4.5 stars rounded up

With friends like that, who needs enemies?

I thoroughly enjoyed this. The synopsis caught my attention right away. Thomas does an excellent job of creating a haunting atmosphere and building tension throughout the book. The small-town setting adds to the sense of unease, and the well-developed characters keep readers guessing about their true intentions. The pacing is perfect, with twists and turns that will leave readers guessing until the very end. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves good suspense. ( )

Bonus points for NO ROMANCE!! Minus points for a disconnected revelation.

YA Mystery is kind of my thing. I love them, and I'm always on the hunt for the GOOD ONES. Little Monsters wasn't perfect, but I would say it's definitely worth reading. It was page-turning, kept me guessing, and had that extra little bit of town lore that took the what-ifs to a greater level.

What I really liked: The family situation. Kacey becomes part of this family that she's never known, and they take her in like she's always been there. I really appreciated that the stepmother and step-siblings weren't the stereotypical cold-hearted meanies.

I also really liked the Red Woman story. I love a good Urban Legend, and the fact that something supernatural could have been going on added to the thrill of the mystery.

The part that saved the book: Bailey ends up narrating a few chapters and WOW. I loved seeing her secret side of the story, and her personality was so much more interesting than Kacey's.

What I wasn't a fan of: Kacey. She was okay-- but she was boooooring. I felt bad for her being suspected of something she clearly didn't do, and because she had a tough life-- but I didn't think her personality really showed through on the page.

The ending: No, I'm not going to tell you anything spoilery. I just want to say I thought that it was a little bit disconnected. It was obviously meant to shock (which I appreciate), but it didn't quite lead from A to B, if that makes sense. I ended up with a lot of questions and more than a few doubts of plausibility.

OVERALL: I say give this one a shot. It's an interesting mystery with URBAN LEGENDS and MEAN GIRLS. Although I didn't love everything about this book (mainly the main character's lackluster personality), I did love the twists and turns this book took. Also, BONUS POINTS for no romance!!

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Mentioned in a blog post at https://booksbeyondbinaries.blog/2020/01/06/how-i-learned-i-love-thrillers/ ( )

"Girls are not princesses, and I know all the possible endings to the stories about the girls in peril. They're rarely happy."
― Kara Thomas, Little Monsters

My first finished book of 2021!

Little Monsters made for some dark, dark reading. The book itself was quite good although I did not love it I sure as heck liked it....quite alot.

Kacey is the new girl in town. She is running. from a bad and toxic relationship with her mom. From her old life. From herself.

She is now living in a small town in Wisconsin. She makes two new friends, Jade and Bailey.

The girls are obsessed with "The red lady". This is part folklore but the story behind the story is tragically true. And now the red lady supposedly haunts what is left of her old home after tragedy struck there many MANY years before.

The girls decide to sneak into the barn on the red lady's property and have a seance. It all goes wrong.

Shortly afterwards...Bailey vanishes.

Kacey is desperate for answers but soon finds that her curiosity may get her into more trouble than she ever thought possible.

As the mystery of Bailey's disappearance intensifies, the towns people begin to turn on Kacey. There are rumors swirling around that indeed..she may have had a role in what happened to Bailey.

I really enjoyed this YA mystery. It's atmosphere was creepy,,,very much so...and the mood of the book was broody. The reader is lost..or at least I was. There are so many pieces of the puzzle to put together.

What is great about this book is for one THE ATMOSPHERE. Not all YA gets that right. The wintry feeling and coldness of the small Wisconsin town plays a huge role in the story and is itself as much a character as any of the humans. I adored the atmosphere.

The character of Kacee is one of a girl who wears her pain with a deep sadness. I loved Kacee. I connected to her and my connection only deepened as the story went on.

I would recommend this dark mystery with a hint of the paranormal. I did not adore it however. I liked it greatly. And now I need to use spoilers.

SPOILERS:

I ADORED the twist..so much. But I really wish some of the loose ends were tied up. I was ACHING for this story to go on and provide us more.

For example...did Andrew ever know how Bailey felt about him? How would he have reacted? Also.....was Bailey really serious about killing Kacee? Was it just a thought? She changed her mind quickly. At least according to her diary. And did Andrew have feelings for Kacee?

But most of all...WHO was Laura?

Was she just a mentally ill child who believed the red lady was speaking through Jade?

Or was she a cunning psychopath who did this knowingly and coldly? The end seems to me to imply that with the last sentence. I SO wanted to know. I felt a bit frustrated because there were so many unanswered questions.

I'd love to see a part two or even a prequel. I also would have LOVED to see a POV from Jade or Laura. Maybe a chilling diary entry from one of them as the last chapter! In other words, the book was to good to end when it did...and with SO many questions. I was fascinated and really wanted to know more. I also wanted to know how Jade got to Laura and convinced her. We are told not shown and I wanted to be shown not told.

But I would really recommend this to YA mystery fans of brooding and moody mysteries. This one was creepy, it was fascinating and makes a great first read for 2021. 3.5 stars from me. ( )

Secret History meets Pretty Little Liars meets The Fosters.

What a fantastically woven plot. ( )