Book Review – How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao
How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao (How We Fall Apart #1)
Mystery and Thrillers | Young Adult | 298 pages
Published on 17th August 2021 by Bloomsbury
Synopsis
Nancy Luo is shocked when her former best friend, Jamie Ruan, top ranked junior at Sinclair Prep, goes missing, and then is found dead. Nancy is even more shocked when word starts to spread that she and her friends – Krystal, Akil, and Alexander – are the prime suspects, thanks to “The Proctor,” someone anonymously incriminating them via the school’s social media app.
They all used to be Jamie’s closest friends, and she knew each of their deepest, darkest secrets. Now, somehow The Proctor knows them, too. The four must uncover the true killer before The Proctor exposes more than they can bear and costs them more than they can afford, like Nancy’s full scholarship. Soon, Nancy suspects that her friends may be keeping secrets from her, too.
Students at an elite prep school are forced to confront their secrets when their ex-best friend turns up dead.
My rating:
Review
I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
I love a bit of dark academia and a mystery, so this was right up my alley. I especially liked how the book delved into the pressures the students feel under to perform, and how this is backed up in various forms by parents and the school alike, in many different ways.
Nancy is an interesting main character because the author goes a long way into telling us that there’s more than we know about her, and I really enjoyed getting to see her come to light, especially at the end. I also liked the love-hate relationship between her and Jamie, as well as seeing that reflecting by her parents.
However, I will warn that large parts of this book didn’t feel stunningly different to what came before it – particularly One of Us is Lying. The story had elements I recognise, and the format of an anonymous app taunting them is the same. I also had guesses as to who was behind it, though I didn’t have the why and I wasn’t sure.
All that said, I did really enjoy it. The tension is good throughout, and it provides some interesting motivations for all the characters.
It’s hard to review without spoiling the end, but I absolutely loved the very end, and am dying to know more.
4 stars.
Buy How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao from Waterstones or Blackwells.
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