This Is Not a Dead Girl Story by Kate Sweeney is aptly named. There were several storylines intersecting around the main character Jules. Her friend died, her cousin (who was involved with the friend who died) disappeared and an acquaintance from years ago comes back to town. This story kept me reading and did not end as I expected but was missing something for me. Interesting premise, think I expected more unexpected!

Jules, her cousin Remy and River have been fast friends since toddler days growing even closer in their teen years. Jules feels they have no secrets so when River takes his life after a summer party and Remy disappears in the dead of night a few days later her world shifts on its axis. Remy is the golden girl filled with charm while Jules is awkward and shy. Search parties find no trace of Remy and fear the worst.. Jules somehow knows Remy is alive and refuses to stop looking. Her search uncovers some dark corners of her small hometown and some family secrets. River's cousin Sam shares her grief and supports her efforts. This gripping YA mystery was engaging. Spoiler warning...addresses some trigger topics such as body shaming, grooming, depression and sexual harrassment as well as drug and alcohol abuse. The narrative was more of an exploration of the confusion and angst of teenagers in our modern society with its views on women's bodies and rights and male roles. Jules's journey to find the truth of Remy and River is also a journey of self discovery as she comes to terms with a new reality. This was a thought provoking read and the characters were well defined and realistic.

🖤 If you’re into thrillers with bite, bold female voices, and a touch of darkness, this one’s for you! This Is Not a Dead Girl’s Story hooked me from page one and didn’t let go. While technically a YA book, it reads much more like an adult novel—think gritty themes, layered drama, and unflinchingly raw emotions.
Sweeney delivers a sharp, captivating tale of girlhood, rivalry, and secrets that cut deep. The pacing is solid —every chapter pulls you in further. This isn’t just your average “girl drama”; it’s steeped in tension, and the stakes feel chillingly real.
✨What I Loved:
The dark, unflinching exploration of female friendships and betrayals.
Characters that felt vivid, flawed, and relatable.
The writing—it’s atmospheric and immersive, perfect for late-night reading.
🌑 Trigger warnings for darker themes, but if you’re up for the ride, this one’s unforgettable. Sweeney knows how to handle the darker themes with care and will hold your attention and keep you guessing until the end.
⭐ 4/5 Stars – A must-read for fans of twisty, darkly compelling thrillers.

I read the first 20% or so and I was intrigued and enjoying it but it's been a couple of weeks now and I haven't felt the pull to return to the story so it's one I have to put down for now.

I loved this book. I was sucked in at the beginning and fully invested throughout the rest of the book. I will definitely read another book from this author.

I was not feeling this. It felt like it tried too hard to be like A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

I really love a good domestic YA missing girl thriller and this gave me all the feels. I also really enjoyed the setting of this book.
Although I only posted a book feature I would definitely recommend this to my audience.

This book is very powerful in the way that it handles sensitive topics, and I believe that I handled them well. It is heavy content for a YA book, but I don't think authors should shy away from including heavy content in their books, even if they are YA. Teens are experiencing some of the same stuff that Jules experiences in this story, and it might be good for some to see it on the page. I enjoyed this book and thought it was an interesting read! I look forward to reading other books by Kate Sweeney in the future!

Remy Green, a teenager that everyone loves with a heart of gold and stunning personality, has gone missing 8 days after her boyfriend River is found dead. Jules Green, Remy’s cousin, is her complete opposite. She is quiet, kept to herself and a bit awkward. She’s only ever felt like she belonged when she was with Remy and River. Jules is on a mission to find her missing cousin. Everyone believes that Remy is dead, but Remy’s voice in Jules’s head makes her believe otherwise. Jules finds help in River’s cousin, Sam. They delve into secrets of their small town, Black Falls, NY, and find out more than they were looking for about Remy’s facade. Jules and Sam try to figure out if Remy’s story is a “dead girl story” after all.

I would consider this more of a new adult versus young adult classification, but that doesn’t take away from how amazing this story was. There were a few triggering items in this book including: grief, death, sexual harassment, mental health disorders, drug and alcohol abuse. I think that Kate Sweeney did a great job with these topics and helped the reader not find these topics so triggering.

The thing that surprised me the most about this book were the threads of darkness woven throughout the story. As much as this was a true mystery, there were a lot of different aspects that were unexpected. I did not expect the angst with the romance or a lot of the feelings with grief that were expressed. They were all very personal and it made the story that much better. There was a ton of growth with the main characters which I always appreciate.

I also had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook and the narrator made this story seem real. Reading along with the narrator made me feel even more relating to the topics because I was able to hear just how much this was hurting Jules with the disappearance of Remy and the death of River.

I personally think that this would be an excellent book club choice!

The cover is so pretty but this book was a bit misleading! I felt like I would read a different story than I did and it also felt a bit more YA. I didn't necessarily feel like I was the target audience so thought it was okay but someone else will probably enjoy it more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC!

This wasn't horrible... but I didn't like it either. I wanted to finish to know what was going on, but at the same time I was a little bored and annoyed with the characters. Jules (aka the main character) was so pick me girl and constantly made everything about how not like Remy and her friends she was. This reminded me of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder so much just because of the plot twists and other components of the story, though not done as well.

