Dead Girls Don't Say Sorry

November 13, 2023
Debut author Ritany addresses themes of grief, guilt, and toxic relationships via alternating chapters that chronicle the year before and after high school senior Nora Radford loses her best friend Julia Hoskins in a horrible accident. Though Nora is self-admittedly less popular than outgoing soccer captain Julia, the two have been inseparable since fifth grade and plan to attend the same Canadian college. But when Nora’s childhood friend, Dillan Fletcher, moves back to town and Nora receives an opportunity to attend a prestigious journalism program at another school, Julia’s friendly and caring demeanor turns controlling: “Just remember, I was there when no one else was.” In the events leading to the accident and the months of stagnation that Nora experiences after, Nora reconciles with her guilt and confronts the possibility that her relationship with Julia wasn’t what it seemed. Through attentive pacing, riveting dialogue, and emotionally well-rounded characters, Ritany highlights the difficulty Nora experiences in accepting her complicated feelings surrounding her relationship with Julia and Julia’s death and in learning how to move on, all of which culminate in a satisfying, somewhat saccharine resolution. Main characters read as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Ali Herring, Spencerhill Assoc.

December 1, 2023
A high school senior must come to terms with complicated feelings about her best friend's death. Nora Radford's long-standing plans for the future include her best friend, Julia Hoskins: They'll finish high school and attend McGill University as roommates. The problem is, Nora has a chance at early acceptance to another university with a competitive journalism program that would be a dream come true, and she isn't sure about her sometimes-toxic friendship with Julia. Julia is cool and popular, but she can also be a bigoted bully, constantly putting people down and spreading nasty rumors. After Dillan Fletcher, Nora's childhood best friend who moved away, transfers to their school, her increasingly close (and possibly romantic) relationship with him throws her friendship with Julia into stark relief, and Nora finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew about her friend. When Julia dies unexpectedly, Nora must confront her grief while reckoning with her complicated feelings about Julia as she uncovers a web of lies. Told in alternating timelines set before and after Julia's death, Ritany's novel adeptly captures the stomach-churning feeling of betrayal by a friend and the confusion of being constantly manipulated and lied to. Some plot points feel vague, and the alternating timelines can at times be hard to follow, but the book ultimately propels readers through one gut-wrenching discovery after another. The main characters read white; background characters bring diversity in ethnicity and sexuality. Unsettling and sharply observed. (Fiction. 14-18)

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November 2, 2024

Gr 9 Up-Julia and Nora have been best friends since the fourth grade. While their friendship hasn't been perfect, Nora has always believed Julia had her best interests at heart. When Julia dies in a tragic accident halfway through their senior year, Nora must reckon with her grief and the undeniable truth that Julia was not only a bad friend, but a toxic one. The story is told in alternating chapters set before and after the accident; the "before" chapters provide a front-row seat to the unraveling of Julia and Nora's friendship. When Nora's world begins to expand as she develops feelings for her former best friend Dillan and starts to make plans for college, Julia resorts to subterfuge, gaslighting, and manipulation in a desperate attempt to keep her close. While Nora blames herself for the accident that claims Julia's life, it isn't until months later that she begins to unravel all of Julia's lies. How do you grieve someone when you are furious with them? With the unwavering support of Dillan, and their friend Eve, Nora slowly begins to figure it out. The main characters cue white. While the secondary characters could benefit from more depth, there is some diversity amongst them. Eve is Sri Lankan and a lesbian, Dillan has two moms, and his little sister, Angie, has dark skin. VERDICT An uncomfortable, disquieting, and important examination of abusive friendships.-Katie Patterson

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