This YA thriller is a standout, especially considering it's a debut novel! "That’s Not My Name" captivated me from the outset with its masterfully crafted plot and multi-dimensional characters. The story offers a compelling blend of suspense and intricate development. The conclusion was a twist I didn't see coming, and the author's narrative choices only added to the story's strength. The dual narratives, each revealing a part of the central mystery surrounding Mary Boone and Lola, were brilliantly executed. I was genuinely taken by surprise!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing the e-arc. All opinions are my own.

She doesn’t know her name….so how can she know if she is safe?

A teenage girl wakes up in a ditch near a dirt road. She hurts all over, is bleeding, and not only doesn’t know where she is or how she got there….she has no idea who she is. She is found by a police officer, who takes her back to his small rural station to get her cleaned up, evaluated for injuries, and tries to help her remember something about herself so that he can contact her family. It’s no use….she remembers nothing. When a frantic man shows up at the station hours later, wanting to report his missing daughter Mary, it comes as somewhat of a relief to both the police officer and the girl. The man. Wayne, says he’s her father, and has proof….photos, a school ID, even her birth certificate back at the cabin where they were going to meet. The officer is diligent in checking everything out, and while the girl….Mary, it seems….has no memory of him, she is relieved that he at least knows her. As the days pass, though, something seems off. Is she really Mary, and is Wayne truly her dad?
Meanwhile, in a town at the other end of the state, a teenage boy named Drew’s life has imploded. His girlfriend Lola disappeared after they had a fight one night at their usual hangout spot. No one, not even her parents or best friend Autumn, has seen or heard from her since. As the weeks went by, and searches turned up nothing, everyone has come to the sad conclusion that Lola is dead. And with the exception of Drew’s fathers and family, everyone is also convinced that Drew killed her. The sheriff, Autumn’s father, is chief among those who want to prove Drew’s guilt. Drew is struggling with facing the enmity of people who used to be his friends and neighbors, and also with guilt for letting Lola walk home alone after their fight. In his mind, while he didn’t kill her, he is responsible for what happened to her. He is just about the only person who believes that she is still alive, and continues to post “Missing” fliers around town. He is frustrated that the sheriff has focused on him as a suspect, and refuses to investigate any other leads. A confrontation between Drew and Autumn changes Autumn’s mind about Drew’s guilt. Together with Drew’s cousin Max, they start doing some sleuthing on their own….and may just have found a vital clue.
This YA novel gripped me right from the start. Mary is scared and vulnerable, with no memory and nowhere to go. The officer who finds her is very careful before he releases her into Wayne’s custody, though, so she figures she must be OK. Even as my reader’s mind was screaming, “No, don’t go with him!”, it was completely believable that she went with him. Drew’s situation was horrible, but again highly plausible….the spouse/partner is always the most likely suspect, and the guilt he feels over Lola’s disappearance just looks like guilt to everyone else. Who amongst us hasn’t formed that kind of judgement about a situation we see on the news or read about in the paper? As what happened that night between Lola and Drew is revealed, and as Mary’s days with Wayne unfold, I started forming my own ideas about what happened to Lola. Will Drew and his friends find a way to find Lola? Will Mary regain her memory and, if so, what will it tell her? The story is fast paced, and the reader is kept guessing until the end. A great, quick read that I highly enjoyed. Readers of Holly Jackson, Karen M. McManus and April Henry should pick up a copy of That’s Not My Name and enjoy the ride. Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for allowing me access to an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a big surprise! I loved this book. Lots of twists and turns. Told by two Different narrators and alternating time lines. I will definitely check out more from this author.

Multiple POVs! ✔️
Short chapters! ✔️
Entertaining! ✔️

Megan Lally’s debut novel “That’s Not My Name” is a quick entertaining read!! I don’t want to talk too much about the characters so I don’t give anything away, but I loved the characters tenacity and motivation! The never give up attitude is my favorite part of a character.
The only thing I wasn’t a huge fan of was the fact that it is a little bit predictable during some parts, which doesn’t stop me from loving a book, just doesn’t have as much of the shock value.
This is not your average ending though, and I absolutely loved that!


If you love YA thrillers, I’d definitely put this on your TBR list! Can’t wait for her next book to come out!!

3 1/2 ⭐️ out of 5!

Megan Lally’s pacey debut thriller THAT’S NOT MY NAME is un-put-downable. The twisty dual narratives wind together toward inevitable collision, and I was along for every turn, racing forward in the most delicious creeping sense of dread. Then Lally hits you with a twist so shocking I screamed out loud and immediately had to text a friend about it. Absolutely brilliantly written and cuttingly paced. A debut like this leaves me hungry to see where Lally goes next!

I received and voluntarily read an advance copy of this title. All opinions are my own. The spooky yet satisfied feeling lingering after finishing, however, is entirely Megan Lally’s fault.

If you are looking for a YA thriller/mystery then I suggest you check out That's Not My Name. With a catchy title and stunning cover, its easily to be drawn in. Let me then tell you it has a really good mystery told from two points of view, Drew (A suspect in her girlfriend's disappearance - Lola) and the mystery girl who wakes up in a ditch, battered and bruised with no idea who she is. Told in dual time lines this makes the story fast paced and packing some punch. Are these two stories connected or just random coincidences? You'll have to read it to see.

As most YA thrillers go it's a little predictable to the older reader, which is why I've rated this as a 3.5 star. Yes I did work this mystery out fairly early on but this didn't take away from the story at all. The characters are strong, their voices will be heard by you. But this isn't just a thriller, this is also about friendship and other things I won't mention as that would be a spoiler. The ending conclusion and epilogue are powerful. Especially Drew's words in the epilogue.

I really enjoyed That's Not My Name, it was refreshing to read a YA thriller that had me racing through the pages. I believe this is a debut for Megan Lally and she's definitely one to watch out for in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for this ARC in exchange of an honest review..

This is one of the best YA books I've read this year! I can't say enough good things about it.
Seventeen year old Lola has been missing for weeks now. They have found no clues regarding her disappearance and everyone believes her boyfriend, Drew, is to blame. Drew has been handing out missing persons flyers and doing everything he can to find her, but everyone just thinks it makes him look more guilty. Until finally, they find a clue. A tip on the tip line comes through saying that Lola has been spotted a couple hours away. Drew, Autumn (Lola's best friend), and Max (Drew's cousin) go looking for Lola. What happened to her? Will they find alive?
Meanwhile, Mary has no memories of who she is or how she got there. But a man named Wayne is telling that her that he is her father and she is his daughter. Your name is Mary. He has her birth certificate, her school ID, and her social security card. She has to be Mary, right?

Megan Lally’s debut, That’s Not My Name, is a well-crafted thriller that’s perfect for fans of YA mysteries and includes strong themes of young people taking the reins when adults fall short.

This book had me hooked from the first chapter, and I devoured the entire thing in one sitting. Although there were a few thin spots in the plot, Lally’s characters are compelling, and the suspense is built up well, making it a strong debut novel overall.

The book revolves around two main characters, a teen girl, Mary, who wakes up injured on the side of a dirt road with no memory of who she is, and an accused young man, Drew, whose girlfriend, Lola, has disappeared after they had an argument. Their stories intertwine, leading to an unexpected conclusion that had me on the edge of my seat.

The epilogue was really well done, wrapping up the story beautifully and rounding up my initial 4-star rating to a full five stars.

While That’s Not My Name wasn’t an entirely perfect novel, it’s an impressive debut from a promising new author, and it deserves the full 5 stars just for how much it gripped me. Lally has a knack for crafting a compelling narrative and sympathetic characters, so I’m definitely looking forward to her next book!

This novel was so good!!!

That's not my name is a thrilling stoy told from various POVs.

To avoid spoiling the book to anyone, I'll only mention Lola and Drew. Lola goes missing, and the local sheriff believes her boyfriend Drew is to blame. Drew realises he needs to find Lola to clear his name, if things were only as simple as that...

The ending is amazing.

I would like to thank the publisher and author for my advanced review copy of the book. This is my honest review

This was such a beautiful and enjoyable read. I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys this genre. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

* Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEFIRE Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review."

That's Not My Name isn't a terrible book. The premise itself is interesting, and I liked the characters enough to push past some of the ... lag. The beginning of the book isn't the most interesting, and it took me a little while to really get into it. Honestly, Drew's POV chapters were way more interesting to me than Mary's. I kind of wished Mary didn't feature so heavily in the first part of the story - it took away some of my interest in the overall plot, and kind of distracted me.

