The Girl I Used to Be

February 29, 2016
New evidence makes a teenager rethink everything she knows about her mother’s murder in Henry’s (Blood Will Tell) underwhelming thriller. At age three, Ariel Benson was the only witness to her mother’s stabbing, a crime everyone believed Ariel’s father committed, before he disappeared. Left in a Walmart hundreds of miles from the crime scene, Ariel bounced around the foster care system and, thanks to a failed adoption, became Olivia Reinhart, and an emancipated minor by 17. Olivia is working a dead-end job in Portland, Ore., when the cops arrive to tell her they have found her father’s remains in the same woods where her mother died, leading them to believe the couple died at the same time. Olivia launches her own unofficial investigation and heads to the small Oregon town of Medford, where every old acquaintance of her parents could be a killer. Predictably, there’s a cute and helpful boy, a slow unpacking of dormant memories, and a shoal of red herrings, but dry narration and underdeveloped characters do little to elevate this whodunit. Ages 12–up. Agent: Wendy Schmalz, Wendy Schmalz Agency.

February 15, 2016
Olivia's father murdered her mother when Olivia was 3 and then vanished, throwing Olivia into a series of foster homes until she achieves early emancipation at age 17. Living alone in Portland, Oregon, Olivia learns that some of her father's remains have been found, leading police to believe that he was not the murderer but a victim as well. Olivia decides to return to her hometown and rent her own inherited house there, never telling the townspeople that she really is Ariel Benson, the child survivor of the murder. She meets Duncan, who recognizes her from a scar but agrees to keep her secret as he helps her gather evidence and possible suspects. The two comb through library records and casually interview townspeople who might remember Olivia's family and the murder. Olivia's elderly next-door neighbor becomes a special friend, giving Olivia a sense of family again. But of course, it's a murder mystery with suspects, and despite speculation that the perpetrator might have been a serial killer with random victims, readers can be fairly sure that one of the townspeople will not only turn out to be the killer, but will try to kill Olivia too. Henry unfolds her drama while keeping equal focus on the mystery and on Olivia's emotions as the girl returns to the hometown she does not remember and to friends and possible family that she craves. A solid thriller. (Mystery. 12-18)

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April 1, 2016

Gr 8 Up-Olivia Reinhart (born Ariel Benson) always believed her father murdered her mother, stabbing her 19 times before driving Olivia to a Walmart and vanishing. Fourteen years later, the cops come knocking, and it isn't the news she expects. Olivia's father hasn't been on the run; his body has been found only about a mile from where her mother's body had previously been discovered. They were both murdered that day, which leaves Olivia as the only survivor-the only witness to her parents' horrific ending. Olivia returns to the scene of the crime, the town she left long ago, to attend her father's funeral. Nobody recognizes the three-year-old girl all grown up, and Olivia uses this to her advantage. She sticks around Medford to see if she can finally understand what happened to her parents, and she uncovers more than she can fathom. With the help of some key players, Olivia is stunningly close to figuring out who killed her parents, but as the flash-forward that starts the novel suggests, it isn't likely she'll survive the truth. A fast-paced and engaging read, this is a strong choice for readers of mysteries and thrillers. The conclusion is reminiscent of Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones, as both protagonists learn chilling truths about themselves and those close to them. VERDICT A must-have for YA mystery-thriller collections.-Meghan Oppelt, Whitehall School District, WI

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2016
Grades 7-10 After murdering her mother, three-year-old Olivia's father dropped her off at a Walmart and drove to the airport, leaving scandal and anguish in his wakeat least that's what Olivia always thought. Now 17, she learns some astonishing news. Bone evidence indicates that Olivia's father did not kill her mother but, rather, died at the same time. Intrigued, Olivia travels back to her childhood hometown to attend her father's memorial service. Moving into town and hoping to conceal her real identity, Olivia grows desperate for the truth as semifamiliar people and places reveal new details of her parents' past, including jealous exes and conniving schoolmates. Gradually, however, her own fragmented memories threaten to lead her to the killer, which puts Olivia in grave danger. With her straightforward thrillers, Henry has carved a welcome niche for herself in young adult literature, thanks to her great instinct for intriguing plots, likable characters, and fast-paced action. The short chapters with cliff-hanger endings, not to mention the juicy plot, will keep readers engaged to the end.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2016
When seventeen-year-old Olivia learns that her father's remains prove him innocent of her mother's murder fourteen years ago, her world is capsized. Discovering the true killer means piecing together jumbled memories and gathering clues from hometown locals, sorting out the suspects from the friends in whom she could find a new family. A solid, engrossing thriller with a strong emotional foundation.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)