Review | This Is Our Story

Summary: This Is Our Story

Five private school teen boys go target shooting, and one of them ends up dead, shot by his own gun — with the fingerprints of all four friends on the gun. All the boys claim they don’t know what happened. The story is told from two perspectives: that of the unknown killer and that of a schoolmate in the new public school the boys attend. Kate also happened to be regularly texting the boy who was killed and works at the DA’s office, where she’s helping the DA with his investigation since he has very poor eyesight. As things progress, it seems nothing is as it seems, both with Kate and with the boys in question, and Kate gets more involved as the stakes get higher in finding the killer.

The Good

This YA mystery by Ashley Elston was SO GOOD! I found the storyline intriguing and complex enough to keep me invested, especially with the dual-POV narration. Hearing from the killer without knowing who he was amped up the suspense level and added to Kate’s perspective, readers get a rounded view of what the boys’ lives and friendships were like before the incident.

I listened to the audiobook and found this story to be engaging on audio. Both narrators have a Southern twang that showcases the book’s setting and makes the story feel more real. Besides the mystery and thrill of Kate’s life being at risk, this book also explores several important themes like class (unlike Kate, the accused boys are from influential families who can protect them from disciplinary action), feminism, the broken justice system, and the “boys will be boys” mentality.

My one issue with this story is that I wish the other boys had gotten more narration airtime, but maybe this would have made keeping everything straight a real challenge. Still, this was highly enjoyable.

Content Notes

Here are some specifics to know about the content.

Content Warnings

• Death: A teen boy is shot.
• Alcohol/substance abuse: Underage drinking.
• Sexual content: Teens exchange a kiss. Compromising pictures of teen girls are distributed online.
• Religious content: None
• Language: One F-word usage, and otherwise little to none.

Diversity

• Ethnic: Main characters cued white
• Sexual orientation: None

Recommended for ages: 12+

Good for kids who like:

• Books like One of Us Is Lying
• Mysteries and thrillers
• Dual POV stories
• Murder mysteries

Publisher Details

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