The story really picked up around the 50% mark, though. I spent the first half of the book forcing myself through it and spent the last half of the book flying through it. I will say I wasn't really surprised by the ending, but it was a fun ride along the way.

I'd recommend That's Not My Name to anyone who enjoys quick, easy to read YA thrillers.

This one really freaked me out! There was a sense of dread throughout this novel, and I was uneasy most of the time, anticipating the inevitable.

The last few chapters were graphically violent. I was cringing at each blow. Yikes!
So, trigger warning: this book is not for people who don't like extremely violent content in their reading.

The author chose her words carefully in an attempt to set the scene and mood, particularly in the first few chapters. The title gives the premise away, in my opinion, but this well-written thriller/serial killer novel will still deliver the required chills and thrills. (I personally found a few coincidences hard to swallow. It would be interesting to see if anyone else on NG suffered from periods of "stretched credulity" like I occasionally did here and there!)

I'm rating this one a 3.7 out of 5, bumped up to a 4 because GR does not allow fractions. My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

This was a superb YA thriller/suspense. Throughout the whole book there's a feeling of unease and dread. Even though the title gives away a part of the book, there's still some fairly decent twists that leave you like whaaaattttt.

And that epilogue? So satisfying yet heartbreaking too.

I have never heard of Megan Lally before and now that I have I don't think I will forget her name because this book was pretty good. I liked it.

I could not put this down! It was an intriguing and engrossing mystery right from the start. There were small clues I initially glossed over that suddenly made sense later on.

What a ride! I tore through this in 2 days. A fast-paced, gripping thriller with powerful emotional stakes and a likable cast.

A well written YA thriller and pretty solid debut. Some plot holes for me in Mary’s POV with Wayne but nothing too major. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for my first ever ARC!

This story grips you right from the start!

It begins with a teen girl waking up in a ditch on the side of the road with no memory of who she is or what happened to her. After a passing police officer finds her and takes her to the station, a frantic man shows up at the police station claiming that her name is Mary Boone and he is her father - and he has all the documentation to back it up. Next we're introduced to Drew, another teen who is under investigation for the disappeance of his girlfriend, Lola, who has been missing for five weeks. Drew is on his own mission to find Lola, not only to clear his name but to bring his girlfriend home.

The dueling POV's make this book a rollercoaster of emotion as Drew deals with accusations and his own guilty conscious and Mary tries to piece her memories back together and discover who she is. I spent the entire book thinking I knew what was going on only to have my jaw dropped by the twists and reveals in the last couple chapters.

5 stars, definitely recommend! This debut definitely puts Megan Lally on my radar in the future!

A teenage girl wakes up on the side of the road with no memory of how she got there or what happened an officer passes by and sees her and takes her to the police station. Not long after a man comes in saying he is searching for his missing daughter. He presents the officer with her birth certificate, school ID and shares photos of her on his phone.

When Lola exits Drew’s car after an argument, she walks off never to be seen again. The whole town including Drew’s friends and the sheriff think that he had something to do with her disappearance and thinks he killed her. To prove his innocence he does everything he can to find her and bring her back.

This book pulled me in from the beginning. I enjoyed the dual POV and the timeline kept me in suspense. I loved the emotional side of the story with Drew trying to clear his name and feeling guilt for leaving Lola to walk home alone and Mary trying to remember her life before the accident and who the man who claims to be her father is. The plot was predictable but the story was intriguing and kept me reading until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and SourcebooksFire for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book:
THAT'S NOT MY NAME by Megan Lally (Out Dec 26. Thanks Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the ebook)

Review:
5 ⭐ I'd give it 10 if I could.

First, I want to start my saying that I can't wait to have a physical copy if THAT'S NOT MY NAME so I can read it again. Oh my gosh, it was amazing. The description, the words, I could just picture everything as I was reading. There was not moment that I wanted to put this book down---it was like I wasn't even reading anymore. The book isso fast-paced and so on point  THAT'S NOT MY NAME was everything I thought it would be and more. The emotion of the characters(Drew as he tried finding Lola, Mary as she realized she wasn't Mary and eventually realized who she was) was spot on, and I felt everything they did. This book was full of so much suspense, and so many twists and turns. Like, I was shocked especially when Officer Bowman turned them away. But I was the most shocked at the ending. I gasped, like seriously..I almost cried  Another author who's going to be an instant buy.

What I Liked About It:
*Everything