After finishing Let’s Play Murder by Kesia Lupo, I found myself a bit disappointed with the overall experience. The novel, which blends elements of a locked-room mystery with virtual reality and teen drama, had an intriguing premise but fell short in several areas.

The story follows Veronica and four other teenagers who are trapped in a VR game where they must solve a murder mystery. While the concept of a “Ready Player One meets Agatha Christie” scenario is compelling, the execution left much to be desired.

The primary issue I had with the book was the lack of depth in character development. Outside of Veronica, the other characters felt like stereotypes and did not evolve throughout the story. This made it difficult to become invested in their fates or the outcome of the game. Additionally, the dialogue-heavy narrative often dragged, making the first half of the book feel slow and sometimes tedious .

Moreover, the conclusion of the novel left several critical questions unanswered, which was frustrating as a reader expecting a more satisfying resolution. While the book had moments of suspense and managed to maintain a snappy pace, these positives were not enough to overshadow its weaknesses .

Overall, Let’s Play Murder had potential with its unique premise and blend of genres, but ultimately, it did not deliver the gripping, immersive experience I was hoping for. If you’re looking for a complex and satisfying YA thriller, this might not be the best choice.

I was really excited about the premise of this book but sadly it wasn’t for me. I read 25% of the book before I decided to DNF it. None of the characters really spoke to me and the computer game aspect felt a bit clunky and outdated.

I enjoyed this more than I thought it would! I loved the idea of a virtual reality with the added twist of ending up trapped until the mystery is solved. I loved the characters and I really enjoyed finding out more about them as I read. The pacing was so fast and I finished it in 2 days because I became so obsessed about finding out the ending!! I look forward to reading more form the author in the next future.

I did not like this sadly. It just didn't grip me and it felt like a lot happened, but nothing really changed within the plot of the story/

I had quite high hopes for this book as this kind of genre is really popular at the moment and I wanted to see if my students would like it.

The book had a unique storyline that at times was just too far fetched and I couldn’t relate to any of the characters which made it quite difficult for me to Want to carry on.

The book was certainly dramatic and action packed but it just wasn’t one for me. I do think some of my students would enjoy the different elements that this book featured.

As soon as I saw Squid Game meets Agatha Christie I knew I had to read it and it didn't disappoint I loved it

YA mystery thriller novels are all the rage at the moment and I am seriously here for it! I love this genre of novel with the fast paced exciting plots that keep you guessing and wanting more. Generally, I find that I read a novel like this in one sitting as I am usually desperate to find out what is going on and Let’s Play Murder is no exception. The setting of a VR game with mysterious and nefarious antics is fantastic and feels so eerily like this could actually happen at some point in the future - let’s hope not! The blending of this futuristic setting with the classic detective genre of Agatha Christie is great fun and an excellent way to bring this genre to a younger audience.

The cast of characters is interesting although I felt that protagonist Veronica was a little difficult to like. She is very adamantly against VR games and I found it quite hard to get into her character which was a bit of a shame. However, in general the group of them were great with interesting characterisation and moral greyness. I found it really hard to know who to trust throughout the story as allegiances changed and secrets were revealed - definitely kept me guessing!

Fun YA thriller with a great VR setting. 4 out of 5 stars.

eronica awakens in a murder case straight out of an Agatha Christie book, stuck with four strangers in a huge manor house in the middle of a snowstorm. It seems so genuine, but it's not. This is VR, and this is THE Game—a fabled Easter Egg found in other VR games that entices you into a contest with a jackpot that exceeds your greatest expectations. And until the Game is won, there is no way to leave the VR environment.
I really started out cheering for this book, and I truly liked a lot of things about it. I felt the idea was novel, and I adored the combination of the more contemporary AI/VR premise with the classic detective Christie style, which made for an engaging story.But the narrative kept losing me because of its repetition. We know the protagonist is scared, but there's really life and death at stake, thus the constant references to his illness were annoying. The continual mistrust of who was a "goodie" or "baddie" also occasionally looked unreasonable. As a result, a few of the characters came out as a little one-dimensional, but this could have been caused by the book's quick pacing.

