THE AMATEURS is an addictive young adult mystery about a group of teens who set out to solve a cold case that they all have special connections to. Sara Shepard's books are like candy; I always find them completely enjoyable and hard to put down. I never finished the Pretty Little Liars series but I can definitely see how far the author has come. 
 THE AMATEURS was well set up, nothing seemed to be too rushed or too slow. The relationships, both platonic and romantic, developed naturally and easily. All of the characters had really interesting dynamics with each other and it was interesting to see how their individual personalities played off one another (and sometimes clashed). 
 The writing was descriptive without being tedious, and I found it very easy to read. One thing that did bother me was the pop culture references, although it is a totally personal preference. It actually brings me out of the book and story instead of immersing me into the world. 
 There were a lot of turns in this book, but only one development that I would consider a twist - and it was a big one. Totally unexpected, it was a real game changer, and I absolutely cannot wait to see where it takes the characters in the next book. In fact, it makes me want to reread this one all over again to see if I could have seen the clues earlier. I can't say much more without spoiling, but it is definitely a cool twist. 
 All that said, my major issue with the book was that I thought it lacked clues about the perpetrator. With mysteries, I like to be able to form my own guesses from clues, even if I am being purposely misled, but I noticed that was absent here. The characters sort of came up with things and made connections out of nothing so it seemed impossible to be able to guess the "Who Did It." 
 I would recommend THE AMATEURS to anyone who loves Sara Shepard's other works, YA mysteries/crime stories, and even people that want to give the author another shot.