A murder-mystery worth every nail-biting moment. The story opens with a typical group of teenage friends with typical drama going to a cabin for the weekend: normal. A night of wild fun results in two of them ending up dead: not so normal. As the tale goes on, the murderer is searched for as the background of this group of friends is unveiled.

UK native author Natasha Preston does not disappoint the reader with this novel. The suspense of searching for a cold-blooded killer puts the reader on edge. While the friend groups drama seems innocent and typical at first, the true events that unfold show that this friend group is anything but normal. Murders, deaths and secrets plague them.

Preston creates a mysterious ambience in more ways than that however. As the story continues, Preston chooses to hold back on many details about the characters, keeping them somewhat closed off from the reader. Now, this can become a downfall of the novel. After a while, the reader really is over all the secrecy and wants to know why some characters are the way they are.

In addition, Preston is extremely realistic and raw about teenage life. The way that she describes what they chose to do with their time, both at the cabin and at home, accurately represents a portion of the world’s youth today. In other words: no sugar coating. Nothing is worse to me than reading about teenagers that seem completely unrealistic and really relatable. Teenagers making irrational, impulsive decisions that really are not in their best interest: that sounds about right.

The ending was, well, interesting. After all the drama and ups and downs, the ending is a bit unconventional. It is expected, and in that way completely unexpected. However frustrating that may be, the cliffhanger makes me excited to see what Preston produces next.

Overall, if I had to rate this book out of 5, it would receive a 4. A great plot and a very mysterious vibe but the ending felt rushed and typical.