Prophets Lake may be a small town, but it’s the setting for big secrets. Fans of Holly Jackson and Karen M McManus will be eagerly turning the pages of this young adult suburban thriller to find out whodunnit. When brother and sister, Kyla and Mikky Graves, begin to investigate the murder of Kyla’s best friend – and beauty influencer – Erin Vaughn, they discover that answers are impossible to find. More mysteries are unearthed the deeper they probe.

As they question and investigate classmates and townsfolk they realise that everyone is hiding something, including, worryingly, the executives of Cook Cosmetics, the beauty conglomerate that has placed the town on the map. Themes of family, friendship, fitting in, mental health, social anxiety and trust are woven through the story; as are power and influence – not only by the adults but within the school cliques and hierarchies. The film Mean Girls comes to mind.

Both heteronormative and queer romances are portrayed. Though I found the pacing of Girls Who Play Dead inconsistent, lagging noticeably in the second-third, there were key moments peppered throughout that kept me engaged.

A full cast of diverse characters and realistic, contemporary dialogue and interactions, brought the high school dynamics to life, albeit stereotypical in some ways, but for these reasons will no doubt resonate with the readership. Like many books of this genre, filled with deceptions and betrayals, the haves and have-nots, spite and revenge, it would definitely work well adapted to the screen.

Reviewed by Alida Galati
Age Guide 14+

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joelle Wellington grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where her childhood was spent wandering the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. Her love of the written word led her to a BA in creative writing and international studies. When she isn’t writing, she’s reading and when she’s not doing that, she’s attempting to bake bread with varying degrees of success or strengthening her encyclopedia-like pop culture knowledge. Joelle is the author of Their Vicious Games (2023), The Blonde Dies First (2024) and the forthcoming Girls Who Play Dead (2025).

Visit Joelle Wellington’s website here.

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Read more on the Harper Collins website here.