The Boyband Murder Mystery
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- Create Date：2021-07-28 08:52:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ava Eldred
- ISBN：024144943X
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Summary
'I have long believed that loving a boyband brings with it a wealth of transferable skills， but I'd never imagined solving a murder would be one of them。。。'
Harri and her best friends worship Half Light - an internationally famous boyband。 When frontman Frankie is arrested on suspicion of murdering his oldest friend Evan， Harri feels like her world's about to fall apart。 But quickly she realises that she - and all the other Half Light superfans out there - know and understand much more about these boys than any detective ever could。
Now she's rallying a fangirl army to prove Frankie's innocence - and to show the world that you should never underestimate a teenage girl with a passion。。。
Harri and her best friends worship Half Light - an internationally famous boyband。 When frontman Frankie is arrested on suspicion of murdering his oldest friend Evan， Harri feels like her world's about to fall apart。 But quickly she realises that she - and all the other Half Light superfans out there - know and understand much more about these boys than any detective ever could。
Now she's rallying a fangirl army to prove Frankie's innocence - and to show the world that you should never underestimate a teenage girl with a passion。。。
Reviews
Melissa Welliver
，
Original premise full of heart and fandom。 An excellent addition to the YA Murder Mystery genre， and a book that really highlights female friendship。
Jade Clarke
，
Boy bands… am I right？ This ya mystery centres around Harri， a uni student and super fan of the boyband Half Light。 It’s this very band that has connected Harri with her very best friends from all over the world。 So naturally when Frankie， Half Light frontman， is accused of murder， it’s down to Harri and her little internet gang to solve the mystery and clear Frankie’s name。 Risky moves and illegal activity ensue between the chaos of their own lives unfolding as Harri and her friends hurry to un Boy bands… am I right？ This ya mystery centres around Harri， a uni student and super fan of the boyband Half Light。 It’s this very band that has connected Harri with her very best friends from all over the world。 So naturally when Frankie， Half Light frontman， is accused of murder， it’s down to Harri and her little internet gang to solve the mystery and clear Frankie’s name。 Risky moves and illegal activity ensue between the chaos of their own lives unfolding as Harri and her friends hurry to uncover the truth。 But will digging this deep turn up answers the girls are ready for， or will they realise that sometimes people are just keeping up appearances…I absolutely adored this book！ I couldn’t put it down and found the girls experiences very relatable particularly as my own experience with starting uni was far from what I expected。 I think that the dynamics of Harri’s friendships developed over long term love of a mutual thing is something we can all relate to when we find friends online we connect with so well and can’t help but bare our souls to。 It’s magnetic and beautifully put and despite the trials and tests the girls face in the dangers of what they’re uncovering， their unwavering loyalty and sense of unity was so lovely to see。 I think it was a great blast from the past， reminding me of my own experience with boy bands and how friendships developed and changed overtime。 Combined with the sleuthing and scheming to prove Frankie was innocent made for a great， easy to read page Turner I’d happily read again。 4/5 。。。more
Rebecca Charters
，
I really enjoyed this book; the writing was great， the storyline was great and for the most part the characters were great too。 There were no characters I disliked but there were some times where I struggled to relate to them having never been a superfan in the way most of these characters were。 But although there were some things that were definitely very convenient there was nothing so far-fetched that I thought it was ridiculous and would never happen in real life。The storyline was excellent I really enjoyed this book; the writing was great， the storyline was great and for the most part the characters were great too。 There were no characters I disliked but there were some times where I struggled to relate to them having never been a superfan in the way most of these characters were。 But although there were some things that were definitely very convenient there was nothing so far-fetched that I thought it was ridiculous and would never happen in real life。The storyline was excellent and really believable， and made me suspect almost everyone related to Half Light at some point during the book 😂I personally would have preferred a bit more of the romance side as right from the start Ava had set up the perfect love interest for the main character Harri but there wasn't too much about it。 I get that that wasn't the main idea of the book but given he was added solely as a love interest I expected a bit more from that。 I also wasn't too keen on how some of the relationships between characters ended at the end。 There was nothing wrong with them， I just love a happy ending， but I appreciate what Ava was going for at the ending 😊I'm waffling now but I really liked this book， I love a murder mystery so I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for Ava's future books ❤️ 。。。more
Taylor Healy
，
