Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls

Positive messages are few in a twisty plot whose main takeaway is that just about everything is a lie and that choices you make for what seem like good reasons can lead you down a terrible path.

The body count builds as the story progresses, and most of them could be suicides. Before her death, one claims in graphic detail that a family member tried to rape her. But, as June peels away one layer after another of deception, the reality is even darker; as with Stephen King's books, some villains' pure creepy evil eclipses even the depravity of their crimes.

Plentiful strong language: "f--k," "s--t," "dick," "balls," and the like, mostly as everyday conversation.

Teen drinking is only part of the landscape, as are drunk and hungover teens. A drug dealer, his parties ("A girl in a long gold dress is crouched down on the floor where I left the pill, snorting up the dust"), and his wares (which some of the characters use freely) are important to the plot.