People Like Us by Dana Mele Review

Title: People Like Us

Author: Dana Mele

Age Group: Teen/Young Adult

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Series: Standalone

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it.

I found this book the way I find most of my library books, a recommendation list. It’s been sitting in my stack for a while, and since I couldn’t renew it anymore, as soon as I finished Honor Among Thieves, I began it. A compelling and chilling first novel, People Like Us is an enthralling, nail-biting mystery that had me constantly guessing until the very last moment; it’s still on my mind, two days after I finished it. My jaw dropped throughout the novel, but especially at the ending. This book, a twisting, creepy thriller that held just as many questions as answers, had me breathless throughout, and I simply can’t wait for what Dana Mele has planned next!

Kay Donovan is a girl who is used to reforming herself. After an unspeakable tragedy strikes too close to home, she is sent to Bates Academy and reinvents herself. Now a star soccer player with a gorgeous set of powerful friends, she is sure that things are going to go in her favor. That is, until a girl’s limp, dead body turns up slashed in the lake. Things get even more complicated when the dead girl has left Kay a password protected scavenger hunt, implicating her own classmates, until, at last, it is Kay herself in the hot seat. As she digs deeper into the killing, she risks unearthing her own demons, and the perpetrator, but uncovering the secrets of Bates Academy elites may end up costing her more than she could have ever imagined…

This book; what a surprising little gem it was! I’m so glad that I got to read this mystery before I had to take it back to the library. Honestly, I devoured it in a day and a half, and it’s still lingering in my mind, insidious and more than a little bit terrifying. I loved everything about this book: the pacing was breakneck, and despite Kay’s self-assured and confident voice, I could feel deep in my soul that something was badly wrong. I was absolutely transfixed, and Kay’s voice haunted my mind, even when I wasn’t reading. I was breathless, and I couldn’t put the book down. I was constantly guessing who had killed Jessica Lane, and exactly why, until the final pages, which shocked me to the core; I’m still reeling over it, honestly. I also really liked the boarding school setting; lush, gorgeous, and full of dark, scandalous secrets, and it just added to the mystery of the whole book. I liked a lot of the characters, though, to be honest, throughout the book, I didn’t know who to trust; it felt like everyone had their own secret agenda. I was constantly shocked by the twists and turns of the book; it felt like every time I had something figured out, something else would come to light that sent my theories off into the ether. And that ending! It was such a double whammy; my heart raced and my jaw dropped. If I hadn’t had to return it to the library the same day I finished it, I would’ve started it over, desperate to connect the dots again, since I had all the answers. Easily one of my favorite books of 2018; I’m still in shock over it, and I will never forget it. The bottom line: A dark and twisty thriller that had me constantly guessing until the shocking, breathtaking ending, I loved People Like Us, and the way it offered a glimpse into the secrets of the rich and elite. One of the best books of 2018! Next on deck: Winter Glass by Lexa Hillyer!