Alison, Aria, Spencer, Emily, and Hanna are the four “so-called” popular girls of school. Everything changes when one day Alison is found dead in the closet of her own home. Who killed poor Alison? Had she been murdered? Or had she been betrayed? They have been receiving multiple, anonymous, life-threatening texts on their mobile phones signed by “A.”Within every corner of town lies a secret, friends cannot be trusted, strangers can become close friends, and best friends will fade away to strangers – but who is “A?”
In my opinion, this book was very intriguing due to the writing style. The use of negative connotation in the beginning of the novel acts to establish the reader’s observation towards the potential horror to come. There is strong imagery used to describe the murder scene which ingrains the memory of what is being described throughout the length of the story. The author uses words with negative connotations to exaggerate the tension of the tale. I personally really enjoyed the novel because Sara Shepard created characters who were very reliable to the teenage age group.
The author slowly revealed secrets and took them back as fast as possible – this made the book so very intriguing. This is the perfect mystery novel because it is relatable to teenagers while also incorporating elements of suspense and thrill.
Reviewed by Zainab, grade 8, Twin Hickory Area Library
HCPL TeenScene's Read + Review 