The Boyband Murder Mystery – Ava Eldred

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

_{Harri and her best friends worship Half Light – an internationally famous boyband. When frontman Frankie is arrested on suspicion of murdering his oldest friend Evan, Harri feels like her world’s about to fall apart. But quickly she realises that she – and all the other Half Light superfans out there – know and understand much more about these boys than any detective ever could.}

_{Now she’s rallying a fangirl army to prove Frankie’s innocence – and to show the world that you should never underestimate a teenage girl with a passion…}

As soon as I saw the title of this book, I knew I would want to read it. I love books about fandoms, murder mysteries and friendships. I’m so glad I requested this book because I flew through it and it helped me to get it out of my reading slump.

I knew I would enjoy this book just based off of the involvement of fandoms. I have been a part of a number of fandoms over the years. A number of those fandoms are for boybands, just like in this book. So, when this book had the murder of a boyband member I wanted to know more. This book made me think about what I would do in the main character’s situation. Harri’s love for the band Half Light is so similar to so many people’s love for bands like One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer. This book shows her loyalty to the band and her investment in the band so clearly throughout and it all feels very realistic. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

The murder mystery element of this book was a fun one to try and solve. It may not have been the best murder mystery that I have ever read but it was still a lot of fun to read about and try and solve with Harri and her friends. I enjoyed watching everything come together slowly and I was surprised it was not in a way that I was originally expecting.

I loved the characters in this book. Harri is very much like a number of people involved in fandoms. Harri has a number of friends in the book who are spread across the country as well as the globe. Harri’s friendship with Jas is so realistic and makes me want to be a part of their friendship group. The entire gang is relatable to all those who have online friendships as they have all found one another after following a band in the social media age. It is nice to see online friendships portrayed in such a nice light. It is lovely to see how all the girls had each other’s backs and looked after each other throughout the book. Ava Eldred does an excellent job of showing what it is to share bonds with people online and how important those friendships can be. 

The Boyband Murder Mystery showcases the true power of fandoms and exactly how fans make the bands that they love so much. As well as that, it shows how a band or a fandom can bring people together from all walks of life in both good and bad situations. It shows how it can all lead to life-long friendships and connections that are incredibly important.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is a part of a fandom and enjoys a murder mystery to dive right into. It is very easy to get invested in and I’m sure you will fly through it, just like I did.