The premise of this book seems very unrealistic at first, because it’s about Emma Lewis an 18-year-old teenager who has been hired by the FBI (yes you heard it right) to investigate and interview teenagers offenders. And of course, since I’m not a professional I had to ask one…Lashaan! My my co-blogger is more than capable to comment on this accuracy since he has a big background in Criminology and as I expected his answer was.. most unlikely, but then anything can happen with the FBI. LOL okay he got a point. But like any other fictional book, you get to imagine something that is not always true so I gave it a chance.
And Lord, I have tried to make sense of this book and find every little detail that puts it off but you know what? In the end, I was happily surprised with it afterall.
I think what separates this book as a Young Adult Crime compared to other YA books is that, it gives the readers a unique perspective into the mind of the protagonist, not as a victim, as a reaction to the cruelty and indifference of the adult world, but as a teenager, active with all associated thoughts and emotions of that period. And this is important as she can reason through the steps of the antagonist, simply as a peer. The story tells us why it needs a younger person’s perspective to arrive to the unwinding and resolution.
In a way, it makes sense, we often banalize or ridicule a situation being done to a teenager and expect them to know all the ways of the world, while they just don’t. But they are also survivors, they are strong and they can deal and cope with trauma. I think this book was very eye opening. Pace wise, it can be seen as slow at times but it picks up quickly afterwards. They’re always on the move, something happens and our attention and our anticipation peeked again.
Finally, if you’re looking for a good Young Adult Thriller, I would 100% recommend this book 😉
A blend of : Mindhunter (Netflix series) and Silence of The Lambs if they meet teenagers
Rating: 4/5
Big thank you to Hachette Canada for sending me a copy!
-Trang
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After One of Us is Lying I find myself loving YA mysteries and thrillers and this book (ridiculous premise and all) has me intrigued! Love your review!
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Sounds good! Like you, I’d have been skeptical about the teen being hired by the FBI, but it’s so hard to find a good YA thriller that I’m glad it was good!
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Yeah the premise is a little odd, but I’m glad the book turned out good!
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Hi there Lashaan! Criminology and sociology go hand ’in’ hand. I love your honest review with this fictional concept. It is quite interesting and may lead to some interesting innovations for corruption. 🫖🍂🍮🍂🍮🍂🫖 Cheers!
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I very much thought of Mindhunter and Hannibal! I really enjoyed this book, I think the aspect of teenagers working for the FBI worked – because really, at 18 they were adults.
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