The Cheerleaders

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I listened to the audiobook for this and really enjoyed it. It has a classic mystery feel and was fast-paced and compelling. I would definitely recommend the audio format. The story follows Monica who lives in a little town Sunnybrook. Five years ago, a huge tragedy hit the place. Five lives were lost. All five belonged to cheerleaders, one belonged to Monica’s sister Jen.

The idea of a memorial creates great anxiety for Monica and she begins to sneak around her Step-Dad's office, a local police officer, looking for answers. One of the things I really like about the story was it’s attention to controversial topics that aren’t often approached in young adult literature. They were approached VERY realistically which was much appreciated. There were some story lines I wish had been deepened, such as the theme of substance use throughout the story, but it was satisfying enough to see them getting some additional focus.A group of high school cheerleaders have sex with the opposing team's players to make them too tired to play football properly, allowing their team to win an unprecedented series of games. Dolly Parton made a dazzling appearance on Thursday in Arlington, Texas as she performed the halftime show during the Washington Commanders versus Dallas Cowboys game at the AT&T Stadium. Throughout the whole book I was straight-faced and uninterested. Monica gets a bit of information here and there in every chapter, and not once was I excited. I tried so hard to get into the mystery groove, but I was so bored sometimes I had to rewind the audiobook as my mind simply wandered to other things without me noticing. I didn't even try to guess the ending, that's how done I was.

This is my first time reading Kara Thomas‘ work and I really enjoyed her writing style. She was on my tbr for a while now, because I want to read her book The Darkest Corners since the day it came out, only I still didn’t have a chance.They all smile at me: Jen, Juliana, Susan, Colleen, and Bethany. It really is a beautiful picture. By the end of the season, everyone in it is dead’. And, I mean, the outward retribution just didn’t taste as sweet because at no time did the narration/Monica even begin to realize that she shouldn’t be apologizing to this guy’s manipulative, pedophile self. Until the very end, Monica is still 100 percent believing that her pregnancy and the statutory rape that happened to her was her fault and that just did not sit well with me. I didn’t like that. Instead of it making the book seem gritty with flawed characters who have gone through traumatic experiences, which is what I’m pretty sure it was going for, it perpetuated the wrongful blaming of victims of statutory rape. I’m not mad at Monica I’m mad at the book. lol. At the reunion, no one remembers Lisbeth, not even Jon, who dated her? Brooke runs into Ellie by the bathroom and asks what happened to her sister and then blames her. What, so now you want to know what the movie's about? Here's the plot: "A group of cheerleaders from the local high school decide to show their school spirit for their football team by sleeping with the opponents the night before the game so that they can be so worn out the opposition won't be able to play." When Monica Rayburn finds her sister’s phone hidden in her stepfather's desk, she begins searching for clues about what might have led her sister, Jen, to commit suicide 5 years ago. No one in Monica’s family likes to talk about what happened to Jen, so she begins to look for answers on her own. As she begins to put the pieces together, not only does Jen’s death seem suspect, she realizes something is off about the deaths of 4 other cheerleaders.

First, I'd like to thank the lovely Chelsea for providing my copy of The Cheerleaders. Chelsea knew that I needed this book as soon as it was being publicized. I've never read a book by Kara Thomas, and although I am hesitant with YA novels, I have heard amazing things and was excited to give this book a try. In Westchester, New York, there resides a town called Sunnybrook. Five years ago in Sunnybrook, a tragic series of accidents took place with the school's cheerleading team. Two girls were killed in a horrible car accident, followed by another two murdered in cold blood. Police reports claim that the two homicide victims were killed by the neighbor next door, but he was shot in a police apprehension and is now dead—unable to speak for himself. Sadly, days later, a fifth victim (Jen) in the cheerleaders's saga commits suicide after her struggle with depression. Ellie’s mom’s cancer is in remission (???) Missed that. They celebrate with champagne. Then we finally see some cheerleading. It is about time. With no team and lots of time on her hands, Ellie finds an old journal and realizes that she had a Forrest Parker but forgot about it. The next day Brooke and Forrest have an informal reunion. Ellie invites her new friend Lisbeth to join her.The Hollywood star fearlessly flaunted her jaw-dropping figure at the halftime show, highlighting her endless legs and toned midriff in the sparkling outfit, complete with the iconic blue star-studded belt and matching tiny white vest with just a hint of fringe at the bottom. What are the odds that five girls from the same school, all friends, would die within a month of each other?”

In this book, you will meet Monica. Her family dynamic is a bit strange, or it was to me, because of her sisters death. Well, not only that.. but the whole town is kind of weird after 5 cheerleaders died mysteriously within the same month. I, of course, put on my little detective hat and wanted to figure out this murder mystery before I actually got the answers - and again, it was so good!

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Still, it reads like a YA novel, and I don't mean that in a bad way. We get the sense that the character is in high school, and the people in the book rings true. There's not much about cliques, no overt stereotypes. We get the teenaged attitude without the "oh my god I want to strangle the characters NOW" feeling. It had just the right amount of angst and childishness that teenagers of that age would portray. My greatest grievance with this story is it was so PASSIVE. There is virtually no action throughout the story. I’m not saying I need police shoot outs and kidnappings to be placated, but more than internet “stalking” and conversations with side characters would have been nice. There is one singular scene that I would consider to be traditionally “investigative” (and that was great!). But alas, for the grand majority of the novel, information is only gathered through the dialogue between other characters and there were few significant scenes that provided a sufficient build up. For my personal reading preferences, I sometimes need less conversation and more action from the characters. First there was the car accident—two girls gone after hitting a tree on a rainy night. Not long after, the murders happened. Those two girls were killed by the man next door. The police shot him, so no one will ever know why he did it. Monica’s sister was the last cheerleader to die. After her suicide, Sunnybrook High disbanded the cheer squad. No one wanted to be reminded of the girls they lost. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for a complete and honest review. All opinions and quotes are taken from an unfinished version. Since this is mystery, it’s purpose is to get readers involved, to get them try to figure out what happened before the end, and I feel like most readers will complete that mission successfully.