I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
#murdertrending by Gretchen McNeil Published by Freeform on August 7 2018
Genres: Young adult, Horror
Pages: 352
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Full of over-the-top slasher action with a very thin plot, this ended up being surprisingly entertaining.
This isn’t my first Gretchen McNeil book, so I had an inkling of what I was going to be in for with her latest, #murdertrending, and in that respect, it did not disappoint. This book was so over-the-top ridiculous that I found myself actually laughing in many spots, and yet I had to keep turning pages to see how far McNeil would take her crazy idea. The other day I told my teenaged kids about the plot and both of them said it sounded like something they would love. So I must start this review off with a word of warning to grownup readers like myself: #murdertrending is going to be very popular with young adults, simply because it mimics ideas like The Hunger Games and even the popular video game Fortnite, but unfortunately there is very little substance for older and more sophisticated readers to grab onto. If you’re looking for “popcorn” entertainment and you like your stories gory, then this might be perfect for a few hours of mindless entertainment.
The concept is that a mysterious man simply known as the Postman has convinced the newly elected President of the United States that televised capital punishment could be a lucrative form of entertainment for the masses, and so Alcatraz 2.0 was born. Now convicted murderers are imprisoned on the island where they will be hunted down by the Postman’s hired assassins, and even more disturbing, these murders will be televised live 24/7 on the Postman app. Enter our protagonist Dee Guerrera, an eighteen-year-old girl who had nothing more pressing on her mind than leaving home for college, when she was wrongly convicted for murdering her cousin. After the trial, Dee wakes up in an abandoned warehouse dressed as a Disney princess and immediately knows where she is. And based on her outfit, she knows that the assassin known as Prince Slycer is about to make mincemeat out of her.
Dee manages to not only survive Prince Slycer’s attack, but she kills him in the process, as millions of Postman fans watch her in real time. Now known throughout the Postman community as #CinderellaSurvivor, Dee gets to know some of her fellow inmates and learn the ropes of how to survive as long as she can on the island.
But Dee is beginning to notice some odd coincidences and she suspects that her cousin’s murder may be tied to a horrible experience from her past. Is there a conspiracy going on? Why was Dee framed for murder? And how the hell is she going to get out of this alive?
So I want to start this off on a positive note. #murdertrending was surprisingly addictive, and I flew through it in a couple of days (which for me is good since I’m not a very fast reader!). The set-up was so outrageous that I just had to see where McNeil would take her story. In between all the slasher-like murders there’s actually something of a plot going on. Our MC Dee is still dealing with a traumatic event in her past, which follows her onto Alcatraz 2.0, and McNeil drops hints about what happened to Dee little by little. This, and the fact that Dee and her new friends have all been framed for the murders they supposedly committed give the characters a really good reason to try to escape from the island, so you can see how this would be a very fast-paced story.
But unfortunately, the plot goes way off the rails about half-way through the story, and Dee suddenly morphs into a superhero/vigilante. I can see how the author might have wanted to show how Dee, paralyzed by her past, rises up to conquer the bad guys, but the silliness was simply too much.
There are plenty of interesting ideas in this book, but unfortunately McNeil doesn’t take that extra step to make this memorable. It’s sort of like The Hunger Games without the pathos and the emotional character development, and the movie Scream without the ironic humor. The author has tried to make her story current by skewering such concepts as fandoms, fan fiction, and the immersive experience of social media, but it’s all very “surfacy” and doesn’t delve too deep. Not that that’s a bad thing. This is entertainment, pure and simple, and if you’re looking for hidden meanings and deep social commentary, then you’ve latched onto the wrong book.
There were clever moments in the story. For example, all the assassins have nicknames and disguises (no one is supposed to know who they really are), and those nicknames reflect not only their costumes, but their particular methods of murder. The Hardy Girls are twins who reenact famous twins scenes from movies (in one memorable scene, they portray the two little girls from The Shining), and an assassin named Gucci Hangman dresses up in, you guessed it, designer clothing and throttles his victims with Gucci scarves. You get the idea. I also liked the idea of using a phone app to frame the story, and the whole thing felt like a video game, as the inmates must work to earn “credits” on an ATM card so that they can buy food to survive. There’s definitely a Hunger Games vibe (although please don’t think this story is anywhere near the level of that book!), and McNeil actually references The Hunger Games by name at one point, perhaps poking fun of her own story?
