Twisted Fate

Sisters Allyson and Sydney are total opposites, “like two sides of the same coin.” Allyson likes to bake; Sydney likes to get baked. Allyson is sweet-natured but struggles with school; Sydney is smart but sardonic. When a boy named Graham moves into the house across the street, both girls become fascinated with him: Allyson wants to be with him, and Sydney wants to uncover what she is sure are dark secrets in his past. Meanwhile, Graham is psychologically disturbed, medicating himself and obsessively filming everyone around him—an activity his parents allow, even though it ended in tragedy in their former hometown. Debut author Olson alternates points of view among Allyson, Sydney, and Graham, along with occasional interludes from their friends, Graham’s worried parents, and others. Readers will quickly—too quickly—realize that things are not as they seem where Allyson and Sydney are concerned; the clues Olson includes sabotage the very tension she is attempting to build. Some of the surprises hit their marks, but many readers will guess where this thriller is headed long before it gets there. Ages 13–up. (Jan.)