WHAT HAPPENED TO THOSE GIRLS

When the daughter of an ’80s celebrity and two of her friends are found dead after a camping trip, her sister and friend are determined to uncover the truth.

California high school junior Emma Tedesco was supposed to be on a trip with her best friends, Paisley Horne, Harlow Spielman, and Opal Bushida, but they secretly went without her. Queen bee Paisley, with her “perfect teeth, shiny blond hair, and bright blue eyes,” was like “a genuine fairy-tale princess.” A ranger discovers the girls’ bodies at the bottom of a cliff, and despite the ruling, their deaths don’t seem accidental. Emma teams up with Paisley’s sister, Beck, who’s gay, and they head to Kingston National Park—the location of a trip Emma had originally planned—in search of evidence. The nearby town is full of rumors about a witch who haunts the area and the secrets swallowed up by the trees. Despite these ominous signs, Emma and Beck head into the wilderness and unravel a terrifying, life-threatening plot. The story is at its most hair-raising and suspenseful in the dark woods, where even the crack of a branch induces terror. Just when a resolution feels near, Greenwald introduces another plot twist. Savvy readers, particularly true-crime fans, will notice some aspects of the investigation that raise questions, but these elements aren’t overly distracting. Bisexual autistic Emma describes herself as a “barely-Jewish atheist,” and her neurodivergence is believably and thoughtfully woven into her experiences and friendships.

A scary success.