Who We Were in the Dark - by Jessica Taylor (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Donner Lake is famous for its dazzling waters, dramatic mountains, and the travelers trapped there long ago who did unspeakable things to survive. But for lonely Nora Sharpe, Donner was where a girl named Grace glided into her life one night and exploded her world. After that, every summer, winter, and spring break, Nora, her brother, Wesley, the enigmatic Grace, and their friend Rand left behind their real lives and reunited at Donner Lake. There, they traded truth and lies. They fell in love. They pushed each other too far. They came to know one another better than anyone in some ways, and not at all in others. But two years later, something has happened to destroy them. Grace is missing. And Nora must find her way through the unspoken hurts and betrayals of the last two years--and find her way back to Wesley and Rand--to figure out what exactly happened to Grace, the girl she thought she knew"--]cProvided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

For fans of E. Lockhart, this atmospheric coming-of-age story asks, How do you find someone you never really knew?

"Perfect for those who reminisce on the melancholic feelings [of] John Green's Looking for Alaska." --USA Today

"Will have you hooked from the start and guessing till the very end. Jessica Taylor aces it. I inhaled this one!" --Jennifer Mathieu, author of Moxie, now a Netflix Original Film.

Donner Lake is famous for its dazzling waters, dramatic mountains, and the travelers trapped there long ago who did unspeakable things to survive. But for lonely Nora Sharpe, Donner was where a girl named Grace glided into her life one night and exploded her world.

After that, every summer, winter, and spring break, Nora, her brother, Wesley, the enigmatic Grace, and their friend Rand left behind their real lives and reunited at Donner Lake. There, they traded truth and lies. They fell in love. They pushed each other too far. They came to know one another better than anyone in some ways, and not at all in others.

But two years later, something has happened to destroy them. Grace is missing. And Nora must find her way through the unspoken hurts and betrayals of the last two years--and find her way back to Wesley and Rand--to figure out what exactly happened to Grace, the girl she thought she knew.

"Eerily atmospheric." --Kirkus Reviews
"Tense and mystery-laden [with] a strong emotional core." --Booklist
"Will keep readers turning pages long past bedtime." --Kit Frick, author of I Killed Zoe Spanos
"Character-driven . . . Arrestingly written." --Publishers Weekly
"Recommended for fans of E. Lockhart." --SLJ

Review Quotes

"Mixes teenage drama with a combination of mystery and thriller, concocting a novel for readers who enjoy their books on the darker side. . . The eerie lake setting seems to hide secrets of its own, augmenting the tense and mystery-laden atmosphere. With a strong emotional core connected to friendship, love, and familial relationships, this is the right novel for those who are just as invested in character development as the mystery itself." --Booklist

"Perfect for those who reminisce on the melancholic feelings [of] John Green's Looking for Alaska. . . . The non-chronological timeline cleverly bolsters the mystery. . . . Taylor's characters know there is no beauty in the truth, but perhaps that's when we need to face it the most." --USA Today

"Eerily atmospheric . . . Realistic . . . Poignant." --Kirkus Reviews

"Grace's arrestingly written personality, and the years the protagonists spend together eating oysters at night on the roof of the local hotel, leaping off cliffs into the lake, breaking into a boathouse to sneak champagne, and watching outdoor movies under the stars [are] the heart and soul of this atmospheric read." --Publishers Weekly

"New friendships, secrets, and disappearances. . . . Readers will see themselves in the hard choices the characters are forced to make, even if at times, those are not the best for them. Recommended for fans of E. Lockhart." --SLJ

Moody, atmospheric, and shimmering with the bright secrets of adolescence and the hard truths buried beneath, Who We Were In the Dark is the kind of novel that will keep readers turning pages long past bedtime. --Kit Frick, author of I Killed Zoe Spanos

About the Author

Jessica Taylor is the author of the critically-acclaimed A Map for Wrecked Girls. She adores atmospheric settings, dangerous girls, and characters who sneak out late at night. She lives in Northern California with a few degrees she isn't using, one dog, and many teetering towers of books.