3.5 by the end, though it hit a pretty high 4 in the beginning to middle.

It starts out slow -- but still interesting -- as it develops the characters, then it gets really interesting as it unfolds the mysteries surrounding the group of friend, then it turns really dark before it suddenly is drawn to a conclusion.

The dark turn isn't too dark so it won't turn people off, but it did seem out of place in the idyllic setting (which might have been the point) in what I deem to be in the mold of a cozy mystery. My biggest problem that turned it from a 4 to a 3 star rating was the ending. It just sort of quickly happened and was done, like the author said "Oh, my deadline is looming I better wrap this up!" It wasn't a bad ending -- it just felt very rushed.