Lies My Girlfriend Told Me

June 9, 2014
After Alix's track star girlfriend, Swanee, drops dead of sudden cardiac arrest, the high school junior is devastated. When a mysterious girl keeps texting Swanee's phone, unaware she has died, Alix learns she was not the only girlfriend Swanee left behind. Once Alix starts spending time with beautiful and grounded Liana, her father worries that it is a rebound, but Alix becomes convinced they were "always meant to find each other." This book tenderly explores themes of loss and forgiveness, but Peters's descriptions of Swanee as uncaring and possessive (after Alix's baby brother nearly chokes to death, Swanee immediately wants to "pick up where we left off" making out) make it difficult to understand why Alix or levelheaded Liana would be so devoted to her. Supporting characters, such as Swanee's troubled younger sister, can come off as contrived, but the two central protagonists have believable chemistry, and Peters (It's Our Prom ) capably addresses teen LGBT relationships without making them the story's sole preoccupation. Ages 15âup. Agent: Wendy Schmalz, the Wendy Schmalz Agency.