Despite promising an exciting mystery, "All the Pretty Things" never delivered. When I discovered that the was set in an amusement park, I was excited, expecting a dark, nail-biting mystery. Instead I got Ivy, a rather boring protagonist walking around talking to people and along the way discovering some disturbing family secrets.

The dialogue often felt stilted and the characters all lacked depth. One character who really concerned me was Ivy's father. He was a creep and the way he talked about various females was unsettling. Suffice to say, I would not want my daughter around him!

Overall, "All the Pretty Things" lacked depth and I was glad to finally reach the last page. ( )

Literary Merit: Fair
Characterization: Fair
Recommended: No
Level: High School

The setting for this novel was excellent. It felt like I was at an amusement park. But that was the only thing I enjoyed about this novel.

The story line: Ivy worked at her father’s amusement park and a coworker, Ethan, mysteriously dies after work one night. Ivy is unsettled by Ethan’s death and the reaction her best friend Morgan had shortly after Ethan’s death. Ivy starts an investigation and finds out the truth about Ethan’s death and Morgan’s mental health crisis.

No one should be surprised by the conclusion of this mystery novel. As soon as the guilty party was introduced I knew they were guilty. The histrionic conclusion could entertain some readers but it just made me dislike the novel even more. The narration of Ivy was annoying. Instead of keeping information away from the audience in an intriguing way, Arsenault made Ivy’s inner dialogue vague and dishonest. The sections about suicide were unnerving and handled poorly. ( )