Book Review: They All Had A Fear by Michele Leathers

Synopsis:

The strange deaths and dead bodies surfacing in this previously quiet and quaint little beach town are terrorizing the local residents and tourists alike. Everyone is asking if it’s safe to go swimming in the ocean, but eighteen-year-old Winter Covington wonders if there is even more danger lurking on land. She will soon discover the answers to these questions, if she can avoid becoming the next victim, but that won’t be easy, because Winter’s new roommate may be a killer.

Review:

I wasn’t sure whether to continue with this series or not, but They All Had A Fear has been the best instalment so far. There are still a few glaring issues, the horrible fatphobic comments from the characters, but these weren’t as bad or often as they have been previously.

I’d mentioned in They All Had A Secret, the second instalment, that the stakes weren’t very high so I wasn’t too invested in the story. However, the tension was building from the get-go. It feels like the characters are actually in danger at all times and while I didn’t like some things Winter said, she was an ok main character. Self-proclaiming herself as a ‘mean girl’ was very cringe and honestly, she didn’t really give off this vibe other than her unsolicited thoughts about Jaxson’s weight.

Interestingly, you don’t spend a lot of time from Tamara’s (Bellany’s) perspective. This genuinely made me believe that she had little to no effect on what was going on, but obviously, that’s not true – she’s technically the main character of the series.

My favourite chapters were Milton’s, he had such a creepy vibe and the fact that you don’t actually know who he is (other than the clues throughout that do make it somewhat easy to guess) is a little scary. You know that he’s behind the killings but you don’t know for definite who he is. All four boys that Winter meets could be him, so you’re constantly left guessing until it becomes very obvious.

There are a lot of subplots that are left with no resolution and honestly, that’s fine they don’t matter too much. However, a few are a little annoying. The ending proves just how much of a sociopath Bellany is and you know what? I may actually continue reading this series. They’re really quick reads and I’m hoping they keep getting better.