3.5ish Stars. The cover made me think this book would be creepy, and in no way was that the case. This isn't a horror, it's a mystery-- and not a very thrilling one at that. The characters are chemically induced for the entirety of the book and the last 50 pages provided nothing new or interesting. I didn't hate it, and found it completely readable, but I was still expecting so much better.

This book is total cover bait. I thought I was going to get a creepy, horror-type book, but this was NOTHING like that. This was a standard YA Mystery with a lot of sex, drugs, and nothing that thrilling happening.

While I didn't hate the book, I think that going into it with expectations of having creepy scenes in the woods threw me off. The tub on the cover is mentioned briefly in the book, but plays no role in anything.

Here's what the book IS about: Finley is visiting her Maine hometown for the first time since her best friend has gone missing/presumed dead, and she's ready to set the town on fire (literally). In a drug induced haze, she sets out to prove that Betty's ex-boyfriend, Calder, killed her.

Here's why this is a 3 star book instead of 5 star mystery: It's not even a mystery!! We know what happened to Betty and nothing new comes to light as a result of Finley's antics. There are drugs like WOAH. Everyone is pill popping in this book-- and I'm no straight-edge, but it got annoying. The last 50 pages were YAWN. Nothing new or exciting happened and I was SO BORED.

I had major issues with the "love triangle" because it just didn't feel all that "loving" on any of the sides. Serena could've been a really interesting character (she's a girl who crushed on Betty and Finley develops feelings for her), but she felt like a placeholder. Owen (a guy Finley looks at like a big brother, but also has sex with) didn't do it for me either. Maybe it was all the drugs?? Maybe they just weren't good people?? Something was definitely missing there.

OVERALL: Confusing cover for a non-horror book. I was expecting creepy, but got a sub-par mystery. I'm going to give it 3 stars because I did want to find out answers, but I was hoping for shocking revelations that never came. I say read if you like YA that doesn't hold back on the drugs and sex.

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The storyline itself was great- you don’t now whodunnit till the end. However, the causal use of drugs and sex just wove itself in to the story far too much for my liking. And also; what even was that ending??!?!? ( )

This book was not a good idea. I know that this novel was created for a teen audience but I still had high expectations regarding the quality of the story. And this novel didn't match my expectations. The story starts off interestingly enough, with Fin attending Betty's graduation - sans Betty, of course, since she's dead - and there is a commotion when a female student expresses outrage that no one makes mention of Betty. Through Fin, we are introduced to a whole host of characters, each more ridiculous and convoluted than the next. I didn't like a single character in this entire novel. They were unrealistic and their motives were so obtuse that it just didn't work for me. I felt that, for the level of seriousness of the case this novel was presenting, the behaviours of the characters were very juvenile. I also didn't think there was much happening plot-wise; it was mostly Fin stirring up drama and accomplishing nothing, and then the ending rushed up to the forefront. It really wasn't a satisfying conclusion because it made no sense. I wish I could talk about this in more detail, but I don't want to ruin the story for those still interested in reading this novel. Overall, I found this to be an ill-conceived, and not well-executed story that was more about teen angst than anything else. It was quite boring and had an ending that defied common sense. Other reviewers mentioned that this story is based on an actual case; I cannot speak on that since I don't know of any crime cases similar to the one in those story, and the author also did not make mention of anything. However, based on my experience with this novel, I'm giving it a 1/5 stars. ( )

Suspenseful. A very good read. ( )

Finley moved away from her best friend Betty in a small town in Maine to go to college in Manhattan, but their friendship stayed intact. They called, texted, and visited during the summer to keep ties. Then Betty goes missing, presumed by most to have committed suicide. Her ex-boyfriend Calder admitted to drowning her, but the confession is thrown out as coercion. Finley returns to the sleepy town to figure out what exactly happened to her friend.

A Good Idea addresses a lot of issues with teenage girls, friendships, misogyny, and the privilege of the rich. First, the town dismisses Betty's possible murder because she was promiscuous and exhibited erratic behavior beforehand as if it absolves anyone else of wrongdoing. The general attitude is that she brought it on herself or they just want to forget anything bad happened. Betty is a complex, flawed character who is not always likeable. She is dramatic with a vintage style and a bold aspiring actress. Finley remembers the irksome parts of her in addition to the parts she loved. Finley makes a huge amount of mistakes on the journey to solve her friend's disappearance/probable murder. Rash decisions include setting fires and slashing tires, but it still serves to remind the town that something happened and no one is doing anything about it.

On the opposing side, Calder is the hotheaded son of the mayor who always gets his way. After Betty cheated on him, he made sure she would never act in high school no matter how good she was, cutting off the one thing that made her happy. Despite all of his privilege, he still acted like a victim and had the support of the community, both enraging things. Another creepy guy is Owen, much older than the teens but that doesn't stop him from having sex with them. I don't know if I'm supposed to like him, but he very much needs to leave these kids alone. I prefered Serena, Finley's kind of girlfriend. I also appreciated the portrayal of bisexuality that's rare to see. The writing was serviceable, but I wouldn't read the book again. The revelations lose their edge once you already know what it is. ( )