The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.Īutumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart their mothers are still best friends. Most characters are white, but there is some diversity in secondary characters (one person comes out, there’s a detective named Reyes, a classmate named Misty Whitehawk punches a bully who calls her a squaw, and another classmate is hijabi). Despite the secrets and the attention of two boys, Embry is a dry, forgettable character with no warmth or sense of humor. Or would they? Heavy exposition and unimportant details clutter an otherwise intriguing mystery. But no one Embry knows would do such a thing. Someone has proof of her night at the inn, and the blackmailer clearly has a personal score to settle. A few days later, Embry receives a note demanding a full confession on Facebook, or else. She becomes a local hero after she rescues a man she spies through the window.

The blonde high school senior calls 911 to report the fire she claims she noticed as she was walking by. Later, in the steamy throes of passion, Embry kicks over a candle and sets the inn on fire. Unable to tell him it’s over, she promises to think about it. On her way to the vacant Sea Cliff Inn for a late-night rendezvous with her best friend’s ex-boyfriend, Holden, her current-but-on-a-break soldier boyfriend, Luke, calls her from Afghanistan to propose. Embry Woods keeps things close to her chest.

Hidden Pieces by Paula Stokes