People Like Us by Dana Mele is a murder mystery set in an elite boarding school where a girl is found dead, leading soccer star Kay Donovan to follow a scavenger hunt implicating suspects close to her, unraveling her group of friends and perfectly constructed life. The story is filled with teen drama, relationships, and a complex web of lies and corruption, making it a twisted tale with hidden depths in characters and a suspenseful plot that keeps readers guessing until the end.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings for People Like Us include mature themes related to bullying, sexuality, substance use, and references to trauma.
Has Romance?
There is a medium level of romance in People Like Us, particularly with the protagonist's feelings for her best friend.
From The Publisher:
"Mean Girls meets Donna Tartt's The Secret History with a little bit of Riverdale mixed in. So yeah, it's epic."-HelloGiggles
"In People Like Us, Dana Mele delivers the Gossip Girl meets Pretty Little Liars young adult novel you've been waiting for."-Bustle
Kay Donovan may have skeletons in her closet, but the past is past, and she's reinvented herself entirely. Now she's a star soccer player whose group of gorgeous friends run their private school with effortless popularity and acerbic wit. But when a girl's body is found in the lake, Kay's carefully constructed life begins to topple. The dead girl has left Kay a computer-coded scavenger hunt, which, as it unravels, begins to implicate suspect after suspect, until Kay herself is in the crosshairs of a murder investigation. But if Kay's finally backed into a corner, she'll do what it takes to survive. Because at Bates Academy, the truth is something you make…not something that happened.
Debut author Dana Mele has written a taut, sophisticated suspense novel that will keep readers guessing until the very end.
Ratings (12)
Loved It (2) | |
Liked It (6) | |
It Was OK (4) |
Reader Stats (41):
Read It (13) | |
Want To Read (23) | |
Not Interested (5) |
1 comment(s)
Once again, this was a quick, entertaining read, but
People Like Us just misses the mark in joining the ranks of books that leave me thinking, "Wow, that was a great book."
What I liked:
- The killer wasn't obvious from the beginning because there were so many layers complicating the whole mystery.
- The main character, Kay, wasn't two-dimensional. I appreciate when main characters aren't perfect.
What I didn't like:
- I still figured out who the killer was before the ending.
I really wish the killer hadn't been the emo/goth/creepy outcast girl. That seems like such a trope.
- I didn't understand Kay's relationships.
I was really confused how Kay managed to have so many people that were into her at the same time despite Kay acknowledging that she was not a really good person. Seriously, people were practically throwing themselves at her. Did she really have that much sex appeal?
- The end reveal didn't seem that threatening. I don't know what it is with these books, but the confrontations with the killers never seem that threatening. I wasn't afraid at all that Kay was going to die in the confrontation. Idk.
In summary,
People Like Us will join the list of YA mystery and thriller books that I've read, but not the list of my favorite books.
What can you read after
People Like Us?
About the Author:
Dana Mele is the author of People Like Us, and is a Pushcart-nominated writer. A graduate of Wellesley College, she is a former actor, lawyer, musician, and briefly, associate producer. She prefers tea to coffee, snow to sand, and stars to sunshine….
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