Rating: 3 out of 5.

This is a pretty good YA mystery/thriller about an alleged yearbook prank gone terribly wrong. Best friends Rick and Martina are outcasts and they’re ok with that. Labeled by the Principal as troubled for previous pranks they’ve pulled, when yearbook pictures are labeled with gruesome titles like Homecoming’s Cutest Corpses, he immediately tries to pin it on them. But they didn’t do it (this time) and their pranks have never been gruesome or cruel. When a guidance counselor is found dead in the same manner as his new yearbook label, police name Rick and Martina as their prime suspects. When another body turns up, the duo realize they need to find the killer before they spend the rest of their lives behind bars.

I liked the premise of this book and how smart and funny Rick and Martina are. They are truly each other’s ride or die (in this case, it may be literally), and they unequivocally have each other’s backs. They waste no time in trying to solve the mystery and eventually team up with other mis-labeled yearbook victims to find the killer(s). The other kids in the book represent stereotypes of a typical high school and act as you would expect.

The book started out strong but dragged a bit in the middle. The story has enough twists to make the story engaging, but I felt the identity of the killer was a bit out of left field. That didn’t prevent me from ultimately enjoying the book, but it did knock down the rating a bit. If you’re looking for a quick and easy mystery that you can read in one sitting, this is a great book to choose. It’s entertaining and written in a manner that will make you say “just one more chapter” late into the night.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers. All opinions are my own.