They All Had A Chance: A pact. A test. A dilemma. A murder.

They All Had A Reason #4

by Michele Leathers

Jane thinks she understands the game, but she'll soon find out one of her opponents is a killer playing by a different set of rules.  

Plain Jane Flowers is a seventeen-year-old summer camp counselor. This is her second year at Camp Sunshine, only this time there won't be any campers. Jane will be competing with other counselors in a series of challenges that will test her physical strength, endurance, and mental acuity. If Jane wins, her entire life will change. People will finally admire and respect her, and nobody will call her Plain Jane anymore. Jane teams up with some of her fiercest competitors, but soon mistrust causes a fracture within her alliance. Someone is sabotaging the games. The stakes have never been higher, yet quitting isn’t an option. Jane will have to play the game in order to survive.

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Thriller, Young Adult, Murder Mystery, Fiction, Romance

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 24, 2021

About the author

Michele Leathers's books have climbed to the top of Amazon bestseller lists. Her novels are fast-paced and full of jaw-dropping twists that will keep readers guessing till the end. Michele Leathers received a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from North Carolina State University and is a full time writer. She's not ashamed to admit that she's addicted to Diet Pepsi, chocolate, and writing. She's a shrewd observer of people, always looking for ideas and inspiration for her books.

Reviews

[Victoria ✮⋆˙ · Rating 3 out of 5]

These seriously go crazy fast, as I said before they’re not exactly peak fiction but they’re super quick and good fun!! 3* again! Waiting for the audiobook of book 5 now!

[Paula Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit I was a little disappointed at the angle that this one took as it felt more like a different series rather than the main focus being once again on Bellamy who we all know is a fugitive on the run who has killed multiple people and conned others. In Book #4 Bellamy is now Athena and is headed to Camp Sunshine to become a counselor and also blackmail the camp owner as she knows there is more to the story than the owner's husband just vanishing. When Bellamy arrives, she meets the other counselors including Jane Flowers who is a plain jane girl with no confidence and no skills. To be honest, she was quite a pathetic character and if it hadn't been for her connection to the disappearance of Shandy's husband Barkley then she wouldn't be important. I have to admit this wasn't a favorite in the series as Bellamy left without money and she was also accused of murder this time around is surprisingly she is innocent. The only part that got me excited was that on the ferry at the end was our podcaster CJ who has been following since the beginning books and it looks like he is closing in on Bellamy. He better be careful though as he doesn't quite know who he is dealing with as the Bellamy that left their smalltown has gotten more manipulative and cunning and is now desperate as her funds are running low. I have finally caught up with this series and now have to wait till May for Book #5 to be released. This series is great for readers of YA Thrillers and those who love new identity novels.

[Chlo (Taylor's Version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love me a good sociopathic FMC with summer camp vibes

[BrownBookNerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book 4 of the “They All Had A Reason” series. And like the others I’m this series, this one does not disappoint. We all know how Bellany loves to change up her looks and make a whole new identity all in the name of money and that’s exactly what’s going on this time around. This times we are at Camp Sunshine with shy, nervous Jane. She has been going to this camp as a kids but os there now for the 2nd summer as a camp counselor. She is the lucky one who get to be roommates with Athena( Bellany) lol. So you know she got some tricks up her sleeve when the camp owner tell the counselors that they will be participating in a series of games with the winning prize being ownership of Camp Sunshine and a hefty money amount. Athena drags Jane along in her scams to win at all cost but what she doesn’t know is that Jane has some secrets of her own and so does the camp owner!! Another great read!! Highly recommend!

[Bookish_B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh Bethany or should I say Athena. When will you get your comeuppance? While I’m enjoying this YA series and the journey, I must admit I want her to be brought down and I want to see what all the characters in the 1st book are doing. Hopefully that’s in one of the last two books.

[Yolanny Crespo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m addicted to this series

[Lovely Gaby · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Denise R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trust me, you want to read this series!

Some people change their name for a new start, to change, to be better. Not Bellany. She's the same mean girl on crack, sociopath that you love to hate. This fast paced, action packed, installment is full of those one liners that make you laugh out loud and a mystery that keeps you guessing until the end. Loved it! Can't wait for the next book!

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was soooo..
I don't even have the words to describe it. The beginning will definitely pull you in, Athena's thought process is very interesting to read. However as the book goes on,it seems less and less to be what it was advertised as (for me at least ) Jeb started off so promising but at the end he is just plain irritating and made me want to rip my hair out. The romance in this book is honestly laughable. I mean there is quite literally no development. She has a crush on this guy for YEARS and then suddenly this other guy, sho she has also know for years is nice to her and boom she's all over him? YAWN !! When they kissed for the first I almost dnfed the book because I could not believe my eyes. Like..I'm gonna need the author to be SO for real. The thing is..I don't even dislike the love interest, he's practically my favourite character! But lawd, the romance...yuck.
In terms of the ending? A bunch of convenient crap that made no sense. Anyways, what I'm trying to say is only the first half if this book is worth it, so basically...don't read this book.

