Title: Even If We Break
Author: Marieke Nijkamp
Type: Fiction
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Mystery,
Thriller, Horror, LGBTQ
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Date published: September 15, 2020

A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp comes a shocking new thriller about a group of friends tied together by a game and the deadly weekend that tears them apart.

FIVE friends go to a cabin.
FOUR of them are hiding secrets.
THREE years of history bind them.
TWO are doomed from the start.
ONE person wants to end this.
NO ONE IS SAFE.

Are you ready to play?

⤖ My Review ⬻

I don’t read thrillers books as often as I would like. So, I was pretty excited to read Even if We Break! I’ve also been wanting to pick up one of Marieke Nijkamp’s books for a while, so this just added to my excitement. I started reading and got pulled right in–and I think part of it is that Nijkamp started the narrative with the characters already on their way to the cottage at which most of the action is to take place. I liked that there wasn’t too much lead-up, but that the characters’ relationships and characteristics were flushed out through the use of flashbacks and internal dialogue.

Once I got to know the characters better, I was very delighted to find that the cast showed representation for LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, those on the Autism spectrum, and those with chronic pain among others. It was also interesting how the author added LARPing (live-action role-playing) into the mix as I’ve always been curious about it and think that it definitely added a layer of intrigue to the mystery. I also hadn’t read a book featuring LARPing before, so that was a new experience for me as well. To top it all off, I wasn’t able to predict who the killer was and I enjoyed being in the dark since it kept the mystery alive for me until the very end. I will definitely be picking up more of Nijkamp’s books in the future!

⤖ About the Author ⬻

Marieke Nijkamp was born and raised in the Netherlands. A lifelong student of stories, language, and ideas, she spends as much time in fictional worlds as she does the real world. She loves to travel, roll dice, and daydream. Marieke’s YA novels include: This Is Where It Ends, which follows four teens during the fifty-four minutes of a school shooting. Before I Let Go, a haunting murder mystery set during a cruel Alaskan winter. Even If We Break, a cabin-in-the-woods type thriller, following five teens, the RPG game that binds them, and the secrets that threaten to break them. When The Night Comes, pitched as The Society meets Contagion. Additionally, Marieke is the editor of Unbroken, an anthology of 13 stories starring disabled teens, written by disabled authors. Marieke’s graphic novels and comics include:  The Oracle Code, a graphic novel for DC Books for Young Readers, with art by Manuel Preitano. Goosebumps: Secrets of the Swamp, a comic miniseries by IDW Publishing, with art by Yasmin Flores Montanez.

⤖ Purchase the Book ⬻

⤖ Let’s Chat ⬻

THANK YOU FOR READING MY REVIEW! HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? WHAT DID YOU THINK? AND IF YOU HAVEN’T READ IT YET, DO YOU WANT TO, OR NOT? HOW COME? LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS!