Haunting and heartfelt.
A dead girl gets to tell her side of the story—but even death can’t guarantee the truth.
This dual-perspective psychological thriller invites readers into the fraught lives of two girls who are caught in a spiral of secrets, guilt, and betrayal. Told in the voices of Syl Jameson, a 17-year-old who dies in a suspicious car crash, and Viola Harrison, also 17, her estranged former best friend and prime suspect, the book deftly balances the paranormal with gritty emotional realism. Syl’s ghostly narration pulses with quiet intensity as she pieces together what happened and why, while Viola’s voice exposes the complex impact of friendships, privilege, and trauma that defined their relationship. The small-town American setting of Lovell (ironically nicknamed Love Hill) feels like a character in its own right. The heavily Christian community, established in the late 1600s “by white supremacists,” pushes queer residents into hiding. This work by Belgian author Paul, who wrote it in English, features sharp, emotionally resonant, and deeply atmospheric prose. The structure of the book, which lets readers choose whose version to read first, cleverly emphasizes the subjectivity of truth but can at times lead to repetitiveness. Even though some revelations lack depth, the narrative maintains a steady pace and will linger long after readers turn the last page. All characters read white.
Haunting and heartfelt. (Thriller. 15-18)Pub Date: July 29, 2025
ISBN: 9781662531897
Page Count: 377
Publisher: Skyscape
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
Only marginally intriguing.
In a remote part of Utah, in a “temple of excellence,” the best of the best are recruited to nurture their talents.
Redemption Preparatory is a cross between the Vatican and a top-secret research facility: The school is rooted in Christian ideology (but very few students are Christian), Mass is compulsory, cameras capture everything, and “maintenance” workers carry Tasers. When talented poet Emma disappears, three students, distrusting of the school administration, launch their own investigation. Brilliant chemist Neesha believes Emma has run away to avoid taking the heat for the duo’s illegal drug enterprise. Her boyfriend, an athlete called Aiden, naturally wants to find her. Evan, a chess prodigy who relies on patterns and has difficulty processing social signals, believes he knows Emma better than anyone. While the school is an insidious character on its own and the big reveal is slightly psychologically disturbing, Evan’s positioning as a tragic hero with an uncertain fate—which is connected to his stalking of Emma (even before her disappearance)—is far more unsettling. The ’90s setting provides the backdrop for tongue-in-cheek technological references but doesn’t do anything for the plot. Student testimonials and voice-to-text transcripts punctuate the three-way third-person narration that alternates among Neesha, Evan, and Aiden. Emma, Aiden, and Evan are assumed to be white; Neesha is Indian. Students are from all over the world, including Asia and the Middle East.
Only marginally intriguing. (Mystery. 15-18)Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-266203-3
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A deep dive into trauma, with light at the end of the tunnel.
A teen’s sense of self is unsettled by a kidnapping.
After a prologue reveals the hero’s captive status, the story introduces Sayers Wayte as he was before—an uber-wealthy, hard-partying, privilege-flaunting Texas teen who’s falling in with a meaner crowd (including a friendship with a bully who ridicules Sayers’ best friend for his bisexuality and targets a vulnerable nerd in encounters that rapidly escalate to disturbing levels off-page). The first act balances Sayers’ charm and potential with his character failings while keeping readers guessing who the kidnapper will be (and what their motivations are). Once he’s been kidnapped, Sayers must attempt to manipulate his kidnapper by playing along with who the kidnapper wants him to be—at first, it’s a ruse to create chances to try to escape, but eventually Sayers’ identity and feelings toward his kidnapper begin to blur. A dangerous discovery pushes his mind to the brink to protect him and keep him alive. Unlike hostage stories that end with the rescue, Roe digs deep into what happens in the aftermath as Sayers tries to learn how to be a functioning individual again and struggles with rebuilding his entire self. There are no easy answers for Sayers’ issues, but with determination and help from key friends, he finds hope. Aside from a character with a Guatemalan father, most characters default to White.
A deep dive into trauma, with light at the end of the tunnel. (Thriller. 15-18)Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-305173-7
Page Count: 512
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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