A 17-year-old girl lands on a big-hit reality show, “Who Wants to Be a Painiac?” in the aftermath of her mother’s death and learns horrifying truths about her mother’s relationship with one of Alcatraz 2.0’s most popular serial killers. By the author of the Don’t Get Mad duology. 20,000 first printing. - (Baker & Taylor)
Seventeen-year-old Becca auditions for a new, non-lethal reality show featuring Painiacs, hoping to prove that her deceased mother was not Alcatraz 2.0 executioner Molly Mauler. - (Baker & Taylor)
WELCOME TO WHO WANTS TO BE A PAINIAC?, the latest reality TV show on the hunt for the next big-hit serial killer. But don’t worry—no one is actually going to murder anyone, as real as the fake gore and pretend murder may appear . . . uh, right?
Seventeen-year-old Becca Martinello is about to find out. When her perfectly normal soccer mom dies in a car crash, a strange girl named Stef appears and lets Becca know that her deceased mom was none other than one of Alcatraz 2.0’s most popular serial killers—Molly Mauler. Soon, Becca ends up on Who Wants to Be a Painiac? to learn the truth about her mom’s connection to Molly, but things turn sinister when the people around her start being murdered IRL. Will Becca uncover dark secrets and make it out of the deadly reality show alive? Or will she get cut?
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Grand Central Pub)
“Another gruesomely engrossing installment” (Kirkus) in the thrilling #MurderTrending series.
WELCOME TO WHO WANTS TO BE A PAINIAC?, the latest reality TV show on the hunt for the next big-hit serial killer. But don’t worry?no one is actually going to murder anyone, as real as the fake gore and pretend murder may appear . . . right?
Seventeen-year-old Becca Martinello is about to find out. When her perfectly normal soccer mom dies in a car crash, a strange girl named Stef appears and lets Becca know that her deceased mom was none other than one of Alcatraz 2.0’s most popular serial killers?Molly Mauler. Soon, Becca ends up on Who Wants to Be a Painiac? to learn the truth about her mom’s connection to Molly, but things turn sinister when the people around her start being murdered IRL. Will Becca uncover dark secrets and make it out of the deadly reality show alive? Or will she get cut? - (Random House, Inc.)
Gretchen McNeil is the author of #MurderTrending, I’m Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl and the Don’t Get Mad duology, as well as the YA horror novels Possess, 3:59, Relic, and Ten which was a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers and was adapted as the Lifetime original movie Ten: Murder Island in 2017. You can find her online at www.GretchenMcNeil.com, on Instagram @Gretchen_McNeil, and on Twitter @GretchenMcNeil.
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Grand Central Pub)
Booklist Reviews
Who cares if Alcatraz 2.0 is finished? A new show is on the horizon, Who Wants to Be a Painiac?, which pits would-be Painiacs against victims in a battle royal (but don't worry—the deaths are totally fake!). Most fans have aligned themselves with the Postmodern Painiacs, who want to find the original survivors, or the Fed-Exers, who want to punish family members of the deceased Painiacs. Enter Stef, who accuses Becca's dead mom of being the infamous Molly Mauler. The two grudgingly work together to find the truth by applying to be contestants. Unfortunately, it looks like the show isn't as billed when the contestants are kidnapped and forced to face off against the Postman's second wave of hand-chosen Painiacs. Fans of the first book will be delighted with this sequel as McNeil introduces new teens to love, revisits Dee and her crew, and highlights new Painiacs with fun twists (such as Psychoman and Gorefunkel—a Bill and Ted-esque deadly musical duo). While this appears as a stand-alone sequel, knowledge of the first book is recommended. Grades 9-12. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.
Kirkus Reviews
Return to the frighteningly familiar world of violent entertainment—this time the murder is crowdfunded. When she loses one of her moms in a car crash shortly after Dee Guerrera and her friends killed The Postman and brought down the reality show-based death row Alcatraz 2.0, white 17-year-old Becca Martinello doesn't really care much about the resulting political and online fallout. That is, until a strange, attractive girl shows up claiming that Becca's mom lived a second life as Molly Mauler, one of the Alcatraz 2.0 eccentric executioners. The only way Becca can prove her mom's innocence (or guilt) is to audition for a new, supposedly nonlethal serial killer reality show "Who Wants to Be a Paniac?" and uncover its connection to The Postman—provided, of course, that she can survive long enough. With an established world to work with, McNeil (#Murdertrending, 2018, etc.) has eased up on the throttle with this sequel, letting elements such as political intrigue simmer effectively in the background and steadily integrating them to underpin the main action. Still heavily dri ven by fight and flight, the plot gains an extra layer of complexity as it alternates between Becca's investigation and Dee's continued crusade until the two collide. Inclusive efforts at representation continue here but are marred somewhat by "bury your gays" fallbacks. Another gruesomely engrossing installment with the promise of more to come. (Thriller. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus 2019 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.