I just could not get behind this book。 At。 All。 I thought the concept of this book had so much promise but it just failed to deliver。 The Boyband Murder Mystery is about a young lady named Harri， who adores this band called Half Light - specifically the lead singer， Frankie Williams。 Suddenly， the rug is pulled from under her， as Frankie Williams is arrested on suspicion of murdering his best friend， Evan。 Springing into action， Harri， along with her best friends Jas and Alex， are determined I just could not get behind this book。 At。 All。 I thought the concept of this book had so much promise but it just failed to deliver。 The Boyband Murder Mystery is about a young lady named Harri， who adores this band called Half Light - specifically the lead singer， Frankie Williams。 Suddenly， the rug is pulled from under her， as Frankie Williams is arrested on suspicion of murdering his best friend， Evan。 Springing into action， Harri， along with her best friends Jas and Alex， are determined to prove that Frankie is innocent。 What follows is the most infuriatingly naïve， incredulous plot I have read in a long time。This book had potential and I feel like it just。。。 Never amounted to anything。 However， I think it did touch on a couple of topics sensitively， such as Jas discussing her sexuality and race/identity， and Harri testing the waters with her potential love interest at University。 I also really enjoyed Jas' and Stefan's character - I enjoyed the scenes with them in it the most， and I just wish we could have seen more of Stefan。 Eldred certainly did her research into fandom culture and had a very good grasp of how all-consuming being a 'stan' can be。However， I couldn't stand Harri。 Her character made no sense to me。 This plotline would have suited a thirteen-year-old protagonist as I remember how obsessed I was with my pop idols at that age， but certainly not at eighteen when I had just started University。 I was well past that period of my life。 But， God， Harri was just obsessed， to the point where I groaned every time she mentioned that 'she just knew Frankie better than anyone'， I mean， how naïve and pathetic can you be？ Every thought Harri had was about Frankie， or the band， and she just could not think of anything else。 I also just wish there had been a genuinely sane character in this book？ I mean， bless Stefan for putting up with Harri's erraticness， but I just wish he had been the voice of reason， and just straight up told Harri she was off her rocker。 Even Harri's parents didn't seem to care。 I just found the whole story line baffling and I just could not get over the fact that Harri was supposed to be eighteen-years-old and a UNIVERSITY STUDENT。I just， ugh。 Sorry， this book just wasn't for me。 。。。more
Claire Davis
，
I received The Boyband Murder Mystery by Ava Eldred from NetGalley and Penguin Random House Children’s UK in exchange for an honest review。 I have given this book four out of five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Filled with friendships， fandoms and secrets; I had such a fun time reading this book。 Ava Eldred captured what it means to be part of a boyband fandom perfectly。 I really enjoyed the murder mystery element to this YA book， it really helped draw me into the story。The characters were strong and well-develo I received The Boyband Murder Mystery by Ava Eldred from NetGalley and Penguin Random House Children’s UK in exchange for an honest review。 I have given this book four out of five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Filled with friendships， fandoms and secrets; I had such a fun time reading this book。 Ava Eldred captured what it means to be part of a boyband fandom perfectly。 I really enjoyed the murder mystery element to this YA book， it really helped draw me into the story。The characters were strong and well-developed， especially the relationship between Jas and Harri。 I absolutely adored their friendship， I felt as though they were soulmates and really enjoyed the dynamic from them。 The friendships between all of the fandom friends from all over the world felt so special。 Whilst reading this book I definitely had the feeling of nostalgia; memories from when I was younger came flooding back， the time when I became friends with people from different countries around the world as I was part of some fandoms。 I have to admit I wasn’t fully immersed in the fandom as Jas and Harri were， however I can definitely relate to some of the feelings they felt towards the three boys in Half Light; Frankie， Jack and Kyle。Ava Eldred’s writing kept me wanting to read page after page until I was able to find out who the murderer was and I have to admit， I didn’t see it coming which made me enjoy this book even more。 An element of surprise from a book is always a winner in my eyes。There’s such a special bond between fandoms and I could definitely feel that seeping out from the pages of this book。 Thank you to Ava Eldred for creating such a special debut book for myself and other readers who will be able to relate to this brilliant story and to reflect on memories from our past。I would definitely recommend this book to young adults who enjoy murder mysteries as well as boybands and fandoms。 。。。more
vallie
，
i loved this book so much and got attached to some of the characters！ when i started reading i thought “meh this isn’t the genre i usually go for and it’s kinda boring” but when i tell you to keep reading; DO IT。 the book kind of sounds like it was made in wattpad but i promise， they’re not trying to “get with” the band， only help them。 this book also has some lgbtq+ representation which gives it bonus points！i seriously couldn’t find out who did it until the book told me and the ending is one o i loved this book so much and got attached to some of the characters！ when i started reading i thought “meh this isn’t the genre i usually go for and it’s kinda boring” but when i tell you to keep reading; DO IT。 the book kind of sounds like it was made in wattpad but i promise， they’re not trying to “get with” the band， only help them。 this book also has some lgbtq+ representation which gives it bonus points！i seriously couldn’t find out who did it until the book told me and the ending is one of my favorites so far:） 。。。more
Alexia
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As a 1D stan/5SOS stan，I feel seen and understood。
stef
，
