Pride or Die

C.L. Montblanc’s debut novel is a young adult mystery featuring several members of the senior class at Hillview High School in fictional Cabotsville, Texas. Eleanora just wants to finish her senior year and get out of Texas. However, when her club meeting coincides with an attack on the school’s head cheerleader, she and her friends find themselves the prime suspects in an attempted murder.

Unable to rely upon the principal, teachers, or the police, Eleanora, Tyler, Noah, and Salim decide to clear their names and ensure the survival of their club for future teens. They’re not detectives, but they decide their only choice is to become sleuths and solve the mystery. The club is for those who identify differently or are unsure of their orientation or those who need a safe haven among friends.

The four main characters are reasonably well developed. The story is from Eleanora’s point of view and she has the most depth. She is headstrong, tends to go full speed ahead, and cares about having a safe haven for future students. She also tends to make everything her burden to carry. Readers get a good feel for several of the supporting characters, including Kenley, the cheerleader and her boyfriend.

The novel starts with the attempted murder in the first chapter and a lot of the story is about solving the mystery and finding who actually is responsible for the attack. However, the book is about much more than that. It has threads woven throughout the novel about bullying, secrets, gossip, lies, teenagers trying to get into colleges, reputations being ruined, and irresponsible adults trying to blame the action on a group for expediency rather than fully investigating the crime.

The premise of the novel is great. However, I felt that several of the adults were somewhat exaggerated, especially the police reliance on Principal Ballard’s word versus evidence. Additionally, the minors were questioned without a parent or guardian. While there is some humor sprinkled throughout the book, the topics it explores are serious and these are what kept me invested in the story. The actual culprit was a little too easily discerned, but there are a couple of other surprises in the somewhat over-the-top ending.

Overall, this is an engaging debut young adult mystery novel full of teen angst that also has some plot twists along with social commentary. It has a great message without excessive and unnecessary oversimplification.

St. Martin’s Press – Wednesday Books and Lindy Ryan provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for April 15, 2025.