The Agathas (YA Book Club Edition) by Kathleen Glasgow
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Web ID: 14352499Outstanding!
[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.] 5 stars plus - Among the best of the best, perfect fit I loved this! As I read, I kept thinking, "Please be a series, please be a series." I loved the two central characters as well as the small peer group around them. The authors do a great job balancing character development with the mystery elements so neither gets short changed. And the plotting of the mystery was masterful. This will be one of my favorite books of 2022.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Fun YA Mystery
Read if you like: Domestic suspense Multiple POV Agatha Christie mysteries A Good Girls Guide to Murder TW: Domestic abuse Summary: When teenager Brooke Donovan is found dead, and her boyfriend Steve becomes the prime suspect, the town of Castle Cove is left reeling. Enter amateur detectives Alice Ogilve, Steve’s former ex-girlfriend, and her tutor Iris Adams. This unlikely pair believes Steve is innocent and are determined to get to the bottom of what really happened to Brooke. Thoughts: I fully immersed myself in this one, going back and forth between the ebook, hardcover and audiobook. I found “The Agathas” to be a a super charming YA mystery with major “A Girls Guide to Murder” vibes. I absolutely loved the homage to Agatha Christie and her famous detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, and I’m excited for the new generation of Christie fans this book will hopefully create. If you are a fan of the AGGGTM series, I definitely recommend checking this one out. Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A solid teen mystery inspired by Agatha Christie
Synopsis: “Last summer Alice Ogilvie disappeared after her boyfriend Steve Anderson ended their relationship. Now she’s home, & it’s time to go back to high school. She tries to return to normal despite the curiosity surrounding her disappearance, but the mystery on everyone’s mind grows even bigger when Alice’s former best friend & Steve’s current girlfriend Brooke Donovan disappears. Iris Adams has one goal & one goal only: get out of Castle Cove! She agrees to tutor Alice because it’s a paid job, but her pupil is too distracted by the latest news to get any work done. When a reward is offered by Brooke’s grandmother, Iris sees an opportunity to fund her trip & gives in to Alice’s desire to play detective. When Brooke’s body is found, Steve is arrested based on convenient but flimsy evidence. Alice & Iris aren’t convinced of his guilt so they turn to the works of Agatha Christie to guide their investigation. Along the way they face personal demons, hard truths coming to light & threatening the integrity of their partnership. Are they truly prepared for the task at hand, or will the secrets of Castle Cove prove to be too dangerous for two amateur teen detectives?” *Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Delacorte Press through NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own. “The Agathas” was inspired by the Queen of Crime Agatha Christie, & it’s not just lip service in the title. Her iconic characters Marple & Poirot are mentioned throughout, & several chapters begin with a quote from one of her many novels. If that’s not enough, there’s a special blurb about Agatha’s success, & I’m pretty sure Alice Ogilvie’s disappearance is a nod to her own 11-day disappearance. I was excited to get my hands on this book because Agatha is my favorite author; for that same reason I was terrified to start reading because the standard was set so high. The pace started slow, & the teenage tone of the dialogue took some getting used to. But just when I was starting to feel like this might not be my cup of tea, the mystery consumed me, & I flew through the last three quarters of the book. There are two points-of-view: Alice Ogilvie & Iris Adams. I’m not sure how the chapters were divided between authors Kathleen & Liz, but the writing is seamless; the story is cohesive from start to finish while both characters remain unique & easily distinguishable from the other. I was pleasantly surprised by the addition of mixed media: Alice & Iris’ “Murder Board,” news articles, social media comments, text conversations, & transcripts from local news, police interviews, & press conferences. Those pages made me feel even more immersed in the mystery, like I was an Agatha too. I correctly identified the murderer & motive around the halfway mark, but I’m the kind of bibliophile who theorizes as I read so I wasn’t bothered by a spoiled ending. What did bother me is how the reveal happened; the location made sense thanks to excellent foreshadowing, but the interaction was a little awkward in places. Despite a few cons, this book was a top-down, sea air thrill ride so I’m rating it four stars. I do recommend it to Agatha Christie fans, but only those who also enjoy teen novels; otherwise you might find yourself more annoyed than amused by the language & mannerisms of the youths. The coastal California setting reminds me of the Big Little Lies TV show so picture that with a teenage cast. If the result intrigues you, buy a copy of this murder mystery right now. • Content Breakdown: *Disclaimer: I read an uncorrected ARC so certain things might change before the final copy is printed. Abuse: Iris’ dad is abusive, & it’s frequently discussed in her chapters. There are several mentions of the time he broke her wrist. He shows up a couple times, disobeying the restraining order; near the end of the book he barges into the Adams’ apartment & physically