Susan the Librarian

The publisher’s summary

Three lifelong friends confront restless ghosts and malevolent family secrets in this fierce, propulsive debut young adult horror novel.

Iris, Gum, and Aidan are vacationing in Bad Creek, just like every summer. Except Iris’s older sister, Glory, drowned in the lake last year, and Iris can’t seem to move on; Gum is hiding his sexuality from his family while being viciously haunted by Glory’s rotting ghost; and Aidan is distraught over a drunken argument with Glory that he fears may have led to her death. When Iris sleepwalks to the dilapidated house that Glory obsessively sketched in her final days, she and the boys begin to uncover a sinister history in the very bones of the town. The trio must reckon with the events of last summer and uncover what lurks within Bad Creek before it takes Iris’s life next.

Gripping and vengeful, Bad Creek confronts the intersection of religion, sexuality, and feminism, and forces listeners to reckon with monsters in all their forms—human included.

My recommendation

This is the book to pick up this summer if you want to be viscerally creeped out. Through June’s unsettlingly distant third person prose and unsettlingly intimate sensory detail, a vivid setting emerges that puts run-of-the-mill haunted summer camps to shame. These ghosts will stick with you, as will the timely commentary on Christian Nationalism and the kids who suffer its collateral damage.

The publisher’s summary

Last summer, Sara Ellis was found dead by the lake, and only Mandy knows what really happened.

This summer, she’s desperate to keep it a secret.

For a few weeks every summer, Sara was Mandy’s best friend. At Highmark, the lake resort where their families vacationed, the two were in a world of their own. Or at least Mandy got to be part of Sara’s world.

But now Sara’s dead. The police ruled her death an accident; a tragic mistake after a night of impaired judgment. For the past year, Mandy’s coped by escaping: leaving home and barely keeping it together at school. The last thing she wants to do is return to Highmark this summer—even if she does need “closure.” As soon as she’s back, though, she hears the whispers: someone killed Sara Ellis.

And if she’s not careful, they’ll figure out it’s all her fault.

As evidence resurfaces and anonymous accusations are scrawled in angry red spray paint, Mandy must confront the truths she’s been avoiding about last summer. Because someone wants to make her pay for what happened to Sara that night.

My recommendation

This psychological thriller has strong We Were Liars vibes, a fast-paced plot, and the quintessential creepy summer camp setting. The sister relationship was particularly interesting–as well as the twists toward the end. This would be a great vacation read for anyone who likes getting chills around the campfire.

The publisher’s summary

Two years ago, the murder of a neighbor tore three best friends apart–now the killer is going to walk free and the ex-friends are going to have to face the past–and each other–in another twisty thriller from the New York Times bestselling co-author of The Agathas.

Grace, Henry, and Ally grew up together on the same block. They used to be best friends–until Grace’s testimony put Henry’s brother, Jake, away for killing their English teacher. Now, two years later, Ally and Henry hate Grace, and Grace is doubting what she thinks she saw that night. 

It feels like everyone’s getting a second chance, then, when due to a mistrial, Jake is suddenly released. And Henry knows his brother is innocent, but when Grace reaches out to say she’s rethinking what she saw the night of the murder, Jake’s reaction is confusing. He doesn’t want Henry—or Grace–getting involved.

For Ally not getting involved isn’t an option, and there’s nothing Grace can say to convince Ally she’s not the enemy. But can Ally afford to push Grace out when she’s one of the only other people willing to believe in Jake’s innocence?  

The clock is ticking. Jake’s new trial date is about to be set, and he’s sure to be found guilty again unless there’s new evidence to prove he’s innocent. Grace, Henry, and Ally are going to have to decide whether you can trust an old friend now that they’re your enemy.

My recommendation

A twisty mystery-thriller with enough clues and suspects to keep an amateur detective guessing and enough danger, drug deals, and creepy old houses to keep a reader’s pulse pounding. I thought I’d guessed the ending, and I was wrong, so Liz Lawson gets bonus points! If you’re a YA thriller reader, this is will fit the bill.