Originally Published: May 30, 2017

By: Karen M. McManus

While the popularity of this novel rose quickly, the storyline itself failed to keep the interest of the premise.

Five students go into detention and only four come out. When gossip columnist Simon dies in detention, most speculate that it wasn’t an accident. Now the other four students in the room are murder suspects and have to figure out which one is lying.

From the start, this feels like The Breakfast Club. Each one of the leads takes on a specific personality: Bronwyn the brain, Addy the beauty, Nate the criminal, Cooper the athlete and Simon the outcast. Unfortunately, most of the characters don’t have anything special unless it’s to make a plot point. The lack in diversity makes this novel feel stuck in the 1980s.

Final say: There are many better stories out there. ★★☆☆☆