A new sapphic YA thriller for fans of Heathers and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.
Sixteen-year-old Quinn is a liar, but she isn’t a murderer. When the sleepy town of Boiling Springs, North Carolina is roused by the murder of a local teen, Quinn is thrust into a life of danger, disrupting her normally unnoticeable existence. As Quinn becomes romantically involved with Gilly, the best friend of the dead girl and daughter of the town sheriff, the situation becomes even more complicated.
Despite the lurk of danger, Quinn tries to keep her mind on her new and exciting relationship. When another one of Gilly’s friends turns up dead, and more clues start to pile up, Quinn can’t help but start her own investigation. With everyone in town lying to each other, the suspect list grows. To make matters even more complicated, Quinn feels the killer could be closer to home than anyone suspects.
Piper L. White is an author from North Carolina. She holds her BFA in creative writing from UNC Wilmington, where she also got her certificate in publishing. Her debut novel, All (Dead) Girls Lie, a sapphic YA thriller will be published by Row House Publishing on May 20, 2025.
firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc and an alc!
all (dead) girls lie was a fantastic sapphic thriller set during spooky season in the early 2000s.
our fmc quinn is entangled in a web of lies, evidence, and confusion regarding the deaths of some of the most popular girls in school, all while navigating her budding relationship with the remaining member of the group, gilly. i absolutely loved the twist in this thriller!
you guys!! my very first physical ARC, and let me tell you: it did not disappoint!!
i genuinely loved every moment of this book. for starters, the setting being a small town in 2004 just made me miss my childhood🥺 sure, i would technically only be 2 years old in this setting, but i also grew up in small towns and everything about this book just made me so nostalgic
Quinn! such a down to earth and relatable fmc🫶🏻 she loves all things horror movie related and can’t help but crush on the prettiest and most popular girl in school— can we really blame her? her and Gilly’s relationship was genuinely adorable, and reading about them put such a smile on my face
the side characters were wonderful too! i feel like we all know a Beck in our lives (aka practically MY bestie growing up) and Harry is the classic boy next door. Rink is everyone’s favorite stoner, and Christine can’t help but have her nose in everyone’s business. each of them brought something different to the table, and it all fit together so cohesively when they interacted.
now, onto the main subject of the book: teen girls being murdered😱 who could have possibly “dunnit”?! i had a few guesses at the start that i quickly shot down, only to realize the answer was right in front of my face! i felt just as shocked as Quinn when she discovered the truth… it’s always the person you least suspect🤭 and that epilogue? the gasp i gusped could be heard everywhere, i swear! i totally was not expecting that revelation at the end!
overall, this book was genuinely so unexpectedly fantastic, and i hope all of you pick it up when it releases in June of 2025!
I started this right before bed and suddenly I blinked and was on page 100? Fast-paced and addicting. The MC’s voice is relatable, and the early 2000s references add to the vibes.
Small-town murder mystery with twists for days. If you love a good YA thriller, ADGL is a must read!!!
I could not put this down. Perfect pacing. Kept me turning the page until I was done. It felt like Heathers and Sharp Objects, but also somehow perfectly captured early/mid 2000s small town vibes. Perfect nostalgia (minus the murders 😉)
I appreciate you for taking the time to read ALL (DEAD) GIRLS LIE. This novel really showed me the path I want to take as a writer and helped me find my voice. I have always loved mysteries and thriller so much so that I decided it was time to venture into the genre myself.
Thank you for reading this book (and leaving reviews). I’m going to bounce now and leave it all for you, my readers.
I have not read much YA mystery/thriller type books and am relatively new to the genre but this was a pleasurable read all the same and easy for me to follow and enjoy. This is set in the early 2000s at a time where I myself was a teen. I really appreciated the lack of cell phones and not relying readily on computer usage. Not everyone has a car or can drive which is also refreshing and very similar to my teen years during this time. I really loved the FMC's relationship with her best friend. They are very clearly opposite personalities with different goals in life. Different things drive them forward through school but they do not, at all, pressure the other to change how they are. They understand one another and how they behave and there is no guilt in that. I adored seeing that in the book as well, because often times when there's friendships in YA where the personalities are opposite, there's this pressure for one to change. That's not always true, and it was nice to see that.
