I didn't quite know that "They Wish They Were Us" was going to be a YA book, but after I started reading and the mystery began to catch on, I was hooked. Of course, the setting brought back multiple memories of high school and of high school society status, which was very much on my mind back in those days. Yes, I was one of the kids who in senior year headed straight to a specific table in the cafeteria every lunch, up front and adjacent to the small stage at the head of the room. I think some of us started in our junior year sitting there and I was told by a close friend that she had overheard someone (perhaps a minor cheerleader) saying about another person, "Well, she sits at that table." It's amazing what a hierarchy exists in high schools. Our group was a mix of the staff of the high school paper (I was the editor in chief), the dramatic society that put on a popular musical each year that drew huge crowds from the surrounding community, a few of the most popular girls on campus who would be traditionally nominated for Junior Miss, Senior Queen or whatever, and of course some of the better known names around town. We were a more intellectual group than traditionally sat at that table--even the few sports stars were known for high grades and intelligence.
So know I am looking forward to going back into time to find out how a clique of seniors gets involved in a murder investigation that once tore the group apart and apparently will now do so again. I am sure there are more secrets involving Shaila and Adam and Quentin and Nikki and of course our narrator Jill, who we are not sure that we can fully trust at this point in the story. After all, unreliable narrators are all thing nowadays! I also like the author's ability to tap into the jargon and mindset of the high school students and distinguish the style of speech among the differing years and even post-high school years. Impressive!
So know I am looking forward to going back into time to find out how a clique of seniors gets involved in a murder investigation that once tore the group apart and apparently will now do so again. I am sure there are more secrets involving Shaila and Adam and Quentin and Nikki and of course our narrator Jill, who we are not sure that we can fully trust at this point in the story. After all, unreliable narrators are all thing nowadays! I also like the author's ability to tap into the jargon and mindset of the high school students and distinguish the style of speech among the differing years and even post-high school years. Impressive!