Survive the Night

Gr 9 Up—Casey just got out of rehab, and she is having trouble adjusting. When her old friend Shana shows up to whisk her away for a night of debauchery in New York City, Casey can't join her fast enough. Shana didn't tell her that they were going to see Sam, Casey's ex-boyfriend. Their awkward reunion is interrupted by news of an underground party that no one can find. Shana uses her powers of persuasion to get a location, but the group of friends soon discover that the "Survive the Night" party is a name that should be taken literally. Will any of them be able to get out alive? With this pulse-pounding, nail-biting novel from the author of The Merciless (Penguin, 2014), Vega creates immediately likable and relatable characters in shell-shocked Casey and free-spirited bad girl Shana. Seemingly innocuous moments become situations of disquieting terror, like when Casey tries to go after Shana in a warehouse in an attempt to find the party's location. Casey's past romance with Sam provides an interesting layer that keeps the book moving in its early quiet chapters. When events amp up toward the climax, the characters react to their predicament resolutely and continue their strong dynamic.