[Yolanda | yolandaannmarie.reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

This installment takes us to Catalina Island, where the characters are camp counselors competing against each other in teams with the hopes of winning the grand prize, which would be ownership of Camp Sunshine.

The plotline is reminiscent of popular game shows like Survivor, but the series is starting to feel really drawn out and repetitive.
Even though Bellany is constantly on the run and manipulating people, the stakes don’t feel high enough because it’s a given that she’ll get away with everything.

I’m unsure if I’ll continue on with the series from here, but one thing I do know is that I would likely never recommend this to a younger audience despite how intrigued I am by Bellany’s character. Echoing my other reviews, the fatphobia is really becoming problematic and continues to be a recurring theme.

The “attractive” leading character is now being described as anorexic and “so skinny you could feel her bones.”
The “plain Jane” character with absolutely no skill sets is a “fat pig” despite being a US size 6.

“Jane hunched forward, trying to make herself small, clearly self-conscious about her weight. And she should be. Her thighs were as big around as tree trunks, stretching the seams of her size ten shorts.”

“Every time she moved, the entire bunk bed shook like it was about to collapse. Jumbo Jane needed to lose some weight. She was a disgusting pig. No wonder she had all that cellulite on her thighs and a jiggly butt.”

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in the series by Michele Leathers. I liked this book a lot, it was the same format that all the other books in the series had, with every chapter having a different character's perspective. That kind of fast-paced format I really like always keeps me interested and is a big reason I keep coming back to this series. I liked this book better than the last one because it focused a lot on Bellany who is the only character that is in every single book. This one kind of reminds me of the first book in the sense of there kind of being a rivalry between the 2 central girls Bellany and Jane. I really liked how this book ended with us finding that Bellany didn't actually commit the murder, and the reporter came back from the second book who I think will play a big role in the next book, and I'm pretty excited about that. Overall I really liked this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes murder mysteries and fast-paced shorter books.

[Justine Matwich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bellany is back and we actually get to see her perspective again.

This book was much better than the last. However, it still reads like a teen “thriller” (if you could call it that) and not YA.

One of my biggest pet peeves with all of the books in this series is that these characters are “in love” with each other after days/weeks of knowing each other. They talk about being soulmates and spending the rest of their lives together.
Specifically this book, with Jane talking about living on the island with Noah forever and their futures being set blah blah blah… did she forget that she had a full ride to college and was supposed to be starting in a couple months?

The story line is a little questionable but I guess if your a shady millionaire who’s murdered multiple people it could be plausible.

Overall a decent quick read, interested to see where the next one goes.

[Dava Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books in the series are interesting.
This one was the original girl again (Bellamy) inventing herself as Athena. This time Athena goes to a summer camp and tries to take over the camp. It weaves her through people's lives and all of the disruption that she causes. One of these days, she will meet her match. Is this the novel?
She is an employee at the camp and befriends everyone. She is the odd man out, as this is her first year there and many other employees were returning from previous years. Camp Sunshine. The owner announces that she wants to retire. She is going to open the opportunity to all counselors via competitions. Some are group competitions and some are individual competitions. How will this end? There is a lot at stake and remember...Bellamy aka Athena is onsite... Will people die? Will people get hurt? Are there children onsite? How will this turn out?

[fäer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oooooh! This one was good! I think this is the best book of the series so far; I couldn't put it down.

We have our villain again front and center, manipulating and lying all about. I know she's a bad person but, god, I love her! She's so much fun! She might be insane and have no moral code nor a lick of empathy in her heart but she always has me reaching for another page and another and another and another.

And now I have so many questions! Shandy was a truly interesting character too, which is a first in a book series were most characters besides the bad guy (or bad gal, I guess) are either dull or unbearable. She was creepy in a very intriguing way and now I'm just left wondering what's going to happen next!

Really liked, and enjoyed, this one.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bellany is back! And more of a witch then ever before. Camp is ruthless and she's the queen. Poor Jane, oh why was she such a wuss!? So irritating! I wanted to slap her silly, I was actually cheering on Bellany this time. Haha
Shandy is flipping crazy too, I could totally see her being Bellany when she was her age. She's a "don't mess with me" kinda gal too. Seriously, no joke.
Love the end to this one, can't wait because CJ is back!! Yes, I missed him, that old lady sent him off in the wrong direction, poor CJ, it's okay, you got this. You got your girl and I can't wait to see what you have in store for her. Heehee

[Intel Chicky Reads Romance (Kara Merideth)]

Can't stop

I started another book right after finishing my last review! (This is her daughter by the way) Again, like before I finished in about two days. I couldn't stop reading after every twist and turn happened! Going threw a bunch of emotions when a new problem projected itself into the book. All the chapters end with a suspenseful sentence, making you want to read the next to find out what it meant. It doesn't take a lot of time to finish the book if you get yourself into it. So, before I go I would like to say congratulations on making a hooking book! Now I will wrap this up to go and read the next one 😂.

