WELCOME TO WHO WANTS TO BE A PANIAC?, the latest reality TV show on the hunt for the next big-hit serial killer. But don’t worry—no one is actually going to murder anyone, as real as the fake gore and pretend murder may appear . . . uh, right?
Seventeen-year-old Becca Martinello is about to find out. When her perfectly normal soccer mom dies in a car crash, a strange girl named Stef appears to let Becca know that her deceased mom was none other than one of Alcatraz 2.0’s most popular serial killers—Molly Mauler. Soon, Becca ends up on Who Wants to Be a Painiac? to learn the truth about her mom’s connection to Molly Mauler, but things turn sinister when people are murdered IRL. Will Becca uncover dark secrets and make it out of the deadly reality show alive? Or will she get cut?
I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.
Gretchen McNeil returns to the world of reality TV shows and publicized serial killers with #murderfunding. This is the sequel to the thrilling #murdertrending, though instead of continuing Dee and her friends’ story, it highlights a new character, one who was the daughter of one of the serial killers on Alcatraz with Dee. The danger is far from over now that the Alcatraz 2.0 show is over, in fact, it’s only just beginning!
Becca’s mother recently died and Becca is feeling lost and confused. Things aren’t easy after her mom died, especially when Becca happens to see some strange, yet rather cute girl following her around. Stef is convinced that Becca’s mom was really Molly the Mauler from Alcatraz 2.0. Becca isn’t too sure about Stef’s theory, even with the bit of evidence presented to her.
It’s not long before Becca decides to join Stef on a trip to LA to where a new reality TV show is being produced called Who Wants to be a Painaic? A show that’s very much related to what was aired before. Becca is determined to prove that her mother wasn’t Molly the Mauler, when Stef’s goal is the exact opposite. But they both aren’t nearly prepared for what the show will really be about.
I was happy to find that this book just didn’t revolve around Becca, but also included the occasional chapter told from Dee’s point of view. It helps bridge these two books together, though this is still very much Becca’s story and Dee merely play a role in it. Dee, Nyles, and Greiselda have been doing the best they can to return to a normal life, but there’s really no normalcy for them after what they went through and the fact that there are still tons of Postmaniacs who want to kill them for ending their favorite show.
This mystery was definitely different than the first one. Before we had Dee who had gone through something traumatic as a kid and how it ended up playing a key role in her current situation. Becca is more or less trying to find the ties between Molly the Mauler and her family. But the show she just landed herself on is something far more dangerous than she anticipated. For naturally, this new show is almost like the old one. Too much like the old one, in that serial killers are trying to kill Becca and the other contestants…and as you might guess, not everyone can win this particular game!
This book was intense! It’s about the same level of intensity as its predecessor, but slightly different. Everything was more mysterious like in the first one, now we know the mystery and we thought it was all over, but it clearly isn’t. This presents more questions and the like, as to who’s now running the show? The answers were surprising, but maybe not as shocking. I still feel like I have questions about everything and I am not entirely clear if this ends the story of Dee & Co. plus Becca & Co. or not. Puzzling indeed! I know Gretchen recently mentioned a companion book of sorts to this series, but it won’t really be tied to the story at large. So it’s a matter of “wait and see” to see if that will provide any answers or not. But I’m game no matter what!
As far as romance goes, there’s just the littlest of bits in it. Becca feels an immediate attraction to Stef despite not caring for her mission to prove Molly the Mauler was her mother, but it’s there all the same. Even as they grow closer things push the, back apart and it’s a back and forth kind of game until the very end. So take that as you will! It was hard to decide if I should root for them or not since their relationship was so hot and cold, but it was sweet all the same.
I think the most confusing thing about this book for me was the reveals at the end. When everything was tied together about the whodunit and whatnot. I guess I just can’t wrap my mind around the why, unless it was really as obvious as I think it was. And I’m still not clear on the cliffhanger ending we had in #murdertrending either. While it’s mentioned in here, I feel like we didn’t really get an answer. So that poses my question once more, is this the last book of the series or will there be another installment to possible shed some light on my ever confusing list of questions? Time will tell I suppose!
All in all, #murderfunding was a shocking an intense thriller that kept me on my toes while reading! I was guessing every possible angle and avenue as to all the BIG questions! It amazed me how obsessed people were with this show and it was hard at times figuring out what side they fell on with some of the things going on. This is definitely a read that will keep your head spinning, but in all the best possible ways of course!
Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars
#murderfunding releases August 6, 2019
I should get on this series since I've heard such good things! Thanks so much for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteJamie @ Books and Ladders