Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "You're No Better" by Andrew Joseph White. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)
"Bestseling author Andrew Joseph White returns with another horrific YA thriller, a profound portrait of a struggling teen trying to convince the world - and himself - that he's better than the serial killer who raised him.
Morgan Slaighter, a seventeen - year - old trans boy with autism, but his serial killer father in prison years ago. Despite that, everyone thinks Morgan will grow up to be just like his dad: including his volatile mother, the documentary crew following their family and maybe himself.
Desperately, Morgan latches onto his father's final victim - the only one who was never identified - hoping that if he unravels the mystery, he'll finally prove he's better than the man who hurt him. But this puts Morgan in the crosshairs of classmate Felicity Keating, who knows the truth about Morgan's childhood - that he wasn't just a witness to his father's brutality, he was an accomplice. And if he doesn't let them help with his investigation? They'll tell everyone.
Forced to confront his past, Morgan's ugly but carefully controlled world unravels. The film crew is manipulative. His mother's temper spirals into malice, then violence. And Morgan and Felicity may be more tightly intertwined than either of them can stomach....
You're No Better is a gritty and unapologetic comic - of - age suspense about teens who grow up surrounded by cruelty and are clawing their way to adulthood the only way they know how."
I received this book as an ARC from Netgaller, however all opinions are my own.
So the reason I wanted to read this is genuinely because I love Andrew Joseph White's writing and I try to keep up due to him being one of my fave queer horror writers. Friends, I'm not gonna lie, this was definitely different to Andrew's other novels that I have read so far, but not in a bad way. This was still as gritty, and gruesome, and not afraid to show it's teeth like the rest of his stories, however this was also the least paranormal horror I have seen him write so far. Which actually made this whole story even more terrifying. I have never felt so conflicted about wanting to root for a main character as I have with Morgan. This book was not afraid to show the ways in which trauma can truly mess someone up. The conversation between social influence, especially, when it comes to true crime was so incredibly terrifying and showed just how far people will go. I spent most of this book on the edge of my seat because I genuinely did not know what was coming next. I would absolutely recommend this story if you want a gritty, dark, horrifying thriller to read. However please do check up on the trigger warnings, because there's a lot of triggering content within this book.
I gave this book a 4/5 star rating on Goodreads.
This book comes out on the 2nd March 2027!
What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!
Have a wonderful day!
Love, Doe!
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