Storm of Lies

I’ll admit, I went into *Storm of Lies* expecting a by-the-numbers teen thriller, but McKenzie subverts expectations from the first chapter. Hollie isn’t your typical plucky heroine—she’s prickly, sometimes reckless, and her loyalty to her best friend feels earned, not contrived. The mystery unfolds like a slow-unspooling rope, with clues tucked into casual dialogue and offhand details. Footman’s narration elevates this further; her Hollie sounds like a real teenager—not whiny or overly dramatic, but with a quiet intensity that makes her frustration palpable. When the storm hits (both literally and metaphorically), Footman’s pacing mirrors the chaos without descending into melodrama. That said, the middle act drags slightly with a subplot involving Hollie’s family that, while thematically relevant, disrupts the momentum. And while the coastal setting is vivid, I wished for more sensory immersion—the audiobook could’ve leaned harder into ambient sounds (waves, wind) to heighten the atmosphere. Still, the payoff is worth it: the final confrontation is brutally satisfying, and Footman’s delivery of the last line left me sitting in my car long after the engine turned off. If you’re tired of YA mysteries that tie up neatly, this one leaves room to wonder—which lies were necessary, and which will haunt Hollie long after the storm passes.