LAST GIRL LIED TO

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.