Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

If ever there was a cautionary tale, this is it. Several of the plot elements aren't unique, but here they're woven together in a most intriguing manner, with the protagonist's motivation so well hidden it should surprise the majority of readers.Anyone who thinks things like what befalls girls in this story (and the boys who perpetrate them) without school administrations knowing what's happening and pretending they aren't, most likely still puts teeth under their pillow, expecting to wake and find money instead.… (meer)

Where Sleeping Girls Lie is a powerful novel about the frustration of injustice surrounding sexual assault.

Surrounded by loss, Sade enrolls in a boarding school after years of homeschool. Her first day there, her roommate Elizabeth disappears, and Sade finds herself entrenched in a mystery while trying to navigate the social hierarchy where dangerous secrets lurk.

I love YA thrillers, and this is a really good addition to the category. Sade's frustration with the school administration is palpable and for good reason. Though the Sapphic relationship was hinted at early on, it still felt like it came out of left field when it finally happened. I liked that all the loose ends were tied up nicely, and the ending was realistic. There are graphic depictions of grief, sexual assault, and suicide, so take care reading.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review!… (meer)

This debut young-adult thriller by Nigerian-British author Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé tackles issues of racism and homophobia. The story is about two Black high school seniors, Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo, in an otherwise all-white private school who are targeted by an anonymous bully who begins a campaign to expose their secrets to the entire student body at Niveus Academy. The campaign is carried out mostly by texts, but it also involves darker and more dangerous elements. The story is told through both Devon’s and Chiamaka’s points of view: Devon, the gay scholarship kid from a poor neighborhood; and Chiamaka, the daughter of an Italian father and Nigerian mother who are both doctors and wealthy. Very interesting characters, many twists and turns. In my opinion, much of the story involved suspension of belief, but it was nevertheless engaging.… (meer)