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Summary
Summary
A small town. A big secret. A deadly game.
From the author of Liars, Inc., comes a dark, contemporary thriller with twists and turns that are perfect for fans of We Were Liars, Little Monsters, and One of Us Is Lying.
Embry Woods has secrets. Some are small, like the ones about her complicated past. Others are bigger, like her growing feelings for best friend's ex-boyfriend, Holden. But the biggest secret she carries is about what they did at the abandoned Sea Cliff Inn...and the resulting terrible fire.
Embry helps a homeless man escape from the flames and is immediately hailed as a hero, but she knows that couldn't be further from the truth. Though she's wracked with guilt, Embry thinks she can take one last secret to her grave.
But then she receives an anonymous note--someone else was there that night. Now she must respond to a series of threatening messages asking her to make impossible choices.
Someone is playing a high-stakes game with her life. And their last move is murder.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up-A mystery that explores how privilege and socioeconomic status impact the choices we make. Embry hasn't had an easy life. She doesn't know her dad, and her mom works hard to keep the family business afloat, all while battling cancer. Now the bills are piling up, Embry's boyfriend has just been deployed overseas and her best friend is out of town for the summer. Alone and hurting, Embry finds comfort in the arms of her best friend's boyfriend, Holden. When the two are caught on film accidentally starting a disastrous fire while hooking up in the abandoned Sea Cliff Inn, the secrets Embry keeps start piling up. Someone saw what Embry did and they are threatening to hurt the people she loves if she doesn't confess. Embry is a complex character whose choices are impacted by her socioeconomic status. She keeps so many secrets because she can't afford the consequences that the truth will bring. This thriller also explores themes of friendship, family, and growing up. Enough clues are given throughout to keep readers guessing until the very end. The ocean coast of Oregon comes to life and sets the perfect backdrop to this story. Readers patient enough to make it to the end of this long novel will be satisfied with the neat and happy ending. VERDICT A character-driven mystery perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Deb Caletti.-Kelly Butcher, West Liberty High School, IA © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Seventeen-year-old Embry Woods is no hero, despite what the locals think. Yes, she pulled a man out of a burning building, but she caused the blaze during a secret tryst with her best friend's ex-boyfriend. When someone begins blackmailing her, Embry must figure out who it is before he or she destroys everything Embry holds dear. A thrilling whodunit with a strong small-town coastal-Oregon setting. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Embry Woods keeps things close to her chest.On her way to the vacant Sea Cliff Inn for a late-night rendezvous with her best friend's ex-boyfriend, Holden, her current-but-on-a-break soldier boyfriend, Luke, calls her from Afghanistan to propose. Unable to tell him it's over, she promises to think about it. Later, in the steamy throes of passion, Embry kicks over a candle and sets the inn on fire. The blonde high school senior calls 911 to report the fire she claims she noticed as she was walking by. She becomes a local hero after she rescues a man she spies through the window. A few days later, Embry receives a note demanding a full confession on Facebook, or else. Someone has proof of her night at the inn, and the blackmailer clearly has a personal score to settle. But no one Embry knows would do such a thing. Or would they? Heavy exposition and unimportant details clutter an otherwise intriguing mystery. Despite the secrets and the attention of two boys, Embry is a dry, forgettable character with no warmth or sense of humor. Most characters are white, but there is some diversity in secondary characters (one person comes out, there's a detective named Reyes, a classmate named Misty Whitehawk punches a bully who calls her a squaw, and another classmate is hijabi).Read it over a lazy weekend. (Mystery. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Embry's on a romantic break from her soldier boyfriend, but she doesn't want to hurt him by telling him she's moved on with the artistic Holden. The high-school seniors meet in a shuttered hotel, until, during a sexual encounter, a candle is kicked over, and the place burns down. It's pragmatic to keep silent, but then Embry starts getting blackmail texts. The sender Unknown makes shocking requests of Embry, each one upping the ante, with her near and dear caught in a dangerous web. Stokes offers a classic whodunit, masterfully played. Tensions rise, secrets are revealed, and the widening scope of the mystery gives plenty of suspects a chance to step into the spotlight. This leads to a nice interplay between Embry and readers, who will begin to distrust certain individuals at the very moment she does. Set in small towns along the Oregon coast, Stokes makes the often wild landscape an integral part of the story. Characters, even minor ones, are well-developed, as are the subplots, which include parental relationships. All become, as the title indicates, pieces in an intricate puzzle. With overtones of Lois Duncan's I Know What You Did Last Summer (1973), this has the OMG quality that makes you afraid to wonder what will happen next.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2018 Booklist
