4.5 but giving it a well-deserved rounding up! I think the marketing for this novel is a little bit off; the synopsis sounds like a straight up mystery, but in reality those mystery elements are wound around a more prominent story about grief. I ended up totally enjoying both parts, but I’m just mentioning this so future readers can maybe adjust their expectations a bit.

Savannah Brown has an excellent writing voice, and considering this is her debut novel I can’t wait to see what she does next. Her characters are lifelike, and her prose is refreshing and sharp. Even when the story was a bit slower I was still engaged with everything happening. Also, Brown writes about mental health in a WONDERFUL way, and this book really champions ways to cope and take care of oneself even in dark times.
I’ll definitely be recommending this one to other readers! ( )

Once burned twice shy describes Sydney's feelings about romance, and for good reason. Her belief that the girl she tried to kiss when she was fourteen felt a mutual attraction, blew up and the ensuing harassment has yet to completely die down. When her beloved dad, the only therapist in their small town, is killed in an auto accident, she can't help thinking that something doesn't add up. What she says at the funeral and who she sees there, June Copeland, the most popular girl in her high school, are the beginning of a dark and twisting tale that involves secrets, threatening texts from an anonymous number and a lot more. Those who like mystery, suspense, and/or watching someone take the first steps back to being who they really are, will really like this book. ( )