After a long discussion about books with classmate sophomore Claire Sallee, we both decided to pick books for each other to read. We headed to the library in search of something we thought the other would like. I chose one of my favorite books, “Room” by Emma Donoghue, for her to read and she chose “Sawkill Girls” by Claire Legrand for me to read.
After I read the description on the back of the book, I was skeptical. Usually, I do not like mystery books like this, but as I dove further into the suspenseful story my mind was changed. The book follows three teenage girls living on Sawkill Island as the town deals with missing girls. Throughout the story, they hunt for clues as to why so many girls disappear on the island. The concept of the book sounded interesting to me but as I read the first few chapters, the plot was moving slower than expected. The first 100 pages slowly set up the plot, but after that, I could not put the book down.
After the slow start, I could not predict what would happen next which left me on the edge of my seat wanting to read more. As the plot thickened, the book unfolded into an action-packed thriller involving two of the girls, Zoey and Marion, trying to find the reason behind the missing girls’ disappearance. As they find more clues, they figure out that the people they love and trust may not be who they say they are.
The third main character, Val, is part of a rich family of women on the island. As Zoey befriends Marion, they go on a hunt around the island looking for clues about Val’s family. They find out that her family is tied to the missing girls, which makes Marion question if she really knew Val at all. After finding a way to stop the alleged killer, the three girls have to set aside their differences and team up to defeat him.
The author of this book, Claire Legrand, is a New York Times bestseller. She managed to end every chapter with a bigger cliffhanger than the last. Legrand is known for her YA novels and has won many notable awards, including the 2019 Lambda Literary Award. I usually do not like thriller novels because they are so predictable, but Legrand kept me on my toes with surprises I never saw coming.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Even though I was skeptical at first, I found myself wanting to know more after each chapter. The creepy details and secrets that unfolded made me feel like I was on the island myself waiting to see what would happen next. I am pleased to say the ending was one of the best I have read, leaving me thankful that I do not live on Sawkill Island.