A page-turning portrayal of social media gone wrong.
Influencer teens fall under scrutiny when one of them turns up dead.
Life in the Lit Lair, a house where six 17-year-old TikTok stars have been brought together, seems glamorous on the surface: hosting celebrities, gaining lucrative sponsorships, pleasing their millions of followers, and throwing wild parties. Cami, Gwen, Tucker, Kat, Beau, and Sydney seem to have the perfect lives—until the day they find Sydney dead in the pool of their Malibu mansion. Now, with the five of them suddenly suspects, secrets come to light. An affair, slights over corporate partnerships, personal jealousies, and missing money all look like motives to the investigating detectives. Meanwhile, taunting videos about the brutal murder begin appearing on the Lit Lair’s TikTok account, one that only house members have access to. As events unfold, the killer escalates their taunting TikToks, turning up the heat and forcing the housemates to a breaking point. Mystery lovers will enjoy this thrilling narrative that shifts among the perspectives of each housemate as they navigate the tumultuous investigation. Some characters are sketched in more depth than others, but the author’s rapidly unfolding narrative exposes the harsh realities of social media and its possible negative effects on young consumers. Most main characters read as White; Cami is signaled as Latinx, and Kat is cued as biracial (Black/White).
A page-turning portrayal of social media gone wrong. (Mystery. 13-18)Pub Date: Nov. 30, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-42749-1
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Underlined
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Shocking yet bittersweet, this captivating page-turner truly delivers.
Teens fight to survive a harrowing boat expedition in Mexico.
High school seniors Hannah and Emmy couldn’t be more different: After graduation, steady and staid Hannah plans to enter Linfield University and work toward a nursing degree, while impulsive Emmy aims to fulfill a longtime dream of traveling the world. As graduation looms, the girls take a spring break trip to Puerto Vallarta along with Emmy’s parents and college-age brother, Jackson. When Emmy meets the handsome and smarmy Ben, the four young people head out—at Ben’s insistence—on an ill-advised boat trip with the sketchy hipster captain, Keith, on his weathered craft, the Be-Yacht-Ch. A day of Instagram-perfect partying quickly devolves into something else. While a series of predicted storms, which led other boat tours to cancel outings, threatens the group, secrets and accusations drive a deadly wedge into an already fraught situation. As romantic feelings simmer between Hannah and Jackson and Ben’s sinister psychopathy emerges, the teens are left to fight for their lives. Reading like a YA White Lotus seen through a Freida McFadden–tinted lens, this work will satisfy Lally’s fans, who will revel in the jaw-dropping twists and rapid-fire pacing alongside the subtle commentary on toxic masculinity, entitlement, and privilege. Each chapter ends on a pulse-pounding cliffhanger, adding to the already unrelenting tension. Even the most seasoned thriller readers will be surprised by the tense and emotional ending. Apart from the Mexican locals, characters present white.
Shocking yet bittersweet, this captivating page-turner truly delivers. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: March 31, 2026
ISBN: 9781728270173
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters.
When star hockey player Alec Barczewski’s estranged childhood friend, Dani Collins, moves to town, they end up in a mutually beneficial fake-dating relationship that reignites old feelings.
Following her parents’ divorce, Dani and her mom move in with Dani’s hockey legend grandfather in Southview, Minnesota, where she spent a month every summer as a child and where her friendship with Alec grew. Between visits, the two were pen pals, but they eventually fell out of touch. Despite some tensions over their loss of friendship, the high school seniors reconnect. Desperate to get off Harvard’s waitlist, Dani needs another extracurricular activity, while Alec—whose reputation took a hit when a photo of him holding a bong appeared on social media—is eager to improve his tarnished image for NHL scouts. The pair strike a deal: They’ll fake date, making Alec look like a stable guy whose academically gifted girlfriend is related to hockey royalty, and in exchange, he’ll get Dani a team manager position that will catch the eye of Harvard’s admissions officers. Eventually, complicated feelings about their past, stressful family relationships, and their brewing romance boil over. Romance fans will love the deliciously tension-filled scenes between Alec and Dani, who are believable friends with heavy demands weighing on them. They feel like real teenagers, and readers will enjoy rooting for them as the well-paced story unfolds. Main characters present white.
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781665921268
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
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