HOW WE FALL APART

When Sinclair Prep’s top student winds up dead, everyone suspects her ex–best friends, whose secrets are about to be unveiled by an anonymous messenger.

Surrounded by wealthy peers, Nancy Luo is a scholarship student at the prestigious Richard Sinclair Preparatory School and a second-generation immigrant determined to repay her parents for their sacrifices with academic success. But it’s impossible to outrank Jamie Ruan, whose brutal competitiveness leads her to do whatever it takes to come out on top, including hurting Nancy, her friend of over a decade. After her dad is imprisoned for embezzlement, Jamie goes missing and then is shockingly pronounced dead by someone with the username The Proctor on the gossip app Tip Tap. The Proctor identifies four potential suspects among the student body: Nancy, Akil Patel, Krystal Choi, and Alexander Lin. All were former friends of Jamie’s, each one has a secret, and all of them, including Jamie, have been haunted by The Incident, which they’ve kept buried since freshman year. This standout prep school murder mystery features a predominantly Asian American cast that varies in ethnicity and socio-economic background. It honestly depicts the psychological struggles of overachieving students, especially those arising from parental pressure. The truth of The Proctor’s identity might strain credulity, but careful pacing and a tantalizing cliffhanger ending will leave readers thirsting for more.

An enticing new treat for fans of Pretty Little Liars and Karen McManus.