Last Girl Lied To

February 15, 2019
Teens pair up with and then cheat on each other while two go in search of a missing friend.Readers only see Trixie through the eyes of others, especially Fiona. There seems to be little to admire in the girl who went missing after a party and who apparently killed herself: Trixie betrayed one best friend after another and was unkind to her devoted father. But if Fiona is right, she also faked her suicide and just walked away from the mess she created. Fiona's present-tense narration is interspersed with frequent recollections of Trixie that gradually reveal what led up to her possible death. Fiona, almost incapable of making decisions for herself, drifts from one controlling friend to another, never quite realizing a relationship with Beau, her emotionally troubled soul mate. Her infatuation with Trixie motivates her to search for evidence that she isn't dead, while Jasper, another domineering figure, insinuates himself into her life. Much of the treachery among this group of older high school students takes place at alcohol-drenched parties as the cast of white teens fall in and out of love, behave badly, suffer emotional whiplash, and then, eventually, move neatly on. Although the suspense effectively intensifies as Fiona discovers the nuances--and consequences--of several unhappy relationships, the ending is disappointingly pat for the enormity of the angst these teens generate.A page-turner of love and passion that features a slew of unadmirable characters. (Fiction. 14-18)

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April 1, 2019

Gr 10 Up-On the same day Fiona's best friend successfully steals her longtime crush, she meets Trixie. Trixie is edgy and different, and Fiona needs her, because she is unraveling. She immediately quits cheerleading, gains weight, ditches all her old friends, and begins living in Trixie's shadow. Then Trixie disappears into the ocean. Everyone thinks it was a suicide, but Fiona doesn't believe she's dead. Did Trixie leave and start a new life? And what does her disappearance have to do with the death of another boy from their school one year earlier? Chapters alternate between past and present, a technique that works at times but occasionally creates confusion and pacing problems. While the mystery is compelling, the shallow relationships and completely self-serving choices made by all of the characters make it hard to care. A pretty big twist at the end is worth the wait if readers make it that far. VERDICT A bit melodramatic, but this novel could find a place in larger collections where YA mysteries are popular.-Mandy Laferriere, Fowler Middle School, Frisco, TX

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