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