I believe it would have been better if this had been more fully developed. However, I believe it will be enjoyable for the YA audience before they go on to their next book.
#Horror #Sci Fi & Fantasy #teensandya

Veronica wakes up trapped with four strangers in a sprawling manor house in a snow storm with a dead body, a mystery right out of an Agatha Christie novel. It feels so real - but it isn't. This is VR and this is THE Game; a rumoured Easter Egg hidden in other VR games that draws you into a competition for a prize beyond your wildest dreams. And there's no escaping the VR world until the Game is won.

I really set out rooting for this novel and there were many aspects of it that I really enjoyed. I thought the concept was original and I loved the partnership with old school sleuthing Christie style alongside the more modern AI/VR conception which made for an intriguing pairing.

I liked Lupo’s characterisations, especially Veronica, the feisty yet felling protagonist but for me the overall plot was what brought the rating down. I felt there was a somewhat disconnect between the main storyline and the back stories of the characters and sometimes the VR aspects were so out there that it made the storyline ridiculous.

Nevertheless a good enough read and I will definitely keep an eye out for more of Lupo’s work.

I was lucky enough to recieve a sample of this book at a literary festival and I COULD NOT wait for the finished product. I read it in a day - that is how enthralled I was.

The characters here were fleshed out and interesting. I also loved the setting - I'm a sucker for a murder mystery but with the added layer of video games? I was hooked from the get go. The 1980s/90s aesthetic of the costumes etc. added an extra layer to the story as well - it's very innkeeping with the zeitgeist of the moment.

Without spoiling it, there is a twist ending (because it's a perfectly crafted thriller) that left me shook.

I would 100% recommend this book for thriller and murder mystery fans - It was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023 and it did not disappoint.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This story offered an engaging tale of virtual reality and the horrors within, however much of it fell flat. The characters were two-dimensional, with no real redeeming features and it was difficult to care whether some of them escaped the murder house.

Pacing wasn’t great and the male characters were particularly bland.

This was super different to anything I’ve read before! It was fast paced thrilling and twisty and the premise was so intriguing so I’m so happy I got approved for this one. I love the clue hunts, the different character developments and even the ending even though it took me a minute I loved it!

Let's Play Murder has a super interesting and unique concept. I was hooked throughout and enjoyed the read but the ending left me a little disappointed.

This book is indeed a whodunnit, and within an interesting virtual environment. I suspect that younger readers would enjoy it a lot, but it seemed a little bare-bones to me.

The world-building was interesting, with the popularity of the VR systems very believable in a 'Ready Player One' manner. The characters were good and varied.

However, the story kept losing me with its repetition. Constant mention of the protagonist's sick brother were frustrating - we know she's worried, but there's literally life and death on the line! Also the constant suspicion of who was a 'goodie/baddie' seemed illogical at times. A couple of characters seemed slightly two-dimensional as a result, but perhaps this was due to the fast pace of the book.

If this had been fleshed out a little, it would have been better, I think. But for the YA audience, I think it'll hit an enjoyable spot before they go on to their next read.

Not my normal bag at all, but I really enjoyed this. Ignoring the computer generated bits at its heart it was a great mystery full of twists and turns and I have already recommended it to my (Ahem, slightly nerdy) computer-y friends. All around a solid 5 stars for a great plot, likeable (And unlikeable) characters and a creepy old house, with a good dose of ghostliness for good luck!

This is a fantastic mix of genres, with your golden age murder mystery setting within a video game setting with some good old creepy instances the cherry on top. It’s full of unexpected twists and had a brilliant ending. Things often get completely turned on their head but this adds to the suspense.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.*

I knew very little about this book going into it but thought it was a really strong YA murder mystery page-turner. It had a mix of horror, sci-fi, and mystery, and yet it really worked.

