Sara has returned to Highmark exactly one year after the death of Mandy, her best friend. Everyone thinks it was a tragic accident. Sara knows the truth, but so does someone else. Sara needs to find out the truth of who saw her that day before they reveal who she really is...a murderer. Now She's Dead is full of twists and turns and red herrings. We follow Sara's ordeal as she struggles to come to terms with her horrible truth and discover who else knows of her dark secret. This YA novel will appeal to readers who enjoy Holly Jackson and Natalie Preston books. #netgalley

I read this book in one sitting. 400 pages flew by like nothing. From the very first chapter, I was completely hooked. It kept me guessing the entire time, and just when I thought I had it figured out, it took a turn I didn’t see coming.

I was so drawn into the story and the characters. I even found myself siding with someone I probably shouldn’t have, which made the reveal even more surprising. It’s one of those books that grabs you and doesn’t let go.

Tense, emotional, and steeped in summertime nostalgia turned sour, Now She’s Dead follows a girl haunted by a tragedy she can't outrun. Every summer, Mandy and Sara shared a fleeting but intense friendship at the lake resort of Highmark. But now Sara is gone, and Mandy is returning to the scene of the accident that fractured everything—only to find that not everyone believes it was an accident.

Roselyn Clarke crafts a moody psychological mystery with a slow-burning sense of dread. Mandy’s voice is raw and unreliable, making her a compelling narrator as guilt, grief, and suspicion swirl around her. The toxic dynamics between girls, especially in brief but consuming friendships, are sharply rendered, adding emotional depth beyond the central mystery.

Still, the story’s pacing occasionally drags, and some of the twists feel more expected than shocking. Readers looking for high-stakes thrills may find the tension more internal than pulse-pounding, but the emotional unraveling at the core of the novel keeps the pages turning.

While not a flawless thriller, Now She’s Dead is a layered and introspective look at grief, memory, and the lies we tell ourselves to survive. It lingers with you like a ghost of summers past—quiet, aching, and uneasy.

Wow, this is just a debut novel, I felt like I was reading a book by someone who's been publishing books for years.

While the flipping timelines was confusing in the beginning it became easier to read and understand why flipping back and forth worked for this book.

Poor Sara and Mandy both went through a lot, Mandy felt so guilty and so much grief for Sara that she constantly was second guessing everything she saw the night Sara dies. Kelsey and Natalie didn't help Mandy at all with their questioning people and trying to find the truth of what happened to Sara, but it's understandable why they are digging once other things come to light.

But, the biggest plot twist is at the end when we finally find out what truly happened to Sara that night.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy. I will always love a good teen Ya thriller. I love the use of different text, however, I did get lost sometimes with the different timelines. Loved the twist, overall a great thriller.

Mandy had a traumatic summer vacation last year, and now she is being forced to return to the place where it all happened for another 'fun family vacation.' But she knows all eyes are on her, and she has to keep it together. No one has forgotten what happened last year, and her parents are going to pull her out of college if looks like she wasn't able to handle it. Mandy needs to keep it together, but outside forces are threatening to pull her sanity and her family apart.
This story if told in a dual timeline format: the summer it happened and the present.
I enjoyed this book a lot. The pacing was nice, and I liked getting pieces for the past, and being able to tie that into what was happening in the present. There was a good balance between keeping secrets about what happened, and finding out tidbits about the previous summer. I personally didn't see the big twists coming at all!

While the format, timeline, and creative use of strikethrough text was a fresh way to tell a mystery story (even though it wasn't much of a mystery), this book feels like it has been done before. The characters were not lovable and so it was strange to not really care what happened. I do think the true genius of this story was the nuanced depiction of teenage female relationships. This was exquisite. Overall though it was okay.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Roselyn Clarke for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Now She's Dead coming out June 3, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really love YA murder mysteries. I thought the title was interesting and the summary sounded like it’d be up my alley. I think there was something missing to the story for me. I wasn’t into it as much as I thought I’d be. The characters didn’t really work for me. I would check out other books by this author though.

Filled with angst and anger and complicated emotions, I enjoyed reading this book. It's a little confusing at first to go back and forth, time wise, between the chapters -- but once I get used to it, it was good!

At the beginning of the book, I have to admit I was a bit bored by it. It felt like a lot of the backstory dragged on and much of it didn’t feel super necessary to the story.

But, about 50% in, it picks up and the story does end up hooking you in! I think this book is good for the YA audience that it’s targeted to—as a high school ELA teacher I know a lot of my kids would enjoy it.