The story itself is quick and full of the heightened energy of teen years mixed with the mystery surrounding not one, but two murders in a small town. All is revealed by the end and I was surprised with how it went down. I cannot wait to see where Piper's career goes. This is a great debut.
This is my first ever arc read and was so so excited to read it ! I was extremely hooked to All Dead Girls Lie and I couldn’t put this book down ! Definitely an amazing Mystery/thriller book and it was so so good ! It was such a fast pace read as well. I got it done within a week but that’s depending on how fast you read and what not.
I loved the relationship between Gilly and Quinn and I really didn’t expect Gilly being the killer at all. The whole ending of the book was absolutely amazing and just really didn’t expect it at all. I loved it so so much ! I would honestly reread it again.
This book releases May 20, 2025 and it’s a perfect book for fans of good girls guide to murder and a very good mystery/thriller book ! I will definitely recommend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I loved this book! Definitely gave me pretty little liars and A Good Girls Guide to Murder vibes.
Quinn is a quiet girl who keeps to herself. Gillys best friend has been killed and her father is sheriff. Suddenly Gilly, a popular girl, starts spending time with Quinn and they become romantically involved. Things start to become complicated. Quinn decides to take matters into her own hands and start her own investigation.
I was on the edge of my seat the entire time! I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! I wasn’t sure who couldn’t be trusted. I was shocked when the killer was revealed.
This was such a good thriller! I could see myself reading this again. I love pipers writing style. I’d definitely recommend this book! Thank you soo much Piper for the E-ARC!
This book was absolutely amazing!! I was hooked and couldn’t put it down and when I wasn’t reading it I was thinking of the book and waiting til I could read it again. It was a perfect murder mystery/thriller and great for fans of A Good Girls guide to murder.
This has 2000s horror movie vibes with the references in it and that made the book next level and brought the murder mystery vibes to a whole other level.
I loved the relationship between Quinn and Gilly and didn’t expect Gilly to have anything to do with her best friends/ the popular girls death since she was acting like she didn’t do anything the whole book and just wanted to have a happy ending with Quinn!! The whole ending was so shocking with Jon getting shot and then Henry running Gilly over. I could go on and on about this book and wanna reread it already and typically I’m not one to reread books.
This book releases on May 20, 2025 and I highly recommend everyone to read it especially if you love a good fast paced mystery thriller.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was the kind of YA murder mystery that’s super easy to sink into. I flew through it in just a couple sittings—it’s one of those reads that’s hard to put down, not because it’s overly twisty at first, but because the drama, the tension, and the characters keep you curious.
Quinn is used to flying under the radar, until one of her classmates is found murdered—and suddenly, her world is anything but quiet. Everyone’s whispering, the small-town gossip machine is in full swing, and somehow Quinn finds herself falling for Gilly, the dead girl’s best friend and the sheriff’s daughter. The deeper their relationship goes, the deeper the mystery pulls Quinn in.
There’s a slow unraveling in this story that works. You’re not hit with wild twists on every page, but the tension builds in a really natural way. The first half leans more into the social scene and the layers of teenage relationships. Then suddenly—boom—another friend ends up dead, and you realize this is bigger than anyone thought.
What stood out most to me was how real the characters felt. Their choices aren’t always smart, but they’re believable. There’s something very grounded about the way this story unfolds, even while there’s danger lurking behind every scene. And just when I thought I had it figured out, the last few pages pulled the rug out from under me in the best way.
If you liked 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘒𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 or 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘔𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴, this is definitely one to add to your list. It’s a fun, low-lift read with bite, layered characters, and an ending that leaves you reeling. Plus, who doesn’t love a sapphic romance tangled up in small-town secrets and murder?
