Are You Sara? - by S C Lalli (Paperback)

About the Book

"Two women named Sara each get into a rideshare but only one makes it home alive. Was it the right Sara? Law student Saraswati "Sara" Bhaduri holds down two jobs and a scholarship in order to make her way through school, but it's still a struggle. She's had to do things to pay the bills that most people wouldn't expect from "a nice Indian girl." At the end of Sara's shift at the local campus bar, her boss tells her to deal with a drunk girl in the bathroom. Sara helps the girl outside and the two share a brief conversation, where they learn they have the same name, and form a brief kinship despite their different circumstances. Sara and Sarah Ellis both order rideshares home. Exhausted from the late shift, Sara falls asleep in the car and wakes up on the wrong side of town--the wealthy side. She realizes she and Sarah had mistakenly taken each other's rides. Broke, she's forced to walk home, only to discover on arrival that the other Sarah has been killed on her doorstep. Was it supposed to be Sarah Ellis or Sara Bhaduri who died? And why would anyone want them dead? In this smart, twisty novel about ambition, wealth and dangerous longing, the layers are peeled back on two young women desperate to break out of the expectations placed on them, with devastating results."--

Book Synopsis

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

Called One of the Best Books of the Year by NPR

"Dynamic women with complicated lives take center stage in this twisty mystery about a rideshare mix-up which results in murder. Lalli is a fresh voice in the thriller genre and a writer to watch!" --Wendy Walker, internationally bestselling author of Don't Look For Me

Two women named Sara each get into a rideshare. . . but only one makes it home alive. Which Sara was the real target?

Law student Saraswati "Sara" Bhaduri holds down two jobs in order to make her way through school, but it's still a struggle. She's had to do things to pay the bills that most people wouldn't expect from "a nice Indian girl." It seems like an ordinary busy Tuesday night at the local dive bar until her boss demands Sara deal with a drunk girl in the bathroom.

The two become fast friends. Why? Because they both have the same name. And despite their different circumstances, the two connect. When they both order rideshares home, they tumble in the back of the cars and head out into the night.

But when Sara awakes in her rideshare, she finds she's on the wrong side of town--the rich side--and she realizes: she and Sarah took the wrong cars home.

With no money, Sara walks back to her apartment on the shady side of town only to discover police lights flashing and a body crumpled on her doorstep: Sarah.

Was Sarah Ellis or Sara Bhaduri the target? And why would anyone want either of them dead?

In this smart, twisty novel about ambition, wealth, and dangerous longing, the layers are peeled back on two young women desperate to break out of the expectations placed on them, with devastating results.

Review Quotes

"I love this premise: Sara accidentally gets into Sarah's Uber and vice versa, and the mistake turns out to be deadly. So clever!" -- Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author

"Dynamic women with complicated lives take center stage in this twisty mystery about a rideshare mix-up which results in murder. Lalli is a fresh voice in the thriller genre and a writer to watch!" -- Wendy Walker, internationally bestselling author of Don't Look For Me

"A gripping, immersive read, S.C Lalli has written a tightly woven thriller featuring my new favorite complicated female protagonist. Sara - Saraswati Bhaduri - is riveting as a struggling, savvy law student who becomes embroiled in a gritty murder mystery, while also tackling issues of race, class and identity at her Ivy-league college. I couldn't put this book down, and neither will you!" -- Uzma Jalaluddin, bestselling author of Hana Khan Carries On

"Are You Sara? is a crackling spit-fire of suspense. I read it in two sittings! And that delicious little twist at the very end is a brilliant depiction of just how cunning women can be." -- Wanda M. Morris, award-winning author of All Her Little Secrets

"Deliciously dark and twisted, Are You Sara? hits the ground running and never loses momentum. This book embraces the often messy, sometimes misguided, and always difficult compromises universally made on the path to success, weaving an un-put-downable story that is the perfect propulsive page turner for summer." -- Erica Katz, author of The Boys' Club and Fake

"It starts off with a nightmarishly riveting conceit: Two women with the same name accidentally switch cabs and one of them gets murdered at her wrong drop-off location... Are You Sara? cogently navigates the duality of identity, what it says about social hierarchy, and the things people will do to survive... S.C. Lalli's debut thriller is punchy and an introspective reminder that money and power always come with dangerous strings attached." -- NPR, Books We Love

"It'll make you think twice the next time a car arrives to whisk you from day drinking to your next summer adventure." -- Paste Magazine

"Romance author Lalli (A Holly Jolly Diwali as Sonya Lalli) ventures into thriller territory with exhilarating results... The twisty plot upsets conventional expectations while shining a light on casual sexism and racism. Readers will hope to see a lot more in this line from the versatile Lalli." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A twisty, ambitious thriller where taking the wrong rideshare leads to murder." -- Fresh Fiction

"Two women desperate to break away from expectations leads to devastating results in this smart novel about wealth and ambition." -- Indigo