Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Lurid violence and body count mount in grim, dark thriller.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
High school juniors June and Delia used to be best friends and had an almost telepathic relationship. Then, about a year ago, things went weird and they've hardly spoken. But when June, along with the rest of the school, gets the shocking news that Delia has committed suicide, she's sure it's not true and that her onetime BFF was murdered. As she pursues a relentless quest for the truth, it gets harder and harder to know what's real -- or whom to trust.
Is It Any Good?
Fans of the dark side will appreciate the moral ambiguity in this fast-moving tale of a relatively innocent teen girl trying to do the right thing in an increasingly dangerous, untrustworthy world. Others may find SUICIDE NOTES FROM BEAUTIFUL GIRLS too lurid or too profoundly hopeless.
Told in alternating present-day and flashback segments, it effectively establishes the characters and their complex motivations, while offering a glimpse of pure evil, making it more akin to a horror tale than most thrillers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why teen suicide is such a popular theme in stories today. Is this story similar to others you've read? Do you know anyone who's been touched by this type of tragedy?
In hindsight, you sometimes find you would have done something differently if you knew how your decision was going to turn out. Has this happened to you? Was there anything you could do about it?
If your friend was thinking of doing something terrible, such as committing a violent crime, what would you say?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Mystery
- Topics : Friendship , School ( High School )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Simon Pulse
- Publication date : July 7, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 18
- Number of pages : 336
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : December 4, 2025
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