Reminiscent of Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars (2007)—readers looking for gossipy suspense should start there.
When Hope Callahan receives an invitation to take risks that her cystic fibrosis—a chronic, fatal lung disease—denies her, she enters a life-or-death game of blackmail and dares.
Stuck at home sick for six weeks, Hope thinks the game (complete dangerous dares and win $100,000, or fail and be eliminated) will provide much-needed freedom from her mother's anxious hovering, not to mention money for the medications they can barely afford. Instead, she and four other contestants are blackmailed by the mysterious Society, which somehow knows their worst secrets. When Hope meets her fellow players, she highlights a horror trope—"the Bad Girl, the Smart Girl, the Rich Girl, the Sporty Girl, and the Sick Girl"—and their sketchy characterizations do little to contradict it. Two girls are of color; three, including Hope, appear to be white. Except for Hope's strongly depicted poverty and conflicted love for her mother and sister, the characters and New Orleans setting are merely game pieces. Without further dialogue or interaction to develop them, characters' expository tragic back stories arouse little sympathy, and since the girls' interactions with one another are largely limited to completing dares, their close friendship seems unlikely. Certain events seem to contradict the rules. The villain's motives are nothing new, and the villain's influence is unrealistically wide. A romantic rivalry lacks chemistry, and the cliffhanger ending lacks buildup.
Reminiscent of Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars (2007)—readers looking for gossipy suspense should start there. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 8, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-553-50802-4
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2016
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
