Murder of Crows discussion

In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Windstead

Summary:
A college reunion turns dark and deadly in this chilling and propulsive suspense novel about six friends, one unsolved murder, and the dark secrets they’ve been hiding from each other—and themselves—for a decade.
Ten years after graduation, Jessica Miller has planned her triumphant return to southern, elite Duquette University, down to the envious whispers that are sure to follow in her wake. Everyone is going to see the girl she wants them to see—confident, beautiful, indifferent—not the girl she was when she left campus, back when Heather’s murder fractured everything, including the tight bond linking the six friends she’d been closest to since freshman year. Ten years ago, everything fell apart, including the dreams she worked for her whole life—and her relationship with the one person she wasn’t supposed to love.
But not everyone is ready to move on. Not everyone left Duquette ten years ago, and not everyone can let Heather’s murder go unsolved. Someone is determined to trap the real killer, to make the guilty pay. When the six friends are reunited, they will be forced to confront what happened that night—and the years’ worth of secrets each of them would do anything to keep hidden.

My thoughts:
The beginning reads like a Wattpad book or one of those cliched TV shows where everyone is attractive, conversations flow smoothly like they are reading from a script, and everything exciting happens to the main character such as the mysterious, most attractive man pays her all the attention and she doesn't know why because she is different than all other girls. Although I can’t judge this way of writing too badly because I haven't seen the Vampire Diaries, One Tree Hill, or Gossip Girl.

The beginning of the book also had a similar writing style to Lucy Foley in that the characters have really drawn out background plots but nothing is really happening in the now of everything. I think the author was setting up the background of how they all met and whatnot, but the past stories didn’t feel relevant until 100 pages in. Until things really turn around in the book, the “now chapters” seem like they are just there just to chop up the plot as an attempt to build suspense.

I predicted (view spoiler)[that Eric would get his “revenge” on the group of friends (hide spoiler)] and I was so happy I was right! I love the direction that the book turned to even though it was predictable. It drew in my excitement for the rest of the book. It was also good that it wasn’t the final setting of the book because I think that it would’ve gotten old for the last 200 pages.

I also predicted the killer, but once again it was very pleasing who it ended up being and the reasoning made total sense and didn’t leave any plot holes about how it happened. It was a well built set up leading to it all without boring you before the ending. I will say that the beginning wasn’t making me hopeful about the ending, but I feel like throughout the book, it just continued to build.

I LOVED the ending of the book too, the very last part of it. I thought it was so good and clever. The whole (view spoiler)[Coop and Jess getting together in the end I saw coming. I feel like of course it was a given, but I felt annoyed with it which is most likely because I didn't like how desperate their relationship was throughout the book. All the begging and pleading was so upsetting. Even when Jess did the same thing to Mint when they broke up it was very cringy. (hide spoiler)]

Overall, this would have to be my favorite book so far this year!