Dead End Girls

Review\nPraise for Dead End Girls:\n"What a wild runaway ride! Maude’s sharp mind and intricate death plan was brilliant. I was rooting for her and Frankie the whole time. A clever page-turner that I couldn’t put down."―Natasha Preston, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author\n“This fun, dark, fully queer thriller embraces its premise without pulling any punches. A romantic thriller that takes “Be Gay, Do Crime” to heart.”\n―Kirkus Reviews\n"There is no shortage of drama but the characters’ complexities build given time. Readers will need to block out the whole day for this one because they won’t put it down until it’s done."―BCCB\n“Wendy Heard writes smart, edgy thrillers that often explore LGBTQ and coming-of-age themes, and Dead End Girls promises to continue that reputation. In what feels like the lesbian version of Cruel Intentions I always wanted (I mean, who even remembers Ryan Phillippe these days), two stepcousins become obsessed with each other—and with faking their own deaths.”―Crime Reads\n“Utterly addictive. Dead End Girls is a riveting, holds-no-punches thriller with the deeply relatable adolescent hunger for escape and reinvention at its core.”―Kit Frick, author of I Killed Zoe Spanos and Very Bad People\n"Both Maude and Frankie are quick-witted heroines whose respective quests for autonomy and internal struggles regarding sexuality and gender identity provide depth. Culminating in a suspenseful ending, Heard’s alluring novel is an invigorating ride."
―Publishers Weekly\n"An atmospheric, heart-jolting thriller. The book alternates between Maude's and Frankie’s perspective as they explore their relationship, identities, and what it means to be truly free from people who don’t want you to be yourself or pursue happiness." ―Booklist\n"An action-packed LGBTQIAIA+ thriller. Compulsively readable."―School Library Journal\n"Freedom, identity, and unexpected love collide in a pulse-pounding thrill ride."―Mindy McGinnis, Edgar Award-winning author of The Female of the Species\n"A clever page-turner that I couldn’t put down."—Natasha Preston, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author\nTwo girls fake their deaths only to face mortal danger in this YA thriller perfect for fans of The Twin and None Shall Sleep.\nIn one week, Maude will be dead. At least, that’s what she wants everyone to think. After years of research, Maude has decided to fake her own death. She’s figured out the how, the when, the where, and who will help her unsuspectingly. The why is complex: revenge, partly. Her terrible parents deserve this. But there’s also 'l’appel du vide,' the call of the void, that beckons her toward a new life where she will be tied to no one, free and adrift. Then Frankie, a step-cousin she barely knows, figures out what she’s plotting, and the plan seems like it’s ruined. Except Frankie doesn’t want to rat her out. Frankie wants in.\nThe girls vault into the unknown, risking everything for a new and limitless life. But there are some things you can never run away from. What if the poison is not in the soil, but in the roots? This pulse-pounding thriller offers a nuanced exploration of identity, freedom, and falling in love while your world falls apart.\nFrom School Library Journal\nGr 9 Up-An action-packed LGBTQIAIA+ thriller. Forced to live out of a suitcase and shuffled between her divorced parents each week, Maude is fed up with her life. But all that is about to change; Maude has found her way out by faking her death. However, her perfect plan goes awry when her step-cousin, Frankie, discovers her false passport. Maude thinks everything is ruined, but Frankie offers her a deal: help her fake her death, too, or she'll rat Maude out to her parents. Frankie has her own reason for wanting to start over, but she keeps it to herself. Maude decides she's put too much time and effort into the plan to stop now. So, with an unexpected companion, Maude fakes her death, and the first part of the plan goes off without a hit