Lying About Last Summer by Sue Wallman

Skye's sister Luisa was killed in an accident last summer and Skye can't forgive herself for not saving her. In an attempt to help her move on, her family send her to a camp for bereaved teenagers. Skye is prepared to tolerate this — after all, she's been through worse — but then messages start to appear on her phone which seem to be from her dead sister.

Skye soon finds she can't be sure of anyone at grief camp. The neurotic one, the rebel, the sanctimonious idiot...any of them could have sent the messages. But why would they want to hurt her? And what really happened to Luisa? As Skye attempts to unravel the web of lies surrounding her, she soon discovers that there are many different kinds of untruth, and that trusting the wrong person can be very dangerous indeed.

This is such a great book. It's written with relentless pace and momentum, and I found myself unable to do anything else until I had finished reading it. In a world of anodyne YA fiction, Wallman in her first novel manages to create convincing and realistic teenage characters while exploring complex themes of grief, choice and responsibility. It's a gripping thriller with heart, intelligence and humour. You should definitely read it.

Sue will be in the shop on Sat 9th July 4pm for an author talk and signing for our Teen Bookclub, £5 (redeemable against Lying About Last Summer)