety and her recently ex-boyfriend under arrest for manslaughter, Spencer is adrift. Disconnected from her usual sports team, unable to concentrate on her college applications, Spencer turns her attention to making all the fragments of that disastrous evening add up - except they don't. Determined to uncover the truth behind the fateful crash, Spencer continues to explore, despite a looming sense of unease, putting herself and her loved ones at risk.

Well written, gripping and sure to please.