Engrossing.
High school junior Shade joins the cheerleading team so she can fly, and despite the turmoil that threatens to bring her down, she does.
Social outsiders Shade Meyer and best friend Jadis Braff are so tight, they can’t tell where one begins and the other ends. But one thing they don’t agree on is cheer: Jadis doesn’t get why Shade wants to attend pep rallies to watch the cheerleaders, but former gymnast Shade wants to share in their glory. Unable to resist the pull, she joins the squad, which is led by a trio of Chloes. Of the three, it is Chloe Orbach who really reigns, sparking a rivalry with Chloe Schmidt. Tensions between the girls heighten when Chloe Orbach takes Shade under her wing, signaling changes in long-standing relationships. Things come to a head at the homecoming dance when Chloe Orbach overdoses and dies. Who gave her the lethal dose? High school drama, cliques, jealousy, obsession, the power of friendship, and the toxicity of codependence are explored with sensitivity. This is all balanced seamlessly against family dynamics, making for an unusually complex story. Shade must struggle with her suspicions about Jadis’ possible involvement in Chloe Orbach’s death before she can determine the real culprit. When she finally sees past the irrelevant details, Shade finds herself on solid footing, ready to launch herself independently into the world. Everything ties up rather neatly but gratifyingly so. Main characters default to White.
Engrossing. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-11414-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense.
Everyone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago—except Pippa Fitz-Amobi.
Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood; he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school. For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. The original investigation concluded with most of the evidence pointing to Sal, who was found dead in the woods, apparently by suicide. Andie’s body was never recovered, and Sal was assumed by most to be guilty of abduction and murder. Unable to ignore the gaps in the case, Pip sets out to prove Sal’s innocence, beginning with interviewing his younger brother, Ravi. With his help, Pip digs deeper, unveiling unsavory facts about Andie and the real reason Sal’s friends couldn’t provide him with an alibi. But someone is watching, and Pip may be in more danger than she realizes. Pip’s sleuthing is both impressive and accessible. Online articles about the case and interview transcripts are provided throughout, and Pip’s capstone logs offer insights into her thought processes as new evidence and suspects arise. Jackson’s debut is well-executed and surprises readers with a connective web of interesting characters and motives. Pip and Andie are white, and Sal is of Indian descent.
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense. (Mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-9636-0
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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