Wow! This book was really good.

We are told two intertwined stories from first person perspective. Mary doesn't remember anything when she wakes up in the woods. Her father collects her from the police station, and while nothing feels right, nothing feels, wrong, does it?

Meanwhile a few hours away, Drew is the last person who saw Lola alive, and is therefore the only target of an incompetent officer's investigation into her disappearance and alleged murder. Desperate to save her and himself, Drew takes the search into his own hands.

While perhaps a tad unrealistic, the entire book was gripping and I couldn't stop listening. Dark, creepy, and full of danger, this young adult thriller is better than a lot of adult thrillers I've read. If you enjoy suspenseful, atmospheric, plot driven books, I highly recommend checking this one out!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book! Every chapter kept me wanting more. I listened to the audiobook in less than a day! It definitely has some unexpected plot twists! Overall, I definitely recommend it!!

This was pretty good! It was an enjoyable audiobook that kept me on my toes! I kept second guessing things! It was an older YA thriller but didn't feel too young. I liked that we had to different main characters and narrators!

Published December 26,2023
This young adult book had me second guessing what I thought would happen up until the very end. It was a suspenseful book that left you thinking, "wait what!?" I really enjoyed this audiobook and had it finished in just one day!
She wakes up after a car accident and can't remember a thing. A man shows up claiming she is his daughter, Mary, with her birth certificate and everything. The more time she spends with him the more she starts to question her previous life.
Drew and Lola get into an argument one night and she stormed off to walk home alone. He still blames himself weeks after her disappearance. The sheriff thinks Drew is guilty of more than just putting Lola in a bad situation. As Drew digs deeper to find out what really happens, he is also fighting to prove his innocence.

This book was a true thriller. I would say I couldn’t put it down, but I had this on audiobook, so I guess I couldn’t stop listening would be correct.
A young teenage girl finds herself on the side of the road unable to remember what happened or how she got there. Is the man who picks her up from the safety of the police station her father or a stranger? She doesn’t know. She can’t even remember her own name.
This book was set up brilliantly. Loved every second and enjoyed the fast paced storyline. The characters were a bit immature, but I still liked them.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ solid stars.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance listen I truly enjoyed it!

Told in dual narratives, this fast-paced thriller is sure to be super popular with teens - perfect fit for April Henry readers who are ready for something slightly more mature. Narrators were good and well -timed.

Absolutely loved this book. Loved the different perspectives. Kinda predictable but also Great twists. Overall sad ending. But would definitely recommend it.

That's Not My Name is not your typical book. I had certain expectations while listening to the book of who is who and who does what. Needless to say, I was thinking incorrectly until the very end of the book. I think Megan Lally has a great art of writing and engaging the reader. I was blown away by the story and the development chapter after chapter. I highly recommend this book!

Wow! This one was so good! This one was frustrating, suspenseful, mysterious, heartbreaking, and happy ( a little).
A girl without any memory is found on the side of the road and brought to a police station. Her dad shows up scared that he cannot find her anywhere. She is brought back to a fishing cabin in the woods to recover from a car accident that left her hurt on the side of the road. Meanwhile, in another city, Drew is looking for his missing girlfriend, Lola. All suspicion is on him because she was last seen with him.
We get Drew's POV and the girl on the side of the road, Mary's POV. Drew is not stopping to find her and Mary is slowly getting her memory back. Her dad has so many pieces that point to her being Mary but she just doesn't think that is right after a few things start happening to her.
The end is so shocking and I can't say anything more or I will ruin it. A really great YA thriller.
4.5 stars!

My rating: 4.5

For YA readers: 5

This book feels like:

-A gripping mystery until the very end
-Beautifully brutal perfection
-A tiny grievance with one character

This book gripped me from start to finish, earning a solid 4.5 stars (frankly, a full 5 stars for YA readers!). Drew, albeit a tad whiny and annoying, was my only minor grievance. Yet, the suspense had me guessing until the last page. I brewed up five theories, but the ending? Absolutely beautiful, brutal, and perfect in its own right. It was impossible to set this book down.

"That's not my name" masterfully weaves a gripping mystery, keeping readers on the edge of their seats until the very end.

I was super excited to snag an early copy of this audiobook! But, it just sort of fell a bit flat to me. It wasn’t bad, it was just a little bit predictable.

That's Not My Name by Megan Lally. Whew.. I read this book in 3 days between NYE and Jan 2. What a way to end/start the new year. This book was GOOD GOOD. Unputdownable! I twists were shocking and nothing is at it seems. The narrators were fantastic! The perfect thriller. Thanks NetGalley and RB Media for the ARC!!

Listened to narration at 2x speed with no issues. Both narrators were strong.

Dual MC--Mary and Drew--are on opposite sides of a mystery. Mary can't remember her past and Drew can't find his girlfriend in the present. As the two unveil fleeting memories from the past, they race toward answers before time runs out.

As a YA novel, I thought this was great in terms of pacing, suspense, and character building. There are definitely moments that pique the reader's senses as being off, and a few items are pretty obvious, but overall there's enough interest to keep the reader invested and moving towards the conclusion.

Overall: 4 stars

I'll tell my students about: physical abuse, killing/gore, language

**Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media, Recorded Books for the free ALC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

This was one of my first thriller audio books and it did not disappoint. Megan's characters were captivating and the plot had me hooked right away. I thoroughly enjoyed the narrators and the way they matched the story. A great first book of the year.

**4.5-stars rounded up**

That's Not My Name was a great start to a new reading year. If this is what 2024 has in store, I'm a happy girl!

