#PrettyBoy Must Die by Kimberly Reid (ARC Review)

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A CIA prodigy’s cover is blown when he accidentally becomes an internet sensation in #Prettyboy Must Die, inspired by the #Alexfromtarget story.

When Peter Smith’s classmate snaps a picture of him during a late night run at the track, Peter thinks he might be in trouble. When she posts that photo–along with the caption, “See the Pretty Boy Run,”–Peter knows he’s in trouble. But when hostiles drop through the ceiling of his 6th period Chem Class, Peter’s pretty sure his trouble just became a national emergency.

Because he’s not really Peter Smith. He’s Jake Morrow, former foster-kid turned CIA operative. After a massive screw-up on his first mission, he’s on a pity assignment, a dozen hit lists and now, social media, apparently. As #Prettyboy, of all freaking things.

His cover’s blown, his school’s under siege, and if he screws up now, #Prettyboy will become #Deadboy faster than you can say, ‘fifteen minutes of fame.’ Trapped in a high school with rabid killers and rabid fans, he’ll need all his training and then some to save his job, his school and, oh yeah, his life.

2.5 stars (2.75 probably but I don’t even know anymore), but we’re rounding up for the fun that was had.

This book was a bit of a hard one to rate. There were times that I really really enjoyed it, but there were other times that had me raising my eyebrows and skimming past it as fast as I could. However, I will say that Reid managed to take something that seemed pretty unbelievable and make it fun, quirky, and pretty enjoyable.

First, I have to say that I loved Jake/Peter. He was so much fun as a narrator. His voice was so clear and entertaining. Reid did just a fantastic job with him, and I definitely would jump into his story again if I had a chance. He was definitely a main factor that kept me going with this story, and I enjoyed him a lot.

The other characters were a bit of hit or miss for me. I really wasn’t a fun of Katie too much. There were moments that I did enjoy her character and I loved what a great strong female role model she was, but at times she just felt…well, she was a little too perfect. I really don’t know if she has any flaws? And she just seemed way too cliche perfect mysterious spy girl. I wasn’t quite into that. I did enjoy Bunker as a side character as well. I loved how quirky he was, and his backstory really made him stand out from the rest of the regular YA sidekicks. He was fun and I super enjoyed him and Jake’s dynamics as well.

I also loved the aspect of the viral sensation. This whole concept was just so much fun. I used to be really into spy stories and movies, but I kind of am quite eh on them now. This book definitely brought the fun back to the genre for me, and I liked how they added in the whole “Alex from Target” aspect that really set this book apart from the rest for me.

It’s Pocahontas’s first time on the rating scale, thanks to rewatch! She likes to think the colors of the wind helped Prettyboy run.

I guess one of the main issues I had with the book is just how much you have to suspend belief. I mean, this a spy novel with three teens that basically save the entire day. Things came a little too easy to them sometimes. I figured I would have to suspend belief about some things, but I didn’t really think that I would have to suspend whole idea beliefs so much. It almost was too unrealistic for me, and I will admit that it did affect my thoughts on the book and how much I was enjoying it. It also did get a bit cliched in parts and that kind of bugged me – especially the romance.

Overall, this book was fun for the most part, and Reid definitely carved herself out a spot in the spy novel market by having such a creative idea, good writing, and a memorable narrator. Other things might have fallen apart in areas, but overall, I did have a pretty good time with it. I’m not sure how memorable it will be in the long run, but it was a good enough book to satisfy you if you’re looking for some action and adventure. 3 crowns and a Pocahontas rating!

What do you think? Are you planning on reading this? Are we excited Mandy finally got her act together and got Pocahontas on here? Let’s discuss in the comments below!