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Content warning: Harmful representation of sexuality and mental illness.

This book was such a disappointment because I was REALLY enjoying it up until the last 3rd or so. I seriously thought this would be a 4 or 5 star read. However, upon finishing, I strongly believe that this book should not have been published as is. It's ignorant and damaging.

Aside from the parts that I found harmful, the writing was very trope heavy and relied on too many stereotypes for character development. I didn't think there was anything new here. The one thing I did like about the book is that McManus did build suspense well and kept me guessing. She casts suspicion on so many characters that you start questioning everything. This would have been a good mystery if it hadn't used people's identities for shock value. This is othering. These are some 90s plot twists that I'm honestly surprised flew by a publishing team in 2017.

I'm going to talk about these things in depth under the spoiler tag below because I know everyone has a different threshold for what they consider to be spoilery. I personally don't think these things should be written as spoilers, but that's how this book treats them so it's how I'm treating this review.

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Sexuality
All the characters have secrets that come to light throughout the book and the first red flag for me was about 2/3 or so in when Cooper is revealed to be gay. This was written as if it should be scandalous and to try and shock the reader because there is a distinct moment earlier in the book where you are led to believe the person he's flirting with is a girl.

Cooper's reasoning for wanting to stay closeted felt very realistic and might be relateable to some readers. It's not that his storyline has no value, I just think that sexuality shouldn't be used as a plot twist.

Further harm is done when part of the plot includes Cooper being publicly outed against his will. This could definitely cause some anxiety for people who are closeted or have been forceably outed before. Be cautious.

I am not gay and can't tell you how to feel about these things. I've heard from LGBTQIA+ readers who loved the depiction and others who hated it. When I hear many LGBTQIA+ reviewers I follow saying sexuality shouldn't be written as a plot twist and that storylines involving being outed can be triggering, these are the best guidelines I can go by with my reviews since I am not personally affected by it. You are allowed to feel however you feel about it. I'm just warning those who MAY be harmed by it that this is present.

Mental Illness
There are a couple of characters in the book that are said to be depressed and one of them was Simon, the boy who died. The final plot twist is that Simon wasn't murdered, but killed himself. Again, I think that some of Simon's feelings that surround his depression could be very relateable to teenagers, but I had three huge issues with how his suicide was portrayed.

First, depression is villanized because Simon is portrayed as a terrorist. His main motivation was wanting the infamy of a school shooter. He wanted to cause the same amount of damage, but in a way he deemed better. Problem: Depression does not equal being a terrorist! Mental illness being portrayed as wrong and evil is such a tired depiction.

Second, a side character was also said to be depressed and she was his accomplice. She framed his death on the other 4 students by planting evidence. Through her, depression is villainized once again.

Third, STOP TREATING SUICIDE LIKE A MYSTERY TO BE SOLVED. It's a mental illness, not sensational entertainment!

Depression is something I know personally and have watched family members deal with, and how this book handled it was like a stab in the gut. Is this really what the world thinks of me? Again, not saying you have to agree with my thoughts on it, but this hurt me and affected my enjoyment of the book. I just think these twists are so tired and perpetuate stigmas against LGBTQIA+ people and people with mental illness.
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For those who may be hurt by the mishandling of sexuality or mental illness, I would suggest being cautious of this book. If you're a reader who is oblivious to or unhurt by bad rep, you'll probably enjoy this book going by all the shining reviews it has.

Other things of note:
-Bronwyn is biracial (white & Colombian).
-Addy's POV is very shallow and portrays a terrible relationship and girl drama. (But she has a good growth arc.)
-The drug-dealing bad boy trope is heavy.
-The audiobook narrators were great at their jobs.
-If you loved the book, that's great. I didn't, and this was why.