Dead Girls Can’t Smile, a review by Kristin

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Dead Girls Can’t Smile
By: Nichole Heydenburg

Publication Date: May 20, 2024
Published By: Poisoned Ink Press LLC
286 pages

Find It On: Amazon | Goodreads

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About the Book

Four angry exes. A masked stalker. A missing sister.

When summer begins, sixteen-year-old Rose Blackwood’s life takes a chilling turn. Enigmatic notes appear, and a figure in a black hoodie and mask stalks her every move. The one-year anniversary of her sister Lily’s disappearance only intensifies Rose’s torment. Rose holds a dark secret about that fateful night, a secret known to no one except her best friend Spencer—and her stalker. As Rose races to unmask her tormentor, the line between friend and foe blurs. With the clock ticking, she must depend on Spencer, the one person she can trust. In this pulse-pounding young adult thriller, secrets and lies collide, forcing Rose to confront her darkest fears. Can she uncover the truth behind her sister’s disappearance and stop the relentless pursuit of her past? Or will she become the next victim in a deadly game of secrets and obsession?

My Review

This is a really good YA thriller. It is fast paced, there’s a lot of action, it’s easy to read, and it will keep you guessing. It was hard to know who to trust and who to not trust, which was a great aspect of the book. I especially enjoyed the alternating chapters where one was in the present, and one was in the past but with a timeline that was being brought into the present so that they intertwined together.

There are some heavy topics in this one, so do read the trigger warnings that the author has listed in the beginning of the book. There is predatory behavior by an adult, and it is uneasy to read about at times, though the author didn’t put anything too graphic in the book. However, you could just imagine it.

There is a touch of romance, but it’s high school kids so it doesn’t really feel like romance. At least, I didn’t feel any undying love and connection between the characters.

I will say this – while the ending was good, I wanted just a bit more. I wanted to know what was going to happen between Rose and another one of the characters. I wanted to see more into the future for certain characters (I can’t say anything more because I don’t want to give anything away).

Overall, a good YA thriller and a must read for anyone that likes these types of books!

 

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