Alexa Donne

Seaview High's homecoming queen is dead . . . and she's not the first. From the critically acclaimed author of The Ivies comes a nonstop thriller about a decades-old mystery, a copycat killing, and the teen who won't stop until she discovers the truth. After the death of her mom (screw cancer), seventeen-year-old Cecelia Ellis goes to live with her estranged grandmother, a celebrated author whose Victorian mansion is as creepy as the murder mysteries she writes. On the surface, life is utterly ordinary in the California coastal town . . . until the homecoming queen is murdered. And she's not Seaview's first pretty dead queen. With a copycat killer on the loose, Cecelia throws herself into the investigation, determined to crack the case like the heroines in her grandmother's books. But the more Cecelia digs into the town's secrets, the more she worries that her own mystery might not have a storybook ending.

Pretty Dead Queens

pretty dead queens was a thrilling read that keep me at the edge of my seat. i actually guessed the main villain the first time i read but then i went "uh, that's too easy to guess isn't it, it mustn't be them!" but in the end i was right. pretty surprised about the other villain and one of cecelia's friend though. 

thank you netgalley for providing me with the e-arc.

I think I'm a little obsessed with all these YA thrillers! They seem to have really made a resurgence this year. Or maybe I'm wrong and an idiot who hadn't noticed all of these before the good girls guide to murder series. This category is turning into my comfort category of books that I read in one sitting and can really do no wrong. Pretty Dead Queens is no exception to this rule. I'm excited to be writing this review for you guys!

Pretty Dead Queens is a YA thriller that came out on the 4th of October! It's been published by Random House and is 333 pages long. This is not Alexa Donne's first book, and most of you will know her as the author of The Ivies, which was out in May 2021.

Cecilia moves to live with her grandmother after her mom passes away. As a copycat killer strikes again, she has to find out who killed the homecoming queen this time and if the original killer caught was really the right one.

It took me under 2 hours to read Pretty Dead Queens. It's a fun read with a dead girl set in a small town. At least the small town is in California. I loved loved loved the references that the author made to another book that was set in a small town, which I can guarantee all of you have read, watched the movie of, or at least heard off. If you haven't, then I believe you live under a shockingly dense rock or are a child who has no business being on the internet. 

It was exciting to see how poisonous people can be on the inside and how much people are willing to overlook when they're dead. Motives can also be strange; sometimes, you just need to watch how people look when they die.

To be fair, while I think the above was pretty spoilery, the twists in the book are so good. I suspected one of them, but really the last one, which was a tad over dramatic, was something I just couldn't see coming at all!  

Seher Mohsin

I think I'm a little obsessed with all these YA thrillers! They seem to have really made a resurgence this year. Or maybe I'm wrong and an idiot who hadn't noticed all of these before the good girls guide to murder series. This category is turning into my comfort category of books that I read in one sitting and can really do no wrong. Pretty Dead Queens is no exception to this rule. I'm excited to be writing this review for you guys!

Pretty Dead Queens is a YA thriller that came out on the 4th of October! It's been published by Random House and is 333 pages long. This is not Alexa Donne's first book, and most of you will know her as the author of The Ivies, which was out in May 2021.

Cecilia moves to live with her grandmother after her mom passes away. As a copycat killer strikes again, she has to find out who killed the homecoming queen this time and if the original killer caught was really the right one.

It took me under 2 hours to read Pretty Dead Queens. It's a fun read with a dead girl set in a small town. At least the small town is in California. I loved loved loved the references that the author made to another book that was set in a small town, which I can guarantee all of you have read, watched the movie of, or at least heard off. If you haven't, then I believe you live under a shockingly dense rock or are a child who has no business being on the internet. 

It was exciting to see how poisonous people can be on the inside and how much people are willing to overlook when they're dead. Motives can also be strange; sometimes, you just need to watch how people look when they die.

To be fair, while I think the above was pretty spoilery, the twists in the book are so good. I suspected one of them, but really the last one, which was a tad over dramatic, was something I just couldn't see coming at all!  

 follows Cecelia Ellis following the wake of her mother's death, as she moves to northern California to live with her prolific writer of a grandmother. Her grandmother's success? Writing mysteries, the first of which was based on the true story of a homecoming queen in the town some fifty years earlier. When a second homecoming queen turns up dead, Cecelia throws herself into the mystery--both present and past, for answers. But in this small town, secrets are aplenty, and no one is completely innocent.

Alexa Donne knows how to write teenagers. All of the teens in this book act like their age. Does that mean at times my decrepit 22 year old self was internally screaming at some of the actions? Yes. But what is being a teenager if not being reckless and involving yourself in a murder investigation? Okay, maybe not the latter, but you get my point.

