Meg

Loved this book. It was a bit hard to get into at first due to the amount of historical references that I wasn't fully knowledgeable on but once I looked up the information and understood more the book took off. I like how it takes place in many different settings and loved the new characters that were introduced. If you a lover of history this book (this trilogy) is a must.

Abby and Gretchen have been best friends ever since Gretchen was the only one to show up at Abby's birthday party in the 4th grade. Now in high school, they are still inseparable, but have slightly different priorities now. Going into their 10th grade year everything begins as usual. Until one night after a botched acid trip Gretchen starts acting different. She's not bathing, she's wearing the same clothes, her sweet demeanor is switched to a more aggressive one, and she seems to be pulling away and ignoring all of her friends. As Abby starts to really worry Gretchen shows up to school better than ever. Except, something is still not right. From there, Abby fights to get back her best friend, because it's clear to her that's not Gretchen.

I enjoyed this read so much. It was very entertaining and scary. I am a fan of anything scary, creepy, weird, or unexplained. So this was in my wheel house. I was born in the 90's but I have a LOVE for 80's movies (especially horror movies) and this was the best book for some 80's nostalgia (especially for music). I don't know how but Hendrix captured the angst and antics of a teenage girl quite well. There were moments when I thought “man, these kids are mean” but then remembered what it was like being in high school and how every little comment could be blown up into something bigger and worse than it is. In a book that is anything but sweet the love and friendship between Abby and Gretchen is hear warming. I listened to this on Audible and the narrator did a great job. All around, a very entertaining and creepy read. Highly recommend to those that love horror AND to those that love a good 80's teen drama.

This book is definitely more painful than the first. The dialogue is painful. And I get it - it's meant to highlight how airheaded the Pretties are, but I was ready to rip my speakers out as I listened to the audio of this. This book also gets more into some heavy topics like eating disorders. I think this was the last book that I read in the series when I was younger so I'm interested to read the next two.

Another book that sat on my shelf for far too long and when I finally got to it (because it's a book club pick), I was kicking myself I didn't read it sooner.

The premise of this book is the Golden State Killer - that McNamara penned, and was previously East Area Rapist (EAR) and then the Original Night Stalker (ONS), is a wild one. It's a story where there were so many victims and his crimes escalated from rape to murder, yet he alluded authorities for 4 decades. And it wasn't a popular, well-known story like the Zodiac killer. The research, effort, and care McNamara took into finding the facts and telling the story is really special. Her driving motive was to get this guy caught and answer for his crimes and I think it shown in every page of her writing. And I've said it before, some true crime feels exploitive of the people involved, but she handled this with respect. And, it actually scared me. Her writing is so immersive and there was even one moment I was cooking dinner while listening to the audiobook and realized the back door was unlocked and checked the whole house after locking it.

This is also a unique true crime book because the author, Michelle McNamara, died before she was able to finish it. And the killer was eventually caught shortly after this book was published but sadly she wouldn't be able to see that. I think the people that helped get this finished did a beautiful job. For me, this book was so unique because I think I am more interested in her then in the Golden State Killer. Yes, the story is interesting and left my jaw hanging open, but the story of Michelle and her hunt for him and just her history of true crime obsession and the trajectory that lead her to and through this case is so intriguing.

Overall, 5 star read and highly recommend to the true crime fans out there.

This book his heartbreaking, heartwarming, agonizing, beautiful, ugly, weird, disturbing and elegant. I have no idea how I feel about it but know that it was a well worth read that I finished in 2 days.