Only She Came Back
Only She Came Back
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Publisher's Hardcover ©2023--
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Little, Brown & Co.
Annotation: A chilling thriller about an unlikely friendship between a true-crime fan and a former high school classmate suspected o... more
Genre: [Mystery fiction]
 
Reviews: 1
Catalog Number: #366107
Format: Publisher's Hardcover
Special Formats: High Low High Low
Copyright Date: 2023
Edition Date: 2023 Release Date: 11/14/23
Pages: 314 pages
ISBN: 0-316-53608-3
ISBN 13: 978-0-316-53608-0
Dewey: Fic
LCCN: 2022058568
Dimensions: 22 cm
Language: English
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews

A true-crime fan on the hunt for a story connects with a former classmate who may be a killer.When 18-year-old Kiri Dunsmore becomes a suspect in her survivalist influencer boyfriend Callum Massey's murder after turning up in his bloody sweatshirt, Samara recognizes her as shy Katie Dunsmore from junior year English class. A self-professed obsessive true-crime fan, Sam is always on the lookout for a story, and realizing that Kiri could be her big break, she seizes the opportunity to strike up a friendship. Though Kiri isn't willing to talk about what happened to Callum, the diary she lets Sam read spells out how she fell prey to his manipulation and control. As rumors swirl, Sam's developing feelings for Kiri threaten to override her better judgment, even though Kiri still hasn't been cleared of the murder. Although Sam feels more like a plot device than a fully rounded character, the combination of formats-video and podcast transcripts, diary entries-plus plenty of red herrings add intrigue as the story tackles consent, grooming, emotional abuse, mental illness, survivalist culture, eating disorders, and social media. Undeniable parallels to the tragic, widely covered 2021 murder of Gabby Petito underscore the slippery nature of abusive behaviors and illuminate warning signs for readers learning to navigate romantic relationships of their own. Kiri is white; other characters are minimally described and racially ambiguous.A twisty thriller exploring important social topics. (Thriller. 14-18)

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Kirkus Reviews
Reading Level: 5.0
Interest Level: 9-12

A chilling thriller about an unlikely friendship between a true-crime fan and a former high school classmate suspected of murdering her influencer boyfriend, perfect for fans of Holly Jackson and Courtney Summers.

On July 28 at 6:30 p.m., Kiri Dunsmore walks out of the desert wearing her boyfriend’s sweatshirt, covered in his blood. Dazed and on the verge of unconsciousness, she tells a cashier that he’s still out there and most likely dead. The disappearance of Callum Massey, a “survival guru” with hundreds of thousands of YouTube followers, rocks the nation. And Kiri is a prime suspect.
 
Back in Kiri's hometown, true-crime fanatic Sam is completely hooked on the case—especially now that she recognizes the suspect as shy Katie from high school. Although they didn’t know each other well, that doesn’t stop Sam from reaching out to befriend her old classmate.
 
But when Kiri starts to confide in her, Sam realizes there’s more to the story than she had imagined. Can she keep Kiri’s secrets even though revealing them could put her where she's always longed to be—at the center of the story?


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