"Bad Things Happen Here," by Rebecca Barrow

“Wow” is the only word that can be used to describe the book Bad Things Happen Here by Rebecca Barrow. The book depicts what you would think to be a quiet peaceful island in France, having evil hide below the surface. As the story continues the reader's idea of what they expect to happen in the end will switch drastically as the plot takes multiple twists and turns. 

  “Rebecca Barrow is a critically acclaimed author behind the gripping young adult mystery Bad Things Happen Here, a novel that combines atmospheric suspense with deep emotional currents. Her storytelling draws readers into a world where privilege, trauma, and hidden truths collide. Barrow’s darkly lyrical voice and vivid character work make this book a standout in young adult fiction,” said Simon & Schuster. Barrow is known for her books that include the concept of trying to figure out who you really are, which is shown in both of her novels. In this book, the main character, Harlow spends most of her time trying to discover her real identity. Which relates back to Bad Things Happen Here  since both characters uncover hidden secrets and those secrets help develop the characters. 

In the beginning of the book we find out about some of the things that the evil island has done in the past and how significant those things have been on the people that live there. Over the course of the book, the evil of the island slowly starts appearing and starts to take more and more from the people that live there. The story ends on a few loose ends but also leaves us in shock as we figure out the real truth. At the beginning of Bad Things Happen Here,  Luca, the main character, is characterized by others as someone who can’t and won’t move on from the past as she is focused on things that have happened a while ago and she will not let go of them. Throughout the story the main character Luca, starts off the story really overwhelmed because of all of the tragedies that have affected her. Luca develops more as she starts to fully understand everything and understand herself. Luca’s journey by the end of the story is that she learns to trust herself and face the hard reality of life. She also becomes more independent as she learns to believe in herself. At first when reading the book I wasn’t really interested in it and I thought that the plot was weird and not something I would like. Once Luca started to get herself very involved in the plot it got my attention and slowly I became more interested. The book overall is a little too much for me and not a genre that I would like as the whole murder mystery concept isn’t something I'm interested in. As the story continued one of the main reasons that I became slightly more interested was because of the plot and how it changed over the course of the book. I think that the audience that would appreciate this book the most is Gen Z. I say this because the book starts off with a bang and something that would bring in younger audiences. Bad Things Happen Here starts off with the audience being introduced to the evil of the island. I think this would attract younger audiences because the book starts off by mentioning death, something that attracts younger audiences in stories. Overall Bad Things Happen Here, by Rebecca Barrow, was not my favorite book but it did keep me interested throughout the story as the plot does change multiple times. If the concept of murder mystery interests and having to solve mystery’s interests you this is 100% the book for you. It is an overall great story with a lot of real world factors being displayed.