People Like Us by Dana Mele: Book Review

What do you get when you mix a murder, a mystery, and a boarding school? You get an exciting and fast-paced book of course! People Like Us by Dana Mele has everything you want from a mystery and more. With death, blackmail, and intrigue, this book is the perfect read for the Autumn season.

On my quest to find more favorite books, I have been adding every dark academia book I can find to my TBR, sometimes without even looking at what the book’s about. It is my absolute favorite genre, I am always in the mood for a good dark academia. You can click here to see my TBR for this genre so far. With People Like Us being one of those books I don’t know much about, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I read this.

But that is one of my favorite ways to start a new read, with no prior knowledge of what the book is about. I have found some of my favorite reads in books I went into completely blind. I love when a book can surprise me at every turn.

Also, I am simply incapable of reading summaries, to be honest. Don’t ask me why, but every time I try reading the premise of a book on Goodreads, or on the inside flap of a hardcover, my brain turns to mush and I don’t understand a single word. Who knows…

Anyway, I have really high expectations when it comes to the dark academia genre. I have read some really stellar stories in this category, so I tend to base all other books against those, my two favorites being The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo and The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. So, let’s get into the review, to see how People Like Us lived up.

4/5 Stars

People Like Us by Dana Mele was a solid read. Was I blown away like I have been previously? No. But those are some really high standards to meet. This book kept me interested until the last chapter, and the characters were interesting and well-developed.

This story follows Kay, a member of this “in” crowd at Bates Academy. Tragedy has struck this school when one of Kay’s fellow students shows up dead. But what happens when that same student contacts Kay the very next day, threatening to reveal her and all her friends’ secrets? Kay works together with other students in order to try and figure out who the murderer is, and how to protect their secrets.

The premise of this book is a pretty basic blackmail mystery. There is not a lot new in that aspect of the story, but it was well-done, which made it a good read. The characters also made it an enjoyable read. I love getting to know the characters in the book, and I felt like each student at Bates Academy had a distinct voice. The main character, Kay, had some depth to her. I loved that the people in this book were not morally golden, which is so common in young adult fiction. Kay and her friends were messy, chaotic, and sometimes even downright bad people.

The setting was also so much fun to read. There is something so attractive about reading books set at boarding schools or universities. I don’t think I’m alone in that, considering all the books set in these spaces. The world-building of Bates Academy in People Like Us was pretty average. It was not phenomenal, but in a story set in our real world, that isn’t always necessary. It got the job done.

The reason this book didn’t get 5 stars from me was because it was just good, but not great. I enjoyed my experience reading this book, but I wanted more. The ending was super predictable and the story used a lot of tropes and plot lines that have been done so many times before. Overall, it was still a great reading experience.

if you are looking for more book recommendations perfect for the fall season, check these out:

Horror/Thriller Books

Cozy Audiobooks

Autumnal Graphic Novels

Books to Read When You’ve had Enough Spookyness

I have been reading so many awesome books this season, and I have been loving sharing them. Blogtober is looking like it will be another success!

Put some dark academia book recommendations in the comments below! I’m always looking to read more books in this genre.