WoW: Girls Who Play Dead by Joelle Wellington

This bookish meme tells the blogosphere what we’re waiting patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) for! It’s hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine!

Two siblings investigate the murder of a friend only to unearth even more deadly mysteries in their small town in this page-turning young adult thriller from the acclaimed author of Their Vicious Games.

When Mikky Graves left his small, stifling hometown of Prophets Lake to live with his estranged mother, he thought nothing could ever make him return for good.

Until his sister Kyla’s best friend, Erin, is murdered.

Mikky never worried about leaving Kyla behind at their family-owned funeral home so long as she had Erin. But when Mikky heads home, determined to help Kyla grieve, the sister he encounters barely resembles the one he remembers. Mikky decides, then and there, to do the one thing that seems even more impossible than stay.

As Kyla spirals further into her rage and secrets, Mikky realizes the only thing that can help his sister is finding the truth about who killed Erin. But the more he investigates, the further he’s pulled into other ugly mysteries of Prophets Lake and the beauty brand that is its lifeblood. The town’s rot runs deep, and everyone has something to hide. Perhaps no one more than Kyla herself.

Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Expected Publication: November 4, 2025

Why I’m Waiting: Y’all know I love Joelle Wellington. Anything she writes, I’m going to read. When I saw this cover I didn’t need to know really anything at all besides the fact that she wrote it lol But this is also about some siblings trying to solve a murder and there is a corrupt beauty brand too. It sounds weird. So naturally…………. I NEED IT.

What about you? Have you read any of Joelle’s other books? Do you like the cover? Will you add this to your TBR? Let me know in the comments!