1 star“ I'd long believed loving a boyband brought with it a wealth of transferrable skills。 I'd never imagined solving a murder would be one of them。 „Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review。I'm so annoyed。 At this book， at myself。 But mostly at Harri for being such an awful person and friend。 I won't sugarcoat it; I really disliked this book， as much as I wish I hadn't。 The way it was written， the constant need to suspend m 1 star“ I'd long believed loving a boyband brought with it a wealth of transferrable skills。 I'd never imagined solving a murder would be one of them。 „Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review。I'm so annoyed。 At this book， at myself。 But mostly at Harri for being such an awful person and friend。 I won't sugarcoat it; I really disliked this book， as much as I wish I hadn't。 The way it was written， the constant need to suspend my disbelief （which I quite frankly did not want to do）， and the incredibly bland cast of characters。。 everything just irked me。 So much。 The Boyband Murder Mystery follows Harri and her friends as they try to solve the murder of Evan Byrd， which his best friend Frankie Williams has been accused of。 The twist？ Frankie is the lead singer of Half Light， an international boyband sensation of which Harri & Co。 are dedicated Stans™， and they're hell bent on proving he didn't do it。 The premise of this sounded so fun and， as someone who has dedicated many years of her life to being a One Direction Stan™， something I could really relate to and enjoy。 Did I do either of those things？ No， I did not。 And， like I said， I'm really annoyed about it。 Let's start with something that was， and still is， bothering me: I have no idea what demographic this is written for。 Yeah sure， it's YA。 But is that 12 year old YA？ Or 18 year old YA？ Because Harri is the most childish and naive 19 year old I have ever come across and it's jarring。 I used to think the same way Harri does; that no one knows 'the boys' the way the fans do。 But I was 12 years old， and Harri is 19。 She constantly puts her obsession with the band above her own personal relationships and， despite how high a pedestal she puts herself on， acts like the very same self-centred and delusional stalkers she condemns。 And it makes her so unlikeable。 The other characters aren't much better， with most of them being throwaway cardboard cutouts that I honestly couldn't care less about （seriously， who is Ruby？）。 I only liked Stef because we share the same name， and the poor guy was constantly being blown off because Harri was taking the whole lol ur not *celebrtiy name* trend from 2013 a little too literally。 The mystery aspect of this also wasn't the greatest。 The 'big reveal' felt like something out of a fanfic I read when I was 14 （this is not a compliment， unfortunately） and it was such an underwhelming and unsatisfying climax。 The fact that a lot of the mystery unfolded because Harri & Jas were somehow able to get in contact with these people who were supposedly incredibly famous？ On an international scale？。。。。。 yeah， it doesn't add up。 Someone with a couple million followers isn't going to see your message and respond within seconds， as much as we all wished they would。 This isn't a fantasy， but it sure as hell feels like one。 I wish I could end this review on a lighter note， and tell you something that I enjoyed about this book， but I don't normally like anything about the books I give 1 star。 The ending was almost good in a bittersweet way， but it was ruined because of how unsubtle this book is about everything it does。 It's hard to appreciate whatever is being said about fan culture when it's immediately pointed out with such little grace that it actually becomes irritating。 It hurts my little 1D heart to say this， because I had such high hopes， but I really can't recommend The Boyband Murder Mystery to anyone。 I can only hope that， if you do pick it up， you at least have a better time reading it than I did。 。。。more
Sophie Brown
，
The Boyband Murder Mystery by Ava Eldred is a YA contemporary about the power of fandom and the ingenuity and passion of teenage girls。Harri has been a fan of the British boy band Half Light for many years but finds her world turned upside down when the band’s lead singer， “bad boy” Frankie Williams， is arrested on suspicion of murdering his life-long best friend Evan。 Unable to accept that Frankie could ever have done such a thing， regardless of his image， Harri teams up with a group of other f The Boyband Murder Mystery by Ava Eldred is a YA contemporary about the power of fandom and the ingenuity and passion of teenage girls。Harri has been a fan of the British boy band Half Light for many years but finds her world turned upside down when the band’s lead singer， “bad boy” Frankie Williams， is arrested on suspicion of murdering his life-long best friend Evan。 Unable to accept that Frankie could ever have done such a thing， regardless of his image， Harri teams up with a group of other fangirl friends to prove his innocence。 Together they use their near-infinite knowledge of the band to comb through the evidence and find the proof they need to clear Frankie’s name。 But will they destroy the thing they love in the process？Sophie imagines that if you are reading a website named GeekMom， you have probably experienced the passion that comes with being in a fandom at some point in your life。 While Sophie has never had the need to use her own fandom knowledge for something as serious as clearing murder charges， she is pretty certain that her twelve-year-old self would have leaped at the chance to team up with other fans and save her beloved band – even if group chats， Tumblr， and many of the other resources relied upon in The Boyband Murder Mystery didn’t exist back then。Sophie really enjoyed the first two-thirds of this story but with the core plot wrapped up surprisingly quickly， she found that the ending dragged on and petered out in a way that did the rest of the book a disservice， and while the main plot was interesting， she wished the main characters would have been a bit more fleshed out。 Overall， this will make for a fun summer read but is unlikely to stick with you for long。 。。。more
Hannah Scott-Ravikumar
，
This book is a love letter to fandom， to online friendships， and to the power of teenage fangirls。 The mystery gripped me from the beginning。 And adding in a love story to friendships forged in fandom - perfect！ I loved every second。 I want to be able to read this book for the first time again。 Absolutely incredible！！
