A captivating premise with a breathless ending.

The story is a bit slow-burn, with the only smatterings of suspense happening around the 50% and 60% marks, but the twists and breathless pace of the last 30% or so made up for it. I DID keep catching myself holding my breath, and couldn’t read fast enough.

I will say, the characters did feel younger than their 17 years—which totally might be realistic for teens of this time! But there *was* quite a bit of strong language, and some random political moments that seemed out of place, so I had a hard time placing where to recommend this. I had a hard time connecting with Drew’s side of the story because of that, but Mary’s was breathless and I couldn’t get enough.

3.5 stars rounded up. Very grateful to Netgalley and SourcebooksFire for the arc!

A great fast-paced YA thriller. I loved seeing the main character, Mary, slowly gain back her memory and witness the horror of the situation she faces. Great book for young adults!

That's Not My Name is a thrilling rollercoaster of a novel that kept me engaged from the very first page. With a gripping premise, well-crafted characters, and a suspenseful plot, this book takes you on a wild ride into the unknown.

The story begins with a nameless teen, shivering and bruised, waking up on a deserted dirt road with no memory of her identity. The author skillfully weaves together two parallel narratives, one following the nameless girl's journey to uncover her true identity, and the other focusing on Drew, who is desperately searching for his missing girlfriend, Lola.

The pacing of the book is relentless, and I found myself eagerly turning pages to uncover the truth. The characters are vividly portrayed, each with their own secrets and motivations, making it a joy to play detective alongside them. The author's ability to keep readers guessing and questioning the characters' intentions adds a layer of complexity to the story that I appreciated. This makes it an ideal choice for young adults looking to dip their toes into the world of thrillers.

What truly sets this book apart is its emotional depth. The epilogue took me by surprise, and I found myself shedding tears as the characters' grief felt incredibly real and palpable.

In summary, That's Not My Name is a four-star read that will keep you on the edge of your seat. This makes it an ideal choice for young adults looking to dip their toes into the world of thrillers. It's a fast-paced, emotionally resonant thriller with well-drawn characters and a mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Sending my thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy!

This is the perfect case of don't judge a book by its genre. For some weird reason I tend to stay away when a book is labeled as Young Adult even though the ones I have read, I have loved, including this one. I am so glad that I gave this a chance after reading the description. It was such an intense, frustrating, grievous mystery following the disappearance of a teenage girl and her boyfriend on his own mission to find her. The writing itself sucks you right into the story and makes you feel so compelled to read just one more chapter everytime you plan to put it down. I can honestly say there was not one dull moment in it and I am astonished this is a debut. This author knocked this out of the park and I give it the full five stars it deserves.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for this ARC.

The premise of this book was very promising, but I found it to be pretty predictable. Additionally, the split perspective didn't add to the narrative for me. Overall, a good YA thriller for fans of Mindy McGinnis or Kara Thomas.

I really loved this book, it definitely kept me guessing.
Not a big fan of the twist ending though, wish it would've ended up differently.

This was a great debut mystery/thriller. I couldn't read this one fast enough, I was glued to the pages. We get the story from two POVs, one from Mary (who is Mary?) and the other from Drew (where is Lola?) Very impressive how the author used these two point of views to tell seemingly two different stories which then collide. Megan Lally definitely knows how to play with my emotions. I was on edge the entire time with suspense and frustration and then the ending was sentimental and brought me to tears. Not what I expected from a thriller. Very brilliantly done! I will be on the lookout for future releases from this author!

Thanks to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire, Sourcebooks Fire for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was an interesting story - I generally don’t love YA Thrillers but I was very captivated by this one. I loved the pacing and the twists and turns that the author took with the plot.

This is a pulse pounding read, leaving you guessing until the very end. I loved every single minute of it!

A teenage girl wakes up battered and bruises with absolutely no memory. An officer finds her and soon, her father comes to take her home. He says her name is Mary and he has a slew of documentation to prove it.

Meanwhile, hours away, Drew is grasping at straws searching for his missing girlfriend, Lola. Everyone in town thinks he killed her, but he is the only one still actually looking for her.

