THE WISH THEY WERE US BY JESSICA GOODMAN

I read this authors sophomore novel during the summer (They’ll Never Catch Us) and was really excited to read this one because I enjoyed that one. Unfortunately, this one just didn’t hit the mark.

Rating: ★★★
​Release Date: August 4, 2020
Genre: Young Adult Mystery/Thriller
Series: None. Complete standalone.
Pages: 335 pages
Format: Hardcover. Source: ​Purchased.

“A pristine infusion of Gossip Girl and Netflix's Elite, this prep-school thriller has it all: plaid skirts, secret societies, and a gripping murder mystery, but paired with an adept critique of the powers and privileges that goeth before the fall.” – Elle

In Gold Coast, Long Island, everything from the expensive downtown shops to the manicured beaches, to the pressed uniforms of Jill Newman and her friends, looks perfect. But as Jill found out three years ago, nothing is as it seems.

Freshman year Jill's best friend, the brilliant, dazzling Shaila Arnold, was killed by her boyfriend. After that dark night on the beach, Graham confessed, the case was closed, and Jill tried to move on.

Now, it's Jill's senior year and she's determined to make it her best yet. After all, she's a senior and a Player--a member of Gold Coast Prep's exclusive, not-so-secret secret society. Senior Players have 

the best parties, highest grades and the admiration of the entire school. This is going to be Jill's year. She's sure of it.

But when Jill starts getting texts proclaiming Graham's innocence, her dreams of the perfect senior year start to crumble. If Graham didn't kill Shaila, who did? Jill vows to find out, but digging deeper could mean putting her friendships, and her future, in jeopardy.

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READ MY BOOK REVIEW

𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 𝗦𝗡𝗔𝗣𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗧: I read this authors sophomore novel during the summer (They’ll Never Catch Us) and was really excited to read this one because I enjoyed that one. Unfortunately, this one just didn’t hit the mark.

They Wish They Were Us could have been an amazing young adult thriller. It had so much potential especially when you read the blurb and think about what’s going to happen. Unfortunately, this one didn’t live up to my expectations. I don’t even think it lived up to what we were told it was going to give us! Instead of being a thrilling young adult mystery it was a slow moving (and slightly boring) mystery. And honestly? The mystery was swallowed up my all these kids’ egos! I got to page 165, and NOTHING was happening. And the books only 315 pages! I was starting to wonder if I accidentally picked up the wrong book because I could tell this wasn’t the mystery/thriller that was promised. It was very strange. Had the book focused on what happened to Shaila and not on the wannabe pops then this would have been an exciting mystery. Sadly, it just wasn’t.

I can see why some readers found there to be some similarities between this book and Pretty Little Liars, but I personally can only see it when it comes to these cliquey lying teens. Don’t read this one thinking it’s the next pretty little liars because its not!

All in all, this one was a slight disappointment for me but not a total loss. I did enjoy some of the book, so I’ll give it a solid 3 stars despite my feelings that this wasn’t as thrilling as I hoped.

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗢𝗙:
• Young Adult Mystery and Thrillers

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