I can’t begin to tell you how much I loved this book! Jessica and Alyssa, please write a sequel. Also, if you could possibly start talks with some TV networks to commence work on The Lost Causes Season 1 that’d be awesome.
The Lost Causes shouldn’t have worked so well … but it did. It took on so many themes and genres that it should have read like a book that couldn’t make up its mind what it wanted to be when it grew up … but it worked. Now this isn’t exhaustive by any means but we had murder, conspiracy theories, addiction, child abuse, abandonment issues, trust issues, mystery, humour … yet it was cohesive. How is that even possible?! Did Jessica and Alyssa use the serum on themselves to work this magic, and where can I get some?
I was so conflicted reading this book. I wanted to read slowly because I didn’t want to miss anything yet I wanted to rush through it to see how it wrapped up. I wanted to know who we could trust but the suspense was so much fun I wanted it to last. I wanted to find a character I hated or bored me but it wasn’t to be.
I can’t think of another book where I’ve made it to the end and still haven’t decided who my favourite character was. This book was primarily written in segments focusing on each of the five Lost Causes – Z, Sabrina, Andrew, Justin, and Gabby. Now, this usually annoys me in books because I find it can disrupt the flow and make the book feel disjointed … but it worked here. It started with Z and I immediately bonded with her, partly because of her attitude and partly because she was rocking my hairstyle. I was sure she’d be my favourite character. Then I discovered that my favourite character was constantly changing, depending on who I was reading about at the time. So at this point, I give up. They’re all my favourites!
The banter between the five was realistic and I loved that their growing bond wasn’t all sunshine and roses. They annoyed and didn’t always understand each other, and why should they? They had such diverse personalities. They had no reason to become Insta-friends. Also, I cannot give enough praise for the fact that the teenagers actually spoke like teenagers!
I don’t want to give away any spoilers but suffice it to say that the plot kept me guessing, I wanted to know what happened next with both the plot and the relationships between the characters and I had so much fun reading this book. I even half expected Mulder and Scully to walk in and join the investigation.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for the opportunity to read this book. In case you missed it the first time, Jessica and Alyssa, please write a sequel!
Once Upon a Blurb
Misfits. Outcasts. And the only ones who can find a killer.
They’re the last people you’d ask to help with anything, much less a murder investigation. The rich girl, the obsessive, the hypochondriac, the addict and the hot-tempered athlete—people think they’re beyond help. Lost causes. But where the world sees losers, the FBI sees its only hope.
With the help of a dangerous serum, the FBI erases the teens’ past problems and unlocks a psychic ability within each of them. In return, all they have to do is help find the killer who’s turned their small town upside down.
But as they close in on a suspect, they expose a conspiracy that puts them directly in harm’s way and makes them wonder who—if anyone—they can really trust.
If anything happens to them, will anyone even care?
Schizanthus Nerd 