#Review - That's Not My Name by Megan Lally #YA #Thriller #Suspense

Series: Standalone
Format: Paperback, 304 pages
Release Date: December 26, 2023
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Thrillers & Suspense / Psychological

Who is Mary Boone? No one knows..not even Mary Boone herself. A gripping debut thriller perfect for fans of Natalie D. Richards and Vincent Ralph

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. The longer Lola is missing, the fewer leads there are to follow…and the more danger they both are in.

 

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.  

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