Book Review: A Long Stretch of Bad Days by Mindy McGinnis
Mindy McGinnis is back with an absolutely thrilling mystery novel. While definitely not as gruesome as some of her other books (see The Initial Insult or The Last Laugh), A Long Stretch of Bad Days was literally so much fun to read. Check below for my review for A Long Stretch of Bad Days to see everything about this novel that I completely adored.
Book Information
Lydia Chass and Bristal Jaimson couldn’t have less in common. Lydia is the town’s golden girl: always nice, always overachieving, and definitely always right. Bristal is… the opposite. Lydia and Bristal’s paths have never crossed. Until, that is, their ex-guidance counselor screws them both over and makes it to where they almost don’t graduate. Now, Lydia and Bristal must work together on a history podcast for their small town so they can make it through high school. However, what starts as a history project ends up with murder, a disappearance, and a small town that likes to cover up its dark past….
Review | Heidi Dischler
I have SO much to say about this novel. It reminded me a ton of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and Truly Devious in that the first novels in those series were so much fun to read and guess the mystery surrounding them. Mindy McGinnis has delivered an amazing mystery that was somehow dark and lighthearted at the same time. How, you ask, can the novel be both? Bristal. My number one favorite character in the whole book.
While I empathized a lot with Lydia (I’m from a small town as well where my family is expected to do no wrong…), Bristal was the showstopper here. She made Lydia interesting in a way that she wouldn’t have been had Lydia been by herself. The relationship between Lydia and Bristal was so real and not perfect at all (which is exactly what I want to see between teenage protagonists). Bristal is able to keep this novel light and airy for the first two-thirds, and when shit does get real, somehow you still get this perfectly timed comic relief from her character. So, the book itself, because of Bristal, never feels too serious, which I loved.
With Lydia, the focus on family, class, and the way you’re supposed to act in a small town really hit close to home for me. Small towns can be brutal, but they’re also full of people you love despite their flaws. Above all, though, you’ll often find the inhabitants of a small town sticking together through thick and thin. At least, that’s my experience of it and it seems to be Lydia’s as well.
I don’t want to go into too many spoilers since I read this as an ARC, but the ending was honestly perfect to me. You didn’t have too much closure with specific characters, giving the novel an overall realistic feel, but you also get just enough closure to make the novel feel complete. The climax and resolution, while not totally unexpected, still gave you a little surprise as the reader, and you definitely get one of those sick and twisty moments that McGinnis is known so well for.
Overall, this novel was a wonderful read, and I can’t wait to see what other readers’ thoughts are on it. The mystery was amazing, and the characters were as well (especially the relationships between characters). Also, Uneven Steven is legit the cutest pet sidekick ever. Prove me wrong. I dare you.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishing for providing me with an advanced reader copy of A Long Stretch of Bad Days by Mindy McGinnis in exchange for my honest review. I seriously cannot wait for McGinnis’ next novel.
Source: ARC from NetGalley
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