No Beauties or Monsters - Becca In A Book

For fans of Veronica Mars and Stranger Things comes an all-new YA mystery about a girl whose desperate search for her missing friend unearths dark secrets, preternatural threats, and a truth that could ultimately tear her family, friends, and town apart.

Welcome to Twentynine Palms, where nothing is what it seems.

Rylie hasn’t been back to Twentynine Palms since her dad died. She left a lot of memories out there, buried in the sand of the Mojave Desert. Memories about her dad, her old friends Nathan and Lily, and most of all, her enigmatic grandfather, a man who cut ties with Rylie’s family before he passed away. But her mom’s new work assignment means their family has to move, and now Rylie’s in the one place she never wanted to return to, living in the house of a grandfather she barely knew.

At least her old friends are happy to welcome her home. Well, some of them, anyway. Lily is gone, vanished into the desert. And Twentynine Palms is so much stranger than Rylie remembers. There are whispers around town of a mysterious killer on the loose, but it isn’t just Twentynine Palms that feels off—there’s something wrong with Rylie, too. She’s seeing things she can’t explain. Visions of monstrous creatures that stalk the night.

Somehow, it all seems to be tied to her grandfather and the family cabin he left behind. Rylie wants the truth, but she doesn’t know if she can trust herself. Are the monsters in her head really out there? Or could it be that the deadliest thing in the desert . . . is Rylie herself?

My Thoughts

Thank you so much to MTMC Tours, the authors, NetGalley, and Delacorte Press for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book took me on an insane and confusing journey with characters traveling in familiar territory to me.

Being from California, I am VERY familiar with the scenery of the setting of this book so I was so excited to see what this book had in store. I went into this book completely blind. I mean I knew the genre and I read the short synopsis, but I honestly didn’t know what to expect. However, with what little knowledge I did have… I never expected this!

Things I enjoyed about the book:

The Mystery!

OMG the twists and turns that took place in this book! I was shook, shocked, and surprised at every turn. The characters were also VERY unreliable, you didn’t know who did what and if what the narrator was telling you was actually true.

The plot always kept you guessing and it was so fun because of how unpredictable it all turned out to be. I used to think I knew everything, but I apparently don’t. This plot proved me wrong on more than one occasion!

The Setting!

This is one I’ve hiked and camped around so the setting gave me such a happiness I cannot contain. It also added such a creep factor to the plot that I never expected and I might have a hard time camping in the desert next time because I will be too busy with the creepy elements of this book.

The Concept!

This book had such a unique element that it almost took me a while to truly absorb it all. I was shocked so much by how the story turned out and I just loved how it all came together.

This book took me on such a wonderful ride and I am so happy to have read it!