There are essentially two mysteries going on, while Cecelia is dealing with (read: avoiding) the grief of losing her mother. The two mysteries are eerily similar: homecoming queen found dead in the school's pool. But fifty years earlier, the supposed culprit was caught. Or was he? The twists! The turns! I loved it. I could have done without the Luke and Caleb being in a secret relationship--the whole secret gay relationship trope feels a bit problematic? Especially since there was a lesbian couple in the book and there wasn't homophobia outside of an incident in middle school that's briefly mentioned? But I am also not a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, so I may be out of my depth here.

 I did call it towards the beginning, but I was definitely questioning myself throughout which is always a good thing! I am also never going to be upset by guessing an ending--I feel vindicated when I get it right.

Cecelia's group of friends are great, diverse, and very supportive. They also have distinct personalities and do push back against her at times--oftentimes I think new friend groups in YA tend to just fully accept the new girl right off the bat, but not so here. 

There's a small love triangle, but nothing like cheating or a lot of conflicted pining, which is always appreciated.

Cecelia is a smart girl, if a bit hasty in actions--she's a complex person and I loved her as a character. And she likes K-pop so we're basically besties. I haven't lost a parent, so I can't understand that aspect, but my mom did have breast cancer, and I know the stresses and fears that come with that. Cecelia deals with her grief by hyper-focusing on something else--the murders. 

This book isn't just about solving a murder (or murders, as it may be), it's also about the complexities of mourning and how there are different ways of grieving. Alexa Donne effortlessly weaves deeper issues into her work without overwhelming the reader and keeping the entertainment factor high. 

I would highly recommend this to anyone who loved 

, loves an overlapping in old cases and new cases, and loves small town murder mysteries. 

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an e-arc in exchange for my honest review!:)

TW (contains spoilers): Blood, murder, death of a parent, grief, drugging, strangulation, kidnapping, attempted murder, knives, adult-minor relationship, homophobia, blackmail

Holly

I loved this book. Point blank.

Pretty Dead Queens follows Cecelia Ellis following the wake of her mother's death, as she moves to northern California to live with her prolific writer of a grandmother. Her grandmother's success? Writing mysteries, the first of which was based on the true story of a homecoming queen in the town some fifty years earlier. When a second homecoming queen turns up dead, Cecelia throws herself into the mystery--both present and past, for answers. But in this small town, secrets are aplenty, and no one is completely innocent.

Alexa Donne knows how to write teenagers. All of the teens in this book act like their age. Does that mean at times my decrepit 22 year old self was internally screaming at some of the actions? Yes. But what is being a teenager if not being reckless and involving yourself in a murder investigation? Okay, maybe not the latter, but you get my point.

There are essentially two mysteries going on, while Cecelia is dealing with (read: avoiding) the grief of losing her mother. The two mysteries are eerily similar: homecoming queen found dead in the school's pool. But fifty years earlier, the supposed culprit was caught. Or was he? The twists! The turns! I loved it. I could have done without the Luke and Caleb being in a secret relationship--the whole secret gay relationship trope feels a bit problematic? Especially since there was a lesbian couple in the book and there wasn't homophobia outside of an incident in middle school that's briefly mentioned? But I am also not a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, so I may be out of my depth here.

 I did call it towards the beginning, but I was definitely questioning myself throughout which is always a good thing! I am also never going to be upset by guessing an ending--I feel vindicated when I get it right.

 

Cecelia's group of friends are great, diverse, and very supportive. They also have distinct personalities and do push back against her at times--oftentimes I think new friend groups in YA tend to just fully accept the new girl right off the bat, but not so here. 

There's a small love triangle, but nothing like cheating or a lot of conflicted pining, which is always appreciated.

Cecelia is a smart girl, if a bit hasty in actions--she's a complex person and I loved her as a character. And she likes K-pop so we're basically besties. I haven't lost a parent, so I can't understand that aspect, but my mom did have breast cancer, and I know the stresses and fears that come with that. Cecelia deals with her grief by hyper-focusing on something else--the murders. 

This book isn't just about solving a murder (or murders, as it may be), it's also about the complexities of mourning and how there are different ways of grieving. Alexa Donne effortlessly weaves deeper issues into her work without overwhelming the reader and keeping the entertainment factor high. 

 

I would highly recommend this to anyone who loved The Ivies, loves an overlapping in old cases and new cases, and loves small town murder mysteries. 

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an e-arc in exchange for my honest review!:)

TW (contains spoilers): Blood, murder, death of a parent, grief, drugging, strangulation, kidnapping, attempted murder, knives, adult-minor relationship, homophobia, blackmail

kendall p

pretty dead queens is a YA mystery set in a small town being haunted by a copy cat killer. 
It took a while to actually get into it, and start getting ramping up - but that’s okay. 
There was some stuff I liked about this book, and some stuff I didn’t. 