harms Iris & her mom. He is attacked in self-defense, first hit on the head & then pushed down a flight of stairs. Alcohol, Cigarettes, & Drugs: There are several mentions of alcohol & being drunk, & the bar where Iris’ mom works is mentioned & visited a few times. There is one mention of Lucky Strikes cigarettes. There are mentions of pills & weed as well as being high. Two separate times, someone’s drink is drugged. Blood: Some of the characters wear cheerleader costumes on Halloween that are covered in fake blood. There are a few instances when a character bleeds from a head wound. Language: Full list on my Wordpress blog LaurenMicheleLifestyle Sensual/Sexual: There are a few mentions of condoms. Alice is shown a video of another character getting intimate with a boy from their school. One character exchanged nude photos & sexual texts with multiple people, some of which are recovered & described. Violence: After the discovery of a dead body, an autopsy is performed off-page & discussed on-page. Crime scene photos are looked at, & the body is described in gruesome detail more than once. There is one past & two present car crashes which lead to head trauma. There are a few attacks during which a character is hit on the head. When the murderer is revealed, the murder is described in detail.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Fun, interesting read!!
Alice, rich and super popular, got dumped by her boyfriend the high school basketball star. To add insult to injury he has gotten together with her now former best friend, Brooke. Alice took off for a few days and one knows where she went. It was quite the scandal. Her parents hire her a tutor named Iris to help her get her grades up. Iris is not rich and not popular. Just as Alice and Iris are getting to know each other something terrible happens to Brooke. They team up and with some crime solving inspo from Agatha Christie decide to find a killler. I really enjoyed this book! It’s got several interesting threads going plus some entertaining and smart teenagers who aren’t going to let closed-minded adults stop them. The book is fun for a murder mystery but has some serious themes. There’s child and intimate partner abuse, child neglect, drugs, and obviously murder.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
very fun book
"The Agathas" was a very fun book. Alice Ogilvie was the "it" girl at Castle Cove High, until her boyfriend dumped her and then start dating her best friend, Brooke Donovan, which prompted Alice to pull an "Agatha." When mystery novelist Agatha Christie discovered her husband had an affair, she famously disappeared for eleven days, before turning up at a resort under an assumed name claiming amnesia. Alice disappeared, but only for five days, before returning. However, she has been ostracized by her friends as a result. On Halloween night, at the annual party at Levy Castle, Brooke and Steve Anderson fight and Brooke runs off. The following morning, Brooke is nowhere to be found, her stepfather, Coach Donovan, seems strangely unconcerned by her absence, and Steve, the boyfriend, arrives at school looking and smelling like a mess. The police assume that Brooke has just run off, like Alice did, but Alice knows that Brooke would never do that, and when she cannot get the police to take her seriously, she contacts someone who can -- Lillian Levy, Brooke's grandmother, a wealthy and influential businesswoman. Iris Adams has been assigned to tutor Alice -- a job she does not really want, but she needs the $3000 Alice's mother will pay her, so her and her mother can escape Castle Cove and her abusive father. Iris also thinks she may have been the last person to see Brooke alive, as she witnessed a fight between Brooke and Steve and saw Brooke run off down the highway, only to disappear into the woods, so that when Iris tried to find Brooke, she was unsuccessful. Alice, Iris, and some friends from the forensic club decide to search for clues in the area where Iris last saw Brooke and end up spotting Brooke's body in the water at the bottom of a cliff. It does not take long before evidence is "found" that suggests Steve was involved in Brooke's death and he is arrested. However, Alice and Iris have their doubts about Steve's guilt, as there are multiple apparent inconsistencies and the police do not seem to have made much effort to investigate anyone else, even though there are other plausible suspects, including Brooke's stepfather, Coach Donovan, who benefits financially from her death. With the help of Iris's friends, her former babysitter (who is Steve's attorney), and a mystery person providing information to Alice, along with the knowledge of solving mysteries gained from reading Agatha Christie's books, Alice and Iris will try to solve the mystery of Brooke's death. Mrs. Christie would be proud of Alice and Iris, as they use their skills and resourcefulness, along with the assistance of Iris's friends, the mystery informant, and even an assist from Lillian, to uncover numerous secrets involving Coach Donovan, inappropriate behavior by some of Alice's former friends, police corruption, attempted bribery, and ultimately the truth about Brooke's death. The story has plenty of twists and turns, with some really good surprises. The killer is not someone the reader will likely suspect. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Alice and Iris, two girls from very different worlds who are more alike than they realize. The story has a great supporting cast. I would definitely recommend this book. I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
so fun (if a murder mystery can ever be)!