The book is set in a VR game on the dark web in which a group of teenagers must compete to solve a mystery before time runs out. However, when one of the players ends up dead, the game spirals out of control. I enjoyed the tension and the complexity go the characters, I never knew who to trust.

If you’re a fan of YA whodunnits then you should definitely pick this up! It has whiplashing twists and turns and a plot that kept me guessing throughout. You definitely don’t need to be a gamer to pick this up (trust me, I’m far from a gamer).

#LetsPlayMurder #NetGalley

I love a YA thriller and Let’s Play Murder is a refreshing take on the murder mystery genre. I’ve not read anything quite like it before and I flew through it at an astonishing pace - addictive just as gaming can be!

Ever imagined being placed into a virtual reality that you can’t escape until you’ve solved a mystery? That’s exactly what Let’s Play Kill is all about. When Veronica wakes in the snow, she has no idea what has happened, where she is or what lies ahead and then she discovers she is in the Game.

The Game is a viral, dark web VR game which draws in players at random. It’s a simple concept: solve the murder mystery and win a huge prize! Easy, right? Did I mention you can’t just leave The Game? You have to play it through. Before long the VR world begins to crumble around them and one of the players dies for real upping the ante big time. Throw in a dash of creepy dead sister ghost and this book gave me spine tingling shivers on multiple occasions which I wasn’t expecting at all.

Veronica, Charlie, Nate, Yasmin and Aaron are a great bunch of complex and layered characters. They each have qualities you’ll like and dislike and they all give you reasons to trust and mistrust them at varying points of the game which I think was really cleverly constructed. I don’t want to say too much about them as there were some seriously brilliant plot twists around the different characters which had me gobsmacked.

Spine-tingling, thrilling and addictive. This book is full of twists and turns I didn’t see coming and there were some truly chilling and creepy moments I hadn’t anticipated. The ending still has me shook and I’m desperate to know what happens next!

Veronica’s brother Max is sick, really sick. So when he begs her to play a virtual reality game with her in hospital she can’t refuse him, even though she hasn’t played for two years since a bad experience in VR. Except now she’s not in their game, she’s in The Game, and there’s no escape until the mystery is solved and someone walks away with a lifechanging amount of money.

She meets up with Charlie, Nate, Aaron and Yasmin who have also been sucked into the game – Charlie and Yasmin are excited to be there, Aaron desperately wants out and doesn’t want to play and Nate?...Nate appears to be up to something. At first Veronica doesn’t want to play, she wants out so she can check if her brother is ok, but then she starts to realise that if she wins she could use the money to help save Max’s life.

And so the murder mystery begins - the five must investigate a murder, search the house for clues, interview the NPC, but against the clock. There can be only one winner… so do they work together or against each other? And no one wants to know what will happen if they are still on the level when the snow reaches the top of the windows…

The characters were believable, Charlie was just awful! I felt sorry for Veronica, there was obviously bad memories in her past with her parents and sister, and then during the game she starts blacking out and ?hallucinating. It’s like an Agatha Christie with clues and interviews that you can try to work out the mystery too…but then the game starts glitching and an element of horror is introduced. It’s very exciting! Did I work out the murderer? No. Did I work out another element? Yes. Did I like it? I absolutely loved it! As for the ending…I didn’t think I liked it at first, but I’ve pondered it overnight and decided it was perfect. 5 stars from me.

Also posted to Goodreads - link account doesn't work.

#netgalley #letsplaymurder #kesialupo #youngadult #virtualreality #horror #murdermystery

A gripping sci fi thriller/YA horror/mystery mash-up with a virtual reality setting. It had me on the edge of my seat and the twists and turns were really something! The kind of book that makes you think too. YA readers are going to love this one.

(Saw some comments about the disabled rep/mental health rep but I thought the book did well to bring out so many important issues on both counts and to have an MC with glasses/hearing aids who, without being spoilery, is quite a different category of MC, challenging stereotypes!)