Derek Milman | SWIPE RIGHT FOR MURDER

Plot (via Goodreads):

On the run from the FBI.
Targeted by a murderous cult.
Labeled a cyber-terrorist by the media.
Irritated texts from his best friend.
Eye contact with a nice-looking guy on the train.
Aidan has a lot to deal with, and he's not quite sure which takes top priority.

Finding himself alone in a posh New York City hotel room for the night, Aidan does what any red-blooded seventeen-year-old would do---he tries to hook up with someone new. But that lapse in judgement leads to him waking up next to a dead guy, which sparks an epic case of mistaken identity that puts Aidan on the run from everyone---faceless federal agents, his eccentric family, and, naturally, a cyber-terrorist group who will stop at nothing to find him.

He soon realizes the only way to stop the chase is to deliver the object everyone wants, before he gets caught or killed. But for Aidan, the hardest part is knowing who he can trust not to betray him---including himself.

Review:

My friend Dennis on Bookstagram was raving about this book when he was reading it...and not just in his review, but throughout his stories and my curiosity hit an all-time high when I looked up the synopsis. A week later, a copy was in my hand and I was amazed at how big this book is! For a young adult novel, the plot was rather steamy, hit on a ton of social topics, and was rather lengthy.

I fell in love with Aidan the minute I began this book and recognized a ton of similarities in young Aidan and myself when I was seventeen....and even now in my early-thirties. As a character he is an equal combination of naive, smart, and quick-witted. The secondary characters were just as equally enjoyable to read and I felt all of them throughout the novel really held a purpose, they weren't just thrown in to necessarily stand in the background - everyone had their time to shine. As the novel hit its rather intense plot point that leads us into this action-packed and twisty journey, I was completely immersed, riveted, and shocked. For a young adult novel, this one is really a title that goes off its own tangent and doesn't necessarily follow any sort of rules or blueprint to your average YA title. This made me even more excited to travel along this crazy ride and at times, I was confused. I didn't know who someone was, if they should be trusted, why things were happening, and while I was confused, it was just the perfect catalyst to make me keep going....and I read it in one day.

I can't say too much else about the plot without spoiling things, but it was a nice break from my typical thriller and I can honestly say I enjoyed the direction that Milman went in, the characters he had that carried his reader throughout this journey, and the social issues at hand. There is a ton of LGBTQ+ representation in this novel and it was constructed in a meaningful, honest, and at times brutally poignant way. There were no smoke and mirrors in this novel, just brutal honesty that was refreshing and at times made me burst out laughing; these characters are exceptionally witty and even if they are in their teens, it was often reminiscent of some of the conversations my friends and I have as adults. I can't recommend this one enough and I will be definitely looking out for more in the future from Derek Milman.

Special thanks to Jimmy Patterson Books for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 4/5