I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Charlie wants to get out of town and go to college. She takes a job at Triple S to save money for college.
Clay Cooper who owns the restaurant is hated by many- so when he is found dead everyone wonders who killed him.
When Charlie is found on camera hiding under the counter - someone wonders what she has seen. She soon finds herself in dangerous situations. Can she survive to attend college? —- and who killed Clay and why?

I really wanted to like this more than I did. I'm a sucker for a murder mystery and I liked Wendy Walker's attempt at telling the story from an Autistic teenager's POV. This one just didn't grab me and it took me awhile to go back and finish. Not quite my thing, but I'm sure others will enjoy it.

I believe this is undoubtedly one of my favorite books by Wendy Walker, deserving a solid 5 stars for its gripping twists and turns! While not a romance, it stands as one of the best-written explorations of "true, innocent, unconditional love." Charlie Hudson, the protagonist, emerges as one of the most memorable characters crafted by the author. In fact, I found myself yearning for more time with her, secretly hoping that Wendy Walker might pen another book, delving into Charlie's mid-twenties as she becomes embroiled in another captivating crime tale.

Charlie, a seventeen-year-old girl hailing from the small town of Sawyer, is determined to escape its confines and seize her chance at MIT. As a member of the autism spectrum, she works at a sandwich shop where she's forged her own version of family, as opposed to the fractured family her mother created with an unsupportive stepfather and distant stepbrothers. Feeling like an outsider for years, she carries the weight of guilt when her mother is shunned by her grandparents and called derogatory names. Despite their struggles, she perseveres in creating a new life, even resorting to duct-taping floors to fend off cockroaches in their rundown homes.

Her job at the sandwich shop becomes a sanctuary, a place where she can immerse herself in the routine and camaraderie, as she chants her order mantra: "lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles." This is where she finds genuine acceptance and liberation among her friends.

Her fierce love for her friends drives her to take extreme risks, even putting her own life on the line to protect them. When their questionable boss, Clay Cooper, the owner of the Triple S sandwich shop where they work, is murdered, Charlie is not only present at the scene but also becomes a prime suspect. She's plunged into a perilous situation, especially when one of her closest friends is potentially the real killer.

Charlie adamantly refuses to discuss the night when Clay Cooper met his end, despite security footage confirming her presence at the crime scene, cowering behind the counter in fear.

With her loved ones in jeopardy, Charlie embarks on a quest to uncover the true murderer, exposing herself to even greater risks. The web of danger deepens as it becomes evident that Clay was involved in dangerous dealings with sinister individuals who now want Charlie eliminated. Armed with her sharp intellect and the survival strategies she's developed, can she outsmart these threats and bring justice to light?

I found myself racing through the pages, captivated by the ingenious unraveling of the mystery and the skillful character development that heightened my reading experience. This compelling mystery is an absolute must-read that I wholeheartedly recommend!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with an irresistible digital review copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

American Girl by Wendy Walker is a fantastic thriller that I really enjoyed every minute of.
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The mystery thriller is told in the point of view of Charlie, who is an Autistic teenager who is getting ready to go to MIT and working part time at a deli to save money.

Charlie gets caught up in a murder and she doesn't know who to trust. ⠀

The author does an excellent job brining Charlie to life and describing the thoughts and perspectives of how/what an autistic person actually feels.

Wendy Walker is a master at her craft and an incredible storyteller. I highly recommend this thriller book to everyone that loves mysteries and thrillers.

American Girl had me totally immersed in the story from the start and I love that in a book. I also had Tom Petty's song playing in my head for the duration which is not a bad thing. Charlie, a 17-year-old girl who is autistic, witnesses a murder at the sandwich shop where she works. But did she really see the murder or is she protecting someone? Read for yourself to find out! The audio for this book is also great.

This was a great book! Charlie was such a likable character! I loved reading the story from her perspective.

This is my first Wendy Walker book but I have heard about her work for quite a while thanks to my Goodreads friends. Charlie has autism, she is the main character which brings this story all together. Charlie works long hours at a diner owned by a man called Coop, but she is determined to leave the small suffocating town of Sawyer and is trying to save money to get out and study and make something more of her life. Her mother marries a rich man named Dusty and has two more children with him, but he will not do anything in the way of supporting Charlie or her education as he sees her as what he does not consider 'normal' and gets frustrated by her behaviour.

Coop runs half the business in town and prefers to work in cash so that he does not have to pay his taxes, no one likes him but they also fear him, as they are reliant on his businesses to provide their income . When Coop is murdered one night, Charlie is caught on security vision at the crime scene at the diner Triple S where she works and Coop owns, but what did Charlie actually see that night and who is now vey interested in her and determined to keep her quiet.

I really enjoyed the book, a well developed story that has characters that seem very real, I found myself rooting for Charlie and her close group of friends. At some stages of the book though, the descriptions of her thoughts did seem to go on a bit to long and this could have been reduced to tighten the story up, also you do have to suspend belief in some parts as to what actions she sometimes takes.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book, all opinions are my own.

Charlie is an autistic seventeen-year-old who is determined to leave the small town she lives in as soon as she graduates high school. When the owner of the sandwich shop, she works at is found dead, each member of his staff becomes a suspect. Charlie must protect herself and her friends by uncovering the danger that lurks in the shadows.