Laura
，
I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Penguin Random House Children’s UK in exchange for an honest review。I was a little worried when requesting this book that it would be a bit too ridiculous but thankfully， The Boyband Murder Mystery hit that sweet spot between fun and good storytelling。 This is the story of Harri， a megafan of the the fictional boyband Half Light。 When one of the members of the boyband is arrested on suspicion of murdering his best friend， Harri and I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Penguin Random House Children’s UK in exchange for an honest review。I was a little worried when requesting this book that it would be a bit too ridiculous but thankfully， The Boyband Murder Mystery hit that sweet spot between fun and good storytelling。 This is the story of Harri， a megafan of the the fictional boyband Half Light。 When one of the members of the boyband is arrested on suspicion of murdering his best friend， Harri and her friends take it upon themselves to try and clear him of the crime by using their fandom expertise and skills。There was a lot I really liked about this book。 I'd say it leans more on the contemporary side than mystery， and the tone remains light and fun throughout。 I wish a little more emphasis had been placed on the friendships of the girls within the fandom （only Harri and her best friend Jasmine really get much focus） but the characters are decent and you do get some nice friendship moments。 One aspect I really liked was that Harri was at university。 I feel a lot of these stories feature high school protagonists so it was nice to both see the uni environment on the page and also have a protagonist who could be a bit more independent without plot issues。My only real issue with it is that it sometimes goes a bit overboard on the worship of fan culture， which wasn't unexpected and fit with the general tone and plot of the story。 I will say there is a surprisingly poignant and heartfelt part about letting fandoms go and how that feels， and that was an incredibly strong bit of writing。 I felt genuinely quite moved and I think it's something a lot of people can identify with。 It adds a deeper sense of emotion to the book and it was very welcome。Overall， this is a fun YA romp with a lot to like。 It's perfect for not only fans of boybands， but fans of all kinds。 If you want a deep or super detailed mystery， then this isn't the book for you but if you're looking for a decent and enjoyable contemporary with some fun heist elements， then give this a go for sure。Overall Rating: 4/5 stars 。。。more
Polly
，
Review coming soon！
Amaris
，
It was fine， theres honestly nothing wrong with this book I enjoyed reading it and think its great if you wanna start getting into mysterys。 But this book isn't for me its a good extra book to read but nothing major。 It was fine， theres honestly nothing wrong with this book I enjoyed reading it and think its great if you wanna start getting into mysterys。 But this book isn't for me its a good extra book to read but nothing major。 。。。more
Sophie
，
I'm only 20 pages in and I don't think it's going to improve。 I went into this book expecting something unique， but not only did I get that， I got something trashy and unnatural。 None of the characters are likeable or relatable and the mystery disappeared after 5 pages。 Perfect for a teen girl who wants an easy read but not for me。 I'm only 20 pages in and I don't think it's going to improve。 I went into this book expecting something unique， but not only did I get that， I got something trashy and unnatural。 None of the characters are likeable or relatable and the mystery disappeared after 5 pages。 Perfect for a teen girl who wants an easy read but not for me。 。。。more
Lizzie
，
Fantastically fun read！ Easy to read and didn't want to put it down！ Really captured the essence of fandoms while keeping the mystery alive until the very end of the book。 Fantastically fun read！ Easy to read and didn't want to put it down！ Really captured the essence of fandoms while keeping the mystery alive until the very end of the book。 。。。more
Roz
，
The Boyband Murder Mystery is a well written and easy to read YA book with good likeable characters， a murder to be solved and a heavy dose of boyband fandom。Harri and her many friends live all over the world but bond because of their absolute worship of the band Half Light。 Most of the friends have never met， but know everything about the boys and the band and their love of them takes over their lives。 When one of the band， charismatic lead singer Frankie， is arrested on suspicion of the murder The Boyband Murder Mystery is a well written and easy to read YA book with good likeable characters， a murder to be solved and a heavy dose of boyband fandom。Harri and her many friends live all over the world but bond because of their absolute worship of the band Half Light。 Most of the friends have never met， but know everything about the boys and the band and their love of them takes over their lives。 When one of the band， charismatic lead singer Frankie， is arrested on suspicion of the murder of his best friend Evan it looks like this is the end for Half Light。 Together Harri and best friend Jas combine efforts to clear Frankie’s name and with other fangirls piece together what happened on the roof of the building that Evan fell （or was pushed） off。Although this is a book about fandom it is also about friendship and growing up， realising that the hero worship of these boys is okay but they are just people too with flaws and insecurities。 The friendship between Harri and Jas was really well written and not without its issues， just like other teen friendships。 A good read and one that I would recommend。 Thank you to Netgalley， the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Stacey Beddows
，
