Little Monsters – Kara Thomas

Genre: Young Adult Psychological Thriller
Publisher: Delacorte Press

Kacey is the new girl in Broken Falls. When she moved in with her father, she stepped into a brand-new life. A life with a stepbrother, a stepmother, and strangest of all, an adoring younger half sister.

Kacey’s new life is eerily charming compared with the wild highs and lows of the old one she lived with her volatile mother. And everyone is so nice in Broken Falls—she’s even been welcomed into a tight new circle of friends. Bailey and Jade invite her to do everything with them.

Which is why it’s so odd when they start acting distant. And when they don’t invite her to the biggest party of the year, it doesn’t exactly feel like an accident.

But Kacey will never be able to ask, because Bailey never makes it home from that party. Suddenly, Broken Falls doesn’t seem so welcoming after all—especially once everyone starts looking to the new girl for answers.

Kacey is about to learn some very important lessons: Sometimes appearances can be deceiving. Sometimes when you’re the new girl, you shouldn’t trust anyone.

I devoured this novel in one sitting. Ever since Pretty Little Liars finished, I’ve felt a void in my life of teenagers doing crazy ridiculous things and how manipulative and secretive they can be. Little Monsters delivers on this tenfold.

 Kara Thomas has a knack for getting into the mindset of manipulative and disturbed teenagers and discovering what fuels their motives. The mystery in Little Monsters is shrouded in secrets, obsession, and manipulation all set within an infamous ghost story.

 Thomas presents the clues and suspects in such a way that there’s no way dispute it until the story moves onto the next clue and suspect. So, I didn’t predict the resolution of the novel because I couldn’t see past what the author was presenting. This is a testament to Thomas’ writing. It’s accessible, alluring, and gripping. She knows how to subtlety sow clues and foreshadowing within the text. So, thinking back it all makes sense.

One of the few issues I have with the novel is that the beginning is a little confusing and jarring. A lot of things are happening and a lot of characters are being introduced, so I felt like I was constantly trying to catch up with the story for the first 50 pages. I also wish the friendship between the three girls would have been more cemented. Having a more Pretty Little Liars style friendship between the three girls would have made the story all the more powerful.

I also wish the friendship between the three girls would have been more cemented. Having a more Pretty Little Liars style friendship between the three girls would have made the story all the more powerful.

 Overall, Little Monsters is a solid YA Psychological Thriller that delves deep into the minds of teenagers and the manipulative lives they sometimes lead.