The Box in the Woods

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

pros:

- the mystery was rock solid. it took some really unexpected turns too.
- some twists totally caught me by surprise
- this was really funny. definitely more than i was expecting it to be.
- the writing was very digestible which i loved
- stevie, my relatable queen
- david, the hopeless romantic
- nate is such a softie & a hilarious one at that
- susan & paul are my gay parents


cons:

- the pacing was kinda off. We got a couple of flashbacks and that was it?! the rest of the book was in present time which didn't really make much sense in the context of the previous books
- it was almost like i had read this book before. coz i had, in all the previous books in this series. all of them follow pretty much the same format and it can get really tedious. 

Overall, this was probably my favorite installment of this series. I enjoyed it a lot! Hopefully we'll get more of Stevie Bell and this isn't the end. I also gotta read all of Maureen Johnson's backlist. 

pros:

- the mystery was rock solid. it took some really unexpected turns too.
- some twists totally caught me by surprise
- this was really funny. definitely more than i was expecting it to be.
- the writing was very digestible which i loved
- stevie, my relatable queen
- david, the hopeless romantic
- nate is such a softie & a hilarious one at that
- susan & paul are my gay parents


cons:

- the pacing was kinda off. We got a couple of flashbacks and that was it?! the rest of the book was in present time which didn't really make much sense in the context of the previous books
- it was almost like i had read this book before. coz i had, in all the previous books in this series. all of them follow pretty much the same format and it can get really tedious.??

Overall, this was probably my favorite installment of this series. I enjoyed it a lot! Hopefully we'll get more of Stevie Bell and this isn't the end. I also gotta read all of Maureen Johnson's backlist.??

It's finally here!! I really liked it and I'll still give it 5 stars because I polished the whole thing off in about a day, but I had my hunch about the twist (which was entertaining though thoroughly implausible).

I also thought the book did a great job of bringing beloved characters back together and addressing real concerns in trying to solve a mystery where people involved in the incident are still alive, as well as a touch of imposter syndrome.

However the book lacked the depth that we get from the full 3 book arc for Ellingham, so I hope something will bring us back to that. (Plus, a sweaty, humid summer setting just does not feel as pleasantly atmospheric

I was so excited to get back on the case with Stevie again! This is definitely the kind of case that would attract attention and define a town. It is set up very well.
I picked out the bad guy when I first saw them and then doubted myself, but as it turns out it was right. I was totally wrong about why and other details.
This was a slow start that lead to a tense wild ride by the end.
So glad we get to be on the case with Stevie again!

Vorig jaar las ik de Truly Devious drieluik, waarbij het mysterie echt doorheen de drie boeken werd ontrafeld.
Deze The Box in the Wood is echter een nieuw en afzonderlijk mysterie dat wordt voltooid in één enkel boek, maar wel met de gekende personages uit de eerste boeken.

Het mysterie zelf vond ik heel intrigerend, spannend en goed uitgewerkt.
Het feit dat ik de personages al een beetje kende, gaf het voor mij ook die extra connectie.
Echt heel geslaagd en ik hoop dat de auteur er verder mee door gaat!

Overall rating: 3.5⭐️ (rounded up)

Stevie is pulled into another cold case. She has to attend a summer camp with her friends to solve the mystery. This one is a standalone case within the Truly Devious series, and takes place after the events of the first 3 books, aka the Ellingham mystery.

I did enjoy reading this and was very interested in the mystery, but this was my least favorite of the series. The main reason for this is because the solving of the mystery relied on just a single piece of evidence turning up. There was no way for you to follow along and try to reason towards a solution. And that's personally the main thing I enjoy in mysteries. There are a few other aspects of the ending that don't feel as satisfying as they could. Also, I just didn't find this one as snarky/funny as the other ones.

Despite that, until we got to the ending, I quite enjoyed reading this. It got me hooked from the very beginning, and had me guessing. It's a very different setting than the rest of the series, but has most of the main crew of characters. It was great to see all the characters together again. I especially enjoyed seeing a lot more of Nate.

Overall this one felt less like a mystery and more like a YA adventure. There's more of a looming danger and tricky situations the characters get stuck in. Which depending on what you're looking for could be more fun than the previous books.

As far as the mystery goes, while it's more straightforward compared to the other three books,it's still a head scratcher. I was actually really interested in the characters from the past from the very first chapter which made me very invested in the resolution of the mystery as well.