I’m sharing another instalment of my Mini Review Mondays, the most recent of which was last week. In case you haven’t seen any of my previous posts, I do ‘mini’ reviews of books that I’ve previously read and am now ready to share my full thoughts about.
First up, I’d like to talk about Difficult Girls by Veronica Bane. Thank you to Delacorte Press for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
After the incident last year, Greta Riley Green is looking for reinvention—a fresh start—and a job at Hyper Kid Magic Land, the local amusement park, seems like the perfect way to forge a new path . . . no matter what it takes.
So when fate pulls Greta into Mercy Goodwin’s orbit, it feels like things are looking up. Beautiful and confident, Mercy dazzles audiences daily. And at the first party of the summer, she picks Greta to confide in. Mercy has a secret to share, if Greta will just meet her the next day. It’s a sign that Greta’s truly fitting in.
Only, when the time comes, Mercy is a no-show—as she is everyday after that—and Greta knows something’s wrong. She can’t help thinking back to the night of the party. Did Mercy seem upset? Terrified, even? Could she be in trouble? It wouldn’t be the first time a talented young performer came to a sinister end at Hyper Kid. . . .
Of course, Greta has her own issues with the past, and the more she uncovers Hyper Kid’s secrets, the more her own threaten to surface. This job was meant to be a reboot, a summer without trouble. But trouble, it seems, finds Greta, and her past—and the bloody past of Hyper Kid—is about to catch up with her.
Publication Date: 8th July
CW: death, murder, violence, blood, online bullying, sexual harassment
My Thoughts:
Difficult Girls was a classic YA thriller delivered brilliantly.
This has a great concept – theme parks are wonderful places of escapism and thrillers, but have plenty of secrets. It’s that timeless thing of wanting to know how the magic happens, how the trick is pulled off. Hyper Kid has that slightly cheesy feel – a mix of nostalgia and shameless cash grabs. It is bright and overwhelming, you can instantly picture it and practically smell the popcorn. Bane takes us behind the curtain to expose an underbelly of lies and a dark history of murder. I liked how following Greta gave us an entry point into the lore of this place and the unsolved cold case that still haunts it. Bane includes some chilling scenes around this, including an incredible opener that still replays in my mind. There is a deft handling of both cases and timelines, slowly weaving this web around the central characters. It feels layered and interesting with something new to discover around every chapter. In short, it is a brilliantly delivered YA thriller with stellar pacing.
Greta was a fantastic protagonist – she is running from events she’s trying to bury in her past. This makes her constantly on edge and feeling like an outsider, especially in the shiny showbusiness of this theme park. She is kind and smart with a steel edge beneath her smile. Life has been a rollercoaster and we start to learn how much this has affected her as the pages turn. Through her storyline, Bane is delivering an important message that will resonate with readers. Her voice is captivating and relatable – we’ve all been that fish out of water. However she is fiercely loyal and has a keen sense of justice, leading to this investigation.
Difficult Girls delivers the fun and scares of a good fairground ride in this larger-than-life thriller that delves into topical issues with care and heart.
Next up, I’d like to talk about A Crime Through Time by Amelia Blackwell. Thank you to Chloe Davies at Pan Macmillan for sending me a proof in exchange for an honest review.
Pemberley, 1799. When Miss Georgiana Darcy attempts to escape an unwanted marriage proposal, she isn’t expecting to end up quite so far from home. But after encountering a mysterious object in the nearby woods, she finds herself transported almost two hundred years into the future.
Saltram, 1995. At a grand country house where a film crew are busy shooting the latest Jane Austen adaptation, a terrible crime has been committed. And Miss Darcy – newly arrived, impeccably dressed and thoroughly confused – is the only witness.
It soon becomes clear that, somehow, Georgiana was meant to solve this riddle. With the help of a distractingly handsome Irishman named Quinn and a border collie named Watson, she sets out to stop the killer before they can strike again. But meanwhile, trouble is brewing back at Pemberley and time, it seems, is not on her side . . .
