Gone Too Far by Natalie D. Richards Published by Sourcebooks Fire on July 7, 2020
Genres: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Format: Paperback
Source: HPB, Personal Library, Purchased
Buy on Amazon/Barnes & Noble/Bookshop.org
Piper Woods can't wait to graduate and leave high school―and all its annoying cliques―behind. But when she finds a mysterious notebook filled with the sins of her fellow students, Piper is suddenly drowning in their secrets.
And she's not the only one who knows them. An anonymous text invites Piper to choose to punish the cheater, the bully, or the shoplifter. The popular kids with their dirty little secrets. With one text, Piper can make them pay.
But the truth can be dangerous…
My Thoughts
I couldn’t put this down. From the very first page, this book captivated me with its raw and unflinching portrayal of the fundamental issues that teens face. It fearlessly explores themes of suicide, bullying, peer pressure, prejudice, justice, revenge, and the delicate balance between light and darkness within each of us.
Amid this gripping narrative, Piper, the main character, stumbles upon what appears to be an ordinary notebook. Little does she know, this seemingly innocuous object holds a dark secret. It unravels as a chilling journal documenting the deepest sins committed by her fellow students. But that’s not the most unsettling part. Haunting photographs of these individuals accompany each page, their eyes meticulously scratched out, leaving behind eerie blank white orbs. The mere thought of it gave me an overwhelming sense of dread.
As Piper delves deeper into the contents of this sinister journal, she becomes entangled in an obsession she never anticipated. The darkness surrounding her pulls her further into its clutches, testing her courage and resilience at every turn. With each frantic page turn, I held my breath, desperately hoping she would find a way to escape the clutches of this evil force.
This book is a rollercoaster of emotions, a thought-provoking exploration of the depths of human nature, and a testament to the power of resilience in the face of darkness. It kept me on the edge of my seat, unable to tear my eyes away from the pages. This book is a must if you’re looking for a thrilling and thought-provoking read.
Trigger warning: Suicide
About Natalie D. Richards
Natalie D. Richards is the author of two New York Times Bestsellers, Five Total Strangers (2020) and Seven Dirty Secrets (2021), as well as six additional novels.
Natalie writes “page-turning thrillers” (School Library Journal) for a Young Adult audience. Her first middle-grade book, through Penguin Random House imprint Delacorte, is called 15 Secrets to Survival and is due out in 2023. Four Found Dead (2023) will be Natalie’s ninth YA thriller from Sourcebooks Fire and is expected to be a bone chilling addition to her psychologically twisted work.
Natalie won her very first writing contest when she was in the second grade with a short story about Barbara Frances Bizzlefishes (who would not dare do the dishes). These days she writes about some awesome girls, broody boys, and all things that are creepy and dark. She spent many years applying her writing abilities to amazingly boring business documents. Fortunately, she realized that she is much better at making things up, and has written for teens ever since.
When she isn’t shopping a manuscript or writing, she can most likely be found wading through the huge stacks of dog-eared paperback books that have taken over her bedroom.
As a writer, she tends to write by the seat of her pants without much of a clue as to where she is going with each scene, often with the entire book as a whole. Natalie finds this helps her maintain an authentic edge of suspense in all her work because she honestly has no idea just how or even if her characters will get out of whichever mess she has wrote them into.
Natalie currently lives in Ohio with her three children and (very) large dog, Wookie.
