Publishers Weekly
05/23/2022
Feeling unloved and unwanted by her divorced parents, 17-year-old Maude Hendricks, who is gay and white, arranges to fake her own death in a boating accident while vacationing in Hawaii. It’s a complicated plan, one that she’s patiently researched for the last two years. Just as she’s about to initiate the deception, though, her white step-cousin Frankie Maxwell (also gay and 17), whom she barely knows, uncovers Maude’s scheme and demands that she take Frankie with her. After she reluctantly agrees, the girls rent kayaks to begin carrying out their plan. The ploy immediately hits a dangerous snag when a shark appears, lured by a bleeding cut on Maude’s foot. Managing to escape and check in to a motel, they are thrilled when a television broadcast reports them missing following a boating incident. On the run, the pair encounter further troubles, including a harrowing accident, a murder, and many narrow escapes, while navigating a blossoming romance. Both Maude and Frankie are quick-witted heroines whose respective quests for autonomy and internal struggles regarding sexuality and gender identity provide depth. Culminating in a suspenseful ending, Heard’s (She’s Too Pretty to Burn) alluring novel is an invigorating ride. Ages 14–up. Agent: Lauren Spieller, Triada US. (May)
From the Publisher
Praise for Dead End Girls: "What a wild runaway ride! Maude’s sharp mind and intricate death plan was brilliant. I was rooting for her and Frankie the whole time. A clever page-turner that I couldn’t put down."—Natasha Preston, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
“This fun, dark, fully queer thriller embraces its premise without pulling any punches. A romantic thriller that takes “Be Gay, Do Crime” to heart.” —Kirkus Reviews
"There is no shortage of drama but the characters’ complexities build given time. Readers will need to block out the whole day for this one because they won’t put it down until it’s done."—BCCB
“Wendy Heard writes smart, edgy thrillers that often explore LGBTQ and coming-of-age themes, and Dead End Girls promises to continue that reputation. In what feels like the lesbian version of Cruel Intentions I always wanted (I mean, who even remembers Ryan Phillippe these days), two stepcousins become obsessed with each other—and with faking their own deaths.”—Crime Reads
“Utterly addictive. Dead End Girls is a riveting, holds-no-punches thriller with the deeply relatable adolescent hunger for escape and reinvention at its core.”—Kit Frick, author of I Killed Zoe Spanos and Very Bad People
"Both Maude and Frankie are quick-witted heroines whose respective quests for autonomy and internal struggles regarding sexuality and gender identity provide depth. Culminating in a suspenseful ending, Heard’s alluring novel is an invigorating ride." —Publishers Weekly
"An atmospheric, heart-jolting thriller. The book alternates between Maude's and Frankie’s perspective as they explore their relationship, identities, and what it means to be truly free from people who don’t want you to be yourself or pursue happiness." —Booklist
"An action-packed LGBTQIAIA+ thriller. Compulsively readable."—School Library Journal
"Freedom, identity, and unexpected love collide in a pulse-pounding thrill ride."—Mindy McGinnis, Edgar Award-winning author of The Female of the Species
School Library Journal
06/01/2022
Gr 9 Up—An action-packed LGBTQIAIA+ thriller. Forced to live out of a suitcase and shuffled between her divorced parents each week, Maude is fed up with her life. But all that is about to change; Maude has found her way out by faking her death. However, her perfect plan goes awry when her step-cousin, Frankie, discovers her false passport. Maude thinks everything is ruined, but Frankie offers her a deal: help her fake her death, too, or she'll rat Maude out to her parents. Frankie has her own reason for wanting to start over, but she keeps it to herself. Maude decides she's put too much time and effort into the plan to stop now. So, with an unexpected companion, Maude fakes her death, and the first part of the plan goes off without a hitch. But now she realizes just how many complications Frankie's presence brings. Worst of all? Maude is enjoying Frankie's company way more than she thinks she should. While this title is compulsively readable, readers will have to set aside disbelief to enjoy the story. Two teenagers faking their deaths and coming up with the necessary paperwork to escape their families and start new lives in another country is a stretch. The other situations in the novel make it even less believable. However, readers who enjoy stories with high drama and action will easily forgive this flaw. Race of characters is not mentioned. VERDICT A fast-paced, enjoyable read for those who can suspend disbelief.—Lisa Buffi
Kirkus Reviews
2022-02-09
In search of autonomy, two teens take desperate action to get away from their terrible families.
After two years of careful planning, research, and Machiavellian orchestration, Maude is now ready to die—or at least to let everyone think she is dead. Then she’ll finally be free to be the person she is supposed to be. But just before her plan comes to fruition, her wealthy stepcousin, Frankie, figures out her plot. Maude thinks her plan has been destroyed, but to her surprise, Frankie just wants in, equally eager to escape their family. Readjustments of the timeline and finances are required before the two embark on a dangerous journey of blood, tears, and love during a family holiday in Hawaii. This fun, dark, fully queer thriller embraces its premise without pulling any punches. The two main characters thirst for revenge, freedom, and self-affirmation in the face of truly horrible families who alienate and oppress them, and they eventually find love and acceptance in one another—all while committing crimes. The story incorporates the protagonists’ welcome awareness of their privilege as financially comfortable White people while exploring their queerness and the oppression they experience because of it (Maude’s aware of her sexuality but not out as a lesbian yet, and Frankie questions their gender identity).
A romantic thriller that takes “Be Gay, Do Crime” to heart. (Thriller. 14-18)
