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, rounded up

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

A teenage girl wakes up on the side of a road in the middle of nowhere, her memories of who she is or how she got there are gone. A police officer comes along and picks her up, taking her to the station. A man arrives later, sick with worry, having been looking for his daughter for hours. He claims to be the girl's father, her name is Mary. He has her school ID and birth certificate, Wayne must be her dad, right?

Lola and Drew had a huge fight and she got out of the car, storming off to who knows where. DF\rew exects that after they both calm down, he and Lola will talk things through. Except now Lola is missing and everyone in town thinks he murdered her.

I love a good mystery and the premise made it seem like this would be a good one.

Psych!

It was not.

I can't for the life of me understand how it is rated so highly, or how it managed to be a Goodreads Choice nominee. The only reason I gave it a second star was because this one did not have a happy ending. Too often that is how YA thrillers end, and that's just not how life works; people don't always get what they want. Otherwise this would have been just one more disappointing predictable waste of time. Instead, it was only a disappointing predictable waste of time until the end.

All of the characters were annoying, except Madisen. And not just high school annoying, but annoying annoying. I don't mind unlikable characters, if they're written well and it furthers the story. But they're not unlikable in any way that makes sense, they just...are. And poorly written, at that. So messy.

There were so many plot holes, the book might as well have been made of swiss cheese.

The biggest one of all, was the 'mystery' of whether or not Lola was Mary. And it's not a spoiler to say she was, in fact, NOT. Lola had been missing for over a month, yet Mary's story takes place a few days. How was this not taken into consideration? Was the author just counting on readers to not pay attention to the timelines? If so, how insulting. If not, then the author is not so smart.

The second thing that makes no sense is WHY DID WAYNE EVEN GO TO THE POLICE STATION?? He had no way of knowing that Mary had amnesia. All he knew was that she had somehow escaed captivity and he had to find her. But he thought it would be a good idea to look for her at the police station because...why? If she did not have amnesia and had been able to tell the police he had kidnapped her, he'd have been arrested the moment he walked in and Mary started sreaming that he was her kidnapper. Makes zero fucking sense.

There are so many more examples that honestly, it's exhausting. if Mary had been in a car accident, where was the car? Why did the police not go back to the scene and investigate? She was so injured to could barely move, so it's not as though the car could have been miles away. And why didn't Drew just come out and say he and Lola had broken up? Do this would have actually helped prove his innocence.

If you can ignore these, and other, gaping plot holes and inconsistencies, then by all means - go ahead and waste your time. Otherwise, not recommended.

Megan Lally got me hooked with this one! I thought I knew what was going to happen and then the twist had my jaw on the floor! I will absolutely be reading more from this author.

From the opening scene, Megan Lally’s, That’s Not My Name hooks you with its chilling premise and refuses to let go. A bruised and disoriented girl is found on the side of a dirt road, with no memory of who she is or how she got there. A man claiming to be her father appears with documents, photos, and answers—but are they the right ones?

Told in dual perspectives, we also follow Drew, whose girlfriend Lola vanished after an argument. Everyone in town believes he killed her, but Drew is determined to find her and clear his name—before it’s too late.

Though categorized as YA, this thriller reads like a more mature psychological mystery, with themes of identity, trust, and survival woven throughout. The story moves at a steady, fast pace with no slow or dull moments—every chapter keeps the momentum going and builds suspense in all the right ways. Lally’s writing is sharp and atmospheric, and the layered storytelling kept me guessing until the very end.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of That's Not My Name by Megan Lally.
That's Not My Name is a quick-paced mystery that keeps the reader engaged. Definitely more plot driven than character driven; characters are not well developed. Seems like a predictable plot that has been done before, but Lally adds a surprising twist that changes the narrative. This is a book that will appeal more to teens than adults. It will be an easy mystery to recommend to teen readers.

Holy Moly! The plot twist! This book is a must read. I was invested the entire time I was reading this book. I didn’t see that ending coming.

While the premise is intriguing, the execution doesn't fully deliver. The dual perspectives of Mary and Drew add complexity, but the transitions between their narratives sometimes feel jarring. Mary’s amnesia is compelling but isn’t always explored as deeply as it could be. Drew’s desperation to find Lola is palpable, though some of the plot twists feel a bit contrived and predictable.

Though the mystery holds promise, the book falls short in fully fleshing out its characters and sustaining the tension. It’s an easy, quick read.

My YA readers in my library will definitely LOVE That's Not My Name! For fans of Holly Jackson and Natasha Preston will not want to miss out on this one! It's been a while since I've seen or read an amnesia trope, so glad to see this! It's quick paced and 'can't put down." YA readers always enjoy a dual perspective, so this will not disappoint!

Holy cow! What a story!

