Reconstrucing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight

Kate's in the middle of the biggest meeting of her career when she gets the telephone call from Grace Hall, her daughter’s exclusive private school in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Amelia has been suspended, effective immediately, and Kate must come get her daughter—now. But Kate’s stress over leaving work quickly turns to panic when she arrives at the school and finds it surrounded by police officers, fire trucks, and an ambulance. By then it’s already too late for Amelia. And for Kate. An academic overachiever despondent over getting caught cheating has jumped to her death. At least that’s the story Grace Hall tells Kate. And clouded as she is by her guilt and grief, it is the one she forces herself to believe. Until she gets an anonymous text: She didn’t jump" - Amazon summary

There is alot about Reconstructing Amelia that I liked. but other aspects of this novel I found over the top, particularly the level of dysfunction going on among the students and the faculty at Grace Hall.

I do understand bullying and in grammar school it's harder to stand up for yourself because you often don't even know that what the bullies are doing is wrong.  And so you never tell a parent or a teacher. I have first hand experience with this.

But Amelia is 15, smart, strong and has a mother, Kate, who would drop everything if Amelia would just open up about what is happening at her high school.  But Anelia decides not to because if she tells the truth about The Maggies (a secret mean girl group who are right out of a horror movie) the Maggies will take it out on Amelia's best friend, who is not that great a friend itbturns out.  Where are the teachers and the principle?  They are as mixed up as the students.

Reconstructing Amelia has been compared to Gone Girl but I think it's more Thirteen Reasons Why meets Gossip Girl.  The writing is  very good and readers will like and have empathy for Kate and Amelia who are caught up in this nightmare.  But as with many thrillers these days the writers need to tone it down a bit.  Too many twists in this novel  that begin to seem implausible.

That said in 2014 Reconstructing Amelia was nominated for an Edgar Award For Best First Novel.  Did Amelia kill herself?  It's a gripping read and I will be trying out another novel by Kimberly McCreight in the not too distant future hopefully with a few less twists.