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LAST GIRL LIED TO

A page-turner of love and passion that features a slew of unadmirable characters.

Teens pair up with and then cheat on each other while two go in search of a missing friend.

Readers only see Trixie through the eyes of others, especially Fiona. There seems to be little to admire in the girl who went missing after a party and who apparently killed herself: Trixie betrayed one best friend after another and was unkind to her devoted father. But if Fiona is right, she also faked her suicide and just walked away from the mess she created. Fiona’s present-tense narration is interspersed with frequent recollections of Trixie that gradually reveal what led up to her possible death. Fiona, almost incapable of making decisions for herself, drifts from one controlling friend to another, never quite realizing a relationship with Beau, her emotionally troubled soul mate. Her infatuation with Trixie motivates her to search for evidence that she isn’t dead, while Jasper, another domineering figure, insinuates himself into her life. Much of the treachery among this group of older high school students takes place at alcohol-drenched parties as the cast of white teens fall in and out of love, behave badly, suffer emotional whiplash, and then, eventually, move neatly on. Although the suspense effectively intensifies as Fiona discovers the nuances—and consequences—of several unhappy relationships, the ending is disappointingly pat for the enormity of the angst these teens generate.

A page-turner of love and passion that features a slew of unadmirable characters. (Fiction. 14-18)

Pub Date: April 16, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-250-15813-0

Page Count: 352

Publisher: Imprint

Review Posted Online: Jan. 13, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019

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PROMISE BOYS

Breathtakingly complex and intriguing.

When someone murders the renowned founder of an oppressively rigorous Washington, D.C., school, three students—all boys of color—emerge as prime suspects.

The police haul in a trio of Urban Promise Prep students, two Black and one Salvadoran, for questioning following the murder of Principal Kenneth Moore. For J.B. Williamson, Urban Promise’s strict rules and regulations are suffocating, but his luck seems to turn when he finally makes a tentative move forward with his crush. Jokester Trey Jackson, meanwhile, does his best to ensure his place in the big basketball game, and no one—not even his tough-as-nails Uncle T—can stop him. Ramón Zambrano dreams of one day owning a restaurant. In the meantime, he gets by hustling pupusas at school and refusing to succumb to pressure from his beloved cousin César, the feared leader of the Dioses del Humo gang. At Urban Promise, one false move can cost a college-bound future. Unfortunately, all three boys engaged in public spats with Principal Moore before his death; to clear their names, they must investigate and uncover the killer’s identity. In a masterful use of multiple points of view from both the main protagonists and secondary characters, Brooks weaves a tale of intrigue, doubt, and hearsay with ease, doling out crucial tidbits and clues. Each gradual reveal prods readers to reconsider and reassess. Featuring a sharp examination of systemic inequality in urban schools and Black and Latine boyhood, this novel delivers in spades.

Breathtakingly complex and intriguing. (Mystery. 14-18)

Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2023

ISBN: 978-1-250-86697-4

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Henry Holt

Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022

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ICON AND INFERNO

From the Stars and Smoke series , Vol. 2

Another engaging entry in this world of spies and international intrigue.

Pop superstar Winter Young is again drawn into the world of secret agent Sydney Cossette in this follow-up to Stars and Smoke (2023).

Though constantly on one another’s minds, Winter and Sydney have resisted making any contact with each other since narrowly surviving a mission in which Panacea, the secret organization Sydney works for, tapped Winter to use his megastar status to infiltrate a wealthy and powerful criminal underworld. Ratcheting up the tension in this enemies-to-lovers romantic thriller is the fact that Sydney is being sent to Singapore to extract Tems, a fellow agent who also happens to be her ex. Winter, who needs a plus-one for a Warcross Championship gala in order to better maintain his cover, invites his former girlfriend. Witty insults and crossed signals abound in the pair’s smoldering relationship, but this second installment is a bit darker than the first. If some of the betrayals and losses involved are easy enough to spot coming, they still pack an emotional punch due to the strong development of Winter’s and Sydney’s respective backstories, told in alternating third-person narratives, both involving abuse and psychological pain. Winter is Chinese American; Sydney is white, and there’s a diverse cast of supporting characters whom readers will likely see again—Lu has left the ending tantalizingly open for another installment.

Another engaging entry in this world of spies and international intrigue. (Thriller. 14-18)

Pub Date: June 11, 2024

ISBN: 9781250852915

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024

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