Chloe Green is a high school senior determined to displace her rival, Shara Wheeler, as valedictorian at their conservative Alabama Christian academy. This academic feud takes a surreal turn when Shara kisses Chloe and then vanishes right before graduation. Chloe discovers she is not the only one Shara kissed; she joins forces with Smith, Shara’s long-term boyfriend, and Rory, the neighbor boy Shara also kissed. Together, they follow a trail of cryptic, monogrammed notes Shara left behind, unraveling the hidden life of a girl who was never as perfect as she appeared while navigating their own complicated identities.
Readers who enjoy character-driven young adult mysteries and stories about queer identity in the American South find this book appealing. It serves those looking for a subversion of the typical high school hierarchy and the "missing girl" trope. The audience walks away with a nuanced understanding of how religious environments shape adolescent self-expression and the realization that the people we categorize as enemies often share our own insecurities and secrets.
Practical, clear-cut and escapist; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Escapist Adventurer. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2022
- Language
- EN
