I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Here’s what we do know: there was a party at Trevor’s house last night, and things went horribly wrong. By the end of the night, there were two dead bodies in an upstairs bedroom: seventeen-year-old Sadie Cooper and her killer, Mason McDonald. The murder was heartbreakingly witnessed by Sadie’s twin sister, Jayne, and Sadie died in her arms. Mason was killed by Sadie’s boyfriend, Ben, in an attempt to save Sadie.

Aside from figuring out Mason’s motive, it should be an open and shut case.

But it’s not.

The story unfolds just after the murders, and Jayne, Ben, and Sadie’s best friend, Liz, are telling the cops what transpired at the party and the events leading up to it. But little details don’t match. And those little details start to add up to big discrepancies. But who’s lying, and why?

The shocking truth is revealed in the third act, when the POV shifts to victim Sadie herself, in the days leading up to the party. Witness exactly what happened—and see if you can piece it all together. Because poor Sadie totally missed what was right in front of her.

Short and Sweet Review

Killing Sadie had such an intriguing premise that immediately pulled me in. A murder mystery told through multiple interrogations, unreliable narrators, and conflicting stories sounded like exactly the kind of YA thriller I enjoy. Unfortunately, while the setup was strong, the execution didn’t quite live up to its potential.

The multiple POV structure was one of my favorite aspects of the book. Hearing the events from Jayne, Ben, and Liz’s perspectives made it fun to try to piece together what actually happened the night of the party. I also liked that everyone seemed to be hiding something, making it difficult to know who could really be trusted. That said, I found the interrogation format more confusing than immersive. The story constantly switched between the characters’ testimony and their internal thoughts, and there wasn’t always a clear distinction between the two. More than once I had to stop and reread a section because I wasn’t sure what was being said out loud versus what was only happening in the character’s head. I figured out a large part of the mystery fairly early on. There were still a few surprises along the way, but I never felt completely shocked by the reveals. The biggest disappointment, though, was the ending. It answered some questions but left far too many unresolved, and I finished the book feeling more frustrated than satisfied. I really wanted to see the aftermath of everything that happened and the consequences for the people involved, but instead the story wrapped up very abruptly. I also struggled with some of the character motivations. Certain relationships and plot points felt underdeveloped, making it difficult to fully believe some of the decisions that drove the mystery. Because of that, the emotional impact wasn’t as strong as I had hoped.

Overall, Killing Sadie had a compelling concept and enough twists to keep me reading, but the confusing narration, predictable mystery, and unsatisfying ending held it back. If you enjoy YA thrillers with unreliable narrators and don’t mind an open-ended conclusion, this one may still be worth checking out, but it ultimately didn’t come together the way I was hoping.