[Gracie N · Rating 5 out of 5]

The owner of the camp wants to settle down, so she came up with this bright idea for the counselors to compete, and the winner gets ownership of the camp.

Bellany wants to win so that she can sale the camp and take all the money. She teams up with Jane and some other friends and break the first rule of the competition. No cheating.

Bellany sheathed the entire time. Jane became suspicious and asked Bellany straight up if she had the judge helping them. She said yes and said she volunteered (ON HER ON) to give up everyone’s check and a portion of then,okey from the winnings. They were upset rightfully so because they didn’t have any say and she volunteered their money. They agreed but thought it would be a good idea to record each other saying they agree to cheat just in case one of them decides to snitch they have proof that they all were in on it. And the winner won’t run away with the winnings. Bellany of course out smarted then by erasing her part of the recordings and turning it into the owner.

But Bellany was outsmarted but the owner and walked away with nothing.

[alishasbooknook · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was okay, I liked the idea of the games at the camp, that was a really good concept, I just wished it was more descriptive and had more chapters about the games, maybe even harder games too.

I liked the characters more in this book, Jane was a favourite. Even though she was incredibly gullible. The others were okay too, although Sebastian has major issues 😭 Athena is how she always is, manipulative and good at it.

I’m excited to see who Bellany will be next, I’ve loved seeing all her different personas and see her getting away with everything.

Overall, this was a very quick read, it was very short but the pacing was still good thankfully. I’m excited to start the next book!

[Rubi · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good!

Bellany is at it again! But this time, she has met her match. Her would be victim is just a vicious as she is 🙊
So you can imagine how many twist and turns this one had. This one didn't leave me guessing as much as the rest, it was pretty straight forward and I had fun reading about their contest. But even with me knowing things I enjoyed the way things came together in ways I wasn't expecting.
I am also happy Noah got a prize at the end, of anyone deserved it, it was him 😊

[Grace Glowacz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have this a four because I loved the books and the plot but I am getting so irritated over
Bellany, Tamara,, charity and now Athena. She is so annoying and honestly the way she thinks she is better than everyone else makes me mad. The way she insults people just makes me gag and I would’ve loved this series a lot more is she wasn’t so rude and ignorant. Like have some self decency and people also have lives you can’t just say that. I know this is a book but it still makes me mad every time she does or says something like that.

[Jemreadsbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great! Everything felt really planned out! The plot twists were crazy and I really hated Athena (Bellany) in this one! She was so rude and I really hated her calling Jane fat and making comments about her weight. Seb I also hated just because he was actually really rude for no reason.
The setting was great and plot points were good. The second one or third was still my favourite but this wasn’t bad!
Also there were a couple of spelling errors like Sebastain a few times!

[GREEDY · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story unfolded gradually, revealing its secrets bit by bit. Each chapter drew me deeper into its captivating world. The characters resonated with me, their joys and sorrows,a truly satisfying read that stayed with me long after I finished the final page. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a well-paced and thought-provoking tale.

[Tatyana · Rating 4 out of 5]

She's back again. Bellany strikes again. This time at a camp. She's still a manipulative bitch but that's what makes the story so good. I enjoyed this one like the others and I'm ready to read the next one.

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

That’s better, much better. Especially after the last one. I’m noticing a pattern of not good, good, not good, good. We’ll see if that continues though. Regardless, for me, this was my favorite one yet. I can’t really put into words why it is, but it just is. On to the next!

[Morgan Burnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This again was another great read. I'm on the edge of my seat now that they brought another character into the mix to continue onto the next book. I have been wanting their point of view since the second book and now I'm so excited to read what he is thinking.

[Megan McAdam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another chase, another body

I like the flow of these books and how they relate to the previous book. It is interesting to get into the head of the psychopath and how you learn more about her life.

[Priscila Gomez-Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bellany/Mariana fleeing Catalina Island without the money was SUCH a nice touch. BARKLEY BEING MURDERED BY SHANDY WAS SO UNEXPECTED (IMO) Idk how I hadn't figured it out earlier!!! And Shandy later killing Vince!!! WHAT A TWIST OF FATE LOVED THIS BOOK AND THE WHOLE SERIES IT IS EXQUISITE!!!

[Brittany Neireiter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easy quick read. The series seems like it has drug on but I’m this far in I have to finish. Very repetitive. She changes her look, meets new people, manipulates them for money, gets caught and leaves, and some couple falls in love. Repeat next book.

[Michelle Sporlein · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series, gets better with each book.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ooooh, Bethany, how I love to hate you. It's always fun to see what mess she is going to get into (cause) next.