Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Darkly funny, very violent high school murder mystery.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In Friendship, Wisconsin, \"where no one else seemed to understand anything except how to gut a buck and go to church and be over-the-top nice without ever really bonding,\" homecoming queen Ruth Fried and awkward Kippy Bushman have been BFFs from childhood, though Ruth's love life is starting to come between them. Then, on her way to a sleepover at Kippy's, Ruth is abducted, horribly murdered, and found the next morning in a cornfield. Ruth's mother gives her daughter's diary to Kippy so she can find some sweet eulogy material, and Kippy reads the snarky comments her popular friend makes about her. The service goes badly, and, soon after, the victim's football-hero boyfriend is jailed for her murder. Kippy doesn't like the guy, but she also doesn't think he did it; her quest to find the true killer lands her in many kinds of trouble and brings her friends in strange places.
Is It Any Good?
NO ONE ELSE CAN HAVE YOU is a bit of a kitchen-sink combo that's not for the faint of heart, but fans of gruesome absurdity (think Fargo) will love it. It mixes murder mystery, broad regional comedy, and sexed-up high school life with all the trappings of the horror genre (from gore, violence, and creepy mental hospitals to teens making ill-advised moves). Many teens will relate to Kippy's out-of-place feelings, her determination, and her creative-thinking skills as she tries to make sense of who her late friend was, whether they were really friends at all, and why she's so determined to find the killer anyway.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the level, and detailed description, of violence in this story. Do you think it adds to the story (and its scariness), or would the mystery tale have been just fine without it?
Do you think reading other people's diaries is a good idea or a sure way to learn something you don't want to know?
How does life in Friendship compare with life in your town? Do you know any similar characters?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Horror
- Topics : Friendship , School ( High School )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : HarperCollins Publishers
- Publication date : January 7, 2014
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 18
- Number of pages : 384
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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