For fans of "One of Us is Lying". I guessed immediately what had happened in this book and had to wait until almost the end for the main character to work it out! There are some severe plot holes in this book - i.e. some extremely shoddy policework that would have told you instantly what had happened in the car accident - placement of the seat belt bruise/ footwear left behind/blood patterns in the car/ brake cable cut. BUT, if you overlook this as most teenagers probably will it is an okay book., and there are a couple of twists that should keep them on their toes .
The story is thus - Spencer is in a terrible car accident where a boy Chris dies. Her ex- Ethan is blamed for driving too fast and hitting a tree. There is another passenger Patty who refuses to talk about the crash and Spencer has lost her memory. Spencer feels that someone tampered with Ethan's brakes and sets out to prove he is innocent with the help of Ethan's best friend Jackson ( and her new service dog Ripley). ( )

The Headmaster’s List by Melissa de la Cruz
YA thriller.
4 teens were in a car crash. One of them was driving. One of them was high. One of them screamed. One of them died. Spencer Sandoval wishes she remembers more from that night. She keeps hearing herself scream and it’s giving her nightmares. But she can’t answer the police questions and she can’t help her ex boyfriend from being accused of speeding and reckless driving. So she ask questions of everyone that was at the party and doesn’t let go of trying to find out why she was in the car.

Gripping thriller. As the story continues, we learn more about the characters and have to wonder, who is guilty and why can’t she remember what happened.
It’s compelling enough you won’t want to put it down. ( )

This is your typical teen thriller. College admissions, amnesia, love sub-plots, friend/family drama.

The eponymous Headmaster's List is a huge motivator for a lot of kids as it plays a large role in who gets accepted to the Ivies later on. I wasn't clear on how that works (can a prep school dean really force college acceptance with some kind of running leaderboard?). Oh well.

The amnesia trope is key to the plot. That can be fun, but it's way overused and isn't done well here.

Parts were written as transcripts from a podcast which made them easy to read but didn't serve much of a purpose.

There's a little teen insta-love; nothing too bothersome except that it wasn't very believable from the protagonist.

I don't make an effort to figure out mysteries. This one I figured out unintentionally very early on. So the big reveal at 90% was a let-down.

The best friend was very much a prop, as she was crucial to get the plot moving but forgotten about completely until she was needed at the end.

I don't expect much from teen thrillers, but this was too fluffy and obvious for me. It took itself far too seriously. ( )

The way the book started out drew me in. Unfortunately, I was able to guess some of the "twists" from the very beginning. In fact, one of them I already had figured out just by reading the blurb. The rest was easy to figure out once you started meeting more characters. Since I had it figured out so early, by the time I got to the ending everything just fell a little flat. There was nothing exciting by this ending, it merely confirmed what I had thought all along.

I did enjoy reading the story, but there just wasn't anything that made it special to me. I don't know if I'm going to remember much about it after a few days, but I do think it was worth reading. The writing style made it a quick read. I think i would have preferred if there had been a little less swearing in it. I think it was thrown in just to be there and it made it not have any impact when used, and generally just kind of broke the flow of the story.

I also felt like there should have been more involved with the Headmaster's List. It was the title of the book, but it felt like it was more of a background thing. While it was used to give reasoning behind things, I would have liked it to have been used more. I still feel like there should have been something more to it, like some dark secret. Yet, there wasn't.

Those looking for a YA mystery that doesn't require much thought, would probably enjoy this. I just wouldn't go into it expecting too much. It was rather simple, but entertaining nonetheless. ( )

The shattered glass on the book cover spells mystery and suspense. The taglines of THE HEADMASTER’S LIST undoubtedly sound sinister!

I have read and loved Melissa de la Cruz’s novels, and I’m bracing myself for another edge-of-my-seat thrilling ride with her latest THE HEADMASTER’S LIST!

Armstrong Prep is a prestigious and superior-status high school, students who are high-achievers with good etiquette are exclusively listed as the headmaster’s list. But are they really?

Spencer Sandoval survives a fatal car crash after the party of the summer, but sadly she can’t remember what has happened. However, she senses that something isn’t right, and she decides to uncover the truth. Her action has inevitably put Armstrong Prep under undesirable pressure and jeopardized her own life!

Melissa de la Cruz has masterly crafted this captivating thriller with surprising twists and plots that keep one guessing till the end! If you savor mystery thrillers, you definitely don’t want to miss THE HEADMASTER’S LIST! ( )