Bumpy Oak Books

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

3 stars

Emily Arsenault’s second YA novel, All the Pretty Things, is part slice of life, part mystery, and part hard-hitting contemporary. Readers follow Ivy Cork whose father owns a doughnut franchise and amusement park. When a local kid shows up dead, things just don’t seem quite right and Ivy takes it upon herself to investigate his death.This book does mention mental health struggles and sexual assault, so please be mindful of those items.

Arsenault’s writing style has a natural flow to it, and the book was easy to read and progress through. Readers experience the story from Ivy’s perspective, which was particularly effective and impactful since she was away at the time of the death. The reader’s lens is limited to Ivy’s, so Arsenault is easily able to control the flow of information to the reader in that way. Ivy’s investigation and the rationale for her even taking on the investigation seemed a little odd, especially since there was no real mention of the police investigating beyond the initial questioning at the time of the event.

The choices Arsenault made, in the end, could be predicted based on the information she previously gave, but were executed well.

Ultimately, I don’t feel that this story will particularly stick with me, though I enjoyed it for what it was. I would not hesitate to read more of Arsenault’s work in the future.