Reading this I thought， 'what would 12 year old me think？' And 12 year old me would have LOVED this， obsessed over this， just like she did for the boybands in her life。 Actually， just like 27 year old me who cried when she met Ben Adams （if you don't know who he is， Google him， you won't regret it）。 I do think this is a YA novel that is aimed at the younger end but it's a fun read which transported me back to the 90s and early 00s。 A time where the end of my world was the Westlife split and that Reading this I thought， 'what would 12 year old me think？' And 12 year old me would have LOVED this， obsessed over this， just like she did for the boybands in her life。 Actually， just like 27 year old me who cried when she met Ben Adams （if you don't know who he is， Google him， you won't regret it）。 I do think this is a YA novel that is aimed at the younger end but it's a fun read which transported me back to the 90s and early 00s。 A time where the end of my world was the Westlife split and that time when Ben Adams cut his hair， tragic！ 。。。more
Lorna Holland
，
Full review now up on the blog: https://www。thewritinggreyhound。co。uk。。。The Boyband Murder Mystery is a novel all about boybands， fangirls， and the relationship between them。Main character Harri is a massive fan of the boyband Half Light。 They shape her friendships， her chosen degree， and her spare time。 So， when news breaks that frontman Frankie has been arrested for murder， Harri and her fangirl besties waste no time wading in to help solve the mystery。 Determined to prove Frankie's innocence Full review now up on the blog: https://www。thewritinggreyhound。co。uk。。。The Boyband Murder Mystery is a novel all about boybands， fangirls， and the relationship between them。Main character Harri is a massive fan of the boyband Half Light。 They shape her friendships， her chosen degree， and her spare time。 So， when news breaks that frontman Frankie has been arrested for murder， Harri and her fangirl besties waste no time wading in to help solve the mystery。 Determined to prove Frankie's innocence and return her favourite band to the spotlight， it isn't long before Harri's devotion to Half Light is put to the test once and for all。 Although Half Light is a fictional band， it's all too easy to picture them in your mind。 Jack， Kyle， and Frankie - the charismatic frontman。 The beauty is that this trio could easily be swapped out for any one of a number of boybands with dedicated fans all over the world。 The fangirl community in this book is intense， yet true-to-life。 From the girls who camp outside the member's homes and studios to the army of fans watching their every move over the internet， these are the people who know every last little thing about the boys they idolise。 Interestingly， though， the shared experiences bond these girls together like nothing else could。 They come from all over the world， from different cultures， countries， and backgrounds， yet they all have one thing in common - and it's incredible to see this spirit put into words。I actually found reading this book to be quite an emotional experience。 At its heart， this is a love letter to all the boybands we worship， and the friendships those boys have given us。 Those special bonds between fangirls are a boyband's greatest gift - even more so than the music。 Fifteen-year-old me would have enjoyed this book， but twenty-something-year-old me loved it。 From the nostalgia to the community and the sense of being part of something so much bigger， this book made me feel all of the feels！ 。。。more
Rose
，
This was another super quick YA contemporary exploring the strength of friendship and what it truly means to be super fans of an international boyband。I love a good YA thriller but again this one fell short of my expectations。 First of all I thought the premise of the story was completely unrealistic - a member of 'Half Light' （the boyband） is arrested on suspicion of murdering his best friend， and because Harri is a superfan she knows he would 'never' do such a thing and then sets to prove his This was another super quick YA contemporary exploring the strength of friendship and what it truly means to be super fans of an international boyband。I love a good YA thriller but again this one fell short of my expectations。 First of all I thought the premise of the story was completely unrealistic - a member of 'Half Light' （the boyband） is arrested on suspicion of murdering his best friend， and because Harri is a superfan she knows he would 'never' do such a thing and then sets to prove his innocence？！ Any one else seeing red flags here？ - I wish the twist was he had done it tbh it would have been more interesting than the actual plot。Apart from the dicey set up there is nothing fundamentally wrong with this story but as a lead Harri is very self-absorbed and can be grating as a protagonist。I appreciate that this story is pitched as a love letter to fandoms and their relevance in modern day society but if you are looking for a better YA contemporary centring a boyband I would check out I was Born for This by Alice Oseman instead。 。。。more
Amy Andrawos
，
Notes for future me when she rereads:I was so pleasantly surprised with this bookI was instantly immersed in the story and the characters。It was so fun that the characters all met online， in a fandom， and were meeting for the first time （I can relate to this）I was more interested in the friendships and character interactions than the mystery but THERE WAS ALSO SO MUCH TEA I had such a fun weekend reading it！
Bee Jay
，
The first thing you should know; the murder isn't really the point of this book。 It's what starts everything off， but it's not what the book's about。 What it's about is the awesome power of late teen girls， and the sheer joy of fandom， and how online friends are just as valid as offline。This book is really good fun， but I do have a couple of reservations; first of all， Harri is frequently mean to people for no particular reason other than 'I'm stressed' （which， fair enough， we can all be stresse The first thing you should know; the murder isn't really the point of this book。 It's what starts everything off， but it's not what the book's about。 What it's about is the awesome power of late teen girls， and the sheer joy of fandom， and how online friends are just as valid as offline。This book is really good fun， but I do have a couple of reservations; first of all， Harri is frequently mean to people for no particular reason other than 'I'm stressed' （which， fair enough， we can all be stressed， but accusing her father of being happy someone died and someone else went to jail？ Not cool。）I also would have loved to have seen a guy in the Superfriends。 I know fandom in general， and very particularly in boybands， is seen as a female space， but there are plenty of boys in there too。 Adding a boy to the group would have been nice。Those are minor things， though。 Ava obviously has a real love for fandom and it shines through in her writing， raising up a group that's more often torn down because they dare to enjoy something。 I loved watching this group hold each other up and help each other out， and I'm really glad they plan to stay together at the end。 I wish I could put in my favourite quote， but it's a spoiler， so I'll just say; definitely read this one。 It's fab。（There is some minor， mostly implied sex。） 。。。more
Melissa Young
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*I was sent an arc of The Boyband Murder Mystery in exchange for an honest review。 Thank you to Penguin Random House Children’s UK and Ava Eldred。* Synopsis: “'I have long believed that loving a boyband brings with it a wealth of transferable skills， but I'd never imagined solving a murder would be one of them。。。'Harri and her best friends worship Half Light - an internationally famous boyband。When frontman Frankie is arrested on suspicion of murdering his oldest friend Evan， Harri feels like he *I was sent an arc of The Boyband Murder Mystery in exchange for an honest review。 Thank you to Penguin Random House Children’s UK and Ava Eldred。* Synopsis: “'I have long believed that loving a boyband brings with it a wealth of transferable skills， but I'd never imagined solving a murder would be one of them。。。'Harri and her best friends worship Half Light - an internationally famous boyband。When frontman Frankie is arrested on suspicion of murdering his oldest friend Evan， Harri feels like her world's about to fall apart。But quickly she realises that she - and all the other Half Light superfans out there - know and understand much more about these boys than any detective ever could。Now she's rallying a fangirl army to prove Frankie's innocence - and to show the world that you should never underestimate a teenage girl with a passion…” Review: This was super fun and a pretty quick read。 You jump into the mystery very early on and it manages to keep you interested throughout the entire book。 One element that I didn’t enjoy so much was the ‘how we met’ which took me longer than I would like to admit was little snippets of a fanfiction/one-shot。 I feel like these did take away from the intensity as they broke up sections of the chapters。 However， the inclusion of them did play massively to the fan culture side of this story。 As someone who used to be a part of a fandom just like this one， I found this book quite nostalgic， well other than the whole murder mystery part。 It really shows fan culture in a good light and I’m glad that it didn’t at any point cross the line into ‘crazed fan-girl territory。 Although some moments can be seen a little like this， for example sneaking into a press conference and having other fans wait outside the band’s house。 I do think it still shows a very mature side of fandom。 I absolutely love that part of this book is set in Brighton， as I live there myself， however， the only time spent there is in uni halls so that was disappointing。 Including well-known parts of Brighton such as The Lanes and The Pavillion would have been incredible。 Obviously， this did not take away from the story and would not have added anything to it， but it would have been a nice element if it was included。 The characters were really strong and portrayed different types of fans very well。 I loved the dynamic between Harri and Jas and it really made me nostalgic for old fandom friendships。Showing the international friendship side of fandom was a joy to read。 Having Jas’ parents meet Harri for the first time and Jas telling them she’s a friend from uni because they don’t understand that people online are real friends was extremely relatable。 I’m sure a lot of people reading this will agree with this。 Having this huge army of girls from all over the world working together to solve a murder case honestly didn’t seem completely over the top even though it probably should。 A huge part of being in a fandom is having friends from all over the world and let’s be honest I wouldn’t put it past boyband fandoms to try and go as far as solving a murder case。 There is a romance sub-plot throughout this book and even though I really appreciated that Stefan was not scared by the whole “We’re going to prove the innocence of a world-famous pop star”， I do think his character was mostly pointless。 Although he did in a way show Harri that she doesn’t really ‘love’ the boys in Half Light and this helped her to come to the conclusion that she won’t end up with one of them and that’s ok。 I do think he could have maybe played a bigger role in helping them solve the case and then I wouldn’t have minded him being there so much。 But romance was not the main element of this book so honestly， it doesn’t really matter。 Overall I really do think this is a great realistic look at fan culture in the modern-day。 I loved seeing how a band can connect so many people from all over the world and being able to relate this to my teenaged years obsessing over a band。 The Boyband Murder Mystery is a love letter to those who may be in a fandom now or those who are looking back on their fandom days。 Everyone will find a character they can relate to and the mystery side of the story keeps the book entertaining throughout。 。。。more
Holly Marshall
