One Stupid Thing by Stewart Lewis-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 16, 2021

One Stupid Thing follows four teens as they navigate the mystery surrounding a tragic, deadly accident that leaves them wondering: who is really to blame?

It was just one stupid thing that happened…

Summer on Nantucket island. Three high school friends drinking warm beer on a rooftop. Everything is cool, until a seemingly innocent game takes a sinister turn, and the course of their lives are changed forever.

For a year, they keep it a secret, until the following summer when they meet a mysterious girl with her own dark past who may have the answers they are looking for.

A story about friendship, mistakes, and the quest for redemption, One Stupid Thing follows Jamie, Sophia, Trevor and Violet as they contend with the consequences of their choices, navigate the drama in their individual lives and try to uncover what really happened on that fateful night.

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REVIEW:ONE STUPID THING by Stewart Lewis is a young adult story of suspense following three high school friends in the aftermath of an accident that killed a local man.

Told from four first person perspectives (Jamie, Trevor, Sophia and Violet) ONE STUPID THING focuses on the events leading up to and after the car accident of which Jamie, Trevor and Sophia blame upon themselves. A late night party, a little bit of drinking, and a teenaged prank leads our trio to believe they have caused the death of a local man but one year would pass, everyone would lose contact, and very little is reported or known about the accident, including the name of the crash victim. Upon his return to Nantucket, Trevor would be befriended by Violet, the step-daughter of a local businessman, and a young woman who reveals a little more about that night one year earlier. What ensues is the hunt for the truth, and the possibility that there was something more sinister behind the death of Brendan Daly.

ONE STUPID THING is a coming of age story about four young adults who face the loss of friendship, drifting apart with the reality of what happened and why. Hoping to uncover the truth with the help of Violet, Jamie, Trevor and Sophia begin to unravel the secrets of Nantucket Island, and the truth behind the death of an innocent man.

The premise is intriguing and interesting but there is more telling than showing, and in this there is limited emotional attachment. The details are narrow and bounded as the story line does not go into any depth of events, and the character’s actions are almost apathetic and impersonal. Sadly, I felt disconnected from the story line premise.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy