Eliza Hart is found dead off the cliffs near her California boarding school. The questions surrounding her death are particularly intriguing to Ellie Sokoloff, a classmate who had been best friends with Eliza back when they were small girls. The two girls had long been estranged. In fact, when Ellie tried to rekindle their friendship, Eliza had responded by spreading rumors that Ellie was a liar and a stalker. Ellie's interest in Eliza's death is somewhat incredibly amplified by numerous conversations that she happens to overhear, leading her to discover Eliza's secrets. The characterizations are thin, and the plot unfolds unsteadily, but Sheinmel's real focus seems to be on the perils of untreated depression. Eliza herself narrates chapters from beyond the grave that add insight into both her mean-girl behavior and her death. And some readers will be interested in Ellie's difficulties with claustrophobia. Despite flaws, the novel could serve to inform teens of the various manifestations of mental illness.

Childhood friends Ellie and Eliza are reunited at boarding school. But Eliza spreads vicious lies about Ellie, turning the student body against her--and later making Ellie the prime suspect in Eliza's suspicious death. Secrets long kept by both girls must be unveiled to clear Ellie's name. Told in alternating first-person narratives, this mystery is intensified by realistic, raw portrayals of both characters' struggles.

Sometimes mean girls have a reason.White girl Ellie Sokoloff was diagnosed with claustrophobia when she was 7, shortly after her family moved from California to New York nearly a decade before. Countless therapists over the years haven't been able to cure her of this debilitating illness, leaving Ellie to try her own cure. She leaves the confines of congested Manhattan and returns to the open spaces of California. When she arrives at the prestigious Ventana Ranch boarding school in Big Sur, she discovers that her childhood best friend, Eliza Hart, is a student. Popular, Barbie doll-perfect white girl Eliza spreads vicious lies about Ellie; soon, the entire student body hates her. When Eliza is found dead, having fallen from a cliff, almost everyone assumes Ellie killed her. Jewish Ellie's biracial (African-American and white) suitemate, Sam, helps her work to clear her name. As she uncovers devastating secrets about Eliza's life, she discovers the childhood roots of her own illness and of Eliza's hatred of her and that her seemingly perfect former friend's inner life was far from ideal. The narrative alternates between Ellie and Eliza; the latter girl tells her story from her place after death. While the characters reinforce the stigmas of mental illness, the text dispels those problematic myths about depression, bipolar disorder, and phobias. A public-service announcement about mental illness wrapped up as a compelling mystery that will keep readers going until the hopeful conclusion. (Fiction. 12-16)

In this tense boarding school mystery, Ellie Sokoloff, who conceals her debilitating claustrophobia from her fellow students, attempts to solve the mysterious death of her classmate and estranged childhood best friend, Eliza Hart. When Eliza-s body is recovered from the cliffs outside the dormitories, Ellie becomes the prime suspect in her death. From their first days at Ventana Ranch, Eliza spread vicious rumors about Ellie, calling her a stalker and a compulsive liar-and giving her a possible motive. Sheinmel (Faceless) writes mostly from Ellie-s perspective, though intermittent chapters from Eliza-s point of view add depth and clarity to their long history. No one wants to believe that attractive, wealthy, and popular Eliza might have committed suicide, but it becomes clear to Ellie, who has her own secrets, that -just because she didn-t seem depressed doesn-t mean she wasn-t.- Sheinmel-s depiction of mental illness is intensely real, sending a lasting reminder that not all illnesses or struggles are visible from the outside and that there is no shame in seeking help. Ages 14-up. Agent: Mollie Glick, CAA. (Nov.)