The Amateurs by Sara Shepard

The Amateurs (Amateurs, #1)

by Sara Shepard

Everyone's dying to know the truth . . .

When Aerin Kelly was eleven, she idolised her seventeen-year-old sister, Helena, and they did everything together. They made Claymation movies and posted them to YouTube. They made fun of Windmere-Carruthers, the private school they attended, they invented new flavours for their parents' organic ice cream shop, and they dressed up their golden retriever, Buster. But when Helena went into senior year things started to change. Rather than being Aerin's inseparable sister, she started to push her away. Then, on a snowy winter's day, Helena vanished.

Four years later, Helena's body is found. Wracked with grief and refusing to give up on her sister, Aerin spends months trying to figure out what exactly happened to Helena and who killed her. But the police have no leads. A young, familiar officer named Thomas wants to help and suggests she checks out a website called Case Not Closed. Hesitantly, she posts, and when teenagers Seneca and Maddox show up on her doorstep offering to help investigate she accepts in desperation. Both have suffered their own losses and also posted to the site with no luck, so they are hoping this case might be the one they crack. But as their investigation begins, it seems that maybe it's no accident that they are all together, and that maybe the crimes have something - or someone - in common.

Reviewed by layawaydragon on

4 of 5 stars

Share
I was pleasantly surprised by The Amateurs. Besides from one racist incident, I don't have a single complaint.

I thought I would like it sure enough, but I got swept up so quickly with these kids, the story, and couldn't get enough.

But what really clenched it?...

THAT ENDING! So creepy and disturbing. I really did NOT see that coming and I will most def. be continuing the series to find out more.

FYI: There is this really racist moment where Brett suggests Madison "Asian bond" with a Chinese woman when she's Korean. All he says is "oh, my bad." But NO ONE stood up for how FUCKED UP that is, even if she was Chinese. Ugh, so annoyed with them all for that, especially Brett.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • Finished reading
  • 15 November, 2016: Reviewed
  • Started reading
  • Finished reading
  • 15 November, 2016: Reviewed