Beware That Girl by Teresa Toten
Description: “The Haves. The Have Nots. Kate O’Brien appears to be a Have Not. Her whole life has been a series of setbacks she’s had to snake her way out of — some more sinister than others. But she’s determined to change that. She’s book smart. She’s street-smart. And she’s also a masterful liar.
As the scholarship student at the elite Waverly School in NYC, Kate has her work cut out for her: her plan is to climb the social ranks and land a spot at Yale. She’s already found her ‘people’ among the senior class ‘it’ girls — specifically in the cosseted, mega-wealthy yet deeply damaged Olivia Sumner. As for Olivia, she considers Kate the best friend she’s always needed, the sister she never had.
When the handsome and whip-smart Mark Redkin joins the Waverly administration as head of fundraising, he immediately charms his way into the faculty and students’ lives — especially Olivia’s although she doesn’t share what’s going on. It becomes increasingly obvious that Redkin poses a threat to Kate, too, in a way she can’t reveal and can’t afford to ignore. Mark has his own plan for a bright future and never doubts that he can pull it off. How close can Kate and Olivia get with Mark without having to share their dark pasts?”
Review: This book was a quick, fast-paced psychological read. I am usually good at figuring out the psychological twists and turns but this book threw me. I was on the edge of my seat while reading it, Teresa Toten did a great job of building suspense. While the author did a great job of developing the main character, Kate, I felt like the other characters could have been more fleshed out. I’m the type of person that wants to know what motivates someone, I was intrigued by so many of the characters and wanted to know more. I hope she writes another book about one of the other characters. There are so many layers to this book and the author reveals them in a way that is griping. This book left me guessing and wanting more. Don’t read this if you hate open ended books! I would recommend this to friends who are looking for a quick read and enjoyed Gone Girl.
*please note that I received an advanced copy of the book from NetGalley