We Made It All Up

by Margot Harrison

Overview

A contemporary, high-stakes thriller about how reality becomes more twisted than the fantasy novel two friends are writing when the real-life subject of their fiction turns up dead and they’re the suspects, for fans of Mare of Easttown and One of Us Is Lying.

Celeste is the talk of the town when she moves to Montana from Montreal, but the only friend she makes is Vivvy, the heir to the town’s founder and a social pariah. Inspired by a passion-fueled school incident, they begin writing a love-story fanfic between the popular guy and the school stoner, one that gradually reveals Celeste’s past. While her bond with Vivvy makes Celeste feel safe and alive again, Vivvy keeps prodding Celeste to turn fantasy into reality. When they finally try, one drunken night on a dark mountainside, Celeste is the one who ends up kissing golden boy Joss. And Joss ends up dead.

Celeste doesn’t remember the end of that night and can’t be sure she didn’t deliver the killing blow. Could she still be that scared of getting close to a boy? Secrets are hard to keep in a small town, and even Vivvy seems to suspect her. Exploring the winding passages of the cave where Joss died, Celeste learns he had his own dark secrets, as does Vivvy. The town isn’t as innocent as it appears.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316275767
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	07/12/2022
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	256,585
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.40(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Margot Harrison is an award-winning journalist living in Vermont. She is also the author of The Killer in Me and The Glare. Find her on Instagram and Twitter at @MargotFHarrison.

Editorial Reviews

05/30/2022

Harrison (The Glare) artfully weaves subtle fantasy with contemporary psychological terror in a disconcerting thriller. High school junior Celeste Bergstein, who is Jewish, has moved with her divorced father from Montreal to Defile, Mont. She’s happy to be out of Montreal and far away from her drama workshop director, who stalked and abused her. Celeste eventually meets and befriends eccentric teen and town pariah Vivienne Kray, and the two spend their days writing fantastical love stories starring their combative classmates, hockey star Joss Thorsenn and local weed dealer Seth Larkin. Alternating between the present and two and a half months prior, the narrative culminates in a night of Celeste, Joss, Seth, and Vivvy drinking and playing spin the bottle at Kray Cave, a secluded hangout spot in the woods. At school the next day, they discover that Joss is dead, and Celeste, who cannot recall anything beyond kissing him, worries that she is somehow responsible for his death. Harrison thoughtfully explores themes of self-harm, psychological manipulation, and sexual violence using atmospheric writing, convincing dialogue, and a clever narrative structure in this eerie tale. Characters cue as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jessica Sinsheimer, Context Literary. (July)

Publishers Weekly

This twisted, suspenseful murder mystery will hit the sweet spot for Karen McManus devotees.”

—Booklist

“The unreliable characters are well drawn, and the dialogue masterfully replicates the teenage voice. A polished tale that is twisted and disturbing.” 

—Kirkus Reviews

“Harrison thoughtfully explores themes of self-harm, psychological manipulation, and sexual violence using atmospheric writing, convincing dialogue, and a clever narrative structure in this eerie tale.”

—Publisher's Weekly

From the Publisher

07/01/2022

Gr 9 Up—Celeste moves to Montana with her dad for a fresh start and to get away from a troublesome person in Montreal. At her new school, she meets Vivvy and together they discover their mutual interest of writing fan fiction. The line between fantasy and reality begins to blur however when one of the real-life people they are writing about is murdered. Celeste was with the teen right before he died but doesn't remember what happened. Piecing together events becomes a challenge as she navigates through a web of secrets. As she attempts to uncover the truth, Celeste reflects on her fan fiction writing and how she put more of herself into her stories than she realized. The mystery comes together in a "Then" and "Now" structure, which leaves readers guessing as the time lines come together. Harrison provides a multitude of twists throughout the story but fails to fully develop her characters. Celeste's backstory is never clearly explained or resolved, leaving it feeling disjointed from the rest of the narrative. The concept of using fan fiction to help deal with trauma is unique and intriguing but can be uncomfortable at times. The race of the characters is not stated, but they cue white. VERDICT Readers looking for a mystery with deep subject matter would be better served reading works of authors like Tiffany D. Jackson.—Aliza Mangefrida

School Library Journal

2022-04-13
Kray’s Defile is a place with charm. Just don’t look too closely.

When her father moves them to small-town Montana from Montreal so he can study bats in the nearby caves, high schooler Celeste Bergstein wants only to blend into the background. It’s an opportunity to start over, free from a frightening and abusive relationship with the director of her drama workshop. With her new friend, fey orphan Vivvy Kray, Celeste starts writing stories about a steamy romance between two of their classmates—presumably straight golden boy Joss Thorssen and gay weed dealer Seth Larkin. The lines between fantasy and reality soon begin to blur, and Vivvy arranges for the four of them to get drunk in the woods near the caves. The next day, Joss is found murdered. With no memory of that night, Celeste has to figure out what happened before she ends up taking the fall for the crime. While investigating the caves with Vivvy’s twin brother, Bram, they discover evidence of a long history of sinister activities by a group called the Defilers. Implicit sexual abuse is a recurring theme, as are psychological manipulation and self-harm. A reference to historical crimes against Indigenous people and accusations that undocumented workers at a meatpacking plant were responsible for Joss’ murder contrast with the presumably White cast. The unreliable characters are well drawn, and the dialogue masterfully replicates the teenage voice.

A polished tale that is twisted and disturbing. (Thriller. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews