4⭐️ I really wish I read this at the right time because I've tried picking this up back in 2022 but didn't feel anything with the story. Every now and then, I would read a chapter and then don't touch it for 6 months and come back, but NOWWW I'm HOOKED!!! Maybe I was just impatient to get to the good parts, but up until chapter 13, I was loving it all the way through. I don't remember all of the things that happened before 13, but I do know the general knowledge of why Ellery and Ezra moved to Echo Ridge, Malcolm's whole family backstory, and the town too.

I've seen people's reaction to the last sentence "I thought she was your mother." and everyone is like,"OH SHIT. WHAT!?!?!?! NAHHHHH." But for me....... I processed it and thought "wait why did you think that???........... OHHHHH YUCKKKK MAN. WHERE'S MY CAN OF AIR REFRESHER????" Not saying who the murder is, but this person is an ICCCCKKKKKKKKK DISGUSTANG!!!! tbf, I kind of forgot about this character. He or she (again not spoiling who it is) didn't have memorable things or sounded important to the story (nor do I care about their whereabouts) until the last few. Usually, that's what happens, but even thinking back, I thought "this one is a bit random, yet somehow they would do it