Let’s Split Up is a fun YA thriller for those who loved Scooby Doo and Scream.
The book promises to be a dose of nostalgia for anyone like me who grew up with 90’s and 00’s horror but for young adults, it’s a great introduction to thrillers. This debut novel by Bill Wood has taken social media by storm, in part thanks to Bill’s already-established following as a BookToker. But is it just a case of social media hype or is the book worth picking up?
What Is Let’s Split Up About?
Sanera is a quiet town with very few prospects for those who live there. The teens at Sanera High can’t wait to escape and no one knew ever comes to town. It’s always been that way. But Sanera has a dark past. A wealthy landowner and his family once lived on the edge of town, hated by the inhabitants of Sanera for driving up rent prices, the Carringtons were shunned until a terrible illness took the lives of Robert Carrington’s wife and child. When his house burned down in mysterious circumstances with Robert trapped inside, the townsfolk said he’d cursed Sanera, vowing to get his revenge.
Hot it-couple Brad and Shelley can’t resist the draw of the Carrington Manor Ghoul, his ghost-hunting show is the only thing Brad has to hopefully secure himself a place at college. His episode at Carrington Manor has to be the best one yet but when they’re brutally murdered inside the house, the whole of Sanera is turned upside down.
Friends Cam, Jonesy, Amber and new girl Buffy decide to take matters into their own hands. Is the Carrington Manor Ghoul real or is something else going on? Where has Buffy come from and what is she really doing in Sanera? The group decides that the only way to get answers is by going to the manor. But when they make the horror movie mistake of splitting up to find evidence, only time will tell if it was the best or worst decision of all.
Book Review For Let’s Split Up
Like most people on BookTok, Let’s Split Up came onto my radar shortly before it was released. However, I was relatively new to BookTok at the time (I still am really) so I have to admit that I had no idea who Bill Wood was or the following he’d already gained. I did know that the book sounded like a bit of me though so I ordered it just after release day.
Let’s Split Up promised to be a nostalgic mix of Scooby-Doo and Scream and although I was sceptical at first, I can happily say it definitely delivered on that promise! The book is clearly heavily influenced by both of those things which might not be for everyone, but I loved it! As a 90s child, I was utterly obsessed with Scooby-Doo growing up. It was my favourite TV show and I knew all the episodes so I had so much fun reading this.
It’s a fairly simplistic book which might not be to everyone’s tastes but at the time I read it, that was exactly what I needed and I couldn’t put it down. I think sometimes people are quick to dismiss books or give them a lower rating if they perceive something to be simplistic but it’s not always a negative. Sometimes simplicity is needed as a reader so for me this isn’t a bad point. I will say though I didn’t guess who the villain was either which I really liked.
One of my only criticisms of the books is that sometimes I found the characters difficult to distinguish between. The chapters switch viewpoints between the main group of friends and on quite a few occasions I had to go back and check whose chapter I was reading. I willing to give the benefit of the doubt here though as this is a debut novel and this is something that could improve with more writing experience.
Overall, I enjoyed Let’s Split Up and for the nostalgia alone I was glad I picked this up. If you’re after a fun, quick thriller or you have a teenager looking to get into thrillers, then this is the perfect book.
What Age Range is Let’s Split Up For?
Let’s Split Up is a young adult novel. Due to the occasional use of strong language I would probably say that it’s suitable for ages 14 and up.
Beyond the language there’s really nothing else that parents need to be aware of in this book. It does feature male/male friends to lovers romance subplot but beyond hand holding and kissing there’s nothing else to it.
If you have a teen that hasn’t read a thriller or murder mystery before, then this is probably a great book to start with.
Sprayed Edge Edition of Let’s Split Up
The sprayed edge edition of Let’s Split Up was exclusive to The Works on a limited edition run. Unfortunately this copy is no longer available online but if you’re lucky, some stores might still have it in alongside the standard edition.
There is going to be another book in this series so I really hope that The Works do another sprayed edge edition to go alongside this one. It’s nice to see paperbacks getting limited edition copies and sprayed edges for a change!
Have you read Let’s Split Up or do you plan on reading it after seeing this review? Let me know in the comments!
Save this!
Think this will be my next read