Bad Like Us
Gabriella Lepore
Inkyard Press
Published March 5, 2024
Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads
About Bad Like Us
Two friend groups collide when someone turns up dead over spring break in this heart-thumping YA thriller for fans of ONE OF US IS LYING and WE WERE LIARS.
Spring break is a vibe—until someone gets murdered.
Partying with popular classmates they barely know is not what Eva and her BFFs had in mind for their spring break. But things have been off ever since Miles’ academic career took a turn for the worse (they don’t talk about it), so a trip to a private beach lodge might be exactly what they need. And Eva won’t admit it, but the chance to reconnect with Colton is worth putting up with Piper’s constant livestreams to her thousands of “besties.”
At first, it’s all sand and waves, but tensions run high when an anonymous letter shakes up an already-flailing love triangle.
When someone turns up dead, Eva can’t even trust her closest friends—but she thinks she can trust Colton. As they get closer to the truth, they uncover secrets that upend everything they thought they knew about their fellow spring breakers.
My Review
I read this book really fast, which was really great, since the last few books I’ve read seemed to take a long time. The plot of BAD LIKE US moves pretty quickly, and the chapters are short– another thing I love in a book!
The story follows two points of view and then includes videos recorded by a third person, so it feels like three different viewpoints. I liked both Eva and Colton, both of whom have real-time scenes from their perspectives. The story has a bit of romance that develops, and I thought that was balanced well against the murder mystery. It never felt like those two story elements were competing with each other. The progression of the romance felt natural.
I liked the setting, too. The whole story takes place at a beach resort in Oregon that one character’s uncle owns. It’s in a secluded area near the beach, which makes it pretty isolated. Some of the characters surf, so there were some scenes featuring surfing. One character is a social media influencer, so there are a bunch of scenes showing her making videos and other people reacting to the way that she behaves and the things she says in the videos.
If you’re looking for a quick read in the vein of Diana Urban or Karen McManus, I recommend this one. I think BAD LIKE US is my favorite of Gabriella Lepore’s books so far.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 12 up.
Representation
The three point-of-view characters are white. The friend group includes at least one person who is queer and two people of color.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.
Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between a boy and girl. A girl confesses that she has romantic feelings for another girl.
Spiritual Content
None.
Violent Content
Eva learns a boy discovered the body of a girl who has died. (She doesn’t see it happen.) One scene shows people threatening someone. Someone shoves another person into the water. Another person has injuries from surfing.
A girl uses her social media account to say harmful things about other people.
Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol while hanging out at a beach resort.
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