The Cheerleaders is a captivating read filled with unpredictable and edge of the seat storytelling. I enjoyed this book. I must say that I enjoyed the premise of the book a little bit more, but nevertheless, this was a good book and it was hard to stop reading at times.

The Cheerleaders is set place five years after the tragic deaths of five Sunnybrook cheerleaders. Two were killed in a crack wreck. Another two brutally murdered. And one died because of a suicide. After the last death, the cheerleading squad was disbanded. As the anniversary of their deaths nears, Monica begins to find clues that could reveal that everything is not as it seemed to be and some people know more than what they had originally led on.

When writing a thriller, pacing is extremely important. I found The Cheerleaders’s pacing to be just right. Not overly slow or overly fast, just enough to keep the story interesting. I also quite enjoyed her writing style. It was easy to read and easy to follow. I will mention that there were times when she was a little too vague for my liking. I would have liked if she flat out said what had happened.

Although this book did have a strong ending, I still have so many unanswered questions.

Characters

I will admit that I was not particularly fond of Monica in the beginning of the book. However, she did grow on me. I think she was initially because the reader were not aware of what she had went through. So I didn’t understand where she was coming from, or why she was acting the way that she had been. As the book progressed, it was quite clear that this is a character who is hurting and still has not recovered after losing her sister five years ago.

The book is mainly told in Monica’s POV, but it did switch to her sister’s, Jen, POV a couple of times. I thought this was an effective tool in this book. Jen had, unfortunately, committed suicide five years prior. And it was sad to read what the chain of events that took place with her and her friends.

Final Analysis

The Cheerleaders is a harboring YA thriller that has several twists and turns. It definitely a book that leaves you wanting more.