If you’re an adult into YA, though, it’s not my favorite YA thriller out there. The ending felt rushed and I didn’t feel connected to the main character that I cared enough about her. I’d give this 3 stars—your average YA thriller, good for kids that need an interesting read :)

For the past 12 months Mandy has been tormented about the death of her friend Sara. And what part she played in it. Did she kill her?

When Mandy is forced to revisit the scene of Sara's death on vacation with her family, things quickly spiral out of control and the truth will reveal itself. Unfortunately, not without drama and turmoil for everyone involved.

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I can't help but feel like I've read this book before. It is pretty formulaic, but does have a few surprises along the way. It is enjoyable and an easy read, but nothing extraordinary.

Now She's Dead by Roselyn Clarke is a nail biter of a YA thriller! This is Roselyn Clarke's first published book and I can definitely say you don't want to miss out on it!

Last summer at Highmark, a lake resort, Mandy and Sara were inseparable. For just a few short weeks a year during the summer, the two tried to soak up every ounce of fun, sun and friendship they could. But when Sara was found dead by the lake, Mandy's carefree summer turned cruel. Barely coping, Mandy has tried to move past the incident, but her haunted memories of that last summer will not let her be. Now that Mandy has returned to the lake that has been terrorizing her thoughts, she begins to hear the whispered rumors.. "Someone killed Sara". Trying to hide from her own uncomfortable truths about what happened that night, Mandy has no choice but to relive the nightmare. Because someone knows that what happened to Sara was Mandy's fault, and they want to make her pay.

With some YA novels I worry that they will be too juvenile for me, but that is definitely not the case with Now She's Dead! A taut and compelling read, I was drawn right in to the action and binge read this in a day! There are a few sensitive topics that are discussed including: anxiety, death, blood/violence, toxic friendships, alcohol and some disordered eating. With dual timelines you are able to jump back and forth putting the puzzle pieces together that make up a picture of betrayal, lies and messy and broken friendships. Awesome twists, amazing representation and a vivid and atmospheric setting, Now She's Dead is going to be a great summer read!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Roselyn Clarke and Sourcebooks Fire for this ARC!! Available now!!

As a big fan of YA thrillers, this book had a premise that immediately grabbed me—but unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

The story itself is compelling, and the ending was genuinely surprising (perfect for readers who love a good twist). I thought the use of crossed-out text was such a cool way to show what the main character was really thinking—it added a lot of emotion and made her voice feel super real and raw. That element stood out and was one of my favorite parts.

That said, the writing style didn’t fully pull me in, and the multiple timelines made it tough to stay on track. The present-day timeline was definitely the strongest—I found myself wishing the whole story had stuck with that thread.

This book has some really creative things going on, especially if you're into twisty plots and characters dealing with a lot emotionally. It just didn’t fully land for me, but I can definitely see it hitting the mark for other readers.

This psychological thriller has strong We Were Liars vibes, a fast-paced plot, and the quintessential creepy summer camp setting. The sister relationship was particularly interesting--as well as the big reveal at the end! This would be a great vacation read for anyone who likes getting chills around the campfire.

This was a dark, twisty read that kept me hooked especially with the unreliable narrator and the unravelling of secrets.

I really did loved this twisty thriller. So much anxiety and very suspenseful at times I'm so looking forward to more books by this aurthor. Not very good a writing, but thanks so much for the earc. I so love fire reads thrillers books. They are so much fun.

Yet again, color me shocked that this a debut. This is an excellent YA thriller.

“Now She’s Dead” touched on so many topics in the best way possible - toxic friendships, complex sibling relationships and anxiety. The book was perfectly paced to keep you on the edge of your seat. I found myself struggling to put it down. The characters were well-developed and complex. Mandy, the MC, is one that will stick with me for a long time. She was just perfectly executed.

I loved the dual timeline, it flowed quite seamlessly throughout the book. At first, I thought the stylistic cross outs were going to drive me insane, but they were actually quite enjoyable.

This is the perfect YA thriller for Summer. Add this one to your TBR when it comes out June 3rd!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a lot of fun. I can see people really enjoying this (especially teens looking for something to read over summer break/at the beach/etc)

I think the twists in this story were really well written and sucked me into the story even more than I already was. Plus, I absolutely LOVE an unreliable narrator.

You may want to dive into this one if you like unreliable narrators, secrets, obsessive friendships, teeny bit of body horror, dual timelines, a little mùrder mystery.

I’ve always been a big fan of those cozy psychological mysteries, or at least cozy to me and as soon as I saw the tropes for this one, I knew it was going to be perfect for me. Roselyn did not do me wrong at all. I loved the twists and turns in it and even as I tried to guess (and then second guessed myself) what was going on, I still found myself surprised throughout the book.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and had a good twist. Perfect summer setting with past and present timelines. Good choice for a summer vacation read!