Heart-Shaped Lies

September 9, 2024
Three teens band together to exonerate themselves after learning they simultaneously dated the same internet prankster and are now implicated in his murder. On-screen, New Jersey vlogger Tommy Harding boosts classmate Priscilla Frimpong’s beauty influencer brand and livestreams pranks that notoriously conflate humor with cruelty and humiliate his girlfriend, Kiara Stephens; off-screen, Tommy manipulates and abuses Kiara while secretly wooing Priscilla. Meanwhile, “Miss Bible Thumper” Nevaeh Simon longs to meet her long-distance boyfriend, whose senior bus trip finds him (and Kiara and Priscilla) at the same Florida theme park that hosts her church’s annual conference. But worlds collide when Tommy, publicly outed as a cheater who has exploited all three girls, is found dead in the park and a hacker implicates Kiara, Priscilla, and Nevaeh in the murder, prompting them to reluctantly unite to clear their names. Agyemang (Fibbed) weaves intricate threads of betrayal into a social media–fueled mystery featuring a racially diverse cast. While some plot points stretch credulity, this tightly knit web of carefully layered deceit gives way to a slow-burning friendship story that will entice fans of soapy dramas. Ages 12–up.

October 1, 2024
When a social media prankster is found dead, his love interests become suspects. High schooler Thomas Harding is a popular internet personality, but in the last year, a number of his pranks have gone wrong, causing scandal and controversy. Tommy, who's white, is determined to stage a comeback, however, by pulling off "the greatest prank of the century" during the senior class trip to Sunny World Resorts and Park. But a night that starts off with drinking and drugs at a secret party in the theme park ends in Tommy's murder--and the top suspects are the three young women who just found out they were all dating him. Kiara is the class valedictorian and the girlfriend Tommy's fans know about. As an up-and-coming beauty vlogger, Priscilla was Tommy's frequent social media co-star, and behind the scenes they'd made plans to be together. Nevaeh is the pastor's daughter whom Tommy corrupted. Although the three Black girls have little in common, they decide to work together to solve the murder before it's too late. While Tommy is the book's central focus, his character is barely developed prior to his death. Because the story is told in viewpoints that alternate among the girls, readers get to know Kiara, Priscilla, and Nevaeh intimately, yet their reasons for remaining loyal to an abusive and manipulative partner are not sufficiently explored. Fans of social media drama may enjoy this lightly characterized murder mystery.(Mystery. 13-18)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2024

Gr 9 Up-On a senior trip to Florida, internet-famous prankster Tommy Harding is found dead at the amusement park where his class had been partying after hours. Using Tommy's missing phone and secretly recorded footage, a hacker turns social media's vicious spotlight onto three suspects. Kiara was Tommy's public, long-suffering girlfriend-until that night. Social media star Priscilla was the friend Tommy led on for years with promises of more. Pastor's daughter and online girlfriend Nevaeh never knew the real Tommy-until her private videos to him went live. Each girl had secrets. Each had motives to kill. Each had opportunity. All claim innocence, but the hacker is determined to take them down. Tommy is white. The girls and several other key characters are Black. Toxic influencer culture; misinformation; and the devastating, easily influenced court of internet opinion play significant roles in this thriller. Another key theme is #metoo: near-sociopathic abuser Tommy played multiple girls for fools, and their doubt, jealousy, and humiliation did not die with him. Drawbacks of the book include a sometimes difficult-to-follow plot, and disbelief over how such an overtly cruel character kept so many girls on a string. The girls themselves are not always sympathetic, which may not work for some readers. Includes teen substance abuse, sexting, and violence. VERDICT An additional purchase where thrillers involving social media are popular.-Rebecca Moore

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2024
Grades 9-12 Agyemang (Fibbed, 2022) makes her YA debut with a thriller exploring not only the effect of nonstop social-media scrolling but the fact that not everything posted is necessarily real. Famous social-media prankster Tommy Harding is known for his antics and occasionally dark jokes, but when he's found out to be cheating on his girlfriend thanks to a social-media post, his profile goes dark. When his body is found, Kiara, Priscilla, and Nevaeh--the three girls involved in the cheating scandal--realize there might be more to his disappearance than they ever thought possible. Agyemang keeps readers guessing throughout this twisty ride where nothing is as it seems. The three girls are compelling to follow, and while they have wildly different feelings about social-media fame, they all thrive as they come together to peel back the intricate layers of the truth about Tommy. Full of unreliable narrators, surprises, and secrets with a cinematic conclusion, this entertaining story offers sharp commentary on social-media obsession.

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