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Ready or Not by Tracy Darnton Review


Title: Ready or Not

Author: Tracy Darnton

Genre: YA Mystery

Publisher: Little Tiger

Pages: 288

Release Date: 12 May 2022


Hello fellow book lovers, today I’m sharing my review for the utterly addictive and undeniably captivating Ready or Not by Tracy Darnton—a When We Were Liars-style mystery/thriller that had me hooked ‘til the very last page.


Synopsis

Shared family holidays at Creek House have been the backdrop to Millie’s summers since forever. Hanging out with the other kids – Matt, Charlie, Jem and her best friend Kat – has made it her favourite time of the year.


But this holiday things are different – the childhood games that once filled their days have lost their appeal to everyone except Millie. It’s not until the final night that the others agree to a game of hide and seek. But in the time it takes Millie to count to twenty, Kat vanishes.


One year on, and struggling to come to terms with the events of last summer, Millie persuades the others to return to Creek House. It’s meant to give them closure, but it could be a chance to find out what happened.


After all, people don’t just disappear, do they?


Review

Ready or Not was absolutely Incredible!


I loved how intricately woven and thoroughly crafted the mystery was and I can honestly say it definitely kept me guessing, I literally had no idea who to trust. The narrative writing style really engaging and our sole POV character, Millie was really interesting and her recollections of the past year really gave us a glimpse into the lives of the house’s inhabitants on the days leading up to that fateful night.


The secrets, scandals and revelations sprinkled throughout were just moreish enough to keep me invested but just vague enough not to be able to work any of it out!


It’s more than just a mystery though as through Millie and her observations surrounding Charlie, Matt,Jem and their parents-we get an exquisitely detailed exploration into family and the ties of friendship that puts likes of Pretty Little Liars to shame.


Honestly, it’s frustratingly good in a tangled web of lies and secrets kind of way. Even when we get to that shockingly spectacular ending, the mystery still manages to sort of remain a mystery and the fact that readers can all come away with a different interpretation is absolutely genius. And although I’m still sort of reeling from it myself, I’m definitely planning to check out more of Darnton’s work because this was perfection.


If you love YA mystery/ thrillers then you absolutely must pick this up, you’re gonna love it!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5


About The Author


Tracy Darnton is the author of Waterstones Children’s Book Prize-shortlistedTHE TRUTH ABOUT LIES. Having previously worked as a solicitor, Tracy graduated with Distinction from the Bath Spa MA Writing for Young People in 2016. She won the Stripes YA Short Story Prize, run in partnership with The Bookseller’s YA Book Prize. Tracy lives in Bath with her husband and two sons.


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