Three girls. Sophie A is pretty, blond, bubbly and kind. Sophie M (or Mac for short) is a top student and Sophie Twigg (or Twiggy) is not. They have been best friends since age 9, but Sophie A is missing, and has been for 64 days. This is where we begin to read Mac’s diary entries, as she struggles with the loss of her friend and the terrible secrets she is hiding.

They are not all her secrets, as Sophie A told her something before she disappeared. The police are questioning Mac again, and she knows she has to remember what she told them last time. She knows that revealing any of the secrets will wreck lives – including her own.

We go back in time, day by day through Mac’s diary as it reveals a hidden relationship. A forbidden one with a teacher. But he was so good looking, and young and loving and… violent. The closer we get to the day Sophie A disappears, the tension rachets up notch after notch, as Mac’s memories haunt her in her dreams too.

When Mac learns one of her secrets is known by another and someone nearly loses their life, her guilt is all encompassing. And now Twiggy is under threat too.

Told in three parts – going backwards in time, then forwards, ending with a heart-stopping conclusion. Intriguing. Loved it.

Author – Eileen Merriman

Age – 14+

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(2020, Penguin NZ, Guilt, Secrets, Missing Person, Friendship, Crime, School, Exams, Pressure, Loss, Mystery, Diary, Love, Forbidden relationship, Teacher Student Relationship)