The Champions (The Cheerleaders, #2) by Kara Thomas

 The Champions (The Cheerleaders, #2) by Kara Thomas-326 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a pseudo-sequel to The Cheerleaders. Hadley has recently moved with her mom to Sunnybrook. Her mom is the new Superintendent of schools. Hadley ends up embroiled in a mystery involving the back-to-back state champion Sunnybrook High School football team. Hadley is on the high school newspaper staff and agrees to write an article about the football team and that's how she initially gets involved. Events unfold and escalate from there, including anonymous, mysterious emails warning her to stay away from the football team. Just who is sending the emails? Why is Hadley being warned to stay away from the football team?

I've read a few books by this author previously, including The Cheerleaders, and enjoyed them. This is a page-turning thriller just like the rest I've read so far. I would give this 4 stars. 

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas-384 pages

I had read both The Darkest Corners and Little Monsters by Kara Thomas (I also met her back in April along with Veronica Roth), so I wanted to read her latest book. I was not disappointed. She is good at keeping the suspense going and keeping it interesting. I was eager to find out what really happened to the cheerleaders of Sunnybrook High School throughout the book and was not disappointed in the reveal/ending. Kara Thomas is a good teen true crime mystery writer.

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas
384 pages

I received this pre-published title through NetGalley.com.

"There are no more cheerleaders in the town of Sunnybrook.

"First there was the car accident--two girls dead after hitting a tree on a rainy night.  Not long after, the murders happened.  Those two girls were killed by the man next door.  The police shot him, so no one will ever know his reasons.  Monica's sister was the last cheerleader to die.  After her suicide, Sunnybrook High disbanded the cheer squad.  No one wanted to be reminded of the girls they'd lost.

"That was five years ago.  Now the faculty and students at Sunnybrook High want to remember the lost cheerleaders.  But for Monica, it's not that easy.  She just wants to forget.

"Only Monica's world is starting to unravel.  There are the letters in her stepdad's desk, an unearthed, years-old cell phone, a strange new friend at school...  Whatever happened five years ago isn't over.  Some people in town know more than they're saying.  And somehow, Monica is at the center of it all."  --from the publisher

This book delivers on every level.  Creepy, mysterious, suspenseful and plenty of possible scenarios to keep the reader guessing until the end.  It's a solid, young adult, fiction title.

Little Monsters by Kara Thomas

Little Monsters by Kara Thomas-336 pages

I read The Darkest Corners, also by Kara Thomas, so I wanted to read her other recent novel (also, it counts for this month's mystery challenge). I think I like The Darkest Corners a little more, but this is not a bad read, though. It is suspenseful and gives some insight into teenage friendships and how a killer can be someone unexpected, especially if he or she is manipulated and provoked. It, also, explores our (most of us anyway) basic need to be and feel loved by someone. Overall, it is a good, suspenseful read.

The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas

The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas-327 pages

I wanted to read this because I met Kara Thomas at the Veronica Roth Own Your Fate tour event in St. Charles. I had honestly never heard of her before the event, but I was curious to read her books after attending the event. The Darkest Corners is a true crime mystery novel that starts slow, but grabs one's attention as one gets further into the story. The ending is satisfying considering all that leads up to it. It does read a little like a Lifetime movie, only it is much better. The book held my attention throughout, which is a sign of a well-written book. Overall, I liked The Darkest Corners and it is well-written.