Devon Knox is a 16-year-old gymnastics prodigy. Everyone one around her wants to help her to succeed, from her coach who dreams of taking her to the Olympics to the other gymnasts who want to be like her and their parents who wish their children were like Devon. Her family also works hard: her mother Katie drives her to practice and competitions, her father Eric spends his nights talking tactics with her coach, and her brother Drew is a smart boy who is neglected by his parents but knows everything that is going on in their lives. The mysterious death of someone close to them unravels secrets and lies within the family that risk ruining everything they've worked for.
The story is told from Katie's point of view and the author does an amazing job in describing her feelings, her fears, and her suspicions and in portraying her struggle as a mother who wants to protect her daughter and find out the truth. The characters are very complex and, until the end, you never know who is telling the truth. I liked how Megan Abbott captures the world of teenage girls - a world of confusion, jealousy, love and sex. Full of tension and suspense, this is one of those novels that make you feel a bit uneasy because you know something terrible is about to happen and yet you can't stop reading. (NP)
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