ARC Review: Meme

I received an e-ARC of Meme by Aaron Starmer through NetGalley from Penguin Teen in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been on such a thriller kick recently I couldn’t resist requesting this book. This is one of the titles from Penguin’s Influencer group and it was a really good pick. I honestly think I’ll re-read it for the spooky season and if you’re hunting for spooky books to read this year, you’ll want to check this one out!

Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:

For fans of One of Us Is Lying, a tense, psychological thriller for the internet age about the destructive combination of self-important goals and self-serving plans.

No one is going to miss Cole Weston. A loner without friends or family and an unhealthy obsession with the darker corners of the internet, Cole had become increasingly violent toward his ex-girlfriend, and threated to do so much worse. So it was only logical–only right, really–that his former friends took it upon themselves to rid the world of Cole Weston.

Now, Logan, Meeka, Holly, and Grayson are forever bound by Cole’s body, buried under the cold Vermont earth. The failsafe should any one of them consider betrayal: their old phones, buried with Cole, disconnected from service, and each wiped clean except for one file–their video confession.

As expected, no one misses Cole. Or even realizes he’s gone. But a few days later, the meme appears. It’s a stupid meme, old school and not even funny. But every terrible joke has one thing in common, the same photo–a screenshot from the confession video still entombed six feet under with Cole.

For starters, I loved the way we’re brought into this book. The alternating days leading up to, during, and after Cole’s murder was a great way to not only introduce the reader to what’s happening, but build the suspense and paranoia surrounding these characters. Honestly, after that introduction, I was prepped to sit down and binge the entire book. I only ended up reading about 15% the first go around, but the next day I had some spare time and decided to knock out the other 85% in one go.

I think that’s the best way to read this book.

This is a binge worthy book as you’re swung from point of view to point of view, each person experiencing different feelings and thoughts on this murder. And as we lead up to the end, even I didn’t see it coming. One thing I did have an issue with is the ending was a little too open for me. I wanted clarity on one aspect and we don’t get it. We’re just meant to interpret that idea for ourselves, which could have gone one of two ways as I see it. Either way, I loved this book and I could reread it again. Look between the lines we’re given to see if I could have figured it out sooner.

If you’re looking for an intense murder/thriller, you’ve found your next favorite book! This is definitely one of mine now. This is a .5 // 5 stars for me!

Meme releases on September 8th, 2020 and I have linked my local indie bookstore if you’re interested in preordering a copy!

I have a Ko-fi account! If you like my content and want to me get my own domain and host bookish giveaways, I’ve linked it here! Thanks to anyone who checks it out!

If this book sounds interesting, check out Penguin Teen’s other new thriller, The Companion by Katie Alender!

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