DEADLY LITTLE LESSONS

For a chance at their dream future, teenagers must survive the semester.

Lia, who’s 17 and resembles “the ghost of a small Victorian boy,” has been kicked out of every school she’s ever attended. After Lia gets arrested for breaking into the school district office, her influencer foster mom, Tammy Randall, offers her a choice: Instead of military school, Lia can enter the inaugural class at the innovative, experimental Luminary Preparatory Institute. If Lia goes, Tammy is sure that her adopted daughter, Scarlett, who’s “a quarter Japanese [and] half Brazilian,” will follow. Attending Luminary, where students are tested and sorted into dorms based on learning style, means a free ride at a world-class university—but only for the five students in the class of 50 who graduate. With her criminal record and parents’ troubling legacy, Lia is determined to succeed. This fast-paced narrative captures readers from the first page. Luminary comes to life as Lia and her friends figure out what’s really going on at their new school, where students keep disappearing. The intriguing, well-rounded characters hook readers with their banter and touching interactions. Lia and Scarlett challenge traditional definitions of family with their strong connection and unconditional love. Through the intentional worldbuilding and complex characters, Valentine builds tension that will leave readers on the edges of their seats, hanging on to every word.

A heart-pounding thriller with shocking twists.