This book was good! Very fast paced, gripping thriller about a a boyfriend looking for his missing girlfriend with dual pov of a girl who wakes up not knowing who she is… I won’t get into more as I think it is best to go in blind. Just trust me when I say you won’t regret picking this up! It is a YA thriller but still pretty dark. I wasn’t in love with the beginning and the writing seemed pretty weak at first but I got sucked in immediately and finished this in one day.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book. I found this book to be interesting all the way through. It was fairly clear early on the connection between the two main characters (the chapters were divided by each character's perspective). One was Mary and the other was Drew. We get to know fairly quickly where things are headed, but it's a good mystery as to how and why things ended up the way they did. Who is Mary? Is that her real name? Why can't she remember herself, her name, her face and this person named Wayne that says he's her father? Then there's Drew, whose girlfriend Lola disappeared one night after they had a fight. Everyone thinks Drew had something to do with her disappearance and he's treated accordingly. But with the help of Lola's best friend and his own cousin, he will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of what happened to her. Very interesting!

Kind of slow and plodding for a thriller type novel. This is a story about stranger abduction, after all. Yet it fails to keep the right level of tension. There's a slow reveal of truths that is vaguely interesting but ultimately a bit flat. The changing perspective adds interest at first but the two plot lines don't mesh well.

When Lola disappears following a fight with her boyfriend, the whole town turns on him. They think Drew hurt her, or worse - killed her. While fighting to clear his name, Drew has to go to school, family dinners, and do all the mundane things of life. He can't stop thinking about Lola and what happened to her.

"Mary" was found in a ditch by the road and taken to the police station. Unfortunately, she doesn't remember who she is or where she came from. When Wayne comes in looking for his daughter, Mary matches the description. After researching all of his forms of ID and pictures, the officer lets Mary go home with him. At first, she feels weird because she does not remember anything. Slowly, she starts to feel at home with Wayne... until some memories start coming back and it makes her question everything.

Told in alternating views of Mary & Drew, this is a thriller from the beginning. Great characters, great friends, and a great stiory with lots of twists & turns.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This awesome thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat as you try to figure out the who done it before the clock runs out. This one had me tearing through the pages and ignoring my responsibilities because I could not put it down

That's Not My Name leads readers on a thrilling ride through two points-of-view. A teen girl wakes up by the side of the road, bruised and battered. After getting picked up by a local police officer and taken to the small station, she struggles to remember who is she and what happened to her that lead to her ending up in a ditch. A man claiming to be be her father shows up with all the proper identification and she leaves with him, despite a nagging doubt in her gut.

Drew desperately wants to find his missing friend, Lola. Unfortunately, his efforts are hampered by the fact that most of the town, including the investigating sheriff thinks he murdered her. With the help of his best friend, and Lola's best friend, they sneak evidence past the sheriff in an effort to find her. One tip sends them on a road trip searching for answers.

The two stories come together in a shocking, action-packed finale that leaves the characters, and the reader, stunned and surprised. Lally has created a compelling, page-turning story full of questions needing answers. Both the girl and Drew make for compelling, sympathetic characters with plenty of interesting, and sometimes irritating secondary characters. The tension builds quickly for both the girl and Drew. Although it builds slower for the girl while Drew is in trouble from the first page of his story. A page-turning thrill ride for young adult readers. The ending provided a surprise twist that I did not see coming. As far as content goes there are no sexual situations, but plenty of violence and swearing.

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was completely engrossed by 'That's Not my Name,' a gripping thriller that had me on the edge of my seat! Megan Lally's debut Young Adult novel truly stands out. Her storytelling skills are exceptional, and I eagerly look forward to her future works.

With unexpected twists and turns in every chapter, this book kept me guessing from start to finish. If circumstances had allowed, I would have devoured it in a single sitting!

The story begins with a teenager waking up bruised and disoriented on the side of a dirt road, with no memory of who she is or where she's from. Fortunately, a local officer comes to her aid, but things take a strange turn when a man claiming to be her father suddenly appears. Initially relieved, Mary soon begins to question her identity as doubts creep in.

Meanwhile, Drew finds himself ostracized and accused by the town following the disappearance of his girlfriend, Lola. Determined to clear his name, he teams up with Autumn and Max to search for Lola and gather evidence of his innocence.

Megan Lally's debut novel, That's Not My Name has all the energy reminiscent of the early days of YA with the fresh modernity of the 2020s. Lally captured the kind of mood that seasoned authors such as Natasha Preston are known for. There's an earnestness, between the normal mystery/thriller elements, that keeps the reader engaged and attached to these characters all the way to the end of the book.

