Liam King (17) can’t believe his luck. A guy from school has chosen him to be his boyfriend. This isn’t just any guy. Tristram is good looking, popular, the lead in school shows and excellent on the rugby field. His family are also quite rich. This is one of Liam’s biggest problems. His own mum works hard at her job at the hospital, doing long shifts in order to pay the bills they can never quite keep on top of. Tristram is used to the best in everything, and Liam can hardly keep up. Gifts and holidays must be found and paid for – even if it has to be done illegally. But Liam believes this is the only way to hold onto Tristram.

Fliss Cavendish (17) is one of Tristram’s friends. She too is wealthy, at least her father is. But he left Fliss and her mother with a seaside hotel and debts to pay. Fliss is closer to her father, but only because he gives in to her demands – mostly. Her mother is too busy running the hotel and brushing Fliss off when she wants her mum’s attention. Her mum’s driver and assistant Aaron is usually at Fliss’ disposal, but Fliss needs more. Her father lives far away with his girlfriend and her mum is practically always absent. How can she get back what they used to have when she was a child?

Laila Abdullatif (16) is worried about her little brother. Senna is sick with only an experimental drug trial in the United States left to battle his illness. Laila is very close to him after losing their father years before, and she will do anything to help him. Life has been tough in their household with her stepdad injured in a work accident and her mother busy looking after them all, especially her young son. Bills are bad enough without an impossible amount to raise for the US treatment.

Kai Marsden (16) is living on the streets. It wasn’t supposed to end up like that when his mother and little sister left, but their landlord threw him out when the rent money ran out. Mum was supposed to be getting back on her feet in another town, and she would send for him, but Kai hasn’t heard from her in weeks. He is surviving on stolen food outside cafe’s and his part-time surfing instructor and gardening jobs. People are starting to notice.

One day before school, Fliss is angry that her mother has called her driver back. Fliss is dropped off at the closest bus stop and she is livid to have to catch the “Poverty Express.” Her friends will never let her live it down. On the bus is Liam, Laila and Kai, all wondering why wealthy spoilt-brat-b@#!h is on the school bus. Soon they all have the same thought – are they going to die?

Their school bus is suddenly teetering on the edge of a cliff after some high intensity road rage. They all manage to escape, dragging a heavy hold-all out the window with them. It is stuffed with one million dollars.

Minds race as they realise how close they came to going over with the bus. Who does the money belong to? Do they tell the Police? All four minds are frantically working out what they could do with the money. How it could change their lives forever. They make a pact and decide to keep it, vowing not to touch it for six months to avoid detection.

This is the first lie of many they will tell each other and themselves. They all believe they have fail safe plans for their new futures. But the money belongs to someone very dangerous, and among these villains are even more liars, pulling the plot this way and that, throwing in twist after twist until the four teen liars become extremely unlucky indeed.

With their lives on the line, the villains closing in, and the police breathing down their necks, Liam, Laila, Fliss and Kai all wish they had never been on that bus that day…

A twisty-turny page-flipping YA thriller that had me wondering what was going to happen next. The setting is in a small coastal UK town which is easy to picture. The characters are varied, but I only really connected with one. Laila’s worry for her little brother is real and her Egyptian heritage was interesting for me as a New Zealander. She was likeable and I was pleased at her personal outcome at the end of the book.

Fliss was pure evil, but a product of her parents, and I could’ve pushed her off the cliff myself. Liam was a bit whiny and I wanted to give him a good shake like his friends did. His new rich boyfriend was in Fliss’ league for ‘horrible persons.’

Kai was a good liar to nearly the end of the book when he finally didn’t have much choice but to tell the truth. I did feel for his situation and loved the elderly lady who looked out for him.

The plot twists surprised me, and I loved the way human nature was portrayed as it was molded by money, with not only the main characters, but others involved.

What would you do if offered $250,000 in cash?

Author – Sarah Wishart

Age – 14+

(2024, Harper Collins, Thriller, Crime, Cash, Money, Stash, Theft, Bus Crash, Bus Driver, Road Rage, Murder, Revenge, Seaside Motel, Bills to Pay, Neglect, Abandonment, Spolit, Wealthy, Fake, Friendships, Rivals, Lies, Money Laundering, Police Investigation, Chase, Family, Drug Trial, Truth, Fleeing, Escape, Plans, Greed, Worry, Secrets, Action)