Girls Who Burn

Gr 9 Up–Over the past few years, Addie has experienced profound loss. Her mother left her family when she was a preteen, and now, the summer before her senior year, her sister is found dead at the bottom of a ravine. Addie is convinced her sister’s death wasn’t an accident or suicide: she was murdered, and she’s certain she knows who did it—until that person turns up dead at the bottom of the ravine as well. Addie finds an unlikely ally in Seth, her childhood rival turned on-again, off-again flame, whose cousin is the latest victim. Addie was in his arms the night her sister died, so her feelings about him are even more complicated than usual. Seth also belongs to another world—his family is well-off and well connected, and Addie’s suspicions about his and his family’s involvement in the murders grow alongside her attraction to him. This mystery is barbed with shocking reveals and ruminations on the privileges and protections that come with wealth. Fans of the enemies-to-lovers tropes will be satisfied, though Addie’s relationship with her friends and family are nearly just as central to the story. Pagano offers a level approach to Addie’s process of untangling her grief and her feelings towards the people who are gone from her life, and those who have stayed.