Mandy is struggling with the death of her best friend Sara at the lake resort where their families always vacation. Now Mandy is back at the lake a year after Sara's death and is crushed by her feeling that she's responsible for what happened to her friend.

Thought I love a YA mystery, I struggled a lot with all the timelines in this story, and I thought the ending felt a bit too compressed. I did like the epistolary elements. There's bisexual rep in the story, which is great as many of the YA mysteries of the 2010s were a little homogenous, focusing around teen stereotypes.

Thanks Sourcebooks for letting me try this one!

Roselyn Clark's Now She’s Dead is the kind of psychological thriller that hooks you from the first whisper of suspicion and keeps you guessing until the very last page. Mandy's haunting memories of last summer at Highmark—her best friend Sara, the mysterious lake, and a night that changed everything—are painted with enough suspense to make your pulse race. Clark masterfully weaves a web of secrets, betrayal, and the murky waters of guilt, making it impossible to put the book down. The shifting truths and red herrings kept me second-guessing every character, every whispered rumor, and every dark corner of the story. Mandy’s desperation to keep her secrets hidden adds a layer of relatable vulnerability that pulls you deeper into her world—a world where trust is fragile, and innocence is hard to hold onto. While the story is intense and packed with twists, what really shines is Clark’s skill in creating an atmosphere thick with suspicion and emotional tension. If you love a mystery that makes you suspect everyone and question everything, Now She’s Dead is a must-read. So, buckle up and prepare for a summer of secrets, lies, and deadly truths. Just don’t forget your tinfoil hat—everyone’s got something to hide.

Okay all these books with the flame on the covers are bangers. This is no exception. This is a great YA summer thriller.

I loved this fast paced thriller! I really liked that this book was told from multiple POVs, it had me flying through chapters because I needed to know what would happen next. The characters were well written and had depth. I can be picky when it comes to YA books, but this one was so well written, I had no issues. This murder mystery would be perfect to read over the summer.

Thank you for the opportunity in reading an early copy of now she’s dead
I had never heard of this author but I loved this put. It was a quick read , easily a page turner and bingable. Will read more from this author

This was a twisty thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat, with some solid reveals and a pretty well done examination of complicated teenage girl friendships. I liked how we would jump back and forth in time, with Mandy dealing with her guilt and trauma after her best friend Sara was found dead the previous summer in the present, and then jumping to the days leading up to Sara's death in the past. Mandy is relatable, unreliable, and a compelling protagonist, and I appreciated how candid Clarke is in this book about the mean things friends can do to each other when they are hurting. I just enjoyed this one, it's a perfect pick for summer!

Thanks NetGalley!

Now She’s Dead is a fast-paced thriller that I binged over a couple days. Clarke expertly weaves timelines and writes well-crafted, complex characters. The writing is sharp and I love the stylistic cross outs.

This was a dark, delicious read and I look forward to reading more from this author.

I really enjoy a YA Thriller. This was just average in my opinion. I liked the short chapters, and flew through the book. I did not really like Mandy as a character and though the story was just OK. Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for ARC.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!! It was a very good pulse pounding read!! I loved the action and scary moments in this!! At times I didn’t want it to be end because I didn’t want to be done with it because it was that good!! It was very adrenaline inducing and I needed to figure out what had happened to one of the characters. I wish there was a little more action to it, and I kept forgetting that the book went back and forth. I loved all of the characters in this book. I would definitely recommend it to other people to read because a couple times it kept me awake wondering what happened to the character in the book who died. It was the perfect setting for a book and I loved the thrilling parts that happened. That deserves a 4 star rating from me. The writing was good too. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time, it was that good!!

I think YA thrillers are a genre that are really underrated, I have read a few this year including this one which have really impressed me. I couldn't put this one down it kept me guessing and kept me utterly gripped the whole way through

Thank you, SOURCEBOOKS Fire for providing the copy of Now She’s Dead by Roselyn Clarke. I love YA thrillers, but this one fell short of my expectations. The writing never grabbed me, even though the story was great. There were so many timelines it was hard to keep track of them all. The present timeline was good and told the story the best. The ending was a surprise, so if that’s what you love, this book is perfect for you. I don't think it was a perfect fit for me. 3 stars

Roselyn Clarke's Now She's Dead is a thrilling and emotional ride that keeps you hooked from start to finish! A MUST READ! It will keep you up all night!