Scary, mysterious, and crazy. You think the story is laid out before you but when you least expect it there is a twist that will blow you away.

I absolutely loved this story. I can not wait to read No Place Left to Hide.

There is a ton of hype around this book, and for good reason! YA books are always a hit or miss for me. As a 44 year old woman, I'm very far from the teenage mindset so at times I get annoyed with the dialog and behavior of YA characters. This book was definitely an exception. The story moves at a brisk pace and keeps the reader on the edge of their seats. It left my jaw on the floor and I still think about it now, weeks after reading it. I highly recommend this one!

'That's Not My Name' by Megan Lally is a fast-paced teen/ young adult mystery thriller. The story is an easy read, page turner that puts the reader through the emotional wringer. Great debut.

A dark and twisty thriller, That's Not My Name is guaranteed to keep you engaged to the final page. Perfect for fans of psychological thrillers and great for readers of Holly Jackson and Jennifer Lynn Barnes

That's Not My Name by Megan Lally is a fantastic thriller that I could not put down. The plot twists kept the story engaging and made me wonder what would happen next. I enjoyed the two perspectives, which added even more intrigue to the story. Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for this ARC.

4 stars! Wow, this really got me hooked from the start to the end. This was somewhat predictable but the way this story was written and how the characters were written was fantastic. I went into this book blindly and I recommend doing that because going into it blindly escalated the feeling of anxiety and eerie-ness. Thank you for this e-ARC!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Lola and Drew, a young couple, are having a disagreement in a car. Lola gets mad, slams the door, and runs into the woods. Drew assumes they just need some time to cool off, but Lola is not seen or heard from again. The police and the town believe that Drew killed her, but was she abducted? Can she be saved? This is an edge of your seat novel that keeps the reader guessing until the end.

I'm well into adulthood. I haven't read a ya book in probably 10+ years. Not that I don't enjoy them, I just tend to be more drawn to adult syorylines & themes. When I kept seeing That's Not My Name recommended in some adult thriller groups, I figured why not try it.
I'm so glad I did! I could not put it down. It's an edge of your seat, hand clinching, want to scream into the pages to warn the characters good. The twist, turns, unguessed events added to the thrill of reading. I will definitely be recommending this one to readers of all ages.

This one will be popular in my high school library. Lots of fun elements for mystery/thriller readers, and tons of good twists and turns.

This one really surprised me with how much I enjoyed it. I haven't read a lot of YA thrillers lately, but the title That's Not My Name immediately hooked me. And thankfully the story did not disappoint because it had it all. Suspense, action, twists, this is a true edge of your seat page-tuner. It starts with a 17 year old girl waking up in a ditch, covered in blood, in the middle of nowhere, with no idea who she is. From that moment on I was holding my breath. The girl is found by a police officer who takes her into the station and helps identify her as Mary and contacts her dad. I'll admit I was a little worried about the amnesia storyline being cheesy and predicable, but I found it really upped the intensity. Early on it's pretty obvious that the man claiming to be her dad, isn't really her dad, but those are the mysteries we need to uncover. Who is she really? What does this man want? And how did he have her birth certificate?

Meanwhile, 17 year old Drew is being accused of killing his girlfriend Lola who is missing. Everyone in town is turning their back on him, but Drew is determined to find Lola. Guilt is eating away at him because on the night she disappeared, he was the one to let her walk home alone after the two of them had a fight. With the help of the Sheriff's daughter who is also Lola's best friend, and his cousin, the three of them piece together clues and track down Lola's location. Which leads him to the same cabin where Mary is staying wither her dad. Could these two mysteries be connected? Is Mary really Lola? I won't give away any spoilers, so you'll just have to read it for yourself, but the twists are gut wrenching. This is an emotional story, with a heartbreakingly beautiful ending (I loved the epilogue). My only complaint is the adults and how no one (even the parents) seemed to care or really help/believe Drew. It was so frustrating, especially since he was just a kid too!

This is a must read and great for fans of Karen M. McManus.

Read if you like:
- Mystery
- Suspense
- Young Adult
- Teens out smarting the adults
- Dual POVs
- Amnesia

An enjoyable debut thriller that kept me entertained. This book was enjoyable and is one that I would recommend. I look forward to more titles by this author.

This book was a lot of fun to read- I love a good thriller with an amnesia plot! It read like a movie and I was quickly drawn into the story and attached to the characters. I wasn't sure how I felt about the dual POVs early on, but later decided I really liked what each set of characters brought to this story.

I was able to predict the ending early on- I feel like I've seen this story played out more than a few times in books or lifetime movies. It wasn't anything groundbreaking or new, but that didn't make reading it any less enjoyable. Once I started this one I couldn't put it down. It was a quick fun read and look forward to reading more by this author in the future.