There are some books that are so quickly paced and well written you can't wait to devour them. This was not that book. The author thanked her editor but her editor is an idiot - subject-object confusion much? Who writes, "I thought about Gilly and I's first kiss"??? That's just poor writing and horrible editing. Re: the plot. Has she not read Stacy Willingham? This was ripped from one of Willingham's predictable books. Spoiler: as soon as a young teen/friend gets close with a dad (in this case flirting with Gilly's sheriff dad) consider the mystery solved. Immediately after the football game it became clear who the murderer was. This was not Heathers (as someone compared it to.) Heathers is a dark comedy about killing mean girls. Heathers was well written and executed. This book was trash. Although the book does align with A Good Girl's Guide to Murder since Holly Jackson doesn't know "me" from "I" either. I know I'm not the target audience, but I'm just annoyed to read another cookie-cutter YA mystery. Also, the 2004 references were pretty abysmal. Did she just google some pop culture from that year? Kirsten Dunst is fine, but Jessica Chastain... not a household name in 2004. Video stores - maybe, but there should have been Redbox too... or at least DVDs in those video stores. I just can't with this book. What a waste of time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I was provided an audio ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I honestly thought I'd love this one but it didn't really click for me. A lot of it was predictable and, yet, still barely made sense to me. It just felt off. It was set in the early 2000s I think but it actually took me some time to remember this was said at the very beginning of the book. It made sense on some aspects but also didn't on others. Also, I didn't really fall for the relationship between the mc and her love interest. It felt off to me the entire time. A lot of things did honestly. Overall, this just didn't work for me like I thought it would.
Thank you to the author and publisher for sending me a copy of this book to read and review!!
4.5/5 ✨
Pros: the 2004 setting was a really unique piece, the mystery was compelling and surprising, i literally would’ve never guessed the killer, i liked the two fold aspect of the reveal at the end, LGBTQ+ rep, cozy small town autumnal vibes (plus murder) Cons: could just be my reading mood but the pacing felt slow at times, Quinn was sometimes frustrating in what she expected from others to do for her, while the ending was surprising and exciting i wish the killer didn’t get away with it like that, the killer deserved punishment or at least the public deserved the truth
2 stars for the first half and 3.5 stars for the second half.
The first half of this book was not for me. This book is listed as a YA mystery thriller, but this half was just about the unpopular FMC Quinn falling in love with the popular girl Gilly. I was hoping for more of a Pretty Little Liars book, so this wasn’t really my thing. This portion also felt more like a middle grade book versus a young adult.
The second half was much better. The story started to evolve into an intriguing murder mystery. Even though it is very obvious who the murderer is, I still really enjoyed the whodunnit aspect.
Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
Thank you Row House and NetGalley for the free audiobook.
This book had me at sapphic YA thriller!
A local teen girl is found murdered in the woods. Following the discovery, Quinn becomes close with Gilly, the best friend of the murdered girl. Gilly is the popular girl at school and the daughter of the town’s sheriff. As tragedies continue to occur, Quinn races to solve the mystery of who is killing these girls before the police can and time runs out.
All (Dead) Girls Lie was addicting, dark, and twisted. I was hooked from the first chapter and flew through this in one sitting. It gave A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder vibes and I was here for it 🤌🏻
I loved that the main character’s name was Quinn and her bestie’s name was Beck. Felt like an homage to You.
🎧: The narrator did a great job, very captivating voice.
The scream I scrumpt. I thought I was prepared for the ending but I simply wasn’t. I am absolutely gobsmacked by All (Dead) Girls Lie. Small town murder? Awkward girl gets the popular girl? The suspicion between everyone?? Unexpected turns??? My jaw hit the floor and I had to stare into the abyss for a while after I finished reading. It was SO fun and just a smidge spooky. I haven’t stopped thinking about this book since I’ve finished.
I RECOMMEND IF: If you’re looking for a YA thriller that’s not super scary but still unnerving and shocking but is also sapphic and has fun quippy banter then I highly recommend All (Dead) Girls Lie!
WHAT TO EXPECT: • 2004 setting • sapphic • thriller • teenage sleuth • everyone is a suspect • trust no one • keep your friends close & your enemies closer • small town • banter galore (I cackled so much) • so many firsts
I liked this book and I was excited to read it! I read this book quickly and it was a good mystery read, especially if you are wanting a Halloween themed book to read in October. I enjoyed the plot throughout the book and I liked how the start of the book picked up of how the book ended. If you are looking for a quick romance with a murder mystery, I would highly recommend this read!