Publication Date: 10th July
CW: death, murder, violence, grief, mental illness
My Thoughts:
A Crime Through Time was an incredibly fun time travel mystery connecting Pride and Prejudice to a 90s murder mystery of the set of the latest Austen adaptation.
This was the time-travel cosy mystery I didn’t know I needed in my life but it was enriched for it. It is so wonderfully pitched throughout with seamless pacing and plenty of great hooks to keep you reading. I was sold from the initial idea of “crime, time travel and Jane Austen collide”, I mean what more could you want? This is executed with such style and flair. Blackwell really captures the essence of Austen’s original character but transposes her to this unfamiliar setting and adds more layers to her. Georgina is headstrong, charging into things to follow her heart and instincts. She is smart and deeply caring, particularly for those she loves. When she is placed in this impossible situation, she is resourceful but also rather awkward and getting to follow her narration in these moments is hilarious.
There is such joy in this book with a love letter to the classics but also a gentle ribbing of some aspects of Austen’s work. I loved the humour interspersed throughout, but also the heart. This ultimately is a story about family and love that can defy everything you thought you knew. Both the central mystery and the romantic development are very well-crafted and a testament to Blackwell’s skill. You feel yourself becoming deeply invested in both of these plot strands and the overall time travel device, which leaves some intriguing questions. It is an incredible debut and I am excited to see where the series goes next.
A Crime Through Time takes a fantastic original concept and spins it into a captivating read with a timeless feel. Blackwell soars in this stellar debut – do not let it slip past you.
Finally, I’d like to delve into A Deadly Night at the Theatre by Katy Watson. Thank you to Constable for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Actresses Posy Starling and Caro Hooper both gained a name for themselves playing fictional detective Dahlia Lively on screen – but now they are back treading the boards in London’s theatre district, starring in two very different plays.
Their fellow Dahlia, Rosalind King, is in the city to catch their opening weeks, but she can’t help but notice some tensions between Posy and Caro. Perhaps because of Caro’s new friendship with her co-star Luke Burrows, who seems to have a history with Posy . . .
Before Rosalind can get to the bottom of what’s going on, Luke is found dead. Worse, his body is found in Posy’s dressing room – with Posy standing over him, covered in his blood.
The West End is in uproar, but the cast of the two plays have closed ranks. Posy needs her fellow Dahlias to prove her innocence – but first she has to convince them that she didn’t do it.
The play’s the thing… but when all their suspects are actors, how can the Dahlias tell what’s real, and what’s just theatre?
Publication Date: 10th July
CW: death, murder, violence, blackmail, grooming, sexual assault, manipulation
My Thoughts:
A Deadly Night at the Theatre was my favourite Three Dahlias mystery yet, combining two of my great loves.
With this series, Watson is consistently delivering excellence. Yet again it is a well-constructed story that develops these characters further and skews their dynamic a little more. The mysteries are always gripping and packed to the brim with twists and this is no exception. I relished the build-up, the tension and the way the atmosphere tightened with each chapter. The denouement is spectacular to boot. To note, Watson goes into some dark territory here but treats these subjects with care and sensitivity. It is not just played as a shocking reveal but as the evil it is. This is probably the darkest the Dahlia books have got so far with a terrifying display of the monstrosity of humanity in these pages. It got under my skin and tugged at my heartstrings.
You can see how much love Watson has for the theatre in every page of this book. It is filled with Easter eggs and titbits, much like the series has for classic murder mysteries. Watson’s writing is so wonderfully joyous in its celebration of these art forms, though it is thorny and deadly with the fiendish schemes she concocts for every book. I too am a massive fan of the theatre and so I relished the chance to follow the Dahlias backstage. There is a strong thread around artifice and pretence in this book, which thrives in the sphere of acting. It adds an interesting layer to a mystery when everyone around the characters is capable of manipulation and deceit, in fact they are skilled. Also, one of the Dahlias is firmly in the spotlight here as Posy is centre stage in this investigation. Over the series, I have really enjoyed getting to know our trinity of Dahlias and their history is very much on display here. Posy’s past may have come back to haunt her.
A Deadly Night at the Theatre is a box-office smash and a delight, even as it delves into darkness. Long may this series continue.
A Short Book Lover 
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