Heart-shaped Lies is a young adult mystery novel that follows three girls through a hectic trip to Florida. These three girls : Navaeh, Kiara, and Priscilla are all intertwined through the viral prank star, Tommy. When Tommy mysteriously dies after a video that exposes Tommy cheating on his girlfriend, Kiara, with Priscilla and Navaeh, a full-fledged investigation breaks loose. Who saw Tommy closest to the time of death? Was it really an accident? Or maybe it was all the alcohol he had that night? The girls are trying to convince the officers and media that they are innocent… and maybe even themselves. For background, Kiara is Tommy’s girlfriend of almost four years. Navaeh is a church girl that Tommy is pressuring into things she doesn’t want to do, and Priscilla is Tommy’s co-star who thought they were more than friends.
I enjoyed the thrill of this book, definitely did not see that ending coming! My favorite part of the book is when the girls work together to try and clear their names instead of just resenting each other. I wouldn’t necessarily call them role models, but they were fun to read about, and I would recommend this book to 8th/9th graders who love mystery and a little romance!