I had a very visceral reaction to the twist; screaming, "WHAT?!" alone in my car at the top of my lungs.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery, unreliable narrators, true crime, and first loves who fight for each other until the very end.

🚗Book Review🚗
*
Summary: It was a mistake to trust him.

Shivering and bruised, a teen wakes up on the side of a dirt road with no memory of how she got there—or who she is. A passing officer takes her to the police station, and not long after, a frantic man arrives. He’s been searching for her for hours. He has her school ID, her birth certificate, and even family photos.

He is her father. Her name is Mary. Or so he says.

When Lola slammed the car door and stormed off into the night, Drew thought they just needed some time to cool off. Except Lola disappeared, and the sheriff, his friends, and the whole town are convinced Drew murdered his girlfriend. Forget proving his innocence, he needs to find her before it’s too late. The longer Lola is missing, the fewer leads there are to follow…and the more danger they both are in.
*
Rating; ⭐️⭐️💫
*
My thoughts: thank you @netgalley @sourcebooks and @dreamscape_media for the advanced copy of this one. I would say this is a thriller with no plot twist or crazy reveal. Parts of this were super interesting, I think this one started so strong but Drew’s perspective was really YA and boring. I much preferred the story from Mary’s POV. However this one was just kind of fine. Really great narration but overall the story started strong and just fizzled out.
*

This book was a fantastic mystery! It is a dual POV book, where in one perspective we have a girl who has lost all of her memories and is recovering from a car crash, and a boy is searching for his missing girlfriend while also being the main suspect for her disappearance. I got such similar vibes with this book and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, which I absolutely loved, so right from the beginning I knew I was going to enjoy this one.

Regarding the plot and the characters, we met both Mary and Drew (the two main perspectives from above) and learned about them in little increments through their chapters. I loved how both of their stories ended up crashing together, and I think this book had a solid ending, even though it was a little predictable. I enjoyed the second half of this book a lot more than the first, just because both Drew and Mary had such different stories. The first part of this book felt like I was reading two separate books, but the satisfaction I felt when they finally did link together was so well done.

Further, this was an easy and quick read, and definitely one of the best debut books I have read! I am so excited for more from this author in the future. Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc!

Wow! I love nothing more than a book to instantly hook me and hold my attention from beginning to end. That’s Not My Name delivered. When a young girl wakes up bruised and bloody and can’t remember who she is or anything about her life, how could you not be intrigued by what is going to happen to her? Will her memories ever recover? Will her life go on the way as it should? You would hope so until she’s in the police station, and a gentleman comes in claiming to be her father.

Immediately, this is where I started getting antsy and yelling at the book. Although he seemed harmless, the bells were ringing. Not only that, but you get a separate POV from a young boy who is being accused of murdering his missing girlfriend. I was trying to connect every dot and piece to this puzzle, and I was still left in the wrong.

That’s Not My Name is a gripping page-turner that will have you guessing the whole way through. An excellent debut for Megan Lally, and I will gladly read anything this author puts out next. Thank you, NetGalley, and SOURCEBOOKS Fire, for providing an eARC of That’s Not My Name. This review is being left voluntarily, and all opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book. It certainly wasn't perfect, but it kept me engaged, the plot moved well, and I kept wanting to read more to find out what would happen to the characters.
There are two different POVs in this story: high-schooler Drew, whose girlfriend has been missing for quite a while and who is determined to find her, and a young girl with amnesia who discovers that her name seems to be "Mary." The reader isn't sure how the two are connected, and while it would be easy to draw the obvious conclusion, the author throws hints and clues throughout the book to keep the reader guessing.
If I did have to criticize the book, I would say that Drew gets a little annoying at times. He has serious problems with rushing headlong into situations and jumping to conclusions without using much common sense. So he got on my nerves a bit. I also kind of wanted Mary to see some of the obvious signs of what was going on a bit sooner. But these things did not take away from my enjoyment of the book.
If you enjoy YA mysteries/thrillers, then I would recommend this book. I will definitely check out more by this author.

This is one of the better teen reads I have read, and as a longtime educator of adolescents, I have read many! Yes, there was language, and a major violent conflict at a crucial moment. But the author impressed me with the realistic portrayal of high school students, a well executed dual timeline with believable dialogue, and a wrap-up that will linger in your thoughts.

