Schwoop

3.5/5
I vote that David gets a therapist in book 3.

A pretty solid sequel! A lot of unexpected twists in this one, and every answer leaves you asking new questions. We are left on another cliffhanger, and I sometimes feel like the mysteries are a bit too drawn out but overall still a really enjoyable read.

???No plot, just vibes??? but the vibes were truly terrible.
I love a vague book with no plot, but it can???t also be painfully boring. I fell asleep reading this book multiple times. I switched to the audiobook because I physically couldn???t stay awake while reading it. I didn???t care about or feel invested in any of the characters that I enjoyed from book one, except for Libby. Both of these stars are for her story, because other than that I???m wholly convinced that nothing happened in this entire 400 page book.

Olivie Blake truly has such a unique and refreshing style of writing. I???ve enjoyed all of what she???s written so far, which makes this book so much more confusing and disappointing.

(And yet, I will probably read book 3, because of Libby alone.)

This one is strange. Not good, not bad, just ok.

I miss the academy, the summer camp setting could have been so fun if as much effort was made to flesh it out. The mystery was interesting, but the build up vs resolution is so lackluster.

I???ve read this twice and the nazi stuff caught me off guard both times

Rereading in preparation for Nine Liars!

If you???re looking for a mystery novel that???s going to blow you away and keep you guessing, this is not it.
But: I think these books are extremely well done for what they are and I really enjoy them. It???s been a year and a half since I last/first read Truly Devious and I still find them to be really fun reads!!
The characters are interesting, quirky, and I find them to be overall very likable (other than the main love interest who is so boring and I could not care less about oh my god).
The author manages to keep things light while dealing with sensitive topics, sometimes it reads a bit more like a middle grade book instead of being YA but I didn???t mind that too much with this. The story is clever, easy to follow, and I think the pacing of this book in particular is nearly perfect which I think is really what makes it so engaging.

I also really love the setting, I have such a clear picture of the academy in my head.

However: If you want to be satisfied, you do have to commit to reading the series and not just the first book. The mysteries and plot points that are introduced do not wrap up at the end of Truly Devious, and it ends on a cliffhanger.