This is Our Story

by Ashley Elston

Overview

"Chilling and suspenseful, with just the right number of twists." —Kirkus Reviews

Five boys went hunting. Four came back. And the evidence shows it could have been any one of them, in this thrilling mystery with a big twist, for fans of Courtney Summers. 

Kate Marino's senior year internship at the District Attorney's Office isn't exactly glamorous—more like an excuse to leave school early that looks good on college applications. Then the DA hands her boss, Mr. Stone, the biggest case her small town of Belle Terre has ever seen. The River Point Boys are all anyone can talk about. Despite their damning toxicology reports the morning of the accident, the DA wants the boys' case swept under the rug. He owes his political office to their powerful families.

Kate won't let that happen. Digging up secrets without revealing her own is a dangerous line to walk; Kate has personal reasons for seeking justice. As she gets dangerously close to the truth, it becomes clear that the early morning accident might not have been an accident at all-and if she doesn't uncover the true killer, more than one life could be on the line including her own.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781484730898
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	11/15/2016
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	398,584
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.10(d)
Lexile:	HL720L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Ashley Elston is the author of several novels including: The Rules for Disappearing (a finalist in the Best Young Adult Novel category of the International Thriller Writers Thriller Awards) and This Is Our Story. She has a liberal arts degree from Louisiana State University in Shreveport and worked for many years as a wedding photographer before turning her hand to writing. Ashley lives in Shreveport with her husband and three sons. For more information about Ashley and her books, please visit www.ashleyelston.com.

Editorial Reviews

10/03/2016
Grant Perkins is killed while on a hunting trip with his four best friends, who concoct a tale to keep themselves out of jail. As part of her internship with the district attorney’s office, senior Kate Marino is assigned to help unravel the boys’ lies, despite their connections to their Louisiana town’s most powerful citizens. However, Kate’s boss doesn’t know that she is harboring secrets that link her to the River Point Boys, and everyone—including Grant—has something to hide. Elston’s (The Rules for Disappearing) exploration of privilege, justice, and digital media unfolds through a combination of Kate’s Nancy Drew–like investigation, the anonymous shooter’s thoughts, and the mounting evidence; the narrative feels ripped from the headlines, a contemporary cautionary tale with enough wrinkles to make all four boys seem like likely suspects. A subplot involving a photo of three passed-out girls adds another layer of sordid small-town intrigue, and Kate’s efforts to solve the case highlights the duality of the human soul, the ways technology can twist the truth, and the difficulty of knowing who to trust. Ages 12–up. Agent: Sarah Davies, Greenhouse Literary. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"Absorbing, haunting, and memorable... a slow-burning mystery/love story that ratchets up the tension with each chapter. By the time you reach the end you will be breathless!"—Colleen Houck, New York Times best-selling author of the Tiger's Curse series

"Elston’s exploration of privilege, justice, and digital media . . . highlights the duality of the human soul, the ways technology can twist the truth, and the difficulty of knowing who to trust."—Publishers Weekly

"Chilling and suspenseful, with just the right number of twists."—Kirkus Reviews

"Elston spins out a solid mystery... She sustains a high level of tension. For teens who enjoy watching the heedless-but-good girl take on a crew of privileged bad boys to exonerate her guy, this is their story."—BCCB

"Intrigue and suspense, drugs and partying, social media, budding romance, mounting clues, and characters who embody good and bad—some evil—make this incredibly crafted novel impossible to set aside. It is a stellar summer reading or book discussion group choice... This novel will circulate among all readers."—VOYA

*"The characters are believable and well developed in this stimulating and intriguing plot. This mesmerizing romantic mystery is bursting with plot twists and turns that will leave the reader highly satisfied and wishing they had not yet finished the book."—School Library Council, starred review

"The plot build cleverly, interspersed with text messages, mistaken identities, whiffs of political corruption, and mysterious narrations from someone who knows what happened... impossible to put down."—Booklist

From the Publisher

11/01/2016
Gr 8 Up—Kate Marino is shocked to learn that Grant Perkins is dead. She and Grant had been texting for months, and Kate had revealed things about herself that she hadn't told anyone, ever. So when her mother's boss gets assigned to the murder investigation, Kate uses her after-school job at the district attorney's office to look into the case. The worst part? One of Grant's best friends is his killer, but none of their other friends are talking. As Kate begins to uncover the schism driving the boys apart, she learns a distressing truth from Grant's best friend, Shep, that completely unravels everything she thought she knew, and the more her investigation deepens, the more dangerous it becomes. Will she be able to learn the truth in time? With this gripping novel, Elston has created an accessible legal thriller for a teenage audience. Kate is a very appealing and recognizable character: smart, funny, and strong. Refusing to be paralyzed by her emotions, she feels compelled to do something about injustice and tries to turn her grief into positive momentum. Readers will most likely be shocked and surprised right along with Kate as they, too, follow the many twists and turns of Grant's murder case. VERDICT Highly recommended for young adult collections in public and school libraries.—Ryan P. Donovan, Southborough Public Library, MA

School Library Journal

2016-08-17
If your friend’s dead body falls in the woods and nobody is around to see which of you pulled the trigger, what will your story be?In an after-party haze of booze and drugs, five white, wealthy best friends go hunting in the River Point woods—only four return. With one of the boys, Grant, shot dead in an apparent accident and no one willing to admit responsibility, Logan, Henry, John Michael, and Shep vow to keep silent in order to protect their remaining group and the killer among them. But secrets have a way of burrowing through bonds, and the tightknit foursome, dubbed the River Point Boys, has already started to unravel. Meanwhile, budding photojournalist and white senior Kate Marino is interning at the district attorney’s office, where her boss is assigned the River Point case. The DA wants the case to disappear quietly, but Kate is determined see justice done. As she assists with examining the boys’ behavior during interrogations and in person, she discovers that nothing about the case, the suspects, or even her own connection to the boys is what it seems. The narration alternates between Kate’s fervent suspicions and a River Point Boy’s cold manipulation, leaving readers to wade through the many vengeful motives that spill from a wellspring of affluence, privilege, and corruption. Chilling and suspenseful, with just the right number of twists. (Mystery. 13-17)

Kirkus Reviews