3.5 Stars

CW: Mental health, discussion of suicide, discussion of inappropriate teacher student relationship.

Well that was an enjoyable YA mystery.

I actually liked the characters and thought the story unfolded at an appropriate pace. The slow build up worked for me, as taking the time to build relationships and set the scene is an important part of building a readable series. I think the target audience will enjoy the slight twists and turns, with various characters up for the role of 'dunnit'. I loved the podcast series, although I wish we had been kept in the dark about it's creator for a bit longer. A good addition to a high school library. ( )

It’s alright, the writing is not great at all, the 2 main characters are vaguely likeable but not much depth to anyone else, a little bumbly, cringey, lots of modern references and slang which irritate me. I feel like a younger reader might enjoy it more, maybe 14-18yo as there is swearing and some serious topics addressed but otherwise it does feel very immature and juvenile. I feel like it kind of had potential but was very poorly executed ( )

I am actually surprised by how much I enjoyed "One For Sorrow". Although a bit predictable and simplistic, the characters were likeable and I enjoyed the murder mystery. I also liked the dual narrative between Ivy, a scholarship student at Illumen Hall, and the new American girl, Audrey. They are totally different in personality and class, and far from perfect, but after the initial clashes, I admired how they worked together to solve the mystery of Lola.

For me, the "Who Killed Lola" podcasts were the most interesting aspects of the novel, but I wish the authors had waited longer to reveal who their creator was because until then I thought it provided an interesting, secondary mystery. As for the ending - wow! What a cliff-hanger!!! I am looking forward to the sequel. ( )