ARC Review: That Weekend by Kara Thomas

That Weekend
Author: Kara Thomas
Release Date: 29th June 2021
Genre: Young Adult Mystery
Source: ARC from the Publisher (Thank you!)

Three best friends, a lake house, a secret trip – what could go wrong?

It was supposed to be the perfect prom weekend getaway. But it’s clear something terrible happened when Claire wakes up alone and bloodied on a hiking trail with no memory of the past forty-eight hours.

Three went up the mountain, but only one came back.

Now everyone wants answers – most of all, Claire. She remembers Friday night, but after that… nothing. And now Kat and Jesse – her best friends – are missing.

That weekend changes everything.

What happened on the mountain? And where are Kat and Jesse? Claire knows the answers are buried somewhere in her memory, but as she’s learning, everyone has secrets – even her best friends. And she’s pretty sure she’s not going to like what she remembers.

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Kara Thomas

Kara is the author of The Darkest Corners, Little Monsters, and The Cheerleaders. She is also the author of the Prep School Confidential series from St. Martin’s Griffin under the pen name Kara Taylor.

Kara has written for Warner Brothers Television and currently writes full-time on Long Island, where she lives with her husband and rescue cat. 

**Before I proceed to my review, I would like to thank PRH for providing me a review copy of this book. All opinions are mine. Any relationship with the author nor the publishing company does not affect my view towards the book.

“But I do know that I’ve seen people wait years to find out what happened to their loved ones, and when they finally do, the answers aren’t enough. The emptiness is still there. Sometimes it’s even worse.”

That Weekend, Kara Thomas

It has been ages since I last reviewed a book and it feels like I don’t know how to do these things anymore! *insert laughing/crying emoji here*

Anyway, I really have enjoyed reading this book by Kara Thomas, and so far, this is my top favorite from all of her books. It gets better and better. Fans of mystery and suspense books will definitely enjoy reading this one. Another gem introduced in the literary world!

Imagine my joy when I was invited to review this book, at this time of year. Again, I cannot thank PRH enough for the endless invites and books! I was just browsing and saw Kara’s name. I immediately started reading, without knowing what the book is even about. And honestly, I’m very happy I did. I went in blind.

Back to my review. I cannot describe how incredible Kara wrote this book. Each time she releases a YA mystery, it just gets better and better. She’s found her sweet spot in this kind of novel, her way with words that just really falls into place, and her mind boggling plot twists are purely magnificent and just out of this world. I swear to you the ending will just blow your mind. Because I was, and until to this writing, I still am.

*Read at your own risk. This part of review may contain spoilers. I cannot guarantee a spoiler-free review. Hehe.

The story started when Claire was found in a hiking trail by a woman named Sunshine and her dog. Claire couldn’t remember what happened to her and her friends 48 hours ago. All she can remember was that they ditched prom and were supposed to be secretly hiking in Bobcat Mountain. Apparently, when she was found, her two other friends, Kat and Jesse, were nowhere to be found. No one knows if they’re dead or still alive. Claire tries so hard to remember everything that happened to them that weekend in order to find answers. Claire’s hardheaded-ness on trying to find answers on her own paid off as she finally found a clue. A small thing that would connect her to Kat and Jesse. And the thrill starts here. This is where the mindfuck lies, where it questions you if you should trust this person or not. It morphed into a whole new level of wickedness and unpredictable events.

The story was told in two time frames — before and after everything happened — it really worked out for me because it’s somehow connecting the now and then. There will be a time where you think you knew what finally happened, why it happened but everything you thought you knew was just. The back and forth time frames will insanely open your mind and let you think what happened before or even give you an insight why this certain event happened or why this certain person said such thing. I honestly want to give more information but I want to stay clean and not give off too much information. Hehe. 😈

Overall, I am truly head over heels amazed at how this book turned out. And ew (read it and you’ll know why 😈)