You're So Dead

April 12, 2021
Alabama teen Plum Winter, who’s queer and white, can’t bear to spend spring break home alone, so when a courier delivers a voucher for travel to the inaugural Pyre Festival, she believes it’s a sign. The invitation is undoubtedly for her half sister, Peach, an influencer who just moved to Los Angeles. Plum knows she’ll never miss it, though, and trades the first-class fare for three cheap seats after persuading her best friends, Marlowe Blake and Sofia Torres, to come along. They arrive to find the private Caribbean island deserted but for eight D-list internet personalities. There’s no cell service, Wi-Fi, or way to leave, and the only accommodation is a crumbling villa stocked with canned food. The ethnically varied group assumes they’re being trolled—until someone dies during dinner, and a poem appears suggesting that more murders will follow. Parsons (Girls Save the World in This One) gently satirizes online culture and the ill-fated Fyre Festival in this frothy homage to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. The cheeky mystery is both clever and satisfying, and the girls’ dynamic—Plum’s crush on Marlowe included—rings true. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House.

May 1, 2021
A fake festival puts social media influencers in very real danger. Billed as a "luxury music and art festival," the Pyre Festival (clearly a nod to the real-life Fyre Festival) promises three days and two nights of unforgettable fun. This is why Alabama high school senior Plum Winter steals her influencer sister Peach's invitation. Plum convinces Sofia Torres and Marlowe Blake, her two best friends, to tag along. Instead of a posh retreat packed with celebrities, though, the trio lands among a small group of lower-tier influencers on the Caribbean island of Little Esau only to find there is no water, no Wi-Fi, and only franks and beans for sustenance. What initially seems like just poor event planning turns into deliberate mockery as the festivalgoers realize they're being played. The joke, however, is deadly: Someone in the group is killing the others off one by one. But who? Parsons effectively mixes social media commentary and thrilling murder mystery with a dash of ridiculous humor. Plenty of red herrings help conceal the killer's identity and keep readers guessing. Marlowe's deep knowledge of old murder-mystery movies exposes some of the killer's inspirations. Though much of the plot is focused on solving the mystery and staying alive, romantic tension between Plum (who is bisexual) and Marlowe adds some cuteness to the terror. Most characters are White; Sofia is White and Puerto Rican. A #trendy and #entertaining whodunit. (Thriller. 14-18)

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June 1, 2021

Gr 8 Up-Plum Winters has lived in the shadow of her Instagram-famous older sister, Peach, her whole life. She's desperate to feel seen by her own rights, so when an invitation to an exclusive, star-studded influencer party on a private island in the Bahamas arrives for Peach, Plum conveniently neglects to tell her sister about it. Instead, she whisks her two best friends, Sofia and Marlowe, away for what is sure to be the spring break trip of a lifetime. Once they arrive at Pyre Festival, however, nothing is as they expected, especially when the influencers around them start dying. Can they figure out who is trying to kill them and why, or will they meet their untimely ends? Fans of Karen M. McManus and Katie Alender will devour this darkly funny, fast-paced mystery. Pop culture references, particularly influencer culture, will resonate with teens. The strong relationship between Plum and her two best friends feels authentic and heartwarming, and Plum herself has relatable struggles with romances and feeling overlooked. The island setting is a fun break from reality, too. Plum and Marlowe are white and Sofia is white and Puerto Rican. VERDICT This Instagram-influencer mystery is a solid pick for any teen collection.-Chelsey Masterson, New York P.L., Bronx

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June 1, 2021
Grades 9-12 This riveting thriller-comedy follows best friends Plum, Sofia, and Marlowe as they attempt to crash the influencers-only Pyre Festival only to find that everyone on the creepy island is marked for murder. Over the course of three days, the teens' chance at adventure quickly devolves into evading a twisted serial killer. To complicate matters, Plum has a secret crush on Marlowe, and Plum's older, cooler influencer sister Peach--whose invitation to Pyre Festival Plum stole in the first place--has arrived to steal the show. Writing in short, energetic bursts with a witty voice, Parsons keeps the twists coming, her motley crew's energy running frantic as the body count rises and they try to discover the killer in their midst. Who is acting, what is real, and more important, who is next? Plum initially thinks the kids at school would die of jealousy over her trip, but when the group of friends finds out there's no WiFi, well . . . they might just actually die.

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