I've been on a holiday for the past 10-days. My house needed cleaning, I needed to unpack, organize, it was a whole day affair. Thanks to Megan Lally, that day was a breeze. I started this one as soon as I started cleaning this morning and could not stop. It's super compelling, with fabulous narration for the audio. Before I knew it, it was done.

This story follows two perspectives, Mary and Drew. There are dual narrators for the audio and they were each perfect for the character they were portraying. They were convincing as teens, which isn't always the case. When we meet Mary, she is injured and in distress. She is taken to a police station and expresses that she has no memory of who she is, or how she got injured.

As she and the kind Officer who picked her up try to decide what their next steps will be, a frantic man arrives at the station looking for his daughter. She doesn't remember him, but really, she doesn't remember anything. He is able to provide the Officer with everything needed to prove she's his daughter, Mary Boone. He has School IDs, family photos, even her birth certificate. The Officer leaves Mary in his care, but does promise to check up on her soon, after she's had a chance to rest.

Drew's whole life changed weeks ago after his girlfriend, Lola, disappeared. He hasn't been 100% truthful about the last night he saw her, not with anyone, not even the police, and now the guilt is eating away at him.
Making matters worse, the whole town, even people he considered friends, seem to think he is responsible for her disappearance. It's always the boyfriend, right?

Drew tries to stay positive and focused. He knows he didn't do anything to Lola and he's determined to find her before it's too late. He needs to prove his innocence, but he also feels he owes it to her after what he did.
The longer Lola is missing though, the more his chances of finding her diminish. He knows that, he's realistic, so clearly time is of the essence. Along with a couple of friends Drew begins some sleuthing of his own, following leads to a place he never would have suspected.

When I tell you I was drawn in from the very start of this story, that is not an exaggeration. Getting Mary's perspective as she struggles to recover memories and figure out what happened to her, that whole narrative was so freaking compelling.

Then with Drew, I was equally transfixed by his story. He doesn't reveal everything right away and you can tell he is second-guessing some things. I needed to stay with him until the end.

I love how Lally paced this out. The perspective shifts were so well done. It's definitely a 'one more chapter' kind of read. Each chapter left me wanting more in such a fun way. The intensity builds at a nice steady pace as you are given more and more information about what the truth actually is for these two. By the end, I was racing along and felt so many emotions by the end.

I loved the conclusion and am just so very pleased by the overall experience. I am absolutely blown away that this is a debut. Lally knocked this out of the park, IMO and I am super stoked to see what she delivers us next.
I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a tense, fast-paced, emotional YA Thriller. I think this would work well for fans of Kit Frick, Laurie Faria Stolarz, Mindy McGinnis, or even Natalie D. Richards.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Recorded Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Megan Lally is going on my auto-buy list for sure. I can't wait for more!

First book for 2024 on the list! Also, this is my first book by Megan Lally that I've read and it hooked me and would totally rate this a strong 4.5/5!!! I got the audiobook and it was easy to follow the narrators, Sophie Amoss and Robb Moreira, who were perfect for their roles in the book (I LOVE dual narrators because it makes it easy to follow as well). I finished it while traveling and cleaning up the house from the holiday decorations (kids were not around so I was able to focus easier). Is it bad to say that I had to binge this in 1.5 days when I was approved?? haha

The pace of this book was very well done and the twists of the book got you in the end. Just when you thought you got it, WRONG it was a different result. The ending was pretty intense and I couldn't have wished for a different ending. It does put you on some emotional roller coaster but not too crazy. The plot was a great buildup and the epilogue was very well done (and the fact that it did not drag at all!) - I don't want to describe it too much because I'm afraid of spoiling it for future readers.

Also, I believe this is the author's debut novel because I didn't find any other books written by her - which makes me have to be on the lookout for her future novels!

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for That's Not My Name by Megan Lally for a review.

I absolutely adored this book! The dual narration by a male and female voice in the audiobook enhanced the distinct perspectives, making the experience truly enjoyable. The captivating story held my attention effortlessly, and I couldn't resist listening non-stop. The convergence of two storylines in the end, coupled with an unexpected twist, elevated this read to excellence.

I had been looking forward to this book so I was excited to listen to the audiobook. I knew going into it that I would love it and it lived up to the hype for me as it kept me hooked. Definitely recommend it.

My first book of 2024 and I was not disappointed! I was nervous going in as it is technically a YA book... but this one gripped from from the beginning and I binged it all the way to the very last heartstopping page. It moved at a great pace and the twists and epilogue made for a great story overall. I am looking forward to more books from this author!

This book is the perfect one to close 2023 with, this thrilling story is such a page turner!!

I got the audio version of this book and I really like both narrators, they deliver this story really well and I can listen to it easily and get lost in their storytelling.

The plot started out with a strong opening and I got hooked into story really fast. I didn’t want to stop for even a second because I needed to know what happened next.
This story will keep you on your toes and left you hoping and wondering about the ending!

The last few chapters are very tense and that twist at the end still manage to surprised me since my theory turned out to be true.
For the first time ever in reading a mystery thriller book, I don’t feel thrilled for being able to guess the ending.....
I can’t talk much about the plot in details or it’ll become a spoiler for you guys

For a debut novel, this was very well written and a must read for mystery thriller lovers out there!
I’m gonna keep an eye out for more books from this author in the future!

I received an advanced audiobook copy for free through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to the author and publisher!

⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: Violence, kidnapping, gaslighting, child abuse, child death, mention of blood, car accident