Oh YA thrillers.

The pain. The angst. The twists and turns. This book had many layers too it. Especially with the dad. There are so many different ways to interpret some of the things in this book.

It was dark and twisty. Deep and guilt driven in some aspects.

This is a strong YA thriller full of suspense. I would give it a 3.5 but I’ll round up because for YA it was pretty good!

This is the most impressive and compelling YA book I have read in some time. I typically steer clear of YA thrillers, as they just don’t suit my taste. However, I was blown away by this book. I can’t wait to recommend it!

Absolutely devoured this debut thriller! I finished this in one sitting because I needed to know how it ended! High praise for Megan Lally because it’s hard to capture such a dark and twisty vibe without knowing how it’s going to end.

What an incredible debut! I don’t know how Lally can top this, but I’ll pick up any of her future releases.

Falling into this mystery was as easy as breathing. I was immediately intrigued by the teen girl who wakes in a ditch with no memory of how she got there or even who she is. Fortunately she’s picked up by an officer who takes her to the police station. It’s not long before a man shows up claiming to be her father, and he’s got the documents and photos to prove it. He says her name is Mary. She goes home with him, but after several odd incidents, she’s not so sure he’s who he claims to be.

After Drew’s girlfriend disappears, the local cops and most of the small town are convinced he murdered her. It’s always the boyfriend, after all. Drew may be hiding secrets, but he didn’t hurt her. When the sheriff refuses to look anywhere but at him, Drew and a couple of his friends take matters into their own hands, determined to prove his innocence.

This novel is told through Drew’s and Mary’s POVs. As I tried to piece their stories together, the dots weren’t connecting, but I couldn’t figure out what I was missing. Once I formed a theory, I couldn't put the book down until I finished. I had to know. This dark mystery/thriller captivated me from the first page, and I was so happy the author included an epilogue. It was perfect.

If you have something you’re looking for an excuse to avoid – household chores, annoying people, errands, etc. – here it is. This fast-paced, intense thriller will keep you glued to the pages. This is an author to watch.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A compelling, brilliant, suspenseful, young adult thriller that I absolutely LOVED and had me flipping the "pages" until the very last one! I listened to the audiobook version, which was very well done and the narrator held my attention!

A teen girl wakes up on the side of the road, full of bruises and bloody, not knowing who or where she is. She is discovered by an officer and taken to the station where a man comes and claims that her name is Mary and she's his daughter that had been driving her car to their vacation cabin. Apparently, he had been looking for her for hours and assumes she crashed her car due to her appearance. Now at home with her dad, Mary questions whether she is his daughter, as she experiences several allergic reactions to food, her dad unaware of said allergies.
In another town, Drew, a teenage boy is accused of murdering or somehow being involved in the disappearance of his girlfriend, Lola. The Sheriff has it out for Drew and doesn't investigate any other leads, completely dismissing a reported sighting of Lola. Drew and his friends leave town to follow-up on Lola's sighting where everything starts to come together and unfold.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C2T2GvXuQDU/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

I was a little hesitant to read this book, as I wasn't certain it was the right "time". I have had my fill of women with some kind of memory loss ending up in the care of a man who isn't what he seems. Needless to say, I was feeling over this type of story . . .

But, I went full steam ahead and I'm glad I did. This book was such a welcome surprise - I found the characters engaging and was equally invested in both story lines (which is rare for me, as I usually prefer one over the others). The mystery was, well, mysterious, and the author did a really good job at dropping enough clues that I thought I had it figured out (I most definitely did not), but I didn't feel cheated by the reveal. There were some parts (evidence gathering) that made me suspend belief, but I was willing to do that for the sheer ride this book was.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I just have to start this by saying, this was a debut novel? Like what?! I am just shook that this was a debut novel. This is a heart pounding thriller that immerses readers into a web of mystery, deception, and the relentless pursuit of truth. The story follows dual POV of Mary, a girl who wakes up and cannot remember her memories but a man claiming to be her father adds to her confusion and fear. The other POV is Drew, who is wrongly accused of murdering his girlfriend and is trying to get to the bottom of what happened to her.