It always feels strange to call some mysteries "fun" when they're solving a murder mystery, but I won't hesitate to say that this one is a blast to read. This isn't a premise we haven't heard before– girl in a small town goes missing, local kids try to solve the mystery and figure it out before anyone else does– but what makes The Agathas shine is the characters. Alice and Iris, the two protagonists whose perspectives we are in for the duration of the book, both have unique voices that draw you in and keep you captivated until the final page. I really loved that Alice and Iris's methods to solving this case were questionable (at best) and that they were unapologetic about it. They did a means-end analysis and it makes for an amazing story. I especially really loved that so much of what allows them to get away with (or at least just be left with a warning) these methods is because Iris and Alice are very aware of the perception of young girls. They both really lean into the perception of girls as unassuming and use it to their advantage. This book doesn't take place in the summer (it actually takes place in the late fall/ early winter) but it gives very strong Outerbanks energy and I think this would be a great summer time mystery. I am a sucker for small, sea-town mysteries and this one perfectly fits the bill. Definitely pick up a copy of this when it releases on May 3, 2022! Huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's Delacorte Press for the Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine and mine alone.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Loved it!
When Alice’s ex-best friend Brooke goes missing and her ex-boyfriend (and Brooke’s new boyfriend) is arrested for it, Alice and her tutor Iris set out on a mission to find who is really responsible. I really enjoyed this book. Alice & Iris were such lovable characters and their growing relationship was really fun to read. I thought the story line was wonderful! It kept me guessing and the twists were great! I would definitely recommend this one to anyone who enjoys YA mystery & suspense. If you enjoyed the Good Girls Guide To Murder or the Truly Devious series you will love this book! I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and statements are my own.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Such a fun murder mystery!
Iris and Alice are two of my new favorite characters of all time. I knew I loved Kathleen Glasgow, her three previous books - Girl in Pieces, How to Make Friends With the Dark and You’d Be Home Now were all consumed by me within a couple of day so I knew that I would love at least half of this book as I’ve never read any of Liz Lawson’s other work, but I was hooked from the very first page of The Agatha’s. Iris and Alice, two girls from completely different worlds in a high school where sticking with your own group is key, are paired together by the school counselor after Alice runs away over the summer, disappearing without a word, only to return five days later like nothing had happened at all. Fast forward to Halloween, when Alice’s ex best friend., Brooke Donovan (who is dating Alice’s ex-boyfriend, Steve Anderson), goes missing and a few days later the young girls body is discovered and they believe her boyfriend murdered her, but Alice and Iris aren’t quite convinced he’s the culprit, and Alice, an Agatha Christie buff, persuades Alice into helping - especially since there’s a $50,000 reward at stake. I am completely obsessed with this book. Kathleen Glasgow is one of my favorite authors, and to get this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher Random House Childrens was an incredible honor. This one was such a fun read, just a couple of teenage detectives trying to solve a murder mystery to keep their friend from going to prison for a crime he didn’t commit, and finding a beautiful friendship along the way. This book didn’t have a slow point for me, it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time and the plot twists that were throwing me off completely only excited me more to go along with every flick of the pages. The conclusion was something I never expected, but it was so good and the motive was exactly what you’re looking for in a story like this - completely insane and uncharacteristic for that particular character. I thought the growth of the characters throughout the book was a beautiful thing to watch grow so organically, nothing ever felt forced. And the way this book looks at people who have money and those who don’t in times of crime and investigations was really interesting, and needs to be addressed in more YA books. I loved this, barely wanted to put it down and I just fell in love with the main characters. Please look up trigger warnings before picking this one up!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com