Welcome to my stop on the tour for This Is Our Story by Ashley Elston. After you’ve read my thoughts, please enter or a chance to win a finished copy and visit the other stops on the tour.
I received this galley in consideration for an honest review.
This Is Our Story by Ashley Elston Published by Disney-Hyperion on November 15, 2016
Genres: Young Adult, Mystery
Goodreads
No one knows what happened that morning at River Point. Five boys went hunting. Four came back. The boys won’t say who fired the shot that killed their friend; the evidence shows it could have been any one of them.
Kate Marino’s senior year internship at the District Attorney’s Office isn’t exactly glamorous—more like an excuse to leave school early that looks good on college applications. Then the DA hands her boss, Mr. Stone, the biggest case her small town of Belle Terre has ever seen. The River Point Boys are all anyone can talk about. Despite their damning toxicology reports the morning of the accident, the DA wants the boys’ case swept under the rug. He owes his political office to their powerful families.
Kate won’t let that happen. Digging up secrets without revealing her own is a dangerous line to walk; Kate has her own reasons for seeking justice for Grant. As she and Stone investigate—the ageing prosecutor relying on Kate to see and hear what he cannot—she realizes that nothing about the case—or the boys—is what it seems. Grant wasn’t who she thought he was, and neither is Stone’s prime suspect. As Kate gets dangerously close to the truth, it becomes clear that the early morning accident might not have been an accident at all—and if Kate doesn’t uncover the true killer, more than one life could be on the line…including her own.
Wow. This book was quite the roller coaster ride. Small Southern towns are ripe for the perfect crime and in This is Our Story, the small Louisiana town is the perfect setting for the murder of a popular boy. Kate’s connection with the victim brings a twist and the wonderfully winding road of the story didn’t stop surprising me until the very end. The assistant DA suffers from macular degeneration, so he relies on Kate’s attention to detail, honed by her skill in photography, to help him put the pieces of the case together. There were so many pieces to the puzzle that my head hurt just thinking about how compicated this must have been to write, because it was very well done. Having grown up in a small town, the tone and feel of the way that the case is perceived by everyone rang true. The rumor mill and the way power is used to call in favors added to the darkness of the mystery.
There was a very Veronica Mars vibe to this story, which is probably why I loved it so much. Kate, like many of the other townspeople, is somewhat disdainful of the privledge that wealth brings to the River Point Boys. There is definitely a feeling that their money helps them escape blame for truly terrible acts, apart from the murder. The pacing and the way the story unfolds was expertly timed and Kate was so smart and resourceful that I was rooting for her as much as I was wanting to figure out the mystery. I have to say that, in the end, I was not able to predict who the killer was, which is always the mark of a good mystery. This is Our Story will absolutely have you in its grip from page one, so make sure you have a block of time to read because you won’t want to put it down.
Tour Schedule:
Giveaway:
3 Finished Copies of THIS IS OUR STORY (US Only)
Now this book sounds like a rollercoaster that i want to ride! I love finding a mystery well done with compelling characters and this book promises just that.
Looks intriguing!
This book sounds fascinating!
Thank you for your review! This makes me more excited for this book!
Great review! I absolutely LOVE Veronica Mars so that right there sold me on this book. I can’t wait to read it 🙂
(sorry I havent been around as much lately. I have let commenting on blogs totally fall off my radar, but I have been lurking the whole time. )
I’m so excited that you said there was a Veronica Mars vibe to the story, because… yesssss!
I haven’t heard about this book before, but I’m definitely sold. Added it to my huge tbr-list.