The whole idea for the book was really mapped out, and well thought out. There wasn’t any loose strings and we weren’t left with any questions at the end. There was though, A LOT to keep up with. You were essentially solving two cases from one p.o.v and one time line. I think maybe it could have been better if it was told in a dual timeline between Caroline and Natalie. 

I think the ending was shocking, but I knew what was coming. I didn’t think it was going to go that far, but I definitely knew who killed Caroline. 
On the basis of it being well thought out, I feel like finding out one part of the truth was honestly really easy. The ending does make up for it with the complete 180 it does. 

I did like the small town thriller author aspect. I liked the town history, and everyone knowing everything. It did keep me intrigued, but I found myself skimming toward the end. 
I did enjoy this book & i think it’s good for someone getting started with mystery, or ya mystery. it wasn’t my personal favorite but was a strong ya mystery! 

// i did receive this arc from the author! all thoughts are my own and honest.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Pretty Dead Queens

Author: Alexa Donne

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Filipino American Lesbian character, Lesbian character, Filipino American character, Indigenous character, Bisexual characters, Achillean romance between two side characters

Recommended For...: young adult readers, mystery, thriller, prom, unsolved murders

Publication Date: October 7, 2022

Genre: YA Mystery Thriller

Age Relevance: 15+ (death, cancer, grief, animal death, animal gore, language, drugs, gore, classism, racism, homophobia, murder, child abuse, sexual content, sexual assault of a minor, violence)

Explanation of Above: There is death and murder shown in the book and mentioned. There are mentions of cancer and grief is shown in the book. There is two animal deaths (rabbit and dog) and animal gore (rabbit) mentioned in the book. There is some cursing in the book. Drugs are mentioned briefly in the book. There is some violence with knives and gore with blood. There is classism, racism, and homophobia shown and mentioned in the book. Child abuse is mentioned and sexual assault of a minor is vaguely mentioned in the book (there is an adult character in the book who is having a relationship with a child under 18 but nothing explicit is shown). There is also some sexual content mentioned and one fade to black sex scene.

Publisher: Crown

Pages: 336

Synopsis: After the death of her mom (screw cancer), seventeen-year-old Cecelia Ellis goes to live with her estranged grandmother, a celebrated author whose Victorian mansion is as creepy as the murder mysteries she writes. On the surface, life is utterly ordinary in the California coastal town . . . until the homecoming queen is murdered. And she’s not Seaview’s first pretty dead queen.

With a copycat killer on the loose, Cecelia throws herself into the investigation, determined to crack the case like the heroines in her grandmother’s books. But the more Cecelia digs into the town’s secrets, the more she worries that her own mystery might not have a storybook ending.

Review: For the most part I really loved this book! The book was a great thriller mystery novel about past murders and a current killer. There’s a lot of twist and turns and it’ll keep you guessing on the whodunit for the longest time. It definitely has a Karen McManus feel to it and one of my newer favorite mystery books. I loved all of the funny pop culture moments as well. The character development was well done and the world building was great. I loved the writing and I had 2/3 overall guesses come true, which surprised me as I’m usually able to accurately guess the end of mystery books.

The only issue I had with the book is that I feel like the planting evidence on a Filipino character should have been called out a bit more for what it was and condemned more. I also feel like the book had some confusing moments that could be cleared up a little bit.

Verdict: I loved this one!

Gabriella Rivera

I would like to preface that I did receive this ARC from the author, but all opinions in this review are my own honest thoughts. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 

What I loved: 

So this might be my third ever murder mystery book, and I have previously read ‘The Ivies’ also by Alexa Donne and that one was a very enjoyable one. I definitely did not guess the ‘who’ in the Ivies and while I did guess part of the ending for PDQ I definitely did NOT see that ending coming!

I think Alexa is very skillful in offering up a completely surprising ending while making it believable. And that ending?! WOW! My heart was racing! I can’t lie, I am a sucker for high school settings especially with mean girls and guys. I do love the entire setting of the book and I did kind of chuckle in the beginning with the nod towards Twilight because thats exactly where my mind had gone. 

What I didn’t: 

There were a lot of characters to follow that a lot of it felt kind of like a whirlwind, but I can imagine Cecilia felt that way too lol. I do feel like the writing in this book had more tell than show than The Ivies, and there were a lot of references made that didn’t feel too realistic for teenagers to make, but the story had a very classic YA feel to it which I’ve truly missed over the years. 

Overall, this book was full of lots of secrets that really kept my pointer finger switching to different characters with every chapter. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wishes to read a murder mystery with murdered homecoming queens, a love triangle, and a town fully of twisted and juicy dark secrets! 

Thank you so much Alexa, Crown, and Netgalley for the ARC.

Pretty Dead Queens

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