best friends and their books

Shellby’s Review

(Trigger warning: This book mentions rape and suicide)

Overall, this was a good book! I probably won’t be gushing about it to friends and trying to convince everyone I know to read it, but it was a solid read.

I really liked how Sarah Langan incorporated news articles and interviews from the future to give us clues as to how the book might end.The beginning of the book really pulled me in and I couldn’t put it down. I remember thinking during the first 75 pages or so, “Wow, this is a good, light read – nothing too serious or disturbing!” Boy, was I wrong!

This book shows us what transpires when we judge people based on class and their ability to fit in to societal norms. The Wildes are outcasts in their new, perfect neighborhood. They come from Brooklyn and want nothing more than to just fit in. But when Shelly, the neighbors daughter, falls in a sinkhole, the whole neighborhood turns on the Wildes.

All the adults believe that Arlo raped 13 year old Shelly and that it was him that she was running from when she fell in the sinkhole. Rumors and accusations begin to corrupt the minds of all the adults. They even bribe their children to report false information to the detectives. Anything to bring down the Wildes!

The only way to bring out the truth, would be to find Shelly at the bottom of the sinkhole.

While everyone is concerned with the accusations about Arlo, we see how Rhea, Shelly’s mom, deals with the demons of her past… and present.

The book ends on a devastating note for the whole neighborhood and the residents of Maple Street will be scarred for the rest of their lives.

Shellby’s Rating: 3.8/5 ⭐️