Thanks to #NetGalley and #SourceBooksFire for the ARC #ThatsNotMyName by #MeganLally. This book shook me to the core. It is evil, wrong, disturbing and horrible and I could not put it down. I never would have guessed the ending and I highly recommend it to readers.

This dual POV story starts off with a bang with a teen girl waking up on the side of the road with no memory of who she is. Then a man shows up at the police station saying he's her father and her name is Mary Boone. There's also Drew who's searching for his missing girlfriend, Lola, but he's the primary suspect. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and thought I could see where the story was going but great twist at the end. Highly recommend to YA thriller fans! I can't believe this is a debut.

Megan Lally's That's Not My Name is her debut novel. The story alternates between Andrew (Drew) Carter-Diaz and a mysterious teenaged girl. Over the course of 5 days, both Drew and our mystery girl will try to put the pieces together of a mystery that may have dark implications. On Day one, an unknown girl is found on the side of the road pretty beaten up by Officer Bowman of the Alton Police Department. She doesn't know her name, she has a concussion, broken nose, and is covered in blood. Was she in a car accident? What really happened?

Shortly after she is brought to the police station, a man named Wayne claims that Girl is actually Mary, his daughter who was in a car accident. He even claims to have all of her identification to prove who she is. Meanwhile, Drew's girlfriend Lola Scott went missing months ago, and he has become the ire of everyone's wrath, including the Chief of Police who thinks he had something to do with her disappearance and is willing to destroy his life in order to get a confession whether it is the truth or not.

While "Mary" is trying to regain her memories and find out what exactly happened, Drew finds surprising help from his cousin Max, and Autumn who was Lola's best friend, and truly believes that Drew did something to hurt Lola. In an attempt to clear his name and find his girlfriend, Drew discovers that a girl 50 miles away may be exactly who he is looking for.

The whole town is convinced Drew is a horrible person and killed his girlfriend, but 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 who is eager to put Drew behind bars. Can Drew find Lola and clear his name? Can Mary unravel the mystery of her lost memories before she falls into a deep, dark web without any escape? The ending is not as predictable as one might think.

*Thoughts* For a debut novel, this was pretty intense. I felt for Drew for what happened previously to this story. I felt for "Mary" because she will have to face a lifetime of help to get over what happened to her. I have to give props to Drew's "parents" who tried hard to show they were with him, even when the town was willing to sacrifice Drew to find the truth. And, I'm thankful that the ending was not as predictable as one might think. When the reveal actually happens, it steam rolls right to the final page.

*Actual Rating* 3.5

If this was a mystery/thriller aimed at adult readers, I would rate it as 3*. But as a YA book, I think it is strong enough for a 4*. For a seasoned mystery/thriller reader, the “surprises” are not all that surprising, and the clues are broadcast heavily and early in the book. But for a reader possibly just starting to read the genre, the pacing is good, the characters are (mainly) compelling, and there are enough twists and turns to keep it interesting.

What a wild ride! This book was absolute perfection! It hits every pitch for a thriller… every step of the way I’m engaged in the mystery. Drew is someone who is impossible to ignore.

I loved That’s Not My Name! I was hooked from the first chapter. While I hesitate to call this one a YA thriller because I know some people would bypass it because of the YA label, I will say this is an excellent thriller that happens to be appropriate for a YA audience. There’s no gory scenes, no romance, and no “spicy” scenes. There is some swearing, but not an excessive amount. The expletives are appropriate to the situation, if that makes sense. As soon as I finished reading it, I immediately recommended it to my thirteen year old daughter.

The story is obvious, I mean the hints are dropped like heavy bricks and way too often, but this is not an issue here (surprisingly). What normally would be a big no-no, now seems to be more like a minor issue. It's probably because somehow this story, however naive at times, is engaging and fast-paced. It´s impossible not to cheer for Drew, the main character. This novel, despite its dark theme, is fun to read.
P.S. Why does Drew have to have two dads? Do we need to put this into every, EVERY! novel?

Lola has been missing for weeks and her boyfriend Drew is the only suspect. He spends his days avoiding the sheriff, being harassed by his former friends and classmates, and hanging missing person flyers around town.

She wakes up in a ditch, unable to remember anything. Picked up by the sheriff's department, Mary is relieved when her father comes to find her and she finally feels safe. But as more pieces of her memory return, Mary gets more confused about her father Wayne and what she still doesn't remember.

This dual perspective mystery will keep readers guessing until the very end. A fast read for reluctant readers, perfect for fans of April Henry and Ruthless by Carolyn Lee Adams.

No, you’re not seeing things. I am actually giving a YA book 5 stars! Other than the main characters being teenagers, this read like an adult thriller to me. It avoided all of the major pitfalls that usually make me dislike the YA genre. I was hooked and could not stop reading from very early on. The characters are all well-developed and the slow burn as “Mary” starts to recover her memories was perfection. This is hands-down the best debut I have read all year! I think all thriller fans should pick this one up. I cannot wait to see what this author does next!

