Intern Reviews: #MurderTrending

#MurderTrending [Murdertrending #1] by Gretchen McNeil   
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

I’m going to be honest, the only reason why I picked this book up was the name for the main characters’ group : ✨Death Row Breakfast Club✨ 
Like, how cool is that group name? Can I join? Is there a sign-up sheet? Do I get free food?  
As a big fan of YA murder mysteries and thrillers, I can confidently say that #MURDERTRENDING blew all of my expectations out of the water. My initial skim of the blurb didn’t even prepare me for the 350-page rollercoaster of emotions. 

The premise was interesting and dare I say, unique. Our main character, Dee, is framed for her stepsister’s murder and dumped into a prison-turned-reality-show where the “Postman” controls and livestreams everything. His designated killers, fondly nicknamed Painiacs, go around murdering the inmates one by one. Dee kills one of the Painiacs who tries to kill her right after she wakes up. Unfortunately, now all of them are after her. Fortunately, she meets a group of people who teach her the ropes on how to survive this nightmare:
1. Nyles, the British “I have diplomatic immunity” nice guy
2. Griselda, the emo “screw off, new girl”
3. Ethan, the action movie lover golden retriever 
4. Blair, the sweet girl who gets beheaded not even a hundred pages in 
       

 This book definitely kept me on my toes the entire time. I enjoyed how the Painiacs all had their own unique, creative ways to murder the inmates (ex. Gucci Hangman uses fashionable Gucci ties to hang people). The mystery aspect of the book was also intriguing and I desperately wanted to know (1) how the prison show connected to Dee’s past and (2) who was the Postman behind the screen? And I absolutely loved every interaction between the characters as they tried to prove Dee’s innocence. All five of them stole my heart. 
       

 I want to take a second to appreciate how McNeil packed a lot of important real-life issues appropriately shaped into a YA novel. How far does obsession with reality TV go? Should death row be legal? How can we stop wrongful convictions? And most importantly, how flawed is our criminal justice system?
        

I do want to emphasize that this book might not be for everyone. You might want to avoid this book if you’re squeamish from over-the-top gore. Also, the character development was left slightly lacking in some areas and I wished there was more time to learn more about each of the characters, especially Dee. 

Overall, the plot really draws you in tight from the very first page and refuses to let go! This book was a lot of fun and I highly encourage anyone interested to pick it up from the library. It’s the perfect palate cleanser or for anyone trying to recover from a book slump. As for me, I’m excited to say that I will definitely be requesting the next book of the series, #MURDERFUNDING.