While I would highly recommend this book, there are some areas that I wish were expanded upon or included that would make this read a five star read. I wish there was more history about Gilly and her specifically talking about her family. Her family was briefly talked about but I wanted to know more of the 'how' instead of the 'why.' Yes, she did kill her best friends over family trauma and her father's actions, but how did she come to this conclusion? What were those emotions and feelings like? I think this is also where Quinn felt a little off too because she didn't know either.
Speaking of Quinn and Gilly, I loved their young romance, however, I wish there was more intentional tension built up for the two characters. Yes, this is absolutely a murder mystery but I wish there was more romantic tension between Gilly and Quinn because the reveal at the end would have been astronomically amazing. It just felt odd that one of the most popular girls in a small town has sudden feelings for Gilly. Obviously it was to cover her tracks for the murders but it did eventually turn into something.
I wish I knew more about Quinn's character too! She is so smart and she seems to have a personaility but it is never shown in the book. I wish I knew more about her as a character as well to help me connect with her more. I love her passion and devotion to Beck but, what else is there to Quinn besides her friends and horror movies?
Overall, this murder mystery was really good and I was not expecting the relationship to blossom between Gilly and Quinn! I really liked the writing style and the development of characters over time. I also liked how it was based in the early 2000s instead of modern times. It felt like a good throwback read to when cellphones didn't exists and calling one another was the main form of communication. The plot was good and I cannot wait to read more from this author in the future!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 Sixteen-year-old Quinn has a habit of bending the truth but she’s no killer. Still, when a local teen is murdered in the quiet town of Boiling Springs, North Carolina, Quinn suddenly finds herself in the middle of a dangerous mystery, far from the low-profile life she’s used to. Things get even more complicated when she starts falling for Gilly, the sheriff’s daughter and best friend of the girl who was killed. As their relationship grows, so does the tension around them. Even with the threat of danger looming, Quinn tries to focus on her budding romance. But when another one of Gilly’s friends is found dead and clues begin stacking up, Quinn can't stay on the sidelines. She starts digging into the truth herself. With lies swirling through the town and trust in short supply, suspects are everywhere and Quinn is starting to worry the killer might be someone far too close for comfort. 𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 I really enjoyed this book. From the very beginning, the atmosphere and tension caught my attention and didn’t let go. Even though I figured out who the killer was early on, it didn’t take away from the fun there were still plenty of twists that kept me second-guessing everyone. This feels like a great fit for young adult readers who like their mysteries with a little edge and emotional depth. Just a heads-up: it does include LGBTQ+ themes and some sensitive topics, so I’d recommend checking out trigger warnings beforehand. The narrator had a nice voice, but the pacing was too slow for me. I ended up listening at 2x speed, and that made it a much smoother experience. Overall, a solid, atmospheric read that kept me engaged. One I’d recommend if you’re into dark YA thrillers with a psychological twist. Thank you @Netgalley and @Row House by Spotify Audiobooks for allowing me to review this ALC.
Title: All (Dead) Girls Lie Author: Piper L. White (Debut) Genre: Mystery, Young Adult Format: 🎧 Narrator: Hope Newhouse Publisher: Row House/Spotify Audiobook Pub Date: May 20, 2025 My Rating: 3.5 Stars Pages: 304
Sixteen-year-old Quinn Levy isn’t dead or a murderer. She is quiet, keeps to herself- wears horror movie tees. She has a small group of friends and not a member of the ‘popular group’.
The sleepy town of Boiling Springs, North Carolina is turned upside down by the murder of a local popular high school teen, The murdered girl Markie is Gilly’s best friend. Gilly Willis is also popular and is the daughter of the Sheriff Willis. Quinn feels she needs to get involved and find out what happened. She and Gilly work together and find they have a lot in common- in fact become romantically involved. However, there are more deaths of other young popular girls.
Although I am not the target audience for this but as a High School Guidance Counselor I love to read YA stories. It pleases me that I can recommend a book as well as know what they are reading.
Story kept me curious and whodunit was a surprise. I am sure my students will like it!
Want to thank NetGalley and Row House/Spotify Audiobook: for this audiobook. Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 20, 2025.