This book is so gripping and Lally does such a wonderful job of building suspense and keeping readers engaged with unexpected twists and turns. Also, can we please talk about this cover?! Like this cover just drew me in immediately and if I had been at a bookstore and saw this book, it definitely would have come home with me! Overall, this is such an amazing debut novel and I cannot wait to see what Lally comes out with next!

Told in alternating chapters/split story. A girl wakes up in a ditch on the side of the road. A police officer finds her and takes her to his station. A man rushes in looking for his daughter who hasn’t shown up to their nearby cabin. It’s her! Her name is Mary, although she can’t remember it. She’s bruised and bleeding. A car accident?

Drew and Lola had a fight and she got out of the car. She never made it home. He’s wracked with guilt, while the local sheriff and town are sure he killed her. Drew is trying to find her.

What a great story for fans of psychological thrillers! Written so well and the suspense is palpable!

A teen girl wakes up battered and bruised on the side of the road. She has no memory of who she is and of what happened to her. She is taken by the police until her dad gets to the station to pick her up. She was zero recollection of who that man is, but he does have all her personal documents and even some pictures of her, so she figures it's ok.
On the other hand we have Drew, a teen boy who's a suspect in her girlfriend Lola's disappearance an possible murder. The whole town is convinced he killed her. He keeps saying he didn't do it, but soon we realize he's not telling everything that happened the night Lola disappeared.

This was such a good book! It was fast paced and intriguing from page one. All the twists and turns were very interesting and heart-felt, and even though the main characters are all teenagers going through horrible experiences, they were all brave and smart.

I loved reading this book and I'd love to read other books by the same author! 5 stars!

I have been looking forward to reading this one, the book starts with our main female character waking up in a ditch with amnesia and bruises. She can't remember her name until an older man turns up with documents and proof that she is his daughter Mary. She is happy to finally have a name and the man seems lovely, that is until things don't start adding up and she is having flashbacks to memories that can't be explained. Meanwhile, in a few towns over a girl named Lola has been missing for five weeks now and the prime suspect is her boyfriend Devon but he knows he didn't do anything wrong and just wants to find her. Is Mary Lola? When a tip comes through the police line, Devon and his friends drive to check it out and find Lola. What happens though when he tracks down Mary? Is she his missing girlfriend Lola or someone else? I did like the twist at the end, but wish that this part had been explored some more as would have given the book a bit more grittiness and a stronger serial killer/ murder feel as it was very YA and a clean read that makes this YA crime novel appropriate for tweens aged 13+ to read.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of That's Not My Name by Megan Lally.

I always love when audio books have multiple narrators, especially when the narration is split between two people. Great narration!

Mary wakes up beaten and bruised on the side of the road, unable to remember anything about herself, including her own name. She can't even remember her dad, who has all of the documentation he needs to take Mary home to her very sheltered life in the woods.

Drew is absolutely desperate to find his girlfriend Lola, who has been missing ever since she stormed off after they got in the fight. But the more he and the cops search, the less likely it seems they will ever find her, which is why he and a few of his friends decide to take matters in their own hands.

This did and didn't go in the direction that I expected. It has some enjoyable twists that had me guessing. I was fully interested in the story the entire time and thoroughly enjoyed the grit and determination of these young people. A fantastic YA thriller.

A girl wakes up in a ditch. It's dark. She's scared.... and she can't remember how she got there, or who she is.

Soon found and with the police on nightshift, she is made comfortable and they try to figure out her name. Luckily, a man arrives in a fluster, relieved beyond measure to find her. He is her father, Wayne Boone. He tells her that her name is Mary.

It's strange for Mary, sitting next to someone she doesn't know or remember. But the police were very thorough in checking the paperwork and ID that Wayne produces. For Mary, the photos of her growing up on his phone are proof enough. When they arrive home to a cabin next to a river, nothing jogs her memory. She spends much time resting, and is told she's a homebody who prefers to be inside.

Wayne is gentle, kind and patient with her, and she knows she must be patient about her memory too. But when vague memories begin to surface, they don't match up with what Wayne has been telling her....




Drew is devastated at the loss of his girlfriend Lola. The last time he saw her was down by the river after he'd picked her up from her parent's house. Being the last person to see her before she vanished that night makes him the prime suspect.

