The Bigfoot Murders

by Megan Gaudino

Seventeen-year-old aspiring detective Fiona Holly can’t decide what’s harder, recovering from a traumatic brain injury, or sabotaging her mom’s reality TV show about finding Bigfoot. Sick of parental neglect and memory gaps deeper than the strange footprints showing up in the woods, she embarks on a quest to debunk local superstition. Can she juggle her budding romance with Degan and the mystery she's determined to solve?

Genres: Young Adult

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 28, 2019

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fiona Holly is searching for answers. What happened the night she was injured? Why can’t she get her memories back? Why is she so seemingly unimportant to her mother? Is there really a bigfoot out in the woods or is it something more nefarious? Being an aspiring detective can be dangerous, both for her heart and those around her, but the truth is buried within the lies and subterfuge…

THE BIGFOOT MURDERS by Megan Gaudino is a wonderful young adult mystery that is cleverly presented in a way that younger readers will find completely entertaining as they follow Fiona’s relentless search for answers. A little choppy at times, but definitely a keeper with a spunky heroine and a whole lot of “strange” going on in her small town. Filled PC characters, deceit and secrets.

I received a complimentary copy from Evernight Teen. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Publisher: Evernight Teen (August 28, 2019)
Publication Date: August 28, 2019
Genre: YA Supernatural Mystery
Print Length: 208 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This pulled me in from the start. I like Fiona, she's pretty self sufficient and strong, but she shows her emotions and really cares about her family and friends. Her relationship with her mom is rough, what kid wants to know their parent doesn't want to spend time with them? But Fi still tries to have a relationship and make excuses for her mom. The mystery of what happened when Fi hit her head, why Deacon is avoiding her, and why Archie is suddenly so weird just gripped me and I had to know what was going on! I flew through this and the secret was pretty well done.
The only part I struggled with was the ending. It was very abrupt and I feel like I'm missing a chapter. Maybe since it's an ARC, there was more added in the published edition?
Otherwise, fun mystery and a quick read.

[Join the Penguin Resistance! · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE BIGFOOT MURDERS is a complex and convoluted YA mystery, so layered with puzzles and mystery that at times I wanted to shout, "What is really true here?" Needless to say I was quite absorbed throughout. I identified with protagonist Fiona and also with Archie, a strong secondary character. The backdrop plotlines were strong and foundational, making for a compelling reading experience.

[Tammy Ambrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually read YA, but I flew through this. I couldn't wait to find out what had happened to the feisty Fiona. I really liked her character. She was strong, relentless, gutsy, but also so vulnerable to the hurt inflicted by her mother. This story was so well written I had no idea what the mystery was until it was revealed. This is a strong 4.5 for the characters, the plot and the writing, however, like another reviewer I too struggled with the ending and wanted more.

[Erika Sarutobi · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars.

Another disappointing read with a good premise. It was going good enough for me to finish it fast but that ending was really horrible and unrealistic which surprisingly, doesn't involve Bigfoot.

The whole mystery with the Bigfoot and how it ended was obvious but what I liked and shocked me was the other revelation. What I hated about it was how the author chose to end the book with that horrible and unfixed conclusion which made me so disappointed.

Besides that, I enjoyed the detective work moments and the angsty romance but also hated how many times Fiona went with Archie then Degan next and shuffle back and forth constantly around the whole place made me feel tired.

As for the characters, besides Fiona, the others feel somewhat cliche or one dimensional. I wasn't into the banter between them either nor found the humor funny. Her amnesia wasn't much mentioned besides here and there and compared to most normally where they remember something each time, she only remembers it at the end. I haven't read a book with that much of a horrible mom, if ever really (which was intentional).

Overall, I enjoyed the angst a lot and the other revelation in the end but was disappointed with how the author chose to end it unrealistically and without solid conclusion which if she did, I think the book would have been way better.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Fiona loses out on her quirky small town's biggest opportunity shes lost. But, she has hopes to be starting a new romance with her long-time friend. One accident int he woods changes everything and takes her memories. Fiona then sets out to find Bigfoot but ends up solving an even bigger mystery. There's romance, friendships, and parental issues. They all come together to make one unputdownable story.

[Hennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, can we talk about the cover? Because it's AMAZING. I LOVE THE COLOURS. 4.5 stars

Second, I had a great time reading this book. Gaudino was able to write an interesting world with a fascinating scenery and even more charismatic characters. Honestly, the romance between Degan and Fiona WAS SO DAMN CUTE. I LOVE THEM.

AND THAT ENDING! UGH.. Wasn't expecting that. But, I'm glad it turned out like that.

I will definitely read this book again in the future!

[Bug · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was SO good! It surprised me and that is something that is hard to do. I'm also pretty into Bigfoot reality TV shows so that helps but I don't think you have to be to like this book. It really comes down to Fiona's relationship with Degan and her parents so don't not read this just because Bigfoot isn't your thing. But if you are into it this is for sure a book you'd love.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me want to run around in the woods with a cute boy and look for Bigfoot. No joke. That cover is to die for and the story inside did not disappoint. Degan and Fiona make the BEST couple. I loved the will they won't they.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately this book was one of the weaker ones from Megan. The characters were really annoying and as many said the ending was just too quick.

Fiona per se was a great character and I'm really really surprised she didn't snap sooner with everyone.

Also for a short book there are a lot of characters so at the beginning I was a little bit lost like " who is that again? and what is a Pappy xD"

Overall a good mystery though I prefer "Always kiss me goodnight" "Never kiss and tell" & "Sugarlump".

[DRA · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this story because the setting was so perfect, I didn't see the twist coming because you think it's one thing and then it's totally a different thing, AND THEN I loveed loved the romance. Made me wish I was them.

[Audrey (Warped Shelves) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is based on an ARC of The Bigfoot Murders which I received courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher (Evernight Teen).

Oh, come on! What was that ending? Really cool book; really lame finale! It's like the author didn't know how to wrap things up without writing another 200 pages or a cliffhanger or a sequel, so they just slapped on a "THE END" and decided not to think about it. (Granted, I can't figure how I would have finished the story if I had written it, but I'm still upset, dangit!)

Despite the less-than-satisfactory ending, I found The Bigfoot Murders, overall, to be a very fascinating and gripping mystery. Of course, there were times when I just started laughing out loud at the seriousness of the plot because oh my god this book is a thriller about bigfoot, like, are you serious?? But that just added to my enjoyment, honestly. Despite its dorky theme, The Bigfoot Murders is an honest-to-goodness good mystery story with some really nice prose!

I'm really interested in reading more by this author, and I hope lots of people check out The Bigfoot Murders whether they're into cryptid mythos or just want a good YA mystery (featuring a pet cat named Crocus!)

[Kookie9200 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this novel.

I gotta get this out of the way first. The ending is garbage. It's such a slap in the reader's face to end the book this way. There was no suspense, no build up, just boom! Over.

As for the rest of the book...It was a quick, enjoyable enough read. Not really heavy on the mystery, but I was okay with that. I figured out early on what was happening.

I thought that the main character's obsession with fulfilling a death bed promise to her grandfather was sad, especially when taken into account how young she must have been. I never understood why no one told her she could have a dream outside of what she'd been told. Between that and her mom's obvious obsession with her tv show, the poor girl's life is rough.

Basically, it's a Nancy Drew with a slightly modern twist.

[Walker Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever. I like it when a book makes you think it's about one thing and then flips the script on you. This book did that for me. I thought about 327 different things were happening and I was wrong on them all. It was misleading, I don't mean that I just had a hard time guessing what was going to happen. BUT I loved it. I thought it was very well written and I loved the romance between Fiona and Degan. They were very cute together and even though Degan was a little mean at times, all was explained in the end.

Overall, I say read this book. You won't regret it.

[Lucsbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reminded me of the beginning of Ya in how innocent and focused on small towns it used to be.
The characters are interesting and the plot twist at the end is unbelievable, I honestly thought I thid was going to be a werewolf story but it ended up being so much better.
There are some plot holes and some weird reasonings to why characters think and act the way they do but I really loved the characters in general.
Thank you to EvernightTeen and NetGalley for this DRC.

[Gianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. It was mysterious it was cute it was clever and I really liked the romance between Fiona and Degan. I'd read it again.

[Retro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this one. It kept me guessing to the very end. I didn't know who killed who and where Bigfoot was. I have to say I was really into this story.

[Tobe · Rating 5 out of 5]

i DID NOT see that ending coming and i read a lot so that's hard to do i love this book