WE DID NOTHING WRONG

A teenager races to find her missing best friend, afraid she might be next.

Lifelong best friends Lia and Diana are “good girls.” Lia is a straight-A student, a “rock star bassist” in a band, and an aspiring scientist. Diana is an experienced pageant competitor and the newly crowned Miss Teen Empire Hill. In reality, their friendship is strained: Lia is set to head off to college, funded by her wealthy scientist grandfather, and she resents Diana’s “thousand-watt smile and Hollywood hair.” Meanwhile, Diana struggles to save every cent of her pageant winnings so she can afford college tuition. These cracks in their friendship widen when Diana turns up missing one morning. The police believe she ran away; no one knows the girls were supposed to meet at midnight, but Diana never showed. Lia begins to wonder whether her disappearance is connected to the notes she’s been receiving from a secret admirer, who she hopes is Diana’s boyfriend. As she strives to find Diana, Lia (who’s hiding secrets of her own) realizes that no one can be trusted. This taut thriller keeps readers on their toes as it delves into the deeper issue of how missing girls and women are regarded, even by those closest to them. The central relationship between the two girls, who present white and who are realistically flawed and at times unlikable, explores how well you can truly know someone, even a lifelong friend.

A suspenseful tale centering on a complicated friendship.