Beware That Girl

Cover image and summary from Goodreads:

For fans of We Were Liars, The Girl on the Train, and Gone Girl, this powerful psychological thriller with multiple mysteries is set against the backdrop of the megawealthy elite of New York City. Toten delves into the mesmerizing yet dysfunctional world of those who manipulate but seem ever so charming. With its gripping pace and Hitchcockian twists, Beware That Girl will keep readers guessing until the very last line.

The Haves. The Have-Nots. Kate O’Brian appears to be a Have-Not. Her whole life has been a series of setbacks she’s had to snake her way out of—some more sinister than others. But she’s determined to change that. She’s book smart. She’s street-smart. Oh, and she’s also a masterful liar.

As the scholarship student at the Waverly School in NYC, Kate has her work cut out for her: her plan is to climb the social ladder and land a spot at Yale. She’s already found her “people” among the senior class “it” girls—specifically in the cosseted, mega-wealthy yet deeply damaged Olivia Sumner. As for Olivia, she considers Kate the best friend she’s always needed, the sister she never had.

When the handsome and whip-smart Mark Redkin joins the Waverly administration, he immediately charms his way into the faculty’s and students’ lives—becoming especially close to Olivia, a fact she’s intent on keeping to herself. It becomes increasingly obvious that Redkin poses a threat to Kate, too, in a way she can’t reveal—and can’t afford to ignore. How close can Kate and Olivia get to Mark without having to share their dark pasts?

I was really in the mood for a twisty thriller when I picked up Beware That Girl. It started out strongly enough, with opening chapters that hinted at a dark, twisty story, and a main character who was a self-proclaimed liar with a dark past. So far, so good!

I liked the alternating perspectives – some chapters were told in Kate’s first-person voice, while others were told in third-person.

And the story was a page-turner. I read it in a couple of days, and was super curious to find out how things turned out.

Overall, I liked the book, but I didn’t love it. Nothing about the characters really pulled me in after the first couple of chapters. The synopsis talks about twists, but I didn’t find anything too twisty or surprising here.

Recommended for YA mystery fans, but I don’t think this holds up to the expectations I had from that synopsis!