ARC Review: the Foxglove Killings by Tara Kelly

Gramps always said that when the crickets were quiet, something bad was coming. And the crickets have been as silent as the dead. It started with the murdered deer in the playground with the unmistakable purple of a foxglove in its mouth. But in the dying boondock town of Emerald Cove, life goes on.

I work at Gramps’s diner, and the cakes―the entitled rich kids who vacation here―make our lives hell. My best friend, Alex Pace, is the one person who gets me. Only Alex has changed. He’s almost like a stranger now. I can’t figure it out…or why I’m having distinctly more-than-friend feelings for him. Ones I shouldn’t be having.

Then one of the cakes disappears.

When she turns up murdered, a foxglove in her mouth, a rumor goes around that Alex was the last person seen with her—and everyone but me believes it. Well, everyone except my worst enemy, Jenika Shaw. When Alex goes missing, it’s up to us to prove his innocence and uncover the true killer. But the truth will shatter everything I’ve ever known about myself — and Alex.

I received an eARC of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Do you know how many suspense, thriller or mystery novels, the good ones of course, dominate the world of Young Adult? Can you name at least 10 good ones off the top off your head?

The answer is dismal, isn’t it?

So when I read this one’s description, I had to read it. From it’s blurb, it is easy to understand why a mystery thriller nut like me would want to snap up his opportunity 😀

And let me tell you, this book did not disappoint. At all!

From the first ever page, this book had me hooked – line and sinker and it didn’t let go until the very end. Every single moment of this mystery had me on the edge – this is dark, depressing, and majorly horrifying. The fact that Kelly has made my heart beat faster and kept me reading until late at night when I should have been sleepin, is definitely a point in her favour!

Let me be clear – The Foxglove Killings do not really cross into the horror genre. Yes, there are horrifying aspects in the story but only because no matter how many times I read or even see the results of human depravity, it never does fail to shock and horrify me.The characters are absolutely human in this story – they are plagued by insecurities, fears, hope and love just like we real ones and that is what makes this book all the more realistic.

Nova, the protagonist in the story endeared herself to me over and over again. She has this thoughtful quality to her along with being loyal and as a bane of teenage years, is now battling feelings that she never has before and for the one boy who is the most precious to her, her best friend Alex.

Set in town that has it’s own type of discriminations, there is a lot that Nova and Alex have to bear that included her arch enemy, Jenika! So when Alex is suspected of a crime, a crime that shakes up the very foundation of their town, she has her work cut out for her.

The suspense in the book jumps at you at every single turn of the page and the best part – for someone who works in investigative services in her day job? – I had pretty impossible time figuring out who the real killer was. Just when I had the “AHA” moment, Ms. Kelly threw another twist that had me literally hanging in the air without any support – no kidding!

Ms. Kelly has done a brilliant job of making a story that is as realistic as possible and that has you hooked since the get go! She is one author I will definitely look out for in the future 😀

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

If you are a YA fan as well as a fan of the good old thriller – then this is one book that you do not want to miss. Believe me!