21/100: Truly Devious + Mystery Genre Thoughts

please enjoy this photo of my squishy, sleepy kitty

 Something wicked devious this way comes... 

What did I just read...

If someone were to write a book about me, I feel that I could be perceived as equal parts Hermione, Belle (from Beauty and the Beast), and now Stevie Bell.
From the very first pages, I found myself identifying with Stevie (except I've got wonderful parents whom I love and tend to agree with on most things...).


I have loved mysteries since I devoured the Nancy Drew books as a girl and my interest in that genre has only expanded as I've gotten older, especially when it comes to crime shows and true-crime cases.  I could empathize with Stevie when she described how she felt like no one understood her; like she was an outsider because of this fascination with something that the rest of the world perceives as "morbid." When Stevie would say something awkward or feel like she didn't know how to respond to certain social situations, I wanted to scream "yes that's me!"

This book took me by surprise, in all the best ways.
There were so many mysteries, so many secrets, and so many weird characters. Honestly, this is the most diverse cast of characters I've read about, but it really lent itself to the plot of the story. Stevie was a fully formed character but I didn't for one moment feel like she was portrayed as overly (or annoyingly) feminist; she was, in my mind, a very close rendering of Nancy Drew, solving mysteries because she enjoyed it, not because she had to "stick it to the man."

I think the setting of the story (Ellingham Academy) was a really unique but intriguing place and it's what initially drew me to the story. Johnson has a way of describing nature and surroundings that makes you feel as if you are right there in the story. Even though this is technically a YA novel, it didn't explicitly read that way to me. In fact, at the beginning of the story I wasn't even quite sure how old these students were. It was stated in the beginning that they were juniors and seniors, and I just kind of assumed it was high school, but part of me was leaning towards college until it was written that Stevie is 16.

I think it just felt freeing to read about another young person that has an interest in mysteries, crime, and murder. I enjoy the genre because it's smart; when a good writer is behind the helm, it's an adventure to witness all the details and exacting dialogue play out. Plus, it takes an intelligent author to write a mystery that leaves you hanging until the end. After reading Truly Devious, I am feeling the pull to dive further into the mystery genre, even researching some good true-crime novelists to really dive into that genre as well.

Like I said, this book took me by surprise and had the unintended effect of reawakening my love for mystery and crime. It brought to life that Nancy Drew/girl-detective in me. Of course the problem now is that I wasn't smart and I didn't reserve all three books at the library before we had to practice social distancing and self-isolation, so I'm on the hunt for an ebook version.

All in all, please read this book. It's engaging and has you on the edge of your seat. I haven't felt the urge to read a book in a day for a long time and when a book makes you want to binge read it you know it's good!

Stats:
Completed: Mar 20
Rating: 5 stars
Pages: 416

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