Jessica Warman touches on themes from her Breathless and Where the Truth Lies in a novel that powerfully explores how privilege and athleticism masked the deeper demons plaguing Elizabeth Valchar. Part mystery, part psychological study, the book begins with a bomb blast: by the end of chapter one, we learn that Liz has just turned 18, that she celebrated with six friends (including her best friend and stepsister, Josie) on her parents' boat, and that the birthday girl wound up dead in the water. Literally. And Liz narrates the story.
Another classmate, Alex Berg, who died a year earlier, joins Liz on the dock. He tells Liz that he believes they are in this purgatory-like state because they're "supposed to... gain some kind of deeper understanding." Liz was in the popular crowd, with lots of money but little love; her mother died when she was nine of complications related to anorexia, and her father married Josie's mother just months later. Alex grew up with little money but surrounded by love and faith. Why are these two thrown together?
Warman spins a spellbinding web of intrigue while simultaneously delivering searing insights about life in high school and the cruelty and negligence that often accompany a sense of entitlement. Like Samantha Kingston in Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall, Liz must confront some hard truths about herself before she can find peace. Just try to put this book down. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness