The turn of the season not only brings changing leaves, it also welcomes the change of book genres. I tend to put down my beachy romances for fall and opt for a murder mystery. These mysteries remind me of Halloween, which I am fully starting to embrace. Jessica Goodman’s They Wish They Were Us is the perfect mystery to start up the fall season. I first discovered Goodman through her mystery, They’ll Never Catch Us, which is equally as good. I found They Wish They Were Us on the back cover of that book, which I’m glad I discovered. I tend to enjoy reading mysteries in one day. I always want to know the ending. The perfect day for a mystery is a rainy one, so on the next rainy day, sit down and tackle this quick thriller.
They Wish They Were Us takes place at an elite private school on the North Shore of Long Island, New York. The main character, Jill, is part of an exclusive society called “The Players” that dominates the school, both socially and academically. Jill is finally a senior, making her a leader of the group, and she wants to put past Player traditions behind her. Something that she’s also trying to move on from is the death of her best friend Shaila that tragically happened in their freshman year. Just when she feels she’s gotten over this traumatic moment of her past, Jill is receiving suspicious texts, in which the suspected killer, Graham, is proclaiming innocence. By looking into the past, Jill not only realizes that Graham might be innocent, but she also uncovers things from Shaila’s past that make her reconsider if being a Player is really worth it.
This book had me hooked. I was anxious waiting to see how the mystery unfolded. That being said, this is a typical YA thriller. By the end of the book, I was pretty sure of what happened, but nonetheless I was still entertained. All YA mystery books have a similar plotline: a whodunit mystery in their town solved by one of their own residents. This didn’t make the book any less enjoyable, just predictable. Something that differed this book from the rest of these stereotypical mysteries was that murder wasn’t the only plotline. This book served intense high school drama. It was giving a Gossip Girls or Pretty Little Liars vibe. This drama created a somewhat relatable aspect of the book to cater to its adolescent readers. The drama at this school might have been very extreme, as Jill’s Player’s group was scandalous and toxic. This novel was fast-paced and a great thriller if you want to be introduced to the mystery genre this fall.
Spot on Campus to Read This Book: the Reading Room. Embrace the private school vibe and read this book on campus. The quiet and calm ambiance of the Reading Room is the perfect place to enjoy this book.
