Beware That Girl

February 29, 2016
Kate O’Brian is a good liar when she has to be, and because of her violent past, that’s most of the time. She’s also good at making “demented rich girls” love her, which is how she goes from sleeping in a storeroom under a Chinatown market to sharing Olivia Sumner’s penthouse apartment during the girls’ senior year at New York City’s posh Waverly School. Toten (The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B) switches between Kate’s first-person account and a third-person look at Olivia, who has secrets of her own. The other plot engine is charismatic Waverly fund-raiser Mark Redkin, who is working on bedding most of the staff and some of the seniors. When Olivia’s turn comes, readers realize that he is far worse than just a hound. As the title suggests, the book combines a Gossip Girl milieu with the unsettled psychological terrain of Gone Girl. But while Kate is a strong character and there is no shortage of suspense, Toten’s desire to keep readers guessing results in a confusing and rushed climax. Ages 14–up. Agent: Marie Campbell, Transatlantic Literary Agency.