This Is Our Story

I quite enjoyed this YA murder mystery, and found myself quickly turning the pages trying to work out who the killer was . . . but I didn't. The plot was addictive and had so many twists and turns I was forever changing my mind.

Kate, the narrator, was a likeable character although I wanted to shake some sense into her at times as she could be rather dumb. However, I admired her determination to uncover the truth, the fact that she worked as an intern at the DA's office, and how she took her photography so seriously.

I also enjoyed the various text messages at the start of each chapter, the narratives from the killer (which created atmosphere and a feeling of dread) and the police interviews of the suspects and eyewitnesses.

Kate's show more friend, Reagan, was terrific character. She was funny and was always there to support Kate. Their friendship was portrayed beautifully. However, I would have liked to have known the River Point boys better. As the reader, I learnt a bit about them through their interviews and short conversations during the killer's narratives, but I wanted to understand them on a deeper level. Maybe, then, I could have guessed which of them was the killer.

What spoilt the book for me, however, was the overuse of "y'all", which I hate at the best of times. Every time I read it, I felt my teeth grinding together in frustration. Then there was the ending - what a disappointment that was! It just came to a finish so suddenly. This really surprised me considering the detail that the author had put into the rest of the book. Everything was wrapped up too quickly and too neatly that I felt let down. Despite the ending, overall, I did find "This is Our Story" an entertaining read and a solid mystery. show less

My feelings for this book are so divided. Part of me loved the mystery and was HOOKED by the whole premise of rich boys who might get away with murder. But the other part of me thought this book was a little draggy and Kate got a little too "Junior Detective" at times.

Basically, it was FIRST HALF = LOVED!! Second half = EHHHH.

I'll explain. At first it was super interesting that Kate was hiding that she was texting with Grant for weeks before he died. She was supposed to meet up with him on the night he died, but there was a misunderstanding and she didn't go to the party he invited her to. She was majorly struggling with guilt because she never let him explain himself and now he'll never be able to. Also, I was FEELING the mystery. I show more was thinking "how in the hell would you figure out which one did it without a confession?" I was completely fascinated and wanted to read this book straight through.

But THEN.... well there was this big twist and OMG I LOVED IT. I didn't see it coming at all and I kind of wish it was saved for the end of the book. Because the book immediately went into a downward spiral from there. It became draggy-- the main character just going over and over and over information that we already knew. It became unbelievable-- would a high school student be asked to do all the things Kate was being asked to do?? Wouldn't they have law students to do it at least?? Then Kate became annoyingly Ms. Nancy Drew. She was always trying to be Jr. Detective, but she took it to a whole new level towards the end of the book and I just wasn't feeling it.

There's a romance in this book and I did like it. I thought it was cute and I know that it wouldn't have happened without the twist--- but I would have been okay with that. It was a sweet romance, but it didn't make the book what it was. The book was exciting because of the whodunit element.

OVERALL: I loved parts of this book as much as my favorite books of the year-- but I equally didn't love parts of this book as much as books that I've DNF'd. It's a weird duality, but I think I would recommend it. There was enough of the ADDICTING parts to override the DRAGGY-NESS.

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In This Is Our Story, Elston spins a tangled, eerie web of a story about secrets, lies, and the ties that bind us.

Everyone has heard about the River Point Boys. The five friends went into the woods to hunt, and when the hunt was finished, one of their own lay dead.

Kate is a high school student who works in the district attorney's office. She's already emotionally involved in this case for reasons she doesn't want to discuss with anyone, let alone her mother and her boss. Determined to get to the bottom of what truly happened, Kate starts digging deep, with possibly dangerous results.

I had been wanting to read this book since I first heard about it, and Elston did not disappoint. The book is nicely layered, with twists and turns I did show more not see coming. The characters are complex, and Kate is a character I definitely found myself cheering for. Elston's use of interview transcripts, and missives from a mysterious second narrator, make the story even more interesting.

This is a young adult mystery done right. I definitely recommend this read. show less

Five rich boys went hunting at River Point while drunk and high. Only four of them went home. Everyone wants to know who killed the fifth one, but the survivors aren't talking and there's no evidence pointing to one or the other. Kate works for the attorney assigned the River Point case and she has a personal interest in figuring out who is responsible for Grant's death, an interest that can't be made public if she wants to keep her job. But as she digs deeper into the incident, it becomes clear that nothing is as it appears and the chance that this was a murder, rather than an accident, becomes more and more likely. And Kate's digging hasn't gone unnoticed. She needs to figure out who the killer is, and quickly, or more lives may be on show more the line.

