Rebecca Barrow - Bad Things Happen Here

Rebecca Barrow - Bad Things Happen Here

5 ⭐

Genre: YA, Mystery, Thriller, Contemporary Fiction, LGBTQA+, Fiction 

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback Proof Copy 

Publisher: Hot Key Books 

Date Published: 28th June 2022. 

 

Huge thank you to Hot Key Books for sending me a copy of this book to read and review! 

Book Blurb: 

The island of Parris: paradise or poison?

Luca Laine Thomas lives in Parris, the beautiful island plagued by the unsolved deaths of young women - most significantly, Luca's best friend. All Luca wants is to heal from the traumatic loss and leave her feelings of guilt and helplessness behind.

Then Luca comes home to find the police at her house. Her sister, Whitney, is dead.

Luca and Naomi, the new girl next door, decide to take the investigation into their own hands, and along the way, their connection deepens. Soon, their casual touches and innocent flirtations become something way more real. But finding out what happened on the night of Whitney's disappearance reveals lie upon lie.

Nothing is as it seems. Will Luca's search finally reveal the truth about her sister's murder? And will she unravel and escape the clutches of the curse and survive Parris?

My Review: 

Absolutely loved this book! It left me speechless and wanting to know what happened to Luca after such a rollercoaster of events and after all the drama that unfolded in the last 100 pages. It was such a page turned and captivated me from the very first chapter. The glamorous exterior of Parris Island hides all the dirty secrets of its rich inhabitants and of course the heroine Luca wants to uncover all of that to find peace.

The book follows a seventeen-year-old Luca Liane Thomas, who lives on Parris Island, surrounded by glamour and the elite but couldn’t feel less at home. She already lost her best friend to a so-called ‘curse’ that over the years also took the lives of multiple innocent girls on the island. Luca can’t comprehend why no one talks about it, about the curse and the girls, and no one seems to want to find answers about what happened to them all. Well, no one except Luca. Her want to find answers grows stronger when the newest victim becomes her own older sister Whitney. Luca not only has to find the strength to grieve her sister but also has to uncover who did it and the reasons why, whilst also building a new life and friendship with a new girl in town Naomi.

Luca’s character was so real and raw, full of emotions and feelings making the story so interesting and unique. She feels out of place in Parris and she doesn’t agree with the ‘image and entitlement is everything’ attitude of Parris youth, because she is mixed race and gay in a very white and straight community. She’s also mentally ill and people outside her friendship group think she is a crazy rich girl, which makes her want to hide that side of her and keep it all to herself. The story portrays how Luca learned to live with her anxiety, depression and intrusive thoughts. Her character is flawed but she is also so relatable, in turn making the plot and storyline real and captivating.

I also liked, that the romance between Naomi and Luca wasn’t at the forefront of the book. It was so well written in, that it added to the main story of Luca wanting to find who is responsible for the ‘curse’, but it didn’t overshadow the main premise of this story.

Alongside the main story, this book also explores themes of mental illness, sexuality, and the culture of rich and entitled elites. The book also touches upon drug use and abuse, which again an important topic to make young readers aware of. All these topics are perfectly weaved into this book, adding so much substance.

Some of the twists and turns were so unexpected and I loved that. It kept me gripped. Some of the secrets that were uncovered about the characters in the book were so surprising and unexpected, too. However, the main shocker for me was the ending. I did not see that coming and honestly, it was a cherry on top of the amazing story and characters. I just hope there is a second book, as I need to know what Luca is going to do after all the twists and turns and drama that happened in this book but especially the last 100 pages. Without spoiling anything, I want/need to know what happens to other characters, too.

Overall: I adored this book. It’s honestly the perfect summer weekend read that I am going to keep recommending to everyone. A perfect character-driven dark thriller, with a strong heroine, multiple unexpected twists and…wow…what that ending…

About the Author: 

Rebecca Barrow is the critically acclaimed author of Bad Things Happen Here, Interview with the Vixen, This Is What It Feels Like, and You Don’t Know Me But I Know You. She is a lover of sunshine, Old Hollywood icons, and all things high femme. She lives and writes in England.

http://www.rebecca-barrow.com/