This is so hard to rate because on one hand I listened to it in one sitting. While predictable and almost campy I wanted to keep listening. I enjoyed the sapphic romance and “watching” it unfold. It was a decent YA mystery if you don’t take it too seriously.
That being said the narration was hard to listen to. At regular speed which is what I base most of my opinions on, the narrator Hope Newhouse spoke so incredibly slow. It was completely unnatural. And while she settled out a bit further into the prose, the voices and inflections she used were insufferable. I have listened to this narrator before and didn’t have the same experience. Thankfully speeding it up made it able to be listened to because had that not been an option I wouldn’t have been able to finish it.
As for the prose, it was well written and solid. I look forward to reading future books from this author.
I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary audio ALC from Spotify for through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.
My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars
⭐️ Hated it ⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it) ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again
Thank you to NetGalley, Row House by Spotify Audiobooks, and Piper L. White for providing early access to All (Dead) Girls Lie.
YA mysteries and thrillers are one of my guilty pleasures, and All (Dead) Girls Lie checks many of the familiar boxes typical of the genre. While it doesn’t break new ground and leans heavily into predictable tropes, it still offers an entertaining read. I suspect it would be especially enjoyable for younger readers or those new to YA suspense, who might find the twists more surprising than I did—I guessed the ending fairly early on.
The story centers on Quinn, who finds herself being questioned by the police after a series of murders rock her small southern hometown. Naturally, she starts her own investigation—because what else would a sixteen-year-old do? This was one of my biggest struggles with the book: the character motivations often felt thin or unrealistic. That said, it's been a while since I was a teenager, so I may just be out of touch with the bold leaps of logic teens in thrillers often make.
In the end, while it didn't stand out from others in the genre for me, I would still recommend it to teen readers or anyone just starting to explore YA thrillers.
When one teenage girl is found dead in the woods in a small town there is utter horror in response to this unprecedented event. When a second girl from the same friends group is found dead shortly thereafter, it is clear that there's something very troubling taking place.
Quinn is not one of the popular girls, but when she develops a relationship with one of the survivors in that group she becomes increasingly involved - along with her best friend Beck - in discovering where the truth of the matter lies. But she may be heading for some trouble herself...
This was an long and twisty story and could have done with some edits for length and clarity. The narrator largely did a good job, but the fact that popular girl Gilly's (presumably sexy) breathy tones were a bit over the top, and a couple of the male voices were identical (e.g. John Willis and Harry) was annoying. The other characters were rendered well.
It also has a bit of a teen slasher movie feel to it, which is understandable, given the protagonist's taste in movies. So if you share those predilections, the book will probably appeal.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Thank you Row House and Netgalley for this ALC, these opinions are my own. I love a good mystery, especially when it’s queer! Quinn lives in a small town where the worst thing that happens is robbery. That is until a girl dies. She just happens to be one of the most popular girls in school. Her friend group looks lost without her, a group that includes Gilly, who just happens to be Quinn’s crush. And she’s even more surprised when her Gilly talks to her in class. As they grow closer Quinn finds her self enmeshed in crime. Especially when another of Gilly’s friends turns up dead. Someone has it out for Gilly’s friend group and now Quinn might be in danger by association. But she’s finally getting to date the girl of her dreams. In order to protect Gilly Quinn will have to work the case. Can she find a murderer? Or will love be her downfall? Fast paced and had me hooked! I enjoyed Quinn and her friends. Piper White’s All (Dead) Girls Lie is all secrets, lies, and murder! It kept me guessing! And Hope Newhouse put me right into the story!
I read this via audiobook and that did not help this book at all.
I found the narrator's voice to be kind of annoying, but I could ignore that (it really wasn't that annoying). But it got really bad when she would do other voices for different characters. Now those were some bad voices.
As for the story itself, nothing happened in this book. I was expecting an action-packed thriller. I wanted something reminiscent of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, but no. This is not that. This was so boring, it was just lame teen drama that is extremely uninteresting and immature and has nothing to do with anything. One character just happens to know someone who died, that's it.
Sorry if this is a harsh review, but this was not an entertaining listening experience and all I really ask for in a book is for it to entertain me. And for it to actually match the category it was put in.
Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!