I loved the pacing in this book. There were no boring lulls and the revelations were appropriately spaced out through the book. The thing I probably appreciated the most were the short (1-3 page) anonymous interludes from the killer. We knew that he was the one who shot Grant, but we didn't know which of the boys it was. These interludes made clear the killer's thought process after he did the deed and as he continued to hide his guilt from the others. They really heightened the suspense and upped the stakes of the story, creating additional worry for Kate's safety. I also loved the text message epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter. Again, these gave us additional information about the motivations and thoughts of the characters that enhanced the reading experience.

My biggest disappoint with the book was probably the romance. Not gonna lie, I was pretty happy with the assumption at the beginning of the book that no romance was gonna happen on the page because Kate's romantic partner was dead before the book began. But then there was the revelation that she was texting Shep instead and we still have to deal with romantic drama and I just didn't need that and it definitely took away from my overall enjoyment of the book.

The ending was very neat and tidy. Kate was able to find the crucial bit of missing evidence that clearly implicated one person and she was able to arrange a super drama-filled reveal in the middle of an official hearing that justified her interference and judgment throughout the investigation. I have a feeling that if I read more mysteries (I tend to avidly avoid them) I might have been less satisfied with the ending, but it worked well for me so I have no complaints. All in all, this was a quick, engrossing story that's definitely worth a read. show less

This is Our Story by Ashley Elston is a YA thriller that has five young men going into the woods to hunt but only four coming out. One of the five has been killed, and one of the remaining four is the killer. No one will admit to being the killer and as a group they stick together in their silence. But was this murder or an accident?

The story is told by Kate, a high school senior, budding photographer and an intern at the District Attorney’s office. She becomes involved with one of the four and decides that in order to clear him, she needs to figure out which one is the real killer.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the book. There were definitely slow patches in the story and I had to overcome my strong doubts that a seventeen show more year old girl could be working on a murder investigation, especially one that involved people that she knew. But I did think the concept was original and there was enough suspense and plot twists to keep the reader guessing. I’ve seen some complaints about the ending being too abrupt but I thought it seemed like the natural progression to the story. show less

Grant Perkins was one of the five River Point Boys, best friends and inseparable for years. All five come from wealthy families and go to private school. They love expensive toys, drugs, drinks and hunting, and throw parties around these activities every weekend. One weekend, following one of the parties, the five boys go hunting. By the end of the day, Grant is dead. The boys decide to stick together and claim none of them knows who is responsible.

Meanwhile, Kate Marino is spending her senior year interning at the District Attorney’s Office. She's disappointed to find out that the Chief DA, who has accepted many donations from the boys' families, wants the boys’ case to quietly go away. Kate wants the group prosecuted, especially show more since she had a texting relationship with Grant. She convinces her boss to go after the case himself, and fully prosecute the boys. Kate is filled with plenty of flaws, and at times I just wanted to smack her, but I still couldn't stop reading this story.

This book was full of surprises and I couldn't put it down. The novel is delivered in a unique way that intensified the reading experience for me. A majority of the narrative comes from Kate's viewpoint, including her texts back and forth to Grant. It's often broken up with one of the River Point Boys’ narration. Despite the four boys claiming they don't know who was responsible, we know that the one we are hearing from is the killer. I don't read a lot of YA genre books but this is one of the best I've read in quite some time. I expect it to be high on my Top Ten list at the end of the year. show less

I was torn about how to rate this book, and now I'm torn about how to review it.

I loved the plot. Five boys go into the woods to hunt, and one of them is killed. At least one of the boys know who the killer is, but no one will admit it. They think that if they stick together, they're safe.

Awesome premise, and very well done.

HOWEVER. Something that will make me put down a book in about three seconds is a teenage character who knows EVERYTHING.

There were so many things that happened in this book that Kate should have reported - to the DA, to the police, to her MOM, ffs. But she kept it secret because apparently a 16 (or whatever) year old knows better than adults. Kate was convinced of Shep's innocence after having vaguely known him for show more what, a couple of months or something? I so badly wanted that to backfire for her; I wanted Shep to be guilty just so dumbass Kate would learn a lesson.

But she didn't, and that was why I only gave the book three stars.

I know teenagers have feelings and emotions and all those things matter. But when you have evidence or things that might help a murder investigation, you SHARE THEM WITH THE POLICE, CHILD. show less