Reviewed by Briana @ Pages Unbound on
I have mixed thoughts on this one. I enjoyed the story, and I enjoyed the writing. Magaziner's work has always been quirky, so connecting with it will always be a taste thing for readers, but I think I liked it even better in this, her fourth book, than in some of her previous work. There are crazy things like ball pits and gross dogs, but it was all fun quirky and not over-the-top or too "trying hard to be quirky," which is a vibe I sometimes get from other middle grade.
So, as a novel, this is possibly my favorite book by Magaziner yet. She just gets better and better. However, as a choose-your-own adventure, I'm not sure. At the beginning, it didn't seem to matter which path I chose because I had to cover all the choices anyway. Once the choices diverged, I think I finished the book and solved the mystery in like 10 minutes. From flipping around, it looks as if I could have taken a different path to solve the mystery...but I'm not sure I would find this interesting if, in either case, I have solved the mystery and the outcome isn't really different.
Perhaps my reading is colored because I just read the adult choose-your-own-adventure romance, My Lady's Choosing, which has tons and tons of really very different paths and outcomes.
Either way, I'm sure this is a book that will be a big hit with the target audience.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- Finished reading
- 23 May, 2017: Reviewed