SHE’S SO DEAD TO US

As in the author’s Non-Blonde Cheerleader and Private series (the latter written as Kate Brian), this first installment in a new series depicts the twin angsts of high school and high society. Ally Ryan’s father lost everything, including some of his neighbors’ wealth, in a bad investment scheme, forcing the family to move away suddenly from their crest-top home in small-town New Jersey without any goodbyes. Eighteen months later, her father has disappeared, and Ally and her mother return to Orchard Hill, this time to live in a small condo as the teen starts her junior year. Viewpoints alternate between Ally, who longs for her old “Crestie” friends despite the fact that they blame her for her father’s mistakes and constantly remind her that she is now a “Norm,” and Jake Graydon, whose family took over Ally’s house and is also trying to secure a place within the Crestie tradition. Their insider/outsider, on-again/off-again romance, secrets galore and plenty of twists drive the story’s tension. A cliffhanger ending will entice teens back for more high-school clique drama. (Fiction. YA)