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A good girl's guide to murder meets fandom culture in a brilliant bundle of nostalgia is the only way I can sum up this novel。 It felt like the novel my younger self wanted to be in （besides the murder）， I can't honestly explain how real the fandom culture representation was in this book - I really saw myself from my teenage years represented in a way that rarely happens。 I am not ashamed to admit I am a hardcore boyband fan， and when I was younger I was fully in deep with fandom culture online A good girl's guide to murder meets fandom culture in a brilliant bundle of nostalgia is the only way I can sum up this novel。 It felt like the novel my younger self wanted to be in （besides the murder）， I can't honestly explain how real the fandom culture representation was in this book - I really saw myself from my teenage years represented in a way that rarely happens。 I am not ashamed to admit I am a hardcore boyband fan， and when I was younger I was fully in deep with fandom culture online and had some experiences that felt very similar to that of the main characters in this book and I really loved seeing that， it made me feel so nostalgic for when One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer were at their prime and if I'm honest that made me adore this book。 In the end， I saw much of myself in the characters it didn't really matter that they had their flaws。 I loved the murder mystery element - even if the lengths some of the characters went to were a little unbelievable。 I did find that some of the characters felt much younger than two girls who were at uni， but this did not deter from how much I really enjoyed the story。 It's not perfect by any means but it was such a fun book， that made me feel some kind of way about my own childhood。I think if you have never been a huge fan of fandom culture， or aren't a huge fan of YA murder mysteries this book might not be for you， but if you are either of those things， definitely give it a go。4 out of 5 stars。 。。。more
Afifah Mohd
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Summary:Harri and her friends are superfans of Half Light， an internationally famous boyband。 They practically worship them。 However， bad news has arrived。 The frontman， Frankie has been arrested by the police as a suspect on his oldest bestfriend’s murder。 She is devastated。 She and other Half Light superfans realise that they know and understand the members more than anyone else。 Hence， she and her friends have gathered an army of fangirls to investigate the case in order to prove that Frankie Summary:Harri and her friends are superfans of Half Light， an internationally famous boyband。 They practically worship them。 However， bad news has arrived。 The frontman， Frankie has been arrested by the police as a suspect on his oldest bestfriend’s murder。 She is devastated。 She and other Half Light superfans realise that they know and understand the members more than anyone else。 Hence， she and her friends have gathered an army of fangirls to investigate the case in order to prove that Frankie is innocent。 Do not underestimate passionate fangirls。 My opinion/review/thoughts:First of all， I want to thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House Children’s UK for this ARC with an exchange of an honest review。 This review is written by me voluntarily。Okay， this is another level of fangirling。 Investigating a murder mystery which involves a member of your favourite boyband。 I am really intrigued by the premise of this story。 For me， the idea is really cool but the execution is not quite attractive to me。 There are some parts that are not quite clear， but it may just be me。 Because they cannot interfere with the police investigation， they need to solve the case on their own and some of the methods are actually at the wrong side of the law。 In my opinion， some people may not be quite comfortable with the story because from what I see， their crime-solving is quite mixed with obsession。 That matter might be not sitting well with some people。 Because I am a part of fandoms too， even though I am not really a superfan， I can understand their reasoning but not really their ways of conducting the investigation。 For me， I don't really like how the main character behaves， for me， she is quite unstable but luckily she has friends to help her。 There are filler characters too that in my opinion do not really affect the story flow。 For me， I much prefer the friendships between these girls rather than crime-solving itself， but the story is still nice to read even though it is a slow read for me。 。。。more
Laura
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Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review，I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately， if you want a book about boy bands and mysteries this isn't that book。 This is a book about friendships and fandoms。 It was a quick read but this wasn't the book for me， as an avid lover of bands myself I couldn't ever seeing myself going this far。 I do believe the author is part of a fandom and knows how obsessive some fans can get， I just thought t Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review，I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately， if you want a book about boy bands and mysteries this isn't that book。 This is a book about friendships and fandoms。 It was a quick read but this wasn't the book for me， as an avid lover of bands myself I couldn't ever seeing myself going this far。 I do believe the author is part of a fandom and knows how obsessive some fans can get， I just thought this was a bit of a stretch。 2。5 stars 。。。more
Rebecca Veight
