A debut that keeps throwing curveballs with lies to piece together and mysteries to unravel.
The suspects are photogenic, but don’t let that fool you—some are rotten to the core.
Summer is the #PerfectlyImperfect influencer; every part of the 16-year-old Angeleno’s online life is cultivated and calculated. But everything goes out the window when her Halloween party takes a few unexpected turns. The make-believe of a murder-mystery party becomes all too real when Summer winds up dead. With her highly publicized tell-all book contract, there’s no shortage of suspects—it seems like everyone has a motive for wanting to keep secrets from coming to light, including ex-boyfriend Adam, best friend Grace, stalker Cora, and rival influencer Avalon. Whose secret is worthy of murder? The combination of flashbacks, Instagram posts, and police transcripts woven into the third-person narrative from multiple perspectives gives the book a pleasingly varied feel. Summer’s older social media posts must be reexamined in a new light whenever secrets are revealed. This passive-aggressive influencer wants to watch the world burn, and she drops hints about her revealing memoir in posts scheduled in advance of her death. The racially diverse cast members act like true teenagers, making mistakes like withholding information and playing detective. In the end, public perception is what matters most, and they will need to play their cards right to come out looking innocent despite suspicion thrown on them by entries from Summer’s account. Fans of Pretty Little Liars will devour this series opener.
A debut that keeps throwing curveballs with lies to piece together and mysteries to unravel. (Thriller. 12-18)Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-368-07836-8
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Melissa de la Cruz Studio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
An atmospheric and entertaining thriller perfect for snowy night chills.
A group of teens stranded in a snowstorm discovers a murderer in their midst.
While traveling on the highway to a state theater competition, Nell and her friends Min, Raven, Adam, and Jermaine are caught in a dangerous blizzard. Their teacher, Mrs. McElroy, who is driving the minivan, decides to stop for the night at the run-down and shady-looking Travel Inn and Out. The motel is labyrinthine and spooky, with dingy corridors and walls adorned with moldering kitsch. Nell and the gang meet another group of kids who are also stranded by the storm, making fast friends. A game of Two Truths and a Lie starts out flirty and fun but devolves into something more sinister when one slip of paper reads “I like to watch people die,” and “I’ve lost count of how many people I’ve killed.” The snow falls and the winds howl, and soon power and cell service are lost, cutting off the motel patrons from the outside world. As the first victim is discovered and the body count begins to grow, the terror becomes palpable. Everyone at the motel seems to have an insidious secret: Will Nell be able to uncover the killer before they strike again? An homage to Agatha Christie, Henry’s locked-room mystery is tautly plotted, with quick-moving nail-biting chapters, relatable characters, and a deftly wrought setting that paradoxically manages to feel both claustrophobic and sprawling. Nell is White; there is diversity among the secondary characters.
An atmospheric and entertaining thriller perfect for snowy night chills. (Mystery. 12-16)Pub Date: May 24, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-316-32333-8
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
Unlikely to gain the author any new readers but will appeal to her fans.
Marley, who’s on the cusp of graduating from high school, looks forward to going to college in California, but first, she must endure senior prank week.
What began as a harmless tradition to annoy the hapless school principal has evolved into a more serious series of pranks and dares orchestrated by the five Wilder brothers: Everett, Emmett, Rhett, Garrett, and Truett. Rhett, who’s Marley’s former friend, is leading this year’s pranks and imposing severe consequences on non-participants. When their dare results in tragedy for a group of friends—Marley, Luce, Jesse, and Atlas (Marley’s boyfriend)—they make a pact to keep what happened a secret. Marley continues to be wracked with self-reproach, however, and paranoia and guilt begin to tear the teens’ friendships apart. It’s crucial for readers to approach the book with suspension of disbelief, because the characters sometimes act without clear motivation and at other times seem to understand who’s responsible for events based on very flimsy evidence. The dialogue also becomes repetitive at points. While this may not be Preston’s strongest work, her dedicated followers will find in it the suspenseful approach they love. Luce is cued Latine; Atlas reads Black, and the rest of the characters present white.
Unlikely to gain the author any new readers but will appeal to her fans. (Thriller. 12-18)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9780593704066
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
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