This is the first murder mystery novel that I’ve actually been able to pay attention to all the way through. I skimmed the other two in the series, but Kristen Perrin has really stepped it up with How to Cheat Your Own Death. This is also the first time I’ve actually started caring about the main character, Annie, and her relationships. Her strained family dynamics, her will-they-won’t-they situation with Detective Crane, and even the way she reacts to the murder all make her feel really human.

The mystery was interesting without being so outlandish that it felt like it was written just to trick the reader. I was able to follow along and piece things together as the story went on, and I was still surprised by the reveal.

The dialogue got a bit unnatural at certain points, with the characters feeling as if they were reading from a script rather than interacting organically, but I find that I usually have that issue with this genre.

My main problem was the pacing, especially with the flashbacks to the other crime from the diary Annie is using. I just didn’t care about that timeline as much—it felt a lot duller compared to the main story, and I kept wanting to skip those chapters to get back to what was actually happening.

Overall, I really enjoyed the novel. The characters were fun, the mystery was engaging, and despite some pacing issues, it was a strong read.

Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review.