October 15, 2020
A mournful mystery about a tragic teen pregnancy. Beckett Bergen's still reeling from her father's overdose death seven months ago, and now she's ruing her too recent and impulsive breakup with boyfriend Jake, but her bad day gets worse when she discovers a corpse in Clifford High's locker room. It's not a fellow student but a newborn, unnamed, unknown, and left in a gym bag. First a police witness, then a suspect, Beckett also becomes a local and even national scapegoat, pilloried on an anonymous social media account and hounded by national news reporters. Unlike her police officer mother, Beckett's no detective--not even a Veronica Mars or Nancy Drew--but she is determined to identify the baby's parents, if only to clear her name and protect her family's already-damaged reputation. It's a small Tennessee town with a small pool of suspects, but Beckett's amateur sleuthing soon goes awry, and the already-alienated Beckett risks offending her friends and family. Setting aside her trademark paranormal fantasy and romance, Vincent anchors her real-world tale in a carefully detailed portrait of a fraying family, a scathing look at small-town rumors, and a blunt critique of social media's rapid, rabid tendencies. Here, the demons are personal and societal, and characters are haunted only by their mistakes. Beckett is White. Thoughtful and somber. (author's note, resource list) (Mystery. 14-18)
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November 16, 2020
White 16-year-old Beckett Bergen is still fraying after her veteran father’s unexpected death seven months ago, and her life threatens to unravel completely when she finds a stillborn infant zipped into a duffel bag in her high school’s locker room. The shocking discovery shakes her tiny Tennessee town to its core, and those looking for a scapegoat soon find one in Beckett when an anonymous Twitter account speculates that she’s the baby’s mother. After the rumor goes viral, resulting in online abuse, Beckett sets out to clear her name by uncovering the infant’s true parentage while also struggling to connect with her distant police detective mother and process troubling rumors about her father’s past. Vincent (the Brave New Girl series) sharply interrogates mob mentality and journalistic ethics at the expense of critiquing the issues that lead to the book’s primary tragedies, touching only briefly on sexism and class divides. Though the final reveal relies heavily on coincidence, Beckett’s nonstop sleuthing and memorable voice—alternatively witty and vulnerable, coolheaded and fiery—keep the pages turning. Ages 14–up. Agent: Ginger Clark, Curtis Brown.
December 1, 2020
Gr 9 Up-Sixteen-year-old Beckett Bergen is having a rough time. Her father died of an overdose just seven months ago. She is convinced her ex-boyfriend Jake has been cheating on her because he keeps hiding texts while on his phone. In an effort to find evidence to prove it, Beckett instead stumbles upon Jake's gym bag with a dead newborn's body inside. After reporting the incident to the police, including her own mother, who is on her town's force, she tells Jake what she witnessed. Jake asserts he has nothing to do with it and that she's "losing it." To make matters worse, false rumors quickly spread by an anonymous Twitter user claim that she is the baby's mother. The story soon makes local and, later, national news, and most people in her small Tennessee town refuse to believe her side of the story. Beckett takes it upon herself to find the newborn's actual parents and restore her and her family's reputation, but her plan goes awry. Vincent's thriller is an action-packed yet emotional novel that demonstrates just how toxic rumors can be. The dialogue is realistic and the plot will keep readers engaged. Beckett is white and other characters' races aren't specified. VERDICT A realistic and gripping contemporary novel that many teens will thoroughly enjoy. A worthwhile selection for high school and YA public library collections.-Jess Gafkowitz, Brooklyn P.L.
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Starred review from December 1, 2020
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Months after dealing with her father's overdose death, Beckett Bergen regrets a hasty breakup with her supportive boyfriend, Jake. Then she discovers a dead baby in a gym bag in the girls' locker room at school. Beckett becomes a suspect despite being merely a witness. She becomes the target of vicious rumors that spread not only through her small Tennessee community but also nationwide via a new Twitter account that seems--to Beckett and her police detective mom--to know too much about the investigation. Beckett wants to clear her name and find the baby's parents, but everyone around her could potentially be the guilty party, which results in missteps along the way. As Beckett narrates, the identities of the baby's parents are revealed in real time. Along the way, she also discovers how easily rumors are embellished with unfounded opinions and learns the truth about her family's tattered reputation. Clues and omissions of truth make this a razor-sharp mystery that speaks critically about the cruel corners of social media and small-town biases. Issues include alienation, post-war PTSD, painkillers and addiction, shaky family bonds, and the fragility of friendships. Beckett's decisions drive the plot, leading her and the reader through enough twists and turns that there is no way to stop turning the pages.
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