Book Title: Little Monsters
Author: Kara Thomas
REVIEWED BY: CHELSEA
Series: None
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller
Goodreads
Pub Date: 07/25/17

Kacey is the new girl in Broken Falls. When she moved in with her father, she stepped into a brand-new life. A life with a stepbrother, a stepmother, and strangest of all, an adoring younger half sister.

Kacey’s new life is eerily charming compared with the wild highs and lows of the old one she lived with her volatile mother. And everyone is so nice in Broken Falls—she’s even been welcomed into a tight new circle of friends. Bailey and Jade invite her to do everything with them.

Which is why it’s so odd when they start acting distant. And when they don’t invite her to the biggest party of the year, it doesn’t exactly feel like an accident.

But Kacey will never be able to ask, because Bailey never makes it home from that party. Suddenly, Broken Falls doesn’t seem so welcoming after all—especially once everyone starts looking to the new girl for answers.

Kacey is about to learn some very important lessons: Sometimes appearances can be deceiving. Sometimes when you’re the new girl, you shouldn’t trust anyone.

I’m such a sucker for any novel boasting the comparison of a Pretty Little Liars reading experience; I’m not certain if it’s because I love revisiting the high school scene (albeit only in my mind) or if I just love books filled with drama, but this story had both and I was pleased as punch. Little Monsters is my second read from author Kara Thomas and certainly won’t be my last. I feel there was night and day growth that happened between the two books; this type of advancement between novels is precisely what I’m looking at when I’m searching for new authors to put on my crowded “Must Read” list. For those readers who aren’t fans of dramatic YA novels that are unrealistic, this is probably not for you. The story here is highly fictional in many ways, but honestly I felt that is what made the book so delicious!

*TIP TOE TIP TOE* <— Me, trying to avoid spoilers and any specific plot points in this review. Seriously though, this book is a minefield of twists and turns; I can sincerely say that I didn’t have most of it figured out. I had a few half-baked guesses, but over all I was completely surprised by the who-what-where-when-why. It’s really hard to find mysteries and thrillers now that render me wholly dumbfounded, but this one did it, and let me tell you why… This is a read where you don’t get all of the information up front. You are lead to believe one thing here and then later on it is revealed that this is what was really going on. I know this frustrates some readers, as they like to have all the clues and solve the mystery themselves, therefore feeling frustrated and cheated when information is withheld. If you can let go of the need to control the story and just go along with the flow here, you will fain immense pleasure from being duped with this style of storytelling. Heck, I’m starting to think this might be the only way I can gain that overwhelming, Gone Girl type shock anymore, AND I LOVE IT. So, that’s really all you need to know about this story. Go in blind.

I know I’ve beat the dead horse, but if you enjoy books containing dark, high school drama, PLEASE don’t pass this book over. I read the entire thing in a single sitting; it was so entirely compulsive I couldn’t put it down. This was a “my kids were screaming in the car while headed home from vacation so I just put in some ear plugs and kept reading because WE MUST KNOW WHAT HAPPENS” type of book. Highly, HIGHLY recommended to fans of PLL who want a story with a similar feel without the decade long series commitment. Can I get an amen? I can’t wait to discuss this book with other readers because, um, that ending? Yeah. 🙂

*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my copy; it was a pleasure to provide my honest thoughts here.