I’ve read multiple books by Melissa de la Cruz, and honestly, sometimes I love them and sometimes I’m not into it.
This is one of the books that fell somewhere in the middle for me — not my favourite, but also not my least favourite either.

I really do enjoy a YA mystery thriller type book. It speaks to me. Which is probably one of the reasons I enjoyed this story. I also really enjoy books surrounding rich and privileged teenagers.
It gives off Karen McManus vibes, and I think if you enjoy her works, then you’ll also enjoy this book.

One of the fun things about this genre is trying to guess as you read exactly what happened before all is revealed. Throughout, I tried my best to guess who was responsible, and exactly what happened. Some aspects I got right, but others were a surprise, and that’s one of the best parts!
Definitely give this book a go.

I received an ARC and am leaving a voluntary review. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan.

A traumatic car crash involving four students leaves one dead and three dealing with the consequences, Spencer Sandoval, one of the students in the car, doesn't believe the crash happened the way the others say it did but can't remember much of that night. Determined to find out the truth, she starts digging into the events that led to the crash and the students involved.

This was a fun and quick mystery to read. I liked reading from Spencer's POV and I loved her character. She was determined and brave and she watched reruns of Murder, She Wrote with her sister.

I had the mystery mostly figured out from the beginning but overall, I really enjoyed reading it and look forward to more Melissa de la Cruz books.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Books for the arc in return for an honest review.

(Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review)

[Actual rating - 3.5/5]

I really liked how we start the book straight into the action as it really set the pace and got the book going. It was fast-paced and easy to read and I also really liked the short chapters (it meant I read it super quickly). The plot had lots of twists and turns and whilst I guessed some of the main reveals at the end, there were still some that completely surprised me.

In terms of characters, the main character Spencer was likeable and I was rooting for her the entire time but all the side characters didn’t really have much depth and were easily forgettable (especially Spencer’s best friend, Olivia). Though I did appreciate Spencer's sister Hope and her constant watching Murder, She Wrote.

Overall though, this was a pretty decent mystery with plenty of twists and action though the characters were a bit underwhelming.

The Headmaster’s List is a really interesting concept and it is delivered through a fast-paced story. I wanted to love the book and it did keep my interest but overall, it just wasn’t executed as well as I would have liked. The plot seemed to move quite far away from reality in a lot of aspects and this was disappointing. For example, simple details about the crash seemed to be completely ignored by the police and the lawyers involved in the case and a teenager run true-crime podcast was able to get hold of confidential police documents that they wouldn’t even allow one of the victims to see. Spencer also recovers from a traumatic brain injury and returns to school only a week later and is expected to recover from PTSD brought on by the crash without any proper therapy and just with the use of a therapy dog.
The narrative is broken up with extracts from other things which provide more context and support the world-building within the story. This includes podcast transcripts, extracts from the police report and extracts from Spencer’s bullet journal and it overall was a real asset to the story.
I did really like the protagonist, Spencer. She was a really likeable character who was well written and has really good morals. The character of Jackson also had real depth to him but – apart from therapy dog Ripley who has my whole heart – that’s about as far as likeable characters go. The Headmaster character gave me beyond creepy vibes (framed pictures of his favourite students in his office is a red flag and don’t even get me started on the elitist list of his), Spencer’s parents make practically no appearances in the story and the Detective character gives police everywhere a bad name. There are a lot of other characters introduced during the story but they never become viable suspects as they’re not properly introduced or developed, like in the case of Ethan’s stalker. We find out very little about Chris, the teenager who died in the crash, and what we do find out doesn’t make us warm to him, and it ultimately made it difficult for us to truly care about getting justice for him, as harsh as that may sound.
We do have non-binary representation through the character of Tabby but it honestly felt like Tabby was only pointedly identified as nonbinary as part of a diversity box ticking exercise. They are misgendered multiple times during the narrative and it’s disappointing this wasn’t spotted during the editing process.
There are big twists in the closing chapters and I won’t lie, one of them infuriated me and did ultimately ruin the book for me. Two of the big twists were predictable from very early on in the story but the third twist just didn’t make sense. Without giving too many spoilers, it was ultimately really disappointing that they chose to make the character do a complete 180 just so it was something the readers didn’t see coming.
Overall, The Headmaster’s List is a really interesting concept but it was disappointing overall. It was an easy read which did hold my attention and I did find myself desperate to have the crime solved but the book was ultimately taken in a direction which I don’t think was in keeping with the characters or story overall so I can’t rank it any higher than 3*.

I have posted an extended review on my blog www.yourschloe.co.uk and the post is linked.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Melissa de la Cruz stories can be a hit or miss for me, this one was a hit as I found it compelling and gripping.
A solid mystery full of suspects, secrets and twists. It kept me turning pages and guessing.
Liked it and liked the fleshed out characters.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

A good old-fashioned mystery, where we have a sneaking suspicion of where it’s headed, only to learn that there’s another twist in the tale.
Spencer is one of those students who seems to get everything she wants. However, when she’s pulled from the wreck of a car life changes.
There were four of them in the car. One died. Spencer’s boyfriend was rumoured to be driving and faces charges. Tabby won’t talk to anyone about what happened, keeping their own secrets. Ethan urges her to leave things, but Spencer wants the truth.
The book focuses on Spencer’s investigation as she tries to regain her normal life. Those around her are powerless to help as she works harder to get her memory back and the police stop listening, even when Spencer is almost run over, as they have their man.
The book builds to an explosive climax, though it did - on occasion - feel as if we were watching a TV drama rather than reading about something that could happen. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read the book in advance of publication

I have a weakness for mysteries set in the world of the young, rich and privileged. However, this novel wasn't the guilty pleasure suspense novel I was hoping for. I had problems suspending disbelief for example when the main character so quickly recovers from her horrific injuries an is back at school and engaging in her activities. And the mechanics of the trial were completely divorced from reality, I was interested enough to keep reading to find out what happened.

