Dead End Girls

by Wendy Heard

Overview

Determined to escape suffocating expectations and menacing families, two desperate teens fake their own deaths in this queer contemporary thriller perfect for fans of The Twin and Five Survive.​

In one week, Maude will be dead. At least, that’s what she wants everyone to think. After years of research, Maude has decided to fake her own death. She’s figured out the how, the when, the where, and who will help her unsuspectingly. The why is complex: revenge, partly. Her terrible parents deserve this. But there’s also 'l’appel du vide,' the call of the void, that beckons her toward a new life where she will be tied to no one, free and adrift. Then Frankie, a step-cousin she barely knows, figures out what she’s plotting, and the plan seems like it’s ruined. Except Frankie doesn’t want to rat her out. Frankie wants in.

The girls vault into the unknown, risking everything for a new and limitless life. But there are some things you can never run away from. What if the poison is not in the soil, but in the roots? This pulse-pounding thriller offers a nuanced exploration of identity, freedom, and falling in love while your world falls apart.

"A clever page-turner that I couldn’t put down."—Natasha Preston, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author​

A YALSA Amazing Audiobook for Young Adults
A YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
A Rainbow Book List Selection

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316310413
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	05/10/2022
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	101,790
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.40(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Wendy Heard is the author of the acclaimed YA novel She's Too Pretty to Burn, which Kirkus Reviews praised as “a wild and satisfying romp” in a starred review, as well as two adult thrillers: The Kill Club and Hunting Annabelle. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, and Mystery Writers of America, and is a contributor at Crimereads.com and Writer's Digest. Wendy lives in Los Angeles, California.
 

Editorial Reviews

05/23/2022

Feeling unloved and unwanted by her divorced parents, 17-year-old Maude Hendricks, who is gay and white, arranges to fake her own death in a boating accident while vacationing in Hawaii. It’s a complicated plan, one that she’s patiently researched for the last two years. Just as she’s about to initiate the deception, though, her white step-cousin Frankie Maxwell (also gay and 17), whom she barely knows, uncovers Maude’s scheme and demands that she take Frankie with her. After she reluctantly agrees, the girls rent kayaks to begin carrying out their plan. The ploy immediately hits a dangerous snag when a shark appears, lured by a bleeding cut on Maude’s foot. Managing to escape and check in to a motel, they are thrilled when a television broadcast reports them missing following a boating incident. On the run, the pair encounter further troubles, including a harrowing accident, a murder, and many narrow escapes, while navigating a blossoming romance. Both Maude and Frankie are quick-witted heroines whose respective quests for autonomy and internal struggles regarding sexuality and gender identity provide depth. Culminating in a suspenseful ending, Heard’s (She’s Too Pretty to Burn) alluring novel is an invigorating ride. Ages 14–up. Agent: Lauren Spieller, Triada US. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Dead End Girls:

"What a wild runaway ride! Maude’s sharp mind and intricate death plan was brilliant. I was rooting for her and Frankie the whole time. A clever page-turner that I couldn’t put down."—Natasha Preston, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

“This fun, dark, fully queer thriller embraces its premise without pulling any punches. A romantic thriller that takes “Be Gay, Do Crime” to heart.”

 —Kirkus Reviews

"There is no shortage of drama but the characters’ complexities build given time. Readers will need to block out the whole day for this one because they won’t put it down until it’s done."—BCCB

“Wendy Heard writes smart, edgy thrillers that often explore LGBTQ and coming-of-age themes, and Dead End Girls promises to continue that reputation. In what feels like the lesbian version of Cruel Intentions I always wanted (I mean, who even remembers Ryan Phillippe these days), two stepcousins become obsessed with each other—and with faking their own deaths.”—Crime Reads

“Utterly addictive. Dead End Girls is a riveting, holds-no-punches thriller with the deeply relatable adolescent hunger for escape and reinvention at its core.”—Kit Frick, author of I Killed Zoe Spanos and Very Bad People

"Both Maude and Frankie are quick-witted heroines whose respective quests for autonomy and internal struggles regarding sexuality and gender identity provide depth. Culminating in a suspenseful ending, Heard’s alluring novel is an invigorating ride."
 —Publishers Weekly

"An atmospheric, heart-jolting thriller. The book alternates between Maude's and Frankie’s perspective as they explore their relationship, identities, and what it means to be truly free from people who don’t want you to be yourself or pursue happiness." —Booklist

"An action-packed LGBTQIAIA+ thriller. Compulsively readable."—School Library Journal

"Freedom, identity, and unexpected love collide in a pulse-pounding thrill ride."—Mindy McGinnis, Edgar Award-winning author of The Female of the Species

From the Publisher

06/01/2022

Gr 9 Up—An action-packed LGBTQIAIA+ thriller. Forced to live out of a suitcase and shuffled between her divorced parents each week, Maude is fed up with her life. But all that is about to change; Maude has found her way out by faking her death. However, her perfect plan goes awry when her step-cousin, Frankie, discovers her false passport. Maude thinks everything is ruined, but Frankie offers her a deal: help her fake her death, too, or she'll rat Maude out to her parents. Frankie has her own reason for wanting to start over, but she keeps it to herself. Maude decides she's put too much time and effort into the plan to stop now. So, with an unexpected companion, Maude fakes her death, and the first part of the plan goes off without a hitch. But now she realizes just how many complications Frankie's presence brings. Worst of all? Maude is enjoying Frankie's company way more than she thinks she should. While this title is compulsively readable, readers will have to set aside disbelief to enjoy the story. Two teenagers faking their deaths and coming up with the necessary paperwork to escape their families and start new lives in another country is a stretch. The other situations in the novel make it even less believable. However, readers who enjoy stories with high drama and action will easily forgive this flaw. Race of characters is not mentioned. VERDICT A fast-paced, enjoyable read for those who can suspend disbelief.—Lisa Buffi

School Library Journal

2022-02-09
In search of autonomy, two teens take desperate action to get away from their terrible families.

After two years of careful planning, research, and Machiavellian orchestration, Maude is now ready to die—or at least to let everyone think she is dead. Then she’ll finally be free to be the person she is supposed to be. But just before her plan comes to fruition, her wealthy stepcousin, Frankie, figures out her plot. Maude thinks her plan has been destroyed, but to her surprise, Frankie just wants in, equally eager to escape their family. Readjustments of the timeline and finances are required before the two embark on a dangerous journey of blood, tears, and love during a family holiday in Hawaii. This fun, dark, fully queer thriller embraces its premise without pulling any punches. The two main characters thirst for revenge, freedom, and self-affirmation in the face of truly horrible families who alienate and oppress them, and they eventually find love and acceptance in one another—all while committing crimes. The story incorporates the protagonists’ welcome awareness of their privilege as financially comfortable White people while exploring their queerness and the oppression they experience because of it (Maude’s aware of her sexuality but not out as a lesbian yet, and Frankie questions their gender identity).

A romantic thriller that takes “Be Gay, Do Crime” to heart. (Thriller. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews