I picked this up after seeing ads for the series. It's a shocking and shattering look at accountability, mob mentality, and the wildness of adolescence following the murder of a teenager. I felt the author treated the subject respectfully. It's impossible not to feel incredible heartbreak for Reena and her family, and just absolute befuddlement at the actions of so many involved here. A hard and challenging read.

I haven't read much true crime and I didn't realise to begin with this was based on a true story but I couldn't put this book down. I actually listened to some of it on audible which I really enjoyed too!
Parts were hard to read/listen to but I found it a gripping book.

This is the sort of book that when you’re reading it, you get a bit frustrated. Hasn’t the author "suspended my disbelief" enough? Then you remember it’s a true story and a young woman died a horrible death. None of this is made up. That’s the most shocking thing.

Reena Kirk is an innocent who died at the hands of a crowd of teenagers. Ms Godfrey is a novelist and the descriptions and repetitions do get a bit much and I also thought that Reena the person got a bit lost in the narrative. Yes it’s important to understand what led these kids to this hideous act but not at the expense of making Reena a real sympathetic person.

There’s a lot going on in this. From the countless court cases. The knowledge that Kelly especially was damaged and dangerous but that no one stopped her. The sadness and pain that Reena’s family went through before the police even took them seriously. Reena gets lost in so many ways and it is tragic. The other kids ~ especially Warren and Kelly ~ are front of house and we can feel for them, but fundamentally they are still here and enjoying life while the lass they killed is not.

A good addition to the true crime genre and unlike the usual fare.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley.

This real life account that happened Under the Bridge are heinous enough to be heart-breaking. To see the evil that exists was mind boggling.

True-crime has hit the world with an absolute storm and this book is a perfect example of the genre. I knew nothing about the subject before delving in deep, but since reading this, I have now researched more! Someone needs to give Netflix a call.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

The book is on the true crime story of murder of a school girl Reena Virk in 1997. It's not an easy read due to the content, however book is amazingly well -researched and well-written. A real page turner. Highly recommended to all readers interesting in true crime genre.

This is a tense and very disturbing story, made more disturbing because it’s a true story. I found the whole premise interesting as a further education teacher I have worked with this age range for many years and found it to be unbelievably real. It is only a short step to see how emotions and bullying can escalate when paired with a challenging home life, in fact it felt very, very scary!
The storytelling however, I found a bit long winded for the first third, but eventually became engrossed in the procedure and then raced through the rest. Well done Rebecca for being able to turn a dreadful incident with so many differing characters from a list of procedural notes into this story that is more accessible and will undoubtedly make a fascinating/sad series on television probably some time soon.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Under the Bridge is a true-crime story of fourteen-year-old Reena Virk who was murdered by eight of her peers in 1997. Based on six years of research and interviews with the accused, it’s meticulously researched and harrowing to read. It’s an insightful and eye-opening story that followed a senseless murder by teenagers whose lives were blighted by hardships, abandonment, rage and peer pressure.

Rebecca Godfrey has written the book in an unusual way (Which took some getting use too I admit) as she gives a unique voice to the killers, sharing their views and thoughts. At some points it made me think the author may have used some poetic license to convey the story. The writing felt immature at times but I do feel by using this style of writing the author depicts the immaturity of the teens involved perfectly. Although it felt like the author was attempting to elicit the reader's sympathy for the killers. Overall, I thought this was a interesting and chilling true crime book.

The tragic murder of Reena Virk is immortalised within these pages in a true crime novel that reads like a tragic work of fiction. With a tenderness and deep regard for the lived experiences of many of the teenagers implicated in this heinous crime, which are littered with hardships and abandonment, rage and love, horror and beauty, and none more than Reena herself, Godfrey handles the lead up, the crime, and the subsequent trial with a stunning clarity and insight into the reality of how a group of young people could come to be involved in a murder.
A sobering, heart rending look at the circumstances that brought Reena Virk to the fateful bridge, and the minds of the teenagers who would murder her there.

What stood out to me the most in this story was how the children involved were disregarded and written off by the adults surrounding them. So much so that even when they openly discussed murdering one of their peers, nobody paid them any attention because they were all already labelled as lost causes and were not taken seriously. That being said, it’s does not excuse the atrocious crime that any of the perpetrators participated in but it does give us an insight into perhaps why they wandered down a path that led to such a tragic outcome.

Told in a narrative that almost makes it easy to forget this is not a work of fiction, the author has taken us deep into the lives of those involved and the subsequent trial At times it does feel a little lengthy but there is so much more than a true crime book here. It takes along hard look at societal impacts on young people who have questionable guidance, who think they are grown and at the failures of those reponsible for them and it leaves you asking how the hell was all this allowed to happen in plain sight?!

The murder itself was absolutely shocking and Reena was let down more than ANYONE else in this horrific and unnecessary crime. Justice was absolutely not served.

At 480 pages be prepared to settle down with this one but it is for the most part a well researched, thoughtful and immersive book.

I’d recommend this to:
Anyone who enjoyed the book Bully and those who are interested in true crime stories that don’t just recite facts but give you something to think about too.

True crime a story that drew me in and kept me turning the pages.Not an easy reads but a book I could not put down Will be recommending.#netgalley #underthebridge

The nature of the fact that this book is true crime makes it hard to say I liked the book. The book was a fascinating read that kept me turning the pages. The introduction and the afterwords I feel were an important addition that added to the book.