The Falling Girls

Shade and Jadis are best friends, and they share everything with each other. That is, until Shade joins the cheerleading team. Jadis feels betrayed; Shade is her friend, not anyone else’s. Shade wants to hold onto her best friend, but she also wants to chase her dream. Her life is complicated by the Three Chloes, the trio of best friends with their own dark pasts. The cheerleading captain has taken Shade under her wing, and Shade doesn’t want to leave this new life, but what about Jadis?

Then one of the girls dies, and Shade finds herself thrust into a tangled web of deadly secrets and lies, with no apparent suspect. Was it one of the cheerleaders? Or was it the person Shade doesn’t want it to be, Jadis herself?

Wow. This book was a dark, twisted exploration of friendship and what happens when those boundaries are crossed. It nailed the complexity of a teen girl friendship, and the spiteful, ugly fallout that results when such relationships end. I loved the clear focus on Shade and Jadis’s toxic relationship, and the ending was a good conclusion to the story. I will definitely read more from this author in the future!