Please Don’t Tell by Laura Tims
Summary: Joy killed Adam Gordon—at least, that’s what she thinks. The night of the party is hazy at best. But she knows what Adam did to her twin sister, Grace, and she knows he had to pay for it. What Joy doesn’t expect is that someone else saw what happened. And one night a note is shoved through her open window, threatening Joy that all will be revealed. Now the anonymous blackmailer starts using Joy to expose the secrets of their placid hometown. And as the demands escalate, Joy must somehow uncover the blackmailer’s identity before Joy is forced to make a terrible choice.
These characters! Joy and Grace are twins, both ripped apart and bound together by the secrets they keep for and from each other. Some of those secrets are dramatic (what really happened the night that Adam Gordon fell to his death?) and some are of the everyday variety (what if they never discover who they are without the context of each other?), but all of them weave into a story that will keep you up late turning the pages. The two girls alternate in their narration, with Joy telling about the aftermath of Adam’s death and Grace filling in the details of the months before. Some of my favorite characters were the girls’ friends, especially November, the bold high school newspaper editor who has more in common with the quiet Grace than she thinks, and kindhearted, self-deprecating, sweet, and funny Levi, half-brother of the dead boy (and OMG MY NEW BOOK BOOKFRIEND). With taut writing and characters you will want to spend time with, this is a compelling debut you won’t want to miss.
PLEASE DON’T TELL is out now.
Kathy MacMillan 