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When the best friend of Frankie， frontman of the internationally know boyband Half Light is arrested for murdering his best friend， Harri an avid fan decides to prove his innocence。 Cause who knows him best than her and her group of fangirl friends？Even more fun than the premise promises。 Full of charm， smile-worthy and spot-on for a fan's perspective， for a young person's perspective in this day and age。 The 1st person POV is endearing and pragmatic/grounded， for a bit of an over the top situat When the best friend of Frankie， frontman of the internationally know boyband Half Light is arrested for murdering his best friend， Harri an avid fan decides to prove his innocence。 Cause who knows him best than her and her group of fangirl friends？Even more fun than the premise promises。 Full of charm， smile-worthy and spot-on for a fan's perspective， for a young person's perspective in this day and age。 The 1st person POV is endearing and pragmatic/grounded， for a bit of an over the top situation。 You feel like you are in Harri's shoes。 You identify with the end of the world sensation of that age， and how you lose the earth under your feet when faith in your idol is shattered。 How it can be a metaphor for life itself。Including extremely likeable characters and a plot that thickens in just the right way。 I love how the clues and suspicions just trickle intelligently and naturally into the narrative。 An intriguing mystery， pleasantly unpredictable。Harri's musings and many conversations with her friends make you think on many aspects of life， including relationships and identity。 What can inspire loyalty。 Shows how much music is an integral part of our present and our past。 It deals with how much of our existence online is 'real'。 What constitutes a 'real' friendship？Something that bothered me was these "How we met" daydream interludes that throw you out of the story。 I didn't really understand their significance right at the actual event， I wanted to get to what was happening in the moment not read hypothetical situations。A love letter to any kind of fan with its realistic and respectful take on fandom， while still depicting the honor and joy of it。 And a nice little mystery to boot。 。。。more
Alison Pashley
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OK， if it has the word 'boyband' in the title you know I'm going to read it， right？！？The murder mystery of the title is a perfectly good story in its own right， but what I LOVED was the perfect way the book captures all the wonderful things about fandoms and those who fill them。 So often written off as screaming girls to be mocked， but actually as individuals and as collectives they are the life blood of bands like Half Light （who， by the way， I'm pretty sure I would've been into in a big way！）。 OK， if it has the word 'boyband' in the title you know I'm going to read it， right？！？The murder mystery of the title is a perfectly good story in its own right， but what I LOVED was the perfect way the book captures all the wonderful things about fandoms and those who fill them。 So often written off as screaming girls to be mocked， but actually as individuals and as collectives they are the life blood of bands like Half Light （who， by the way， I'm pretty sure I would've been into in a big way！）。 The friendships made， the random facts you can recite about band members you've never even met， the bemused expressions on other people's faces when you talk about it。。。 Spot on。Also great exploration of the PR machine and the brand identity behind a boyband， the fantasy characters created through a combination of clever PR and the fans' own desire to believe vs the reality of the real lives of the stars。 Finally the concert scene near the end of the book just about had me in tears， the descriptions and feelings again were so accurate。 Made me miss gigs so much。I also think Stef deserves a mention here - a boyfriend/potential bf who accepts your fangirl ways without question？ A keeper for sure！！Anyone who has ever been part of a boyband fandom i guarantee you will love this book！Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my review copy。 。。。more
Georgia
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I absolutely adored this book！ The mystery drives the story forward， but this book is so much more than a mystery。 It’s about friendship and family and I found the girl’s relationships so well written and realistic。 I loved how they unravelled the mystery （I had no clue who it was！） and wish I was half as resourceful as Hari and co！ I felt like I was part of the fandom family， and by the end I was so attached to everyone I had tears as I read the final few chapters。 Loved it！
BookEater
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Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an early copy of this book。*Sigh*I wanted to like this book。 I really did。But I didn't。From the first page to the last one， I kept raising my eyebrows， frowning， and clenching my teeth because it kept making me angry。I think the main character， Harri， might just be one of the most infuriating brat of YA literature。 I mean， seriously – her family and friends are amazing， and yet， she keeps being an asshole to them， accusing them of murder notabl Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an early copy of this book。*Sigh*I wanted to like this book。 I really did。But I didn't。From the first page to the last one， I kept raising my eyebrows， frowning， and clenching my teeth because it kept making me angry。I think the main character， Harri， might just be one of the most infuriating brat of YA literature。 I mean， seriously – her family and friends are amazing， and yet， she keeps being an asshole to them， accusing them of murder notably。 Girl。 Stop it already！She's also very veryyyy delusional and felt very childish to me。 For the love of God， I wanted to tell her to just grow up a bit。The plot didn't work either。 It's just – too much。 It's sort of like bad fan fiction published in a novel。 Every single thing that happened seemed so far-fetched that， at some point， I had to put down my Kindle and take a very deep breath。I totally get being in love with a group of singers， or actors， or whatever。 Fandom is awesome。。。 but it's not everything。Never in the history of ever will fans solve a murder case involving someone they're a fan of。 Never in the world of ever will members of a group just chill in a fan's room because said fan sent them an Instagram message。I honestly know the author must have had a lot of fun writing this， and I'm glad about that， but it just wasn't for me。 I need my fiction to be at least slightly plausible。 。。。more
Raz
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