In her sophomore YA novel, L.E. Flynn (Last Girl Lied To) combines a series of accounts from unreliable narrators with news reports and transcripts of police questioning to build a riveting story of jealousy, hidden motives and possible murder.
"Girls get wronged every day of their lives, but sometimes pretty girls get to make it right." Seventeen-year-old Tabby is a Regina George-style character: white with dark hair, bright blue eyes, a mysterious past and a general "give no f*cks" attitude. Her sister, Bridget, and best friend, Elle, are the only people close to her. Neighbors and classmates eye the "impulsive, vain, moody, proud, sarcastic, fun" girl from afar. When Tabby gets involved with Mark, a 20-year-old Princeton swimming champion, those eyes begin to narrow; when Mark dies while hiking with Tabby, looks become whispers. Her town, her school and eventually the world at large revel in Tabby's takedown as she becomes the number one suspect in the death of a white "golden boy." But is the beautiful girl guilty? Or is she being wronged by the court of public opinion?
Though Flynn gets repetitive with her messaging, there is nothing to suggest readers looking for a feminist "bad-girl" story will find the narrative anything but true and empowering. And that's the point anyway--is Tabby a "bad girl"? Or is she a complex human suffering under the weight of a misogynistic society? Multidimensional characters and ever-shifting truths make All Eyes on Her a captivating murder mystery. --Siân Gaetano, children's and YA editor, Shelf Awareness