I guess my biggest issue with #murdertrending is how completely unbelievable it all is. First the fact that Dee’s parents actually believe she’s guilty of murder? Come on. Two, that a conspiracy could be so big that a bunch of innocent, “hot looking” young adults could be convincingly framed for murder. And three, that the President of the United States would agree to fund such a ridiculous enterprise. (Oh wait, maybe that last one isn’t so far-fetched…) Not to mention the fact that all these kids seem resigned to the fact that their horrible deaths could be only days—or even hours—away.
But I have a feeling there’s going to be a big audience for this book. I’ve already seen lots of positive reviews on Goodreads, and Gretchen McNeil has plenty of fans, so I’m sure she won’t be hurting for sales. I’m giving this three stars for its entertainment value and for a very clever cover.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
I received an e-copy of this book but the file was corrupted so I was unable to review it. Based on your review I may not have loved it. Great review!
Oh that’s too bad, that happened to me once and it was a book I was really excited about. I’d say you’re not missing that much:-)
Good to know!
I’m glad to hear this was still entertaining even though the plot went a bit off the rails.
Yeah, it’s not something I’d suggest to a lot of people I know, but obviously it’s going to be popular with some crowds:-)
Great review, Tammy! I agree with you. 🙂
Thanks Lauren:-)
Oh my. It sounds like The Running Man but YA and without all the social commentary lol. Tempted to check it out because it sounds so crazy. Great review!
Oh it does sound like The Running Man! It’s worth checking out as long as you know what you’re in for:-)
It’s been a while since I’ve read Gretchen McNeil. She’s a lot of fun, but I agree we’re probably not the ideal audience.
Sometimes it’s hard to step back as an adult reviewer who reads YA books as well, and remember who the audience is. It’s definitely written for teens/preteens.
Well, this will be one I’ll probably grab if I ever see at the library but if I don’t, I’ll probably skip it. It does sound like a fun read and sometimes you needs some good old blood and gore that requires little thinking so it might be good for times like those. Thanks for sharing your thoughts – I can always trust your reviews to have both the pros and cons of a book which I find refreshing!
Thanks Barb, for me it had good and bad elements. But definitely hold off as a library book if you feel the urge for popcorn entertainment:-)
This is a cool cover.
The cover fits really well with the story, once you read it you understand all the little things:-)
After reading your review I feel this would be a good tv show on the CW or something.
You’re right, Stephanie! This was made for TV:-) Maybe cable because it’s so violent.
Thank you so much for an excellent review, Tammy:). And I’m relieved that, for once, I’m not enormously tempted to rush out and get hold of this one:))
Ha ha, glad to help out your over crowded TBR:-)
This is all good to know because I was SO curious where she was going to go with this. The premise does sound ridiculous and over the top but I could also see where it might be entertaining if you check your realism requirements at the door lol. I feel like I have a good handle on this now, after your detailed review, so thanks for sharing it! I’ll still get this but I’ll keep my expectations firmly in check. 🙂
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Think of it as the book version of “Movies that Suck,” lol:-) You know what I mean!
Well, you already know I didn’t like this, and currently I’m still trying to formulate my review, lol. I agree, it’s all so…shallow. And ridiculous. If not for all the violence I would have said this was written for a 6-year-old because of how goofy everything felt. I wanted to think this book was satire, but there is always a kernel of truth to satire, and the idea of a 24/7 snuff show in today’s world where you can’t say two words without offending someone’s delicate sensibilities is so absurd it blows my mind!
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I’m actually looking forward to your review!
I enjoy this authors novels so I am sure I will enjoy this one. I am currently 10% and so far I am enjoying it though I know it’s going to be campy and over the top and hard to believe that a 17 year old who has not fighting experience will be able to survive where others have failed. 🙂
Probably not one for me tbh so thanks for the review. I’d just end up getting cross I think. Although I suppose forewarned etc….
Lynn 😀
This sounds insane hahahah I’m sort of curious as to how crazy the ideas get throughout the book, but I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to give it more than 3 stars too for how over-the-top it is!