The Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Goodman
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
The Gist
There’s a pattern emerging in recent YA mystery novels. Many open with shocking crimes, but instead of delivering suspense or tension, they turn into high school drama with a light thriller filter. The Meadowbrook Murders follows that path—and loses its way almost immediately.
The Details
The book starts strong with a double murder. It sets up a small town shaken by tragedy, and I expected secrets, tension, and a search for answers. But the plot quickly drifts. Rather than focusing on the mystery, it fixates on cliques, grudges, and social politics. The murder takes a backseat. It barely seems to matter.
The most surprising part? Even the characters notice. At one point, they admit they’ve forgotten about the victims. That moment pulled me out of the story entirely. If the characters don’t care, why should I?
The victims fade from view. Their deaths feel like an excuse to start the story rather than the center of it. There’s no real investigation, no pressure to solve the case, and no emotional fallout. The tension you’d expect from a murder mystery simply doesn’t build.
The plot also stalls. There aren’t meaningful clues to follow, and the story doesn’t push forward. Conversations meander. Characters argue over popularity and dating while the mystery grows colder by the chapter. By the time the truth comes out, the impact has worn off.
It’s frustrating because the book had potential. The setting, premise, and themes could have worked. A tight, suspenseful mystery could have emerged. But the tone feels unfocused. It’s not intense enough to be a thriller, not clever enough to be a mystery, and not deep enough to be character-driven drama.
Worse still, you could remove the murder and the story would mostly stay intact. That says everything. A mystery needs the crime to matter. It should cast a shadow over every scene. Instead, this felt like a story that forgot its purpose.
The Verdict
If you’re here for suspense, you won’t find it. If you want drama with a dark backdrop, you might enjoy the tone. But I wanted a murder mystery—and I finished the book wondering where it went.
