Girl Last Seen

February 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-This novel draws readers deep into the twisted world of two viral singing sensations and the boys who love them. Kadence (Kady) and Lauren are two best friends well on their way to breaking into the indie pop music scene, having already achieved Internet fame with their original songs that garnered thousands of hits and rabidly loyal fans on YouTube. Everything seems bright for these stars on the rise-that is, until Lauren loses her voice and Kady suddenly goes missing, leaving Lauren as the last person to have seen her alive. As the town and the online world turn on Lauren, she seeks solace in Jude, the handsome bad boy just back from the brink of a few psychotic episodes and stalking allegations. Where has Kady gone, and who can be trusted? Readers will hunt down the answers to these questions and more right up until the final, shocking reveals. Intriguing from the start, this work is easy to recommend to fans of April Henry. All of the usual suspects are accounted for in terms of genre tropes (broken friendships, romantic betrayal, jealousy, bullying, and rumors running amok throughout the halls of high school), but they're all presented in a fresh and modern way without overtly trying to be too hip. The authors really seem to grasp the fickle and duplicitous role that the Internet plays in the lives of their target readers, and they incorporate it seamlessly into their characters' development and plotlines. VERDICT A sexy, fascinating, fast-paced, and darkly dynamic mystery for teens.-Emily Grace Le May, Providence Community Library, RI

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2016
Betrayals and lies surround a girl's mysterious disappearance. Singers Kady and Lauren were a YouTube phenomenon and best friends until an infection damaged Lauren's throat, stealing her voice, leading Kady to ditch Lauren and go solo. When Kady goes missing after a performance at the coffee shop where Lauren works, suspicion falls on Lauren--after all, though they're supposedly best friends, they've recently had a massive fight. When public opinion turns against Lauren, the only one in her corner is handsome bad-boy Jude--reinvented from acne-covered bullying victim Nathan, Lauren's pre-Kady best friend, who has cause to hate both girls. The narration shifts, combining first-person chapters from various characters' perspectives (carefully written to cast suspicion on people without confirming guilt or ruling anyone out) and undated video-diary entries from Kady. As Lauren and Jude try to assemble a list of people with reason to hurt Kady, a picture is painted of a sociopathic bad girl willing to hurt anyone--but is that girl Kady...or Lauren? And how stable is Jude? Although characters occasionally stretch credulity and a sexual-assault storyline set amid the drama strikes a sour, tawdry note, the dark friendship is addictive. Endlessly twisty, this deliberate head trip will keep readers guessing until the very end. The kind of dark, wild ride that begs to read in a single sitting. (Mystery/thriller. 14-18)

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February 15, 2016
Grades 8-12 Kadence Kady Mulligan and Lauren DeSanto were an online singing sensation until Lauren's vocal chords were affected by a throat infection. Kady was patient with Lauren at first, but when Lauren didn't heal fast enough, she became a solo act. That, plus a fight at school over Kady's boyfriend, started disintegrating the bond between the girls. Now, Kady is missing after a show, and the evidence points to Lauren, despite her assertions of innocence. When the town and the media publicly convict her, it's up to Lauren to clear her own name and find out what happened to her friend. Relationships between characters are potent and heartbreaking, set within scenes brimming with tension. Anastasiu and Brown roll out the plot's details using different points of view and a nonlinear plot development guaranteed to keep readers on the edge of their seats. Exhilarating and filled with twists and turns, the mystery lasts until the final page.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2016
High-school seniors Lauren and Kady are on the brink of musical stardom (thanks, YouTube) when Lauren, stricken with severe food poisoning, damages her vocal cords. Kady goes solo and mysteriously vanishes a few months later, leaving Lauren as the prime suspect. The taut thriller features alternating (and not always reliable) narrators who, bit by tasty bit, reveal details of the girls' fraught friendship.

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