How to Survive Your Murder Book Review
How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine book review and recommendation with NO SPOILERS
Date: 2-03-25 Post Written By: MK Overall Rating: 3.6/10
Book Cover Rating: 6.9/10
(My personal opinion)
Title: How to Survive Your Murder
Author: Danielle Valentine
Pages: 299
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery, Horror
Subplots: Romance
Publisher: Razorbill
Published: 2022
Number of Editions: 9
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, Ebook, Audio
Goodreads Rating: 3.66/5
Amazon Rating: 4.1/5
Movie/TV Show?? : Neither
Book Type: Standard
POV Type: Technically dual, but single for the most part
Pacing: Fast
Generally: Fast Paced, Thrilling, Unsatisfying
Hook: It has been a whole year since Claire died. Yet, Alice still hasn’t moved on. She still can’t believe everything she didn't do that night. That night that her sister died. That night that her whole life changed. On Halloween of course. Ironic, given Alice’s obsession with scary thrillers. Hopefully Alice will finally get some closure soon. After all, today is Claire's trial day. But things don’t go according to plan when she wakes up and it’s Halloween night again. That same night that Claire died. Maybe this time, Alice can alter the past's outcome.
My Review:
Going Into It:
Going into this book I was READY for an action packed, easy read, YA thriller. I was expecting this to be thrilling and keep me on the edge of my seat.
Main Characters:
Alice Lawrence- Alice is the main character. She is loyal and smart. She LOVES horror movies, and has watched all of them hundreds of times, analyzing each part. Her sister calls her Alley Cat, but some of her friends also call her Allie.
Claire Lawrence- Claire is Alice’s older sister. She is outgoing and athletic. She is also EXTREMELY loyal.
Wes- Wes is a college student. He has many rumors surrounding him, but no one knows which ones are really true.
I honestly wasn’t the biggest fan of these characters. They had in-depth personalities, but I didn’t find myself becoming too attached to any of them. I especially didn’t like the main character. However, the characters were unique and entertaining.
Character Rating: 4.9/10
Setting:
This book takes place in southern USA.
This setting was pretty average. I understood where we were and could picture it pretty well, but it wasn’t anything particularly special.
Setting Rating: 6.7/10
Plot:
The plot in this book was super fast paced and gripping. Definitely the sort of book that’s hard to put down. My main problem though, was that personally, I don’t really like reading books that seem completely realistic, but then have ONE fantastical/magical part. Like, the whole plot could really happen, but just one thing is completely unrealistic. I ALWAYS prefer either 100% fantastical/magical or 100% realistic, not somewhere in between.
Plot Rating: 6.8/10
Writing:
This was my first Danielle Valentine book and I did like her writing. It kept me interested and involved, so I don’t have any major complaints.
Writing Rating: 8.9/10
Ending:
NO!!!! Okay, what??? I know that not everything in real life has a happy ending, and we can definitely learn a lot from hardship and struggles, but I don’t read books to get depressed and sad by awful endings!! I would much prefer having a slightly idealistic, but happy ending. This ending was sad, awful, and made you feel bad after reading it. Like, what’s the point of reading if it makes you feel worse than you felt before reading it?? Needless to say, I DID NOT like this ending and felt EXTREMELY dissatisfied.
Ending Rating: 1.2/10
The Overall:
My opinion is that the majority of this book was pretty average, but with a pretty gripping plot. BUT, the ending RUINED this book for me. Because of the ending, my last impression of this book (which is the most important part in my opinion) is strongly negative. So, no, I did not enjoy this book, nor would I recommend it for anyone except those who like sad/depressing endings.
Overall Book Rating: 3.6/10
I would not recommend this book
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Or buy on Amazon: How to Survive Your Murder
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Danielle lives just outside of New York City
She lives with her husband, daughter, and two cats.
She is a New York Times bestselling author
For more information, view Danielle Valentine’s website: daniellevalentinebooks.com
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