Somehow, though, the release of her young adult mystery thriller Broken Things completely escaped my attention. So when I found it in my local library I was pleasantly surprised to have what was sure to be another captivating novel written by one of my favorites to get lost in.

Broken Things essentially explores the mystery surrounding the murder of a teenage girl. The novel tells the story of three best friends, Mia, Summer, and Brynn, who were once obsessed with a peculiar novel called The Way into Lovelorn, which was set in a magical world where the characters could escape their real-life problems. 

Because the novel ends ambiguously mid-sentence, the girls decide to write a fanfic sequel, casting themselves as characters. However, their love for the book becomes intertwined with a real-life tragedy when Summer is found brutally murdered in what appears to be a twisted homage to their literary obsession.

The novel is set five years after the murder, and is told between two alternating viewpoints–Mia and Brynn’s. At this point, the girls are now in their late teens, struggling to move on from the tragedy that has defined their lives and catapulted them onto vastly different life paths. However, when they are suddenly drawn back together by a new clue in the case, they begin to question everything they thought they knew about the murder and their friendship.

One of Oliver’s biggest strengths is the way she writes her characters. Mia and Brynn are both complex and flawed, making them feel like real people rather than simply plot devices. Mia, the more introspective of the two, is still haunted by her involvement in the murder and her own past regrets and obsessions. Meanwhile, Brynn is the more outgoing and impulsive of the two, and is struggling to come to terms with her sexuality and the way that the murder has affected her relationship with her mother. 

The friendship between the two girls is at the heart of the novel, and Oliver captures the complexities and contradictions of teenage relationships perfectly. The girls are fiercely loyal to each other, but also deeply competitive, jealous, and resentful. As they delve deeper into the mystery surrounding Summer's murder, they are forced to confront the ways in which they have hurt each other in the past and to reevaluate their understanding of each other.

I’m usually not a fan of mystery novels because I typically find the plot too predictable, but the plot of Broken Things is full of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. I truly did not see the ending coming, which is a rare and beautiful thing for a mystery novel to give me. Oliver does an excellent job of building suspense and creating unreliable narrators who make you question everything you thought you knew about the story. 

Overall, Broken Things is a brilliant and compelling novel that explores the complexities of friendship, grief, the tantalizing allure of fantastical worlds, and the vigorous search for truth. Oliver's writing is, as always, beautiful and evocative, and her characters are absolutely unforgettable. The novel is definitely a must-read for fans of young adult fiction, mystery, and suspense so if you’re looking to get lost in a story this summer, add this to your TBR list!

Then, let me know in the comments below what your recommended reads are for this summer (because I’m always looking for the next book to get lost in!).