Stressed single mother and law partner Kate is in the meeting of her career when she is interrupted by a telephone call to say that her teenaged daughter Amelia has been suspended from her exclusive Brooklyn prep school for cheating on an exam. Torn between her head and her heart, she eventually arrives at St Grace's over an hour late, to be greeted by sirens wailing and ambulance lights blazing. Her daughter has jumped off the roof of the school, apparently in shame of being caught. A grieving Kate can't accept that her daughter would kill herself: it was just the two of them and Amelia would never leave her alone like this. And so begins an investigation which takes her deep into Amelia's private world, into her journals, her email account and into the mind of a troubled young girl. Then Kate receives an anonymous text saying simply: AMELIA DIDN'T JUMP. Is someone playing with her or has she been right all along?
I was a little bit disappointed in the quality of writing given the good things I’d heard about this book. That being said, I was 100% into it and (mostly) able to overlook the poor writing. It’s a nail-biting, fascinating story that addresses some contentious and current issues, like bullying, hazing, and secret societies/sororities, and it raises some questions about parenting styles. Overall this was a great read that I really enjoyed, and I would definitely recommend it to someone looking for a fast-paced, all-consuming, thought-provoking read.