This book had a lot of things I enjoyed. I really enjoyed the female main character, Charlie. She was a perfect American Girl who has autism and loves data analytics. I love data analytics so had a lot of fun seeing the world through her eyes. The autism rep was amazing, and her rules were just amazing and so relatable for me. I enjoyed how Charlie was able to navigate the crime committed to find a conclusion, though albeit a little out there. It was fun though. This book had the fast pace I have come to love and enjoy from Wendy Walker. This one didn’t have as much action in my opinion as some of her others, but I still had fun with it. Wendy Walker truly is the queen of suspense, and this book does nothing but highlight that.

If you are looking for a novel that has so much and will keep you hooked, then check this one out.
Thank you so much to Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley, @Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Wendy Walker has done it again. She has written an excellent murder mystery with interesting characters, that pulls you deep into the story like you are witnessing the crime. American Girl is a story about a neurodivergent teenage who gets wrapped up into a murder investigation. Charlie, who has had a hard life, is just trying to save up for college when her boss is murdered. She was at the scene of the crime so the police think she may know more than she is telling and perhaps she does.
Charlie is a wonderful character. She is neurodivergent so she sees the world a little differently. She works hard at trying to solve the case on her own and to protect those she loves, regardless of the danger she is putting herself in.
The story is full of suspects, as everyone had a motive to kill Clay Cooper. The characters are typical middle class Americans who are just trying to do the best they can. The plot is full of twists and turns, which keeps you guessing. It is a quick read and you will feel like your part of the story.
Thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

Sadly this book didn't really work for me. I struggled to connect with the characters or get into the plot. However I do think that maybe I was just not the right audience for this book as I do think the writing style and idea is great but just not for me personally.

I love this book, but the cover art is truly something I cannot get past. Walker is a talented writer but I don’t think I would ever pick up this book in a store for the cover alone.

‘A pulse-pounding novel about a small-town business owner found dead and the teenage girl caught in the crosshairs, American Girl is the latest thriller from internationally bestselling author Wendy Walker.’

American Girl is told from a singular, first-person POV from our 17 year-old MC, Charlie. Charlie is 17, a HS senior, on the spectrum, who works at a deli/sandwich shop and lives by rules and numbers.

I appreciated reading Charlie’s POV (although oddly, her name changed to Billie in chapter 9…but went back to Charlie shortly after, lol) because she was so unique and I found myself rooting for her and caring about her.

That said, this novel oftentimes felt more YA than adult. But maybe that’s just me.

Regardless….murder, scandal, misdirection, secrets, lies all in a small town that’ll keep you guessing and flipping pages.

I enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more of Walker’s work!

Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 10.17.23.

Thank you, NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the copy of American Girl by Wendy Walker. I liked the premise of this book and loved getting to know Charlie. I was a little confused because her autism wasn’t very consistent and kind of came and went randomly.
The story was really slow and I kept waiting for something to happen, so it was hard to get drawn into the story. Part of the problem was it was all in the first person from Charlie’s POV and I didn’t find her ‘voice’ very compelling. There were a lot of good reveals along the way, but the mystery was still not captivating and by the end, I just didn’t care.

I've loved Walker's previous books so knew I was in for a treat! Young Charlie is autistic but makes "rules" for herself which she goes over repeatedly as they work for what she considers "normal." But when her boss at the sandwich shop is murdered, she is a suspect as there is visual evidence she was there. Of course there are no easy answers and many suspects as the boss, "Coop" had many enemies, ogled young girls, and may have been involved in money laundering as he always dealt in cash. But Charlie is smart as a whip (whips are smart?) and is very persistent in the face of danger, even though all of the evidence defies logic! So many great red herrings and lies that lead you down one path, only to force you to take a detour to get to the truth!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

This was a well written but very slow moving particularly at the beginning. It was written in steam of consciousness, which is a harder style for me to read. I cared about the main characters and that helped a lot. A teenager with autism is involved in the murder of her boss and tries to figure out what happened and protect those she cares about, who might be involved

A quick and fast-paced mystery thriller, entertaining, very well written, that kept me interested until the end.
Charlie tells the story so well, she is clever, very smart, and she has her own theories about what happened.

I really enjoy Wendy Walker’s books and this one was no different.

Thank you @netgalley and @blackstonepublishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Coming out 10/17/23

Master of suspense Wendy Walker has endowed us with another excellent psychological thriller. The protagonist, Charlie, is on the spectrum, trying to survive and help out her friends and is completely endearing. I found myself totally rooting for her. When she gets caught up in a crime, she must try to figure out the culprit and save her own life in the process. This is a total page-turner and will appeal to fans of Ruth Ware and Megan Miranda.

American Girl by Wendy Walker is about Charlie, a 17 year old girl who is on the spectrum and is a witness to a murder. Nothing is more important to Charlie than her found family at the diner and she will do whatever it takes to make sure they remain safe. Wendy Walker just gets better and better and I anxiously await her next title!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this digital ARC!

3.5 stars

What I Liked:
-An Autistic MC with a story that isn't just about her Autism
-The twists at the end and the way the threads came together

What Didn't Work for Me:
-Plot moved a bit slowly for most of the story

Wow, this was a completely unexpected thriller! The main character is somebody that you will be routing for throughout this murder mystery! Yet another terrific thriller by Wendy Walker that I would definitely recommend.