This book had a theme of how women shouldn't be the only ones at fault for violence against them and shouldn't be the only ones preventing the violence (ex: the female students are told to not go outside alone in the novel, but they are the only ones told how to stop the cycle from repeating). Great theme, but it wasn't executed well. It was clearly stated so many times and I'm fine with the author trying to get her point across but the characters never did anything to make changes in their town?? All they did was complain constantly to each other

I wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for a mystery, but the writing and themes in the book were pretty good

After the death of her boyfriend River O'Dell, popular girl Remy Green goes missing and is presumed dead a few days later. Her cousin, Jules, is convinced she is not dead. She teams up with Sam, River's cousin to find out what really happened to Remy.

I enjoyed this story for the most part... but I didn't think it was anything memorable in my opinion. There are heavy themes about grief, friendship and finding you voice, which I thought were well done. I wanted to like Jules a lot more than I did, but she rubbed me the wrong way at times. It is revealed pretty early in the book that Jule's has always had feelings for River, but he was in love with Remy and because of this, Jules was constantly putting herself down for not being Remy, and it felt strange at times. I did like how her opinion of herself changes as the story progressed, but that was still in the back of my head as I continued reading. I also found it a bit strange that Sam looked almost identical to River, and that was why Jules was paying him any attention in the beginning. I did really enjoy his character though, so I'll let it slide.

This is a powerful book not only about the mystery of Remy and River but of girls and what the world expects of them and how it forces them to see themselves. Jules suddenly finds herself very alone when her two best friends are gone unexpectedly. She has to begin to figure out who she is without them even as the loss is swallowing her whole. As the secrets come out Jules examines more of herself and her body and what that means as a woman, how we feel beautiful and how the male gaze affects that. This is a mystery but ultimately about the strength of young women as they face the world.

This book deals with some heavy content for a YA novel including grooming, SA, suicide, etc. Please check trigger warnings.

This is Not a Dead Girl Story is about Jules as she grapples with her identity after the death of her best friend and the disappearance of her cousin. Overall, I thought the story had an interesting premise and was a quick read; however, I found some parts to be repetitive. I wasn’t entirely thrilled with Remy’s character and personally found her to be unlikeable despite being universally loved by the characters in the story.

This Is Not a Dead Girl Story is an emotional, dark, and twisty young adult mystery that delves into grief, friendship, and the secrets lurking in a small town. Remy Green is missing, and her cousin Jules is determined to find her despite everyone else believing she’s dead. The story takes readers through the complicated dynamics between Jules, Remy, and River—three best friends whose lives have been shattered by tragedy.

Kate Sweeney crafts a haunting atmosphere as Jules unravels Remy’s hidden life, exposing secrets that threaten to upend everything she thought she knew. The book offers an honest portrayal of grief and identity, with Jules navigating her insecurities and the shadow of her popular cousin. The mystery itself is gripping, and while it’s light on the "whodunit" aspect, the emotional depth and character development more than make up for it.

Fans of Courtney Summers and thrillers with a focus on complex female friendships will appreciate the rawness of this novel. Though some of the darker themes, including violence and sexual exploitation, make for difficult reading, they’re handled with care. The pacing is solid, and Sweeney’s portrayal of teen voices feels authentic.

Overall, this is a strong mystery that will linger with readers long after the final page.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book follows a teen who is looking for her missing cousin. Everyone thinks she is dead but Jules is hopeful that she will find her cousin alive.

I was not a fan of this book. The characters and the plot just seemed so cliche in every way and I had a hard time getting into the story. I don't think the mystery was very interesting and I just didn't care for the story.

I hope others love this book.

This is a really well crafted story. The characters are well written. The pacing is good. The subject matter is handled well. Special Thank you to Kate Sweeney, Penguin Group and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

When Remy goes missing shortly after her boyfriend dies everyone thinks that she must have met the same deadly demis. However, Jules knows this can not be true, she can feel it in her bones. As Jules starts to dig into Remy’s life she soon discovers that there is so much more to her cousin than she knew. Could something that Remy did in her past be the reason she has disappeared and her boyfriend’s death? Jules must get to the bottom of all the lies to find out what truly happened to Remy before it is too late.
Overall rating 3/5
I feel like this is another Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. It has almost the same plot and twists. I do feel that the ending message is a great and powerful topic for young adult readers. I also enjoyed that Jules’ character was able to find her voice and come into her own by the end of the book that I felt was being overshadowed by Remy.
*Thank you to Kate Sweeney, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

If you like emotions that really do feel like teenage emotions, then this is the book for you. Our girl is close with her cousin Remy. I love the parts in the beginning with them sharing a bed, or even bathing together, I have a best friend like that too.
Then Remy goes missing and I cried.
The stuff with the app crushed me because they are still teens.
This is really heavy. If you aren't expecting heavy stuff this is not the book for you. I loved it though!

Thank you to netgalley and publishers for this book ARC. This was a great 3 star young adult mystery read with a hint of crime podcasts. This was my first book by Kate Sweeney and wont be my last.