I was hoping this would be more of a thriller. It felt more like a YA mystery. I didn’t care for Hannah at all. I will give this author another read though. The pace was fast.

A brilliant read
Brooke returns to her home town and the scene of her best friends death Bailey she jumped in front of a train or did she
Lots of twists and turns thinking you know what has happened and then another twist comes along
A great page turner
Thanks NetGalley

#PromQueen #NetGalley
Twenty years ago, Bailey Maddox was found dead by the train tracks. Bailey had be crowned prom queen just hours before she was found dead. Bailey wasn't supposed to be the prom queen and someone was going to make her pay for it. Bailey and Brooke were best friends, they had a friendship necklace with their initials painted in nail polish on the back of the locket. When Bailey was found dead, her half of the necklace was found further down the train tracks, Bailey never took that necklace off. Bailey's death was ruled an accident, but her best friend Brooke knew it wasn't an accident. Someone wanted Bailey dead, but who? Bailey's death was ruled as a suicide, but Bailey would have never committed suicide. Did Bailey really jump in front of train or was she pushed? When Bailey tried out for the cheer team and made the squad, she made a new group of friends, Brooke didn't like that because she felt like she was losing Bailey to a group of girls that were only using Bailey. Prom Queen is told in an alternating POV from then, the night of prom and leading up to Bailey's death, and now to finally find justice for Bailey Maddox.
Twenty years after the death of Bailey Maddox, Brooke Webber has finally returned to her childhood home. Brooke's mom has passed away and now she's cleaning out her mom's house to put on the market. Brooke hasn't been home since Bailey's dead because it always brings back painful memories. When Brooke returns to her childhood hometown, she sees flashes of Bailey everywhere, a flash of Bailey's locket on a woman in a cafe. That woman would be Hannah. Hannah has her own podcast, "All The Dark Corners". Hannah is in town trying to find answers to Bailey's death, but as she's asking questions, she's digging up dark secrets and bringing back painful memories for those who were there the night of Bailey's death. As Brooke starts appearing on Hannah's podcast, she keeps finding little white notes every place she goes. Does someone believe Brooke killed Bailey? Brooke and Bailey didn't do the smartest things when they were teenagers, but who hasn't? Why would they want Brooke to disappear?
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me an advance copy.

The twists kept coming in this mystery thriller by Laura Wolfe. A girls who's death was deemed a suicide but so many think this is not the case. After returning to her home town to help sell her mother's house, Brooke becomes thrown into solving the mystery of her best friend's death after being blackmailed by a visiting podcaster looking into her death. It was hard to guess who did it and even at the very end there was another twist I didn't see coming. Highly recommend for a read that keeps you guessing and intrigued the whole time.

I am attracted to stories about smalltowns, and reunions with old classmates. This didnt disappoint. The unpredictability is what I enjoyed the most about this book.

If you like a quick, fast pace read, like a 'whodunnit' and enjoy a book with twist - then you need to read this book!

I liked the timelines - present and past and thought and although some of the characters were unlikeable, I believe this is how it is supposed to be.

This would be a fun read for anyone that is new to the thriller genre of like YA

The prom is supposed to be your pinnacle at highschool and the prom queen is supposed to be the most popular senior girl of that year. Looks can be deceiving.

The feeling of this book is less about the adrenaline rush but more about a story of the fate of a prom queen mere hours after her coronation named Bailey Maddox.

What I felt was that this is more of a slow burn book and it's more about the journey to find out what happened. I like those types of books as well because they have more story and character creation which while it may not be as active but they have a good story.

I like that it's not the same sort of crime book and I like that it deals more with another side such as podcasters.

Hannah Mead is the podcaster and it definitely is making me want to find more by this author and to see if there are more stories about the other 7 seasons of this story.

The flashbacks are very fun to read despite the fact that generally I don't enjoy the flash back style. I tend to find that it is more difficult to get a good sense of what goes on and it feels that so many books deal with the flashback scenes. However it was done pretty well.

I like the lightness of the mystery of what happened to the Prom Queen. I think it shows a different style that we don't often see in crime books where they have a lighter side that isn't just gruesome details.

