FRIENDS LIKE THESE

A cruel prank gets out of control.

Jessica Sanchez and Jake Healy are their small town’s most Instagrammable couple, but they are only hoping for a quiet start to their senior year. Northern California’s Crystal Cove has a coastline with brutal waves, chilly shark-filled water, and riptides, all setting the scene for a dangerous location where a last summer get-together before school starts can easily escalate into something deadly. At a drugs- and alcohol-fueled party hosted by Tegan Sheffield, Jessica’s former best friend who is also Jake’s ex-girlfriend, the pair have a fight and go their separate ways. Jake goes looking for Jessica, but he ends up in bed with Tegan—and worse, his betrayal is livestreamed for everyone at the party to watch on the TV downstairs, Jessica included. Jessica’s heartbroken, but there are worse things to be: Jake is 17, Tegan is 18, the video that is now doing the rounds qualifies as child pornography, and the FBI is involved. When people go missing and a body is found, this satisfyingly gripping cautionary tale with multiple unreliable narrators in which nobody is what they seem ramps up. With pulsing dialogue and believable action, the thriller raises the stakes at every turn. The characters take readers on a journey that interrogates consent, bullying, and, ultimately, friendship. Characters are minimally described and racially ambiguous.

A fast-paced thriller to keep readers on the edges of their seats.