Description
From the author of The One Memory of Flora Banks comes a YA true-crime murder-mystery with a romantic twist, set over a dangerous summer that will change lives forever. Perfect for fans of We Were Liars and The Reappearance of Rachel Price.
When Cat has the chance to escape Cornwall and spend the summer on the French Riviera with some rich family friends, she jumps at the opportunity. There she meets a group of people who don't seem to have a care in the world. Henry is different though, more interesting; she falls for him, he falls for her . . .
Yet Henry has secrets. Strange circumstances surround the death of his mum a few years earlier - and when he invites Cat to his eerie French countryside mansion for a few days, she thinks she could help him get to the bottom of things by doing some digging into past crimes.
But not everyone wants the case to be investigated . . .
Review
Cat’s life in Cornwall is pretty dull. She is just finishing high school, but she doesn’t know how she could ever possibly go to college when she is always helping out her Mum with her two very young sets of twin siblings.
When Mum’s rich art dealer friends offer to cover for a nanny and take Cat to their place on the French Riviera for the summer, she is excited. Cat is a podcaster trying to attract a following, so fate gives her a break when the first woman Cat meets she then finds drowned in the sea the next morning.
Cat meets some pretty amazing people, but when her hosts suddenly have to leave for “business” Cat moves in with Izzy and Jonno. After a romantic misunderstanding with Jonno, she leaves to stay with Jonno’s ex-friend Henry and his family. They take her in as their own, but Cat isn’t too comfortable with how their mum died. Supposedly, she fell down the stairs a few years ago. But Cat has a few suspects and starts recording this for her podcast. Meanwhile, she becomes totally smitten with Henry and their relationship starts to become serious.
Can she uncover what really happened in this beautiful place? Or is she just putting herself in unnecessary danger?
This is a wonderful romantic novel in an incredible setting, with a cast of beautiful characters, each of them potentially hiding dark secrets. Cat is a terrific lead character who follows her gut to find out what is really happening in this town. With romance, friendship, murder and not knowing who to trust, this is a great YA novel that will best suit readers aged from 13 to 17 years.
