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#PrettyBoy Must Die by Kimberly Reid (ARC) - Review


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I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jake Morrow, aka Peter Smith, is a foster kid turned CIA operative and since he epically failed his first assignment he's been given a pity mission at a school. He's trying to keep a low profile (there are terrorists out there looking to get bloody revenge), but when a classmate snaps his #Prettyboy photo during a jog around the track and uploads it to social media he becomes a viral sensation. Before he knows it, the school is under attack and he's stuck in the building with psychotic killers (and fans). This #Prettyboy's going to have to put all of his skills and training to the test if he doesn't want to be a #Deadboy.

#Prettyboy Must Die by Kimberly Reid sounded like it would be so much fun, like a combination of #AlexFromTarget (remember that guy) meets the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter and Spy Kids with a great sense of humor. The concept behind this is very promising and the story starts off well enough. The author drops us right into the action from Jake/ Peter's point of view. Reid keeps the pacing fast and light, and she does a decent job of writing action scenes. Unfortunately, as the the story moves on the plot just begins to get silly and ridiculous - forget about suspending your disbelief. Good characters could have saved the story, but I couldn't relate to anyone here, from Jake/ Peter himself, his best friend Bunker, Katie the hot girl with a secret of her own, or anyone for that matter. Jake/ Peter is the most irritating of them all - he is very arrogant, treats his one friend like nothing more than his flunky (are they only friends because Bunker doesn't know any better after living in a bunker with only his dad for company for fifteen years of his life?), and constantly underestimates girls and women (if they're good looking they can't be much more than an airhead space cadet, right?) even when they clearly have talent. I'll admit, there are some fun moments, but for the most part what I just mentioned overshadows all of that. If it's supposed to be funny, I must have missed it.

Overall, I really wanted to like Kimberly Reid's #Prettyboy Must Die, but it just wasn't for me. I was actually close to DNFing it, but I kept pushing through it. It's one of those novels where the concept behind it sounds incredibly promising, but the execution does not live up to your expectations.

Final verdict:



I read this ARC from February 8 - 9, 2018 and my review is also on Goodreads#Prettyboy Must Die by Kimberly Reid is due to be released on February 13th, 2018.

Comments

  1. Bummer! I hope your next book is better :)

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  2. Too bad, I was curious about this one! It definitely sounds like it could have been good. But humor is so tricky to get right.

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  3. Sorry this one wasn’t for you! I don’t think it’s for me and I’ve seen a lot of pretty iffy reviews so I’m sure I’ll pass!

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  4. I'm sorry this didn't live up to your expectations! I love the synopsis of it, but I can't stand annoying MC's, and it doesn't help that the plot is beyond ridiculous. :( Better luck next time!!

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    1. It has potential, but it just doesn't live up to that. Thanks, Genni.

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  5. Ugh, I am sorry that this was a disappointment! I kind of worried that it would veer into the ridiculous/unbelievable territory, so I am definitely going to be passing on it, seeing that it indeed has! Great review, hope your next book is much better!

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  6. I hate when this happens. I hate to have a DNF but I find that I'll just keep procrastinating and then I fall behind on my reading. Glad you were able to push through and finish. Thanks for sharing!
    Laura :)

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    1. I know exactly what you mean there. Thanks for coming over, Laura.

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  7. I've always wanted to like "teen CIA agent" stories but I just find them so unbelievable. And that's coming from someone who primarily reads SF/F, so I can suspend my disbelief with the best of them! 😂Sorry to hear this was such a disappointment.

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    1. Yeah, but sometimes they can still be fun either way. Oh, well...

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  8. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy this one. Hopefully your next read will be better.

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  9. So sorry to hear this novel lad you almost DNFing it!! It does sound promising though... Too bad the execution of it wasn't great.

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  10. Aww that's a bummer it wasn't better!

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  11. I haven't actually heard of this one until now but it stinks that you didn't enjoy it more. The premise really does sound fun but an annoying MC ruins everything. Great review!

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    Replies
    1. That definitely lowered my enjoyment of the story.

      Thanks for coming over, Sam!

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