This is the latest novel from the freelance journalist and award-winning author Sarah J. Harris, who writes as Sarah Wishart for her YA novels.
Four students, Layla, Kai, Liam, and Fliss, have nothing in common, but they all end up on a school bus when it’s involved in a high-speed chase and crash. Barely escaping before the bus takes a plunge over a cliff, the teens soon discover the dead driver’s holdall, containing one million pounds. All of them are in desperate need of money, so they make a pact to split the £1 million and keep it hidden for six months. Unbeknownst to them, a dangerous criminal has been hunting the money and soon begins hunting them after their identities are publicly revealed as the bus crash survivors. The teens quickly break their oaths, use the money for their best interests, and begin lying to each other. Soon, the police are also suspicious of the teens, and their lies continue to pile up. As the teens’ lies catch up with them, they are forced to take serious measures to stay alive and out of jail!
The storyline is exciting, fast-paced, and extremely original. Despite the characters’s good intentions, they are all flawed and untrustworthy, and their decision-making is very questionable. The story, although set in the UK, has a very American feel to it, including the settings and dialogue. The first half of the novel, although very eventful, may have listeners wondering where the story is headed. In the second half, there is more fast-paced action and a few good twists. The characters continue to be ruthless right up until the very end, and so it becomes difficult to ever emphasize with them. This is definitely the type of book that not only benefits from the use of multiple narrators but also requires it to keep the audience engaged.
Narrators Sarah Slimani and Roly Botha both deliver entertaining and dramatic performances of Layla, Fliss, Kai, and Liam, making the audience feel like they’re listening to the audio of a teen thriller movie. Listeners may be surprised to discover that each narrator performs the voice of multiple characters, as the characters have completely different voices, and this clearly demonstrates the narrator’s mastery of their craft. If you’re interested in a fast-paced YA thriller with flawed characters, entertaining narration, and a few decent twists, this one is worth a listen.
