They All Had a Reason by Michele Leathers - OPTIONAL

They All Had a Reason (They All Had a Reason #1) by Michele Leathers, 224 pages. Sourcebooks Fire, 2025. $13.

Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Overhearing and recording a conversation that proves Bellany (17yo) is cheating on her boyfriend, Charlotte (16yo) can’t wait to have a taste of vengeance for all the ways Bellany has ruined her life. But Bellany takes Charlotte’s phone before she can show anyone. Following Bellany into the woods to get more proof, Charlotte finds Bellany’s dead body instead.

The teenage drama is real, and it is very present. Part of me appreciates the new kind of response from an amateur detective born of desperation instead of an amateur sleuth being lauded as better than a trained professional. However, I still wanted it to come together in the end, and it didn’t really explain what happened. Plus, the twist ending only served to confuse me further. It’s possible things get worked out in the sequel, but I’m not going to read it.

The majority of characters are implied White; Gemma is implied Hispanic. The mature content rating is for underage drinking, illegal activity, kissing, mentions of drugs and sex, and innuendo. The violence rating is for blood, corpses, assault, mentions of domestic violence and suicide, and murder.

Reviewer: Carolina Johnson