This story starts several seasons into a popular reality TV game show competition where teenagers work in teams to solve escape rooms and compete against several other teams. While filming the season four finale tragedy strikes when a beautiful and popular contestant Alicia Angelos is found in one of the props dead... but who could have done it?
Even with the tragedy from last season in their minds the show continues to gather cast members for season 5 including Beck who creates their own escape rooms at home and has a bit of a family secret, Adi the handsome son of a woman who used to be a celebrity and will do anything to get back in the lime light... even if it means getting there thru her son; Carter a math whiz and influencer (but only thru a character she's created as her alter ego... she's shy and awkward in person) and last but certainly not least Siera Angelos sister of Alicia --> everyone knows that she didn't get along with her sister and even though they were not able to prove her guilt they believe she is the culprit... but it does make for higher ratings with this "surprise" return contestant.
Sierra while she has a tough girl image and wants to keep that appearance she's not just there to play this season she wants answers... she didn't hurt her sister no matter what anyone else believes and she knows if she gets a chance she can help solve her sisters case since the police clearly have focused on the wrong person this whole time.
What started out as fun and games this season quickly becomes dangerous as the team has to learn to work together and trust each other to escape these rooms and as they begin to uncover more clues and get closer to solving the mystery of what happened to Alicia... the more they have to worry about being next.
*Young Adult *Mystery *Murder mystery *escape room *puzzles *2026 *ARC NetGalley
*game show *Reality TV *State Challenge: California *multiple POV
Thoughts:
I really enjoyed the premise of this book a mystery inside of an escape room game show. The authors did a good job explaining the puzzles and the outcomes but at times it almost felt like reading a play with the sets and puzzles being maybe too detailed leading to it being a bit slower in places and since I wasn't actually in the room with them I had a harder time following the puzzles they were trying to solve.
I enjoyed the multiple POV aspect and watching all of the kids get to know each other better and come together as a cohesive team by the end of the book.
While I know I'm not the target audience for this book (it's definately YA) I had a really hard time with the fact that these were teenagers and felt the book would have made a bit more sense if the kids in the book were even 18+... these kids were sent to stay by themselves in a villa that the show put them up at I highly doubt that the parents would not come with these underage kids while filming this show and I really don't think they would be ok with letting them stay to continue after it appeared they could truly be in danger... I don't even think the show would keep going at that point considering it would be a huge liability.
Going on with that line of thinking I had a hard time suspending my disbelief I don't see how the show was brought back for a 5th season given that season 4 ended up with the death of a contestant with law enforcement no closer to finding who did it... and people think it was the sister and they bring her back to the show!!? What??
There were twists, turns, betrayals and sabotage who can you trust in this game? Can you even trust your team mates? Some of the twists I could predict and some I couldn't mainly because it kind of comes out of Left field and the motive felt pretty flimsy at best.
I did find the book entertaining enough to keep me turning pages and I do plan to read the next in the series.
Thank you netgalley and the authors for letting me read an advance copy of the book!
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