Member Review

Can I Trust Her follows two high school girls, Virginia and Katie, as they try to solve both the strange death of one of their largely disliked classmates, but also the disappearance of another classmate - the sister of Katie's boyfriend. As the two stories meet, the love between former girlfriends Katie and Virginia is rekindled, showcasing the resiliency of teens in the face of so much heartache.

I loved this story! I was rooting for Virginia and Katie from the beginning, as their story was initially told in flashbacks to when the girls were in middle school and first falling in love, interspersed between shots of the present, as one of their classmates is found dead in a stairwell. The girls' families couldn't be more different, with Virginia growing up loved and cared for, while Katie grows up doubting her worth and watching as her mom goes through the impossible and barely comes out alive.

I love the representation of a wide variety of teens in this novel, and felt like I was being shown both what it's like to be white in Alaska, as well as the discrimination Native kids face in school and in their everday lives. I'm grateful that this novel is an "own voices" novel in a variety of ways - the author is queer, lives in Alaska, and can speak to a variety of the issues she shares in this book.

A definite read for teens who love mystery, it's also a a great book for teens looking for queer represtentaiton outside of coming out stories. Can't wait to add it to my classroom library!