Review: The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

Book Blurb:

There are no more cheerleaders in the town of Sunnybrook.

First there was the car accident—two girls gone after hitting a tree on a rainy night. Not long after, the murders happened. Those two girls were killed by the man next door. The police shot him, so no one will ever know why he did it. Monica’s sister was the last cheerleader to die. After her suicide, Sunnybrook High disbanded the cheer squad. No one wanted to be reminded of the girls they lost.

That was five years ago. Now the faculty and students at Sunnybrook High want to remember the lost cheerleaders. But for Monica, it’s not that easy. She just wants to forget. Only, Monica’s world is starting to unravel. There are the letters in her stepdad’s desk, an unearthed, years-old cell phone, a strange new friend at school. . . . Whatever happened five years ago isn’t over. Some people in town know more than they’re saying. And somehow Monica is at the center of it all.

There are no more cheerleaders in Sunnybrook, but that doesn’t mean anyone else is safe.

Find out more about the book on Goodreads

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My Review:

5 Out Of 5 Stars

Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Teen--

Five years ago too many of the cheerleaders died, causing the small town of Sunnybrook to shut down the cheer program. Monica never understood what happened to her sister, why certain choices were made. And when she finds a clue to what was really going on five years ago she can't let it go. But someone else wants the past to stay buried.

Kara Thomas does it again, and it is just like magic. This is the third book I have read from her and I have not been disappointed in the slightest. Her characters feel real, like actual people with flaws and hopes and fears, someone you could pass on the street- and never know the darkness that lives inside. But not only that, the teens actually read like teenagers, not adults playing as such which helps add to the story and the situation.

This will be a brief review since watching the story unfold is best part and I do not want to have any spoilers. Overall I found this to be a great read with a complicated mystery that kept me guessing. This book was not as twisty or as messed up as Little Monsters was (yeah, that one was a doozy!!) but instead it felt like something that could happen to any teen, in any town, adding to the realism of the plot. Let me just tell you though, the ending (last few chapters) was the best part of the book and so surprised me. I wanted to be horrified yet cheer at the same time. I highly recommend The Cheerleaders for anyone who likes a dark YA mystery with plenty of suspects and surprises.