The original investigation concluded with most of the evidence pointing to Sal, who was found dead in the woods, apparently by suicide. For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school.

There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.Įveryone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago-except Pippa Fitz-Amobi. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.Īutumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart their mothers are still best friends. Completely unremarkable, with an unresolved ending. With little conflict until near the end of the book, there is not much here to keep readers interested unless they are fascinated by the minutiae of clothes and the hottest L.A. Scarlett is smart and sarcastic, but those are her only defining personality traits. Despite an up-close view of their thoughts, all the characters except Jane are regrettably flat. The Hills “reality” show star Conrad uses an omniscient point of view to get inside the thoughts of major Hollywood players and the stars they shape. As the show begins production and publicity, Jane is cast in the role of narrator and protagonist, much to the dismay of her pampered, two-faced castmate, Madison. At a club, they’re discovered by reality TV producer Trent Lord. Too-cool-for-school Scarlett and plain Jane have just moved to Los Angeles, where Scarlett will start as a freshman at USC and Jane will work for a demanding high-profile event planner. Everyday girls find their lives are everyone else’s business when they’re picked to star in a Sex and the City–style reality show.

L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad