Guest Blogger: Amanda Hunt - Book Review

 Amanda Hunt, @thenextgenlibrarian

Hey TeachersWhoRead! My name is Amanda Hunt and I am a middle school librarian in New Braunfels, TX. The book I want to share today is They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman.

This young adult thriller released on August 4, 2020 so it's still relatively new, but as soon as I saw the cover and read the blurb I knew I had to read it. I feel like ever since One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus dropped in 2017 the YA mystery genre has exploded. So many amazing authors are releasing who-dun-it style suspense books set in high schools so they're relatable to our middle and high school readers and They Wish They Were Us was no exception.

In Gold Coast, Long Island, everything from the expensive downtown shops to the manicured beaches, to the pressed uniforms of Jill Newman and her friends, looks perfect. But as Jill found out three years ago, nothing is as it seems. When Jill was a freshman her best friend, Shaila, was killed by her boyfriend, case closed, no questions asked. Now as seniors Jill and her friends are at the top of the food chain. They run the elite and exclusive group The Players and Jill has the perfect-on-paper boyfriend with her eye on the ivy leagues.  

But when Jill starts getting texts proclaiming Graham's innocence in the killing of her former BFF, her dreams of the perfect senior year start to crumble. If Graham didn't kill Shaila, who did? Jill vows to find out, but digging deeper could mean putting her friendships, and her future, in jeopardy.

This book is sure to be a hit with middle and high schoolers and would be great to use in the classroom to discuss characterization, foreshadowing, context clues and the genre of mystery-thriller. Fans of One of Us is Lying, Gossip Girl and The Skulls movie will be on the edge of their seats throughout this book. One thing about being a Player: people would die to be a member, but the only way out might be death itself. If you've read it, be sure to drop a comment letting me know what you thought!  

Thanks for sharing, Amanda! If you'd like to be a guest blogger, please fill out this form here: GUEST BLOGGER FORM.