Ready Or Not
Author: Tracy Darnton
£8.99
In stock
Buy from Bookshop.orgBuy ebook nowShared family holidays at Creek House have been the backdrop to Millie’s summers since forever. Hanging out with the other kids – Matt, Charlie, Jem and her best friend Kat – has made it her favourite time of the year.
But this holiday things are different – the childhood games that once filled their days have lost their appeal to everyone except Millie. It’s not until the final night that the others agree to a game of hide and seek. But in the time it takes Millie to count to twenty, Kat vanishes.
One year on, and struggling to come to terms with the events of last summer, Millie persuades the others to return to Creek House. It’s meant to give them closure, but it could be a chance to find out what happened. After all, people don’t just disappear, do they?
A tightly plotted thriller, perfect for fans of Karen McManus, Holly Jackson, THE GREAT GODDEN and WE WERE LIARS.
Meet the author
Tracy Darnton
Tracy Darnton is the author of Waterstones Children’s Book Prize-shortlisted THE TRUTH ABOUT LIES. Having previously worked as a solicitor, Tracy graduated with Distinction from the Bath Spa MA Writin…
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RESOURCES FOR THIS BOOK
Spring 2022 YA and Teen Books Sampler
February 2, 2022 at 4:44 pm
Målin –
“People don’t just disappear,” I say. “There’s always something.”
One thing I’m always looking for is a murder mystery that keeps me on my toes, waiting for the next twist, and keeps me reading.
I just finished this book in a day, which should tell you enough about the fast-paced, well-flowing story “Ready or not” tells.
The chapters are short and quick to read, with Millie’s letters to get distributed evenly throughout the book without becoming annoying.
Only the police records seemed a little unnecessary, especially about Noah, as it took away from the actual plot for a character that is a little flat and never captured my attention.
Millie is a much more interesting protagonist than most “murder-mystery” – girlies that always fall on the same spectrum of very smart, nerdy main characters, that also find love during their journey. While Millie clearly has the “smart-girl that is awkward and everyone kind of rolls their eyes at them” vibes, her relationship to Kat makes her stand out. Because, while she wants to find out what happened to Kat it is also, very clearly, always about her (Millie) and her need for closure? Vengeance? Understanding? Instead of Kat’s actual well-being.
I enjoyed the mystery, it flowed with the plot without being too overbearing or irrelevant, but at the same time it did feel a little cheap in the middle section of the book. Characters, who were introduced as smart and acted the same way otherwise, seemed to look over obvious details in Kats’s case. Especially Noah, with his research should’ve pinned down a lot more even without Millie’s help.
Noah’s a whole different story altogether, but I can’t say much without spoiling his part in the story. What I can say is that one-dimensional characters shouldn’t be part of your suspect in a murder mystery.
I loved the ending of ready or not, and without giving too much away, I think it perfectly encapsulates not only the way the book presents games and stories but also fits Kats & Millie’s characters and their relationship to one another beautifully. And you bet I was silently screaming while I followed the last chapters, making up my own end in my head before the solution was found.
If you enjoy any of Karen M. McManus’ YA Murder mysteries like me, you will probably also enjoy this book and its characters!