Heart-Shaped Lies

Gr 9 Up–On a senior trip to Florida, internet-famous prankster Tommy Harding is found dead at the amusement park where his class had been partying after hours. ­Using Tommy’s missing phone and secretly recorded footage, a hacker turns social media’s vicious spotlight onto three suspects. Kiara was Tommy’s public, long-suffering girlfriend—until that night. Social media star Priscilla was the friend Tommy led on for years with promises of more. ­Pastor’s daughter and online girlfriend ­Nevaeh ­never knew the real Tommy—until her ­private videos to him went live. Each girl had secrets. Each had motives to kill. Each had opportunity. All claim innocence, but the hacker is determined to take them down. Tommy is white. The girls and ­several other key ­characters are Black. ­Toxic ­influencer culture; misinformation; and the devastating, easily influenced court of internet opinion play significant roles in this thriller. Another key theme is #metoo: near-sociopathic abuser Tommy played multiple girls for fools, and their doubt, jealousy, and humiliation did not die with him. Drawbacks of the book include a sometimes difficult-to-follow plot, and disbelief over how such an overtly cruel character kept so many girls on a string. The girls themselves are not always ­sympathetic, which may not work for some readers. Includes teen substance abuse, sexting, and violence.