3.75I wish Giles would take some thriller writing workshops from E. Lockhart or Jennifer Lynn Barnes because this book could have been so good. He was missing some character development that would have made this book a 4 star or more.This book is basically a thriller/whodunit in the music/rap world which in itself is nuanced. Considering the mysterious deaths of Biggie and Tupac, this setting is not out of the ordinary. My issues with this book are minor but it was a lot of little things that ad...

I absolutely loved this one! Very Veronica Mars meets IQ. I cannot recommend the audiobook enough- the three narrators were really wonderful, and had me glued to phone, listening until the very end. I already adore Lamar Giles, and so glad that he's a Virginia author, and Spin was everything I loved (murder, mystery, teen sleuths) and more! I would read a whole series with Fuse and Kya, navigating their friendship, eating at Five Guys and solving mysteries.

Giles has a winner here!! Gripping from the start, I loved this mystery about the murder of a talented young DJ. I think teen readers will LOVE this book- the social media, the friendships, school life and language was all spot on. And it will certainly appeal to our high taste readers (s/o to Nic Stone) even with the length. Giles manages to layer in a lot here: the characters meditate on class, race, and whose story gets told in the media and why. I will absolutely be purchasing two copies for...

Man, this was so good. I always think Giles's thrillers are good but I think this is my fave so far. I just loved the voices, loved the pacing, loved the way he incorporated the dark web, fandom (and standom), and social justice, and also made it a friendship story, not to mention I thought the mystery went to a very cool place. I am such a fan and this was honestly even better than I thought it'd be.

Not only does this book feature a brilliantly gripping mystery, it also superbly explores the all too prevalent and dangerous issue regarding the lack of interest/effort from the public and police when it comes to looking for justice for crimes against Black girls and women. Despite a somewhat slow start, I found myself entirely hooked to this story. I loved Kya, Fuse and Paris's distinct voices (which were especially well portrayed in the audiobook narration). It's got a gripping mystery, fanta...

First, if you're looking for diverse characters, this is for you. It's not 'diversity for diversity's sake'. In other words, this isn't some dude jumping on the diverse YA bandwagon. He's been writing for a while. The author himself is a POC and (shock!) he understands that POC aren't all the same. We have rich people, poor people, people who love music, people who code. Of all races. This will appeal to any YA reader.Looking beyond the diversity tag, we simply have an excellent YA thriller. It'...

Mr. Giles’ Spin is a suck-you-in-so-fast YA suspense novel centered around teen-aged rising star, DJ ParSec. Or maybe more honestly, her murder.Childhood friend and confidante, Kya, is incredibly proud of Paris’ success. Not just because of her own countless contributions in creating ParSec’s first set up. Kya has always been her biggest fan, staunchest supporter and most fierce defender. But, when one event shatters a huge part of Kya’s life and she desperately needs her best bud, she gets the

I’ll be honest and say I’ve never been a huge fan of murder mysteries. I feel all books written as so are pretty predictable as it is more likely of a reader nowadays to evidently know who the killer is. Nonetheless, Spin by Lamar Giles completely reversed my opinion with its radical take on the classic murder mystery. The School Library Journal agrees with me in their review on Amazon Books stating, “This novel transcends its genre.” The book’s unique twist on its genre and strong message made

"How much grief, on average, does it take to break a person?" This novel follows two girls who must work together to figure out who murdered their respective friend, a DJ named Paris. Kya is a soft-spoken tech genius, while Fuse is a charismatic rich girl great at marketing. They don't like each other at first, but slowly form a bond as they track down Paris's killer. I loved their dynamic, and the dialog between them was perfect. Kya and Fuse were well-developed characters, even if no one else

I love Giles’ characters and this time he gave me three great ones! DJ ParSec, real name Paris Secord, is a sixteen-year-old up-and-coming DJ ready for fame and most importantly fortune–or was before she was murdered. Being questioned in the police station are Fuse, basically her social media hype girl, and Kya, her childhood best friend. But the questioning doesn’t last long because the girls’ parents refuse to let the police keep questioning them, plus they swear they just found Paris dead and...

A really compelling mystery about a murdered DJ, her two closest friends/fans who -- at the time of her death -- were on the outs with her, and about police brutality, black justice, racial inequality in the media (there was a lot here reminiscent of Tiffany D. Jackson's MONDAY'S NOT COMING), and about social media and technology and the Dark Web. The twists here are solid and compelling, and both Kya and Fuse both have outstanding voices. This is my first Giles and won't be my last. Though Angi...

DJ Parsec, a popular teen DJ, was found murdered on her turntables. Now, her best friends, Fuse and Kya, are suspects. These girls despise one another, but are thrown together to solve their mutual friends’ murder. I really liked this YA murder mystery set inside the music world, equipped with the stan-base “ParNec Nation”. It was very much like what you see in social media where artists have their extreme followers, i.e. Bey Hive, Barbz, etc. being so deeply involved in an artists dealings and

I think a younger crowd (read: my students) would really like this book. There was a mix of music, drama, hip hop culture, and mystery. Not my usual meal of detectives and who-done-its, but a nice little snack nonetheless.

I really enjoyed this fast-paced YA mystery! A riveting story of two high-schoolers thrown into solving the mystery of their best friend’s death. After popular teen DJ, Paris Secord is murdered, two of her friends (who are not on speaking terms) come under public suspicion. Both girls are forced to band together against a group of darkly fanatic supporters, uncooperative police staff, and other hindrances to their efforts.This novel is captivating, and I finished the 10-hour audiobook in two day...

This book was DOPE.The mystery was well done, with enough red herrings to keep me entranced. And the beautiful acknowledgment and integration of current and past hip-hop was extremely on point.My only complaint was the audiobook, which would have done better to secure younger narrators to match the tone of the text. Bahni Turpin is always amazing, but there were a lot of times throughout the book where it was easy to forget the intended ages of the characters. AND one of the other narrators tend...

I've read other works by this author before in anthologies so I was excited to read a full length novel. It did take me some time to get into the story but once I did, I was hooked. I enjoyed how in depth this book was when it came to music, shady people and the intense fandom as well. This book also touched on the lack of media coverage when a person of color is killed which I thought was an important topic as well. When the killer is revealed I honestly wasn’t expecting it to be that person. I...

3.5/5This is the most 2019 book I've ever read. The pop culture references in this book will NOT stand the test of time, but the murder mystery had me hooked! Multiple narrators help drive the plot, and readers first meet Kaya and Fuse in the police station, shortly after they both find their friend and up and coming musician, Par-Sec, dead.Kaya has been Par-Sec's friend since they were children, both commiserating over having absent fathers, living a life made up of thrift store finds and hand

Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || Amazon || PinterestWow, Scholastic went edgy. When I was a kid, I think the most controversial book I ever read from a Scholastic imprint was Louis Sachar's HOLES. I'm honestly psyched about this, because I've gone on rants before about how way too many young adults books try to over-simplify and over-sanitize their content to make it kid-friendly, when we live in a world that really isn't kid-friendly and kids are going to look for content they relate to.

Fun, fast-paced, gripping mystery. I had an inkling about the whodunit part but there were a few other twists that I didn't see coming.

Frustrated, I said, "We already told you we didn't do it!""We heard you. But our demand is simple: Find out who did." Paris Secord, also known as DJ ParSec, has begun to make a name for herself. But she's still reaching when her life is cut painfully short. She's found dead, sprawled on her own turntable, by her two best friends: Kya Caine, the girl who was Paris's only best friend before her fame, and Fatima "Fuse" Fallon, the fan-turned-friend who helped manage Paris's social media. The gir