I really enjoyed this novel and found that the take the author pushed was very different but what really caught my eye with this book was how fresh it really felt. It was exciting as it was so different even if it wasn't the action packed novel that I tend to like with crime. Very good and kept me wanting more

This book gave me teen slasher movie vibes and I really enjoyed it! Brooke was an interesting character and at times not what I expected. A fun escapist read that I read quickly.

I love novels that have past and present timelines and that also look at female friendship so Prom Queen was a book I knew I had to read and I'm so happy to say that I loved it! This novel follows Brooke who is back in her hometown to oversee the sale of her late mother's home. Twenty years ago her best friend died in what was ruled a suicide but a lot of locals suspect there was more to it and now a podcaster is investigating the case! I loved seeing Brooke navigate being back in her small town and catching up with her old friends, and the people who she never liked and who never liked her. I did see the outcome of this novel coming but it didn't stop my enjoyment as there were revelations I didn't see coming and I just loved being along for the ride. This was such a page turner of a novel and I couldn't put it down! I definitely recommend this one!

"Prom Queen" by Laura Wolfe presented an okay reading experience with a mix of highs and lows. The novel explores the tumultuous world of high school dynamics and the quest for popularity, offering an engaging backdrop for the plot. While Wolfe adeptly captures the challenges faced by the characters, the narrative occasionally feels predictable, lacking the element of surprise. The character development is solid, though some personalities verge on stereotypical. The writing style is competent but doesn't stand out. "Prom Queen" delivers a decent portrayal of teenage struggles but falls short of leaving a lasting impression, making it an okay read overall.

This was a surprise in how much I liked this book. This book is full of misdirection and plot twists. The I Know What You Did Last Summer/Carrie/Mean Girls vibes had me not wanting to put this down. And the ending....shook Make sure to grab it.

I loved this book! It had me questioning what happened the entire time. I suspected someone and then didn’t over and over again. It was very well written and the epilogue through in one more twist.

This was good. A very basic, straightforward storyline... a super quick read. Had just enough characters and back story to keep you guessing, but the ending made sense (let's stop putting epilogues in books like this though, okay?).

I really enjoyed this.
The narrative switches between the past and present and is fast paced.
Brooke has always believed her friend Bailey was killed in prom night. Her return to her her home town coincides with a true crime podcast revisiting the death of the prom queen.
This was an easy and enjoyable read. Lots of clues and red herrings and it kept me guessing until the end.

Prom Queen by Laura Wolfe

Published: October 9, 2023
Bookouture
Genre: Psychological Fiction
Pages: 353
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Laura Wolfe is an Amazon charts bestselling author who writes twisty, fast-paced psychological thrillers and suspense novels published by Bookouture. Her indie titles have also been shortlisted for multiple book awards. Laura is a lover of animals and nature. When she is not writing, she can be found hanging out with her husband and two kids, growing vegetables in her garden, or spoiling her rescue dog. She enjoys living in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

This was such an intense ride. I enjoyed how the story was told, using alternating timelines and piecing the story together with an intertwined method of chaos.

The way this story builds will leave you thinking you know who did it, but you will change your mind three chapters later. When everyone could have had a motive, who took the opportunity?

The way this book ended left me speechless. I need a second book or extended epilogue because my mind was blown.

I loved how the complexity of relationships was displayed. The emotions were spot on. I also appreciated how the perspective shifted as the characters grew up. This was well written, and I recommend diving in!

This is the kind of book which would be an amazing tv show. I really enjoyed it and it was my first by Laura Wolfe. It is a fun read for a rainy day. I don't like thrillers generally but I couldn't put this one down.

This is a book that leaves you guessing until the very end. I was hooked.. but I felt like it dragged because I just wanted to know who the heck did it. There were tons of unexpected twists and turns and the killer was NOT who I thought it would be! I think this would be a hit with the YA audience- this is a great spooky October read!

This is a very entertaining little read.

It's nothing new and breaks no ground - it's just an easy, breezy read.

I did find our main character occasionally stupid. I mean...when you think someone is possibly a killer, is it YOUR instinct to just...spill that to everyone, including the person you suspect? Because, I'd just shut my mouth.

Some of the reveal was incredibly obvious. Some of it just left me scratching my head.

But I did enjoy the read for the most part.

So many twist I can’t wait to read more books from this author! I don’t usually like YA but this was pretty good.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A well-written coming of age novel, with plenty of suspense, twists and turns. Recommended.