That’s Not My Name was fully engrossing and finished in a day. Megan Lally is definitely going to be on my watch list. I enjoyed the plot and how it went in exactly the way the author was setting it up to go. I saw the other reviews that talked about a twist. I didn’t see it that way. I read it as a story that could have more than one possible outcome. But the author didn’t pull the ending out of nowhere. The reader could see how the story logically turned out the way it did. The clues were there.

I found some of the characters a little flat and hard to read at times. Still, I felt for them. I find that true in a lot of YA novels. The kid detectives and the reaction of some characters, without giving anything away, was a little out there at times. The motivations were never in doubt.

Wow! What a knockout debut!

4 or 4.5 stars?

This story had my attention from start to finish. The whole time I was reading, I dreaded the moment my prediction would happen. The twist was twisty, and I was shocked!!! The ending was packed and so fast-paced. I loved it!

The characters were developed so well, even Max, who was in the background sleuthing (IYKYK).

I also appreciate how the author gives our MMC a voice and how well he expresses his emotions and is in tune with them, which made me feel his dread and rollercoaster of emotions.

The foreboding was immaculate! I definitely recommend picking this one up when it releases on 1.2.24

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC/ALC. I read and listened to this one. I liked the audiobook better. I thought the story was good but it dropped off for me when the kids became the sleuths. Still really enjoyed and will recommend.

this thriller was fantastic!!! very very interesting and it will keep you on the edge of your seat! the plot was amazing and i would definitely recommend it if you like thrillers

This books takes you on a thrilling ride. Alternating between the viewpoints of a teenage girl who wakes up on the side of the road not knowing who she is, and a teenage boy who's girlfriend is missing and everyone assumes he killed her, the story sucks you in. Are these two narrators connected? Is the girl who doesn't know who she is actually the missing girlfriend? You can't help but want to know more, and how each situation came to be. This thrilling story is full of twists, a big reveal that will catch you off guard, and a conclusion that is deeply emotional. If you are looking for an engaging, fast paced YA thriller this is definitely one to pick up.

⭐️⭐⭐️⭐⭐️ That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally

Oh my cheeseballs! This is a debut novel? Where have you been?

This book held me in a chokehold. It was thrilling, suspenseful, and gripping to the end. I was completely immersed in the search for Lola Scott. Lola has gone missing and her boyfriend has been deemed suspect number 1 and only. In the meantime, a young girl named “Mary” has been found on the side of the road, beaten up and with no memory, not even of her name. What’s the connection? Think you know?

As I was reading, I was completely impressed with the level of writing by not only a young adult author, but a new one at that. It was very well told…I felt like I was there -- searching for her myself or trying to figure out who I was, as the novel was told in dual perspectives, the boyfriend Drew and the found girl Mary. As is typical with young adult thrillers, the teens go off and try to solve the mystery on their own. This was the point at which I thought it was all going to fall apart. BUT NOT AT ALL! Not one time did I cringe at their choices! They were rational and realistic. YAY!

Megan Lally actually reminds me of John Grisham with the way in which her words flow with a preciseness, without the redundancy and over telling (kinda like I’m doing here - haha), with purposeful word-choice, brilliant sentence structure, and first-rate story telling.

I definitely recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this title for review.

I didn’t notice that this was categorized as YA when I requested this, and I missed it because I probably wouldn’t have requested it. This was a good story. I enjoyed getting to know the characters. The character development was great. I felt invested in know what was going to happen next. Some of the twists I saw coming, some I thought I’d predicted and I was wrong!

I could not put That's Not My Name down. The book starts out as a bit of a slow build, and not in the sense that it's a slow story. The story starts strong with a girl waking up in the woods after a car accident, and not remembering who she is. Then the story bounces to Drew who is searching for his missing girlfriend, and he's the prime suspect in her disappearance. While the early part of the book is slower, it will keep you on the edge of your seat as Lally dives into the characters and sets the stage for the second half of the book.

When this story picks up speed, boy does it ever. I thought the twist was fantastic, and enjoyed the ending, although it wasn't what I was expecting (or hoping for, if I'm being honest) but it was still strong.

A great book that kept me turning the pages.
Thank you Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
4.5/5 stars

The cover is what attracted me (yes, I am one of THOSE).

The cover was more interesting. The plot line feels so convoluted that I disconnected.

The premise was great, but the whole amnesia thing has also gotten old. I took this because I thought the author would give an old premise a new twist....she did not.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC!

4.5 Stars

I really really enjoyed this story. I was instantly sucked into the story and the characters throughout. There was of course a twist, but it added to the story instead of creating frustration with the reader.

Missing girl, "guilty" looking boyfriend, and of course her best friend's dad is the small town sheriff. You are taken on a ride as three teens attempt to push the law enforcement to take a fresh look into their friend's vanishing all the while taking it into their own hands to solve the mystery.

I was hooked from page 1, and couldn't put this book down! There was suspense throughout the entire book, and the ending took me by surprise! Was a very good read!!

Thank you for the ARC!