Drew can't believe that the people who cheered him on at sports, liked him at school or just knew him as a popular student and sportsman in his community, all blame him for Lola's disappearance. The local sheriff is almost relentless in questioning him and pointing the blame, making the vitriol from his town even worse.

Lola's best friend August is just as bad, if not worse because she seems to be everywhere - watching and waiting, expecting Drew to slip up somehow and prove that he did something awful to Lola.

Drew was the last person to see her, and she was upset. And now he will do anything to find her to make it up to her. Anything.


This young adult mystery thriller was a gripping read. The two plot lines of the main characters were entwined together more and more as I read, and trying to work out who the strange man was and his relationship to Mary was intriguing. The swapping between viewpoints upped the tension in each storyline, always rising until the ending, and eventually revealing the answers both the characters and I (as the reader) sought. 

Not only did the plot line hold me captivated throughout, it totally threw me a curve ball in the conclusion. It became even more satisfying in the epilogue.

A must read for YA thriller readers! Thanks to Net Galley & Source Books for the ARC.

Age - 14+

Story of a missing girl, a girl found but with no memories, and a group of friends determined to find the truth of what happened. The book switches between two perspectives, one of the found girl, the other the ex boyfriend of the missing. I skipped over a lot of the passages written from the boyfriend's perspective because he was a bit unlikeable.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this title! I wanted so badly to find out what happened in this story and I was satisfied with it! There was definitely a twist I was not expecting and it was worth it! I will read other books by this author and recommend this title! Thank you again to NetGalley!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC!

This book was a wild ride, and I loved every second of it. It’ll have you questioning the people you trust the most. Are they who they say they are?

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for this ARC!

I am not a big reader of YA but this book looked REALLY interesting so I had to read it.

This debut novel by Megan Lally is SO good! I loved every single part of this book it was very fast paced and had me sitting on the edge of my seat. Go in blind to this novel it will take you for a great ride!

Mary has no memory of how she ended up beat up in a ditch. But when a nice police officer finds her reunites her with a man who says he is her dad, she has no reason not to believe him. Meanwhile, Drew is being accused of killing Lola, his girlfriend, who has been missing for 5 weeks. He swears he didn’t do it and will stop at nothing to find her.

I thought I had this one figured out early on, but I couldn’t have been more wrong! This was a page turner for sure!

A great read for all who love of thrillers! The plot was original and I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough with how enveloping this book was.

“𝐈 𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤. 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞.”

This cover had me intrigued from the get-go; what was inside definitely held up to the spooky isolated vibes.

Megan Lally’s debut novel starts off strong, with first person narration simply titled ‘Girl,’ with said character lying in a ditch, unsure of how she got there, covered in blood, AND not knowing who she is. From there is a wild ride between the girl’s father, Wayne, coming to claim her at the local police station and taking her to an isolated cabin to the other perspective of Drew, a teenager who is searching for his missing girlfriend, Lola. I really loved Drew, even as he made decisions that were questionable and appreciated that Lally gave him a strong support system in his Dads, his cousin Max (them saying I love you to each other was so refreshing), and eventually, Lola’s best friend Autumn. Drew, Max and Autumn remind me of the Drew Crew or the Scooby Gang as they unite together to try to figure out what happened to Lola, creating a few moments of needed levity (“𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝑤𝑒’𝑟𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑢𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔” in particular). Lally creates a feeling of claustrophobia, both in the cabin where Mary and Wayne are, and in the town where all eyes are on Drew, seeing him as a constant threat. The reveals and tight pacing were well done, with the ending going in a place I did not expect, that was both surprising and emotional.

That’s Not My Name is a story of memory, remorse, blame, and grief. It is a promising debut with well developed characters that is both emotional and twisted. It would make for a fantastic television adaptation. Thank you to SourceBooks Fire and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to Sourcebooks FIRE, NetGalley, and Megan Lally for an advance copy of That’s Not My Name in exchange for an honest review.
First off, I can’t believe this is a debut- it was excellent! This book is told is multiple POVs. It follows three friends as they try to track down their missing friend, Lola. The other point of view is told by Mary, our Jane doe in the story. I found myself turning the pages as fast as I could to figure out what was actually happening with Mary as her friends tried to find her.
I think this was really well written and had a good & developed plot for a YA thriller and it didn’t feel juvenile to me. This one is out now!

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 for GR!