Beware That Girl
Written by Teresa Toten
Narrated by Jorjeana Marie
3.5/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
For fans of We Were Liars, Gone Girl, and The Girl on the Train comes a powerful psychological thriller with a gripping pace and Hitchcockian twists. Set against the backdrop of New York City, this compelling novel delves into the dysfunctional yet mesmerizing world of the mega-wealthy elite and will keep listeners guessing until the very last moment.
The Haves. The Have-Nots. Kate O'Brien appears to be a Have-Not. Her whole life has been a series of setbacks she's had to snake her way out of-some more sinister than others. But she's determined to change all that. She's book-smart. She's street-smart. And she's also a masterful liar. As the scholarship student at the elite Waverly School in NYC, Kate has her work cut out for her: her plan is to climb the social ranks and land a spot at Yale. She's already found her "people" among the senior-class "it" girls-specifically in the cosseted, mega-wealthy yet deeply damaged Olivia Sumner. As for Olivia, she considers Kate the best friend she's always needed, the sister she never had.
When the handsome and whip-smart Mark Redkin joins the Waverly administration as head of fund-raising, he immediately charms his way into the faculty's and students' lives, becoming especially close to Olivia, a fact she's intent on keeping to herself. It becomes increasingly obvious that Redkin poses a threat to Kate, too, in a way she can't reveal-and can't afford to ignore. Mark has his own plan for a bright future and never doubts that he can pull it off. How close can Kate and Olivia get to him without having to share their dark pasts?
Teresa Toten
Teresa Toten is the author of the acclaimed Blondes series, as well as The Game, The Onlyhouse and The Taming (with Eric Walters). Teresa won the Governor General’s Literary Award for The Unlikely Hero of Room 13b, which also won the Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award, the CBC Bookie Award, was the CLA Honour Book for 2013 and was nominated for the 2014 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award. For more information, visit www.teresatoten.com.
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Reviews for Beware That Girl
41 ratings7 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It took me a while to get into this book, as I wasn't really sure where it was going. I'm glad I persevered. Once I got about half-way through I breezed through the rest. It was a fairly dark teen thriller that didn't end where I thought it would. There were some really strong and diverse characters, with hidden pasts and different motives. The unexpected ending made it worth reading. I also liked the way the narrative switched between the two main characters. Not too much was given away at any time, which may be hy I found it hard to get into, but this sparseness of information added to the suspense and guessing of what was going on.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Teresa Toten is the author of a remarkable book I have previously reviewed, The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B. This novel is quite different in style and substance.Toten certainly knows how to use plot twist in creative ways. The book veered off into unpredictable situations that built the tension of this psychological thriller exponentially. The first third of the book was rather slow but the last third was riveting.Toten reveals just enough about the two main characters, Olivia and Kate, to build our curiosity and suspense as the story progresses. These girls are in their senior year and aiming for Yale University. We know that something has happened to both these girls to damage them deeply in different ways. We know that they are both keeping secrets. We know that they are both afraid. We know that something isn’t quiet right with the handsome Mr. Mark Redkin who takes an interest in them.The author cleverly reveals snippets of Kate’s life that makes us question whether she is the hero or the villain in this drama. She uses people. Does she care for them at all? The answer is as complex as the plot itself.My major criticism of this book would be that the dialogue clunks in places and seems artificial and flat at times. As well, there are moments when the point of view is muddied. Although this is a suspense novel, character plays a major role and believable dialogue is essential. The two brilliant girls did made some very stupid choices.Although it doesn’t have the genius of 13B, I think this would make a great suspense movie with the right script writer and director. All in all, it was a very enjoyable read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kate, the scholarship student at an all-girl private school, must face her tortured past as she plans for her future. Scheming her way into moving into the home of one of the vulnerable rich girls, Kate will discover who is using whom. This book effectively deals with topics such as dysfunctional families, mental illness, and sexual predation. A recommended read for young adults.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Very much into this sort of Gossip Girl-meets-Gone Girl YA. Akin to the book version of the best Lifetime movie you can imagine. And I demand a sequel!!
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Kate O'Brien is always the scholarship kid with no money, figuring out how to survive socially in each school in addition to how to feed, clothe, and house herself. Waverly School is no different from all the other ones except that it's not a boarding school, so Kate has to work slavishly in Chinatown and bus to the school. Olivia is a rich girl with a mysterious past trying to make up for the year she spent in a mental institution. The two girls become fast friends and all seems well until charismatic Mark Redkin arrives on the scene. The whole school is crazy about him and he seems to do a lot of good for the school, but Kate knows something is wrong with him. Can she keep her best friend away from him before it's too late?The first half of the book is pretty good. Kate has had a hard life with an abusive father, a dead mother, and providing for herself. She lies and manipulates to make herself the most appealing to administrators, teachers, and classmates for survival and to achieve her ultimate goal: Yale. Every interaction is thought out and designed to craft a desirable image. The teachers think she's a hard worker. Her classmates think she's mysterious and fashionable. The administrators find her marketable. It's interesting to see a more mercenary side to teenage girls. She isn't evil or sociopathic; she's just willing to manipulate, lie, and snoop around to get what she wants which is ultimately Yale but also a roof over head and food to eat. Olivia, on the other hand, seems a bit fragile and is obviously recovering from something big. Her character is a bit of a mystery and her personality is dulled by the medicine she takes.The the second half happens and pretty much destroys most of what I liked about the book. Mark Redkin is completely charismatic and flirts with pretty much everyone female. Of course Olivia (and most of the school) is totally infatuated with him and no one except Kate suspects he may be less than benevolent. He has behavior similar to her abusive, sociopathic father, but Kate is simply trying to get through to Yale. Olivia shows her true colors, becoming erratic and cruel when Kate even suggests to be careful around him, even threatening to throw her out. The finale of the book goes into cartoonish territory that I simply didn't believe. At least the plot shows how crackpot ideas don't really work in real life. The end reveal is pretty offensive in its treatment of people with mental illness. It's left open for a sort of sequel, but I'm not really interested in reading it.This book clearly should have been called "Beware that Creepy Dude who Preys on Young Girls," but then it wouldn't be marketed for fans of Gone Girl or other "Girl" titled successful thrillers. The story is interesting and not my usual fare, but the ending is completely unbelievable and brought me out of the story.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I wanted to like this book more than I did because I am such a fan of Toten's first book, The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B. It was just too unlikely.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A terrifically trashy teen thriller, just in time for beach season.
Thank you to Penguin Random House for the advance reading copy.