The first takeaway from this book: all the adults were capital S- Stupid!! They were the worst, never listening, showboating, blaming, just terrible. The second takeaway: holy smokes, this book was fantastic.

Drew is relentless when it comes to finding Lola. He works tirelessly, infuriated by the fact that nobody else seems to be looking, especially not the sheriff… Along with his cousin and an unlikely ally, they seek answers anywhere they can, following a dangerous path for the truth.

Mary is home with her dad, though it becomes clear very quickly that something is not right here. We get their alternating POV in different chapters, leading to an explosive ending! I loved the writing, I loved the way the author keeps you guessing, and I loved the characters.

One of the best YA thrillers I’ve read in a long time! The fact this is a debut novel to boot really emphasizes how well written the plot was and the depth of the characters. That’s Not My Name had me glued to the page right from the start and was the perfect mix of slow burn and suspense. The ending was not at all what I was expecting, but the authors choices only made the plot stronger. I really enjoyed how the mystery (Who is Mary Boone? What happened to Lola?) and how the events played out in two different POVs/locations. I was completely blown away!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Disturbing from page one. This read was definitely a slow burn, but it did not disappoint with the suspense factor.

Wow!!! I could not put this thriller down. I was engrossed the whole time and that is not how I feel about a lot of teen thrillers. I didn't guess the twist or the ending AT ALL. I can't wait to recommend this one to teens in my library.

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for the copy of That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally. I love a good YA story and this debut is a fun one. I was expecting a typical “Missing girl, boyfriend is accused” tale, but it was so much more! I loved Drew and Mary as main characters and they both had really good narratives. In true YA fashion, the adults are not really well defined, and mostly play minor roles. Many books have epilogues, but this is the best one I have ever read; other authors should take note of how it wraps everything up so perfectly. If you want a well-written, fast-paced book that you will want to read in one sitting, this is it!

This book is incredible. Truly hard to believe it's a debut it's so well crafted. The pacing is IMPECCABLE. I stayed up all night to read it in a single go. I truly haven't read anything else so binge-able all year. This is going to be a TikTok sensation, calling it now.

Quite note for the publisher: the quotations have gone awry in several moments. Dialogue tags are clearly not where they were intended by the author, and I hope this can be fixed before the book goes to print because it's truly a breakout book and I'd hate to see it poorly reviewed due to some formatting mistakes.

Wow! This is another one of my fastest reads. I was able to devour this book in one sitting, completely drawn into the mystery of a seventeen-year-old girl who wakes up in a ditch, covered in blood, with a crushed nose and a lump on her head, in the middle of nowhere. She has no idea who she is. At the same time, there's Drew, another seventeen-year-old boy accused of the disappearance or presumed murder of his girlfriend, Lola. Are these two events connected?

However, the girl who lost her memory has already been taken home by her worried dad, who drove her from the station and told her a story about meeting her in a cabin. She might have had a car accident, and her name is Mary, so she's not the same missing girl Drew is accused of killing, even though her body hasn't been found. Officer Roane is determined to pin the crime on him to provide closure to the very concerned citizens of the small town.

As Mary spends more time with her overprotective dad, his conservative and controlling ways, which prevent her from going outside without a disguise, raise questions in her mind. Why can't she remember him? But, most importantly, why can't she remember who she really is?

Meanwhile, the town's shunned boy, Drew, is determined to unravel the mystery of his missing girlfriend. Guilt eats away at him because he let her go on the night she disappeared. Can he piece together the clues and track down Lola's location, which may lead him to the cabin where Mary resides and provide the answers he's looking for? Could these two mysteries be connected?

Overall, this is a well-written, heart-throbbing, riveting, and exciting page-turner that you shouldn't miss. I initially planned to give it four stars, but the epilogue featuring Drew affected me more than I expected and brought tears to my eyes. So, I've added half a star and rounded up my rating to 4.5 stars! I'm eagerly looking forward to reading more works by this author in the near future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for providing me with this unputdownable book's digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.