Wicked Games

Gr 10 Up—Carter has been Lilah's "forever" since the perfect evening he carved their names into a bench after their third date, back in ninth grade. Though they have been the quintessential couple in their Florida beach town for nearly four years since, their relationship seems unlikely to survive until graduation. Lilah gets drunk at a party, causes a nasty scene, and leaves Carter thoroughly disenchanted at having to treat his fragile and apparently mentally unstable girlfriend with kid gloves. He's also vulnerable to school hottie and drama queen Jules, who reaches out to him after Lilah is taken home. After another perfect evening with this different girl, Carter is confused, Jules is smitten, and Lilah is soon out for blood. She is not looking to punish Carter for hooking up with another girl but wanting to wound Jules for taking her man. Lilah's taste for revenge and obsession are downright scary and exaggerated to a near caricature. She launches dual campaigns to humiliate and intimidate Jules while winning back Carter by reminding him of what they have meant to each other. Ultimately, neither of Lilah's ploys nor the book's devices really work all that well. Use of designer names and current musicians are peppered among shallow descriptions of characters that focus on appearance. This style does little to elevate an uninspired plot. Nonetheless, casual or reluctant readers drawn to books with elements of romance, scandal, and suspense may not mind the two-dimensional villain or paltry treatment of her psychosis.—Suzanne Gordon, Lanier High School, Sugar Hill, GA