Review of the One That Got Away With Murder: A Dark Romantic Mystery

My Review of The One That Got Away With Murder by Trish Lundy, perfect for my new list of Books Like Pretty Little Liars and fans who are going to watch Pretty Little Liars: Summer School!

The One That Got Away With Murder by Trish Lundy

Published on April 16, 2024 by Henry Holt. Thanks to the publisher for the review copy. I read this book in April 2024.

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Review of The One That Got Away With Murder by Trish Lundy

Even though this blog is (now) devoted to What To Read After (2010s) YA, I have consistently read YA Mysteries and Thrillers even after I stopped reading YA. Many people think YA mysteries are just sad, watered-down version of adult thrillers. And in some cases, that is true. (And that’s even okay, because actual teenagers need to be able to read YA mysteries that are intended for them. I LOVE Scooby Doo, which is timeless.)

BUT then there are the YA Suspense and Mystery books that are crossovers. YA Suspense and Thrillers that are very YA but (I think) will please adult readers. Books like The Good Girls Guide to Murder series, which I reviewed on my adult site.

When I began reading The One That Got Away With Murder, I was slightly skeptical. Yet hopeful. The book has many suspense and YA tropes (which is fine:)

• Girl at a new school
• Girl with a mysterious secret
• Girl who realizes she’s been sleeping with a guy who everyone thinks murdered his last girlfriend. Wait … what?

Well, then. This book gave me Y2K Twilight vibes and that’s not a dig.

Lauren is in love with one of the Crestmont brothers, who are BOTH reputed to have killed their girlfriends. They are DANGEROUS but of course Lauren, with her mysterious secret, had a bit of a “drawn to the dark side” attitude that I loved and that is VERY VERY 2010s YA.

But besides all that dark longing and angsty drama, I thought that the mystery in The One That Got Away With Murder was very well-done. Yes, I had two suspects and one of them was, indeed, the person responsible. The other was falsely accused, so I sort of take credit for that too.

Definitely try The One That Got Away With Murder. I really enjoyed it! I do think it’s What to Read After 2010s YA!

My post on Must-Read Books Read Like Pretty Little Liars is here! Check it out. The second season of Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin is out in May 2024!