The story follows Mandy as she returns to Highmark, the lake resort where her best friend, Sara Ellis, died last summer. Everyone thinks Sara’s death was an accident, but Mandy knows the truth—and it's eating away at her.

What I loved about this book, is how Clarke reveals Mandy’s guilt right from the first beginning, pulling readers into a world of lies, betrayal, and shattered friendships. The story jumps back and forth between past and present, unraveling the mystery piece by piece. With surprising representation and plenty of twists, Now She's Dead will stick with you long after you’ve turned the final page! Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

This was a wonderfully done young adult novel, it had that element that I was looking for in this type of book, it had that element that I was hoping for from the description. The characters were everything that I was looking for and enjoyed following this suspenseful concept. Roselyn Clarke has a strong writing style and was glad I got to read this.

Teenagers! Am I right?! This YA thriller perfectly details the ins and outs of teenage friendships. The joy & laugher but, also the jealousy & underlying conflict. Even though Mandy admits to being responsible for killing her best friend, I still found myself rooting for her. I feel the story could have been edited a little tighter and shorter but, overall kept you interested in the outcome. 3.5 stars.

Very mixed emotions and thoughts. I was annoyed by all of the characters and the swapping timelines.

Thanks to Netgalley for this review copy!

This was so good. It’s been a long time since I’ve been THIS hooked to a YA thriller/mystery novel, and an even longer time since I’ve stayed up late reading it… I can’t even remember the last time I was reading at 5 in the morning!

So initially when starting this novel, we’re given the basic idea that Sara Ellis, the protagonist Mandy’s best friend, was killed a year ago. Mandy is painted as an extremely guilty character, and through multiple timelines, more and more is revealed. There are tons of other characters involved, like her sister Kelsey who’s upset, Natalie, a crime obsessed podcaster, Sara’s brother and more who may be behind “threats” towards Mandy that suggest someone knows what happened that night.

I would really recommend this for any teen looking for a summer themed fast paced mystery which keeps you guessing and changing your mind every few chapters so it never gets boring.

4.5 ⭐️

Plot
After the mysterious death of Sara Ellis last summer, Mandy is the only one who knows the truth about what really happened. Though the police ruled it an accident, Mandy has been haunted by guilt and fear. This summer, she’s reluctantly back at Highmark—the lake resort where she and Sara used to be best friends. But things are different now. Rumors are spreading, and someone is determined to expose Mandy’s secret. As chilling messages and resurfacing evidence threaten to unravel everything, Mandy must finally face the events of that night and the possibility that someone wants revenge.


Commentary
The best part of Now She’s Dead is Mandy herself. Through crossed-out text, fragmented thoughts, and anxious lists of flowers, Clarke gives readers raw, unfiltered access to Mandy’s guilt-ridden psyche. This stylistic approach makes her both an unreliable narrator and an achingly sympathetic one, her inner chaos mirroring the mystery’s unraveling. Flashbacks to her toxic friendship with Sara are equally gripping, revealing Sara’s manipulative control and Mandy’s desperate need to belong, dynamics that make Sara a complex, flawed victim. The book also digs into sibling dynamics and the ethics of true crime media, especially through Natalie, Mandy’s sister’s friend, whose invasive investigation into Sara’s death raises uncomfortable questions about privacy and exploitation. Overall, with vivid writing and emotional nuance, Clarke crafts more than a mystery, she delivers a haunting exploration of trauma, guilt, and the desperate need for closure.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for sending me an arc!

Wonderful summer YA read! Sara and Mandy are friends for two weeks each summer when their families go on vacation. Last year, there was an accident and Sara died. Mandy ignores her family for the next year and finally agrees to return for vacation. Her sister brings a friend who is actually digging into the murder. As Mandy starts opening up, it is clear there are a lot of secrets here. A lot of lies. A lot of tension last summer and this summer. Will the truth come out??

ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS one! From start to finish I was hooked, and that twist at the end I was not expecting in the slightest

This was a good and solid YA thriller, but very much intended for a younger audience. I still enjoyed it and it managed to keep me hooked all throughout. The ending felt like a little much though, a lot of information thrown in at once. Still enjoyable.