A seventeen year old girl wakes up in a ditch on the side of an isolated mountain road. She can't remember how she got here or even who she is. In fact, she can't remember anything before this moment. Luckily, a police officer drives by and takes her back to the station where she is reunited with a man who claims to be her father. Meanwhile, in a town a few hours away, Drew, a high school senior, is determined to find his missing girlfriend. The rest of the town believes that Drew is the one responsible for her disappearance and won't believe him when he tries to convince them that he is innocent. Can Drew find her before it's too late?

That's Not My Name is a twisty and heart-pounding debut thriller that keeps you guessing from the very first page. Overall, I found it to be an unpredictable ride, which always makes for a good thriller. It is a YA novel, and at times, I was a little annoyed with some of the decisions that were made by the main characters, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the story. I think this book would be perfect for fans of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Oh YA thrillers.

The pain. The angst. The twists and turns. This book had many layers too it. Especially with the dad. There are so many different ways to interpret some of the things in this book.

It was dark and twisty. Deep and guilt driven in some aspects.

This is a strong YA thriller full of suspense. I would give it a 3.5 but I’ll round up because for YA it was pretty good!

This is the most impressive and compelling YA book I have read in some time. I typically steer clear of YA thrillers, as they just don’t suit my taste. However, I was blown away by this book. I can’t wait to recommend it!

Absolutely devoured this debut thriller! I finished this in one sitting because I needed to know how it ended! High praise for Megan Lally because it’s hard to capture such a dark and twisty vibe without knowing how it’s going to end.

What an incredible debut! I don’t know how Lally can top this, but I’ll pick up any of her future releases.

Falling into this mystery was as easy as breathing. I was immediately intrigued by the teen girl who wakes in a ditch with no memory of how she got there or even who she is. Fortunately she’s picked up by an officer who takes her to the police station. It’s not long before a man shows up claiming to be her father, and he’s got the documents and photos to prove it. He says her name is Mary. She goes home with him, but after several odd incidents, she’s not so sure he’s who he claims to be.

After Drew’s girlfriend disappears, the local cops and most of the small town are convinced he murdered her. It’s always the boyfriend, after all. Drew may be hiding secrets, but he didn’t hurt her. When the sheriff refuses to look anywhere but at him, Drew and a couple of his friends take matters into their own hands, determined to prove his innocence.

This novel is told through Drew’s and Mary’s POVs. As I tried to piece their stories together, the dots weren’t connecting, but I couldn’t figure out what I was missing. Once I formed a theory, I couldn't put the book down until I finished. I had to know. This dark mystery/thriller captivated me from the first page, and I was so happy the author included an epilogue. It was perfect.

If you have something you’re looking for an excuse to avoid – household chores, annoying people, errands, etc. – here it is. This fast-paced, intense thriller will keep you glued to the pages. This is an author to watch.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A compelling, brilliant, suspenseful, young adult thriller that I absolutely LOVED and had me flipping the "pages" until the very last one! I listened to the audiobook version, which was very well done and the narrator held my attention!

A teen girl wakes up on the side of the road, full of bruises and bloody, not knowing who or where she is. She is discovered by an officer and taken to the station where a man comes and claims that her name is Mary and she's his daughter that had been driving her car to their vacation cabin. Apparently, he had been looking for her for hours and assumes she crashed her car due to her appearance. Now at home with her dad, Mary questions whether she is his daughter, as she experiences several allergic reactions to food, her dad unaware of said allergies.
In another town, Drew, a teenage boy is accused of murdering or somehow being involved in the disappearance of his girlfriend, Lola. The Sheriff has it out for Drew and doesn't investigate any other leads, completely dismissing a reported sighting of Lola. Drew and his friends leave town to follow-up on Lola's sighting where everything starts to come together and unfold.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C2T2GvXuQDU/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

I was a little hesitant to read this book, as I wasn't certain it was the right "time". I have had my fill of women with some kind of memory loss ending up in the care of a man who isn't what he seems. Needless to say, I was feeling over this type of story . . .

But, I went full steam ahead and I'm glad I did. This book was such a welcome surprise - I found the characters engaging and was equally invested in both story lines (which is rare for me, as I usually prefer one over the others). The mystery was, well, mysterious, and the author did a really good job at dropping enough clues that I thought I had it figured out (I most definitely did not), but I didn't feel cheated by the reveal. There were some parts (evidence gathering) that made me suspend belief, but I was willing to do that for the sheer ride this book was.