I love a YA thriller and this one definitely did not disappoint! Following a fatal car crash, Spencer is picking up the pieces of her new life alongside therapy dog Ripley. Determined that ex-boyfriend Ethan isn’t actually the blame, Spencer and Jackson set out to uncover the truth with their own investigation. Lots of truths are uncovered along the way and as Spencer’s life seemingly spirals out of control the truth is epically revealed! The ending absolutely shook me - safe to say this one kept me addicted to the last pages! I loved Spencer as a protagonist and wanted to protect her at all costs! Ripley is an adorable sidekick!

Thanks to Macmillan Children’s UK and NetGalley for my early copy in exchange of an honest review.

This wasn't quite what I expected and honestly, wasn't quite for me, but I can see the appeal, especially potentially for the age group its probably aimed at, and based around - the teens. I enjoyed it but didn't love it.

Best thing about thrillers and mystery books like this is when you don't see the ending coming but you like to act the detective throughout the book and feel like a boss once you got it

For me I had an inkling on who done it but it was character I didn't want it to be, it wasn't obvious and I had wild theories the entire time but they were only slightly correct.

I'm giving this three stars as I felt that there could've been a bit more to the story and it was a bit filler than anything important for some parts otherwise this was a good read, something you could binge in a day easily!

I loved this, the tension was immense and there were many twists and turns so I had no clue how it would end.
The story revolves around a tragic car accident, in which a young student dies. Our main character was also in the car that fateful night but has big gaps in her memories and horrific flashbacks which she can’t make any sense from.
She had also broken up with her, super rich, boyfriend that night after discovering he had been cheating on her so emotions were high all round. Despite this she is convinced of his innocence and does everything she can to unpick what actually happened for a sense of justice but also to fill in the gaps in her memory so she can understand and move on.
I loved the tension and pace of the story and the sinister edge of being stalked and her own life being threatened for probing too deep. I wasn’t quite so keen on the, somewhat lacklustre, efforts of the Police to effectively investigate the collision despite glaring evidence. This implausibility ruined it a little for me but I chalked it down to artistic license as I loved the originality of the story and the plot overall. A recommended read.

Solid 3 stars, a fun book with good writing and interesting characters! A perfect read for a rainy day, where you can lose yourself in the story

This book was unfortunately a miss for me. Four students are in a car accident that only three of them walk away from, and the question is what actually happened? The answer is ... Not particularly satisfying. I didn't really enjoy the twists (or find them very twisty) and was a bit bored for chunks of the book. Others may enjoy it more, but I wasn't for me.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was gonna be really good. i love young adult mystery/thrillers but this was just a terrible book. that's kinda rude, and it had one thing going for it which was that i did went to keep reading to find out what actually happened.

but. the characters were so annoying and the writing was not good at all. it felt like a wattpad story that had been written by a 14 year old (no shade, i too was once a 14 year old wattpad writer). and the ending was exactly what i expected too.

also there was a ridiculous bit right near the end that was ???? so stupid and dramatic for no reason.

oh, and one more thing - the name of the book was mostly irrelevant. like.. the plot didn't have much to do with it and neither did the mystery.

i enjoyed reading this book.
if you like karen mcmanus you will love reading this.
secrets to hide that you know will come out eventually keeps you wanting to read more thrown in with some good plot twists.
you will not want to miss out on reading this!!

𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖

Thank you so much Melissa de la Cruz and Net Galley for this ARC! 🥰
 
I read this book in 4 days - I couldn't put it down! I love YA mystery and this one didn't disappoint - really gripping and exciting!
The story follows the aftermath of a car accident which involved 4 students (1 died whilst 3 walked away alive). Throughout the book, we are led to believe that Ethan was driving whilst under the influence of alcohol. His ex-girlfriend Spencer Sandoval, who was also in the car, is desperate to regain her memories from that night as she believes that Ethan is innocent. As she dives deeper into what happened with the help of Ethan's best friend Jackson, we find out that it's not as straightforward as everyone thought - especially when there are people who want to stop Spencer from finding out the truth...

I really enjoyed this book overall. Loved the short chapters and the representation! I did guess who did it near the start of the book which reduced the rating by a star for me but I still enjoyed it nonetheless!

This one wasn’t for me. I thought the story was interesting, but I’ve read a lot like it that’s better. One twist I saw coming from page one, another was ludicrously far fetched.

Characters fairly clichéd teen stereotypes, fairly well drawn but lacked consistency.

The main problem for me was the writing. I found it terribly overwritten in places and thought it needed a thorough edit.

Teens may enjoy it, but there are plenty of better versions of almost exactly the same book.

This was a good read, I liked the emotional impact and the suspense in the story, the plot twists were gripping. Huge thank you to the publisher for this ARC.

Prestigious prep school set in LA. A car accident resulting in a death. And secrets scattered throughout.

As a fan of mystery and thriller books, I was all to happy with the chance to give it a read.

Throughout the book we are led to believe this it was Ethan who was driving the car at the time of the accident. However as you go though the book and follow Spencer (the main character) as she desperately tries to regain her memories of that night, we find out it’s not as straightforward as everyone is led to believe.

By the end of the book I had gone through so many characters that I thought might have been behind that the one person it turned out to be wasn’t the one I suspected.

Loved the reference to Scooby Doo!

I definitely recommend this book to other readers who love this type of genre!