Book Review: The Cheerleaders

Author: Kara Thomas

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Genre: YA mystery

Pages: 384

Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis:

“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.”

I’m mad at myself for not picking this book up sooner. It was AMAZING and gripping and had me reading (listening, actually, the audio book is fantastic) frantically until the very end. What even was that ending? I can’t stop thinking about it.

The characters in this book are some of the most interesting I have ever read. Monica was loyal, brilliant, and cunning. She was a really deep character and spent a lot of the book victim blaming herself for something that happened in the past that broke my heart. I just wanted to give her a huge hug half the time with everything she was going through. I can’t imagine living how she was, confused with everything she thought she knew and unsure if their was true justice for the girls that had died in her town.

Plus, the book was told in two point of views; the other one being Monica’s older sister Jennifer. Jennifer’s point of view was from five years in the past and gave insight into her life before she committed suicide. I loved how eerie this made the story. It felt like I was chasing after a string. I was desperately trying to tie the clues together.

The story was so dark and fascinating. It was masterfully crafted, complex, and too good to put down. I had trouble putting the clues together while reading, but by the end I could feel my heart thumping with Monica’s as she put everything together. I was so submerged in this story that even in the moments that I hadn’t been reading it I was thinking about it. Yeah. It’s THAT good.

This book has the biggest surprise ending plot twist that I never saw coming. I hadn’t realized how emotionally invested I was with this story until the last chapter ended and I was left staring at a wall with my mouth gaping wide open. WHAT EVEN WHAT THE ENDING. Holy cow!! My heart hurts, my brain hurts. The ending is just BRUTAL.

My last note about this book which is a bit negative regards the relationship Monica has with another character in the story named Brandon. Although it’s not said at first, Brandon is a twenty-seven year old man who becomes a teacher at Monica’s school. During the summer before her Junior year they had slept together. I wish there had been more fleshing out about the situation and that we could have seen Monica victim blame less, or at least have her realize that what happened was not her fault. I was a little bummed that there was no resolution there or with how this situation has changed Monica’s relationship with her mother.

Otherwise, this book was fantastic. It’s a must read, even for people who wouldn’t normally read for this genre. It’s so hard for me not to ramble on about this book for hours because I simply loved it so much. I would highly recommend you grab yourself a copy of this book and give it a spot on the top of your TBR pile.