That Weekend, Kara Thomas' spine-tingling thriller, will keep you guessing for however long it takes you to get through the jagged switchbacks of the plot.
Despite her recent breakup, Claire goes through with her plan to escape to her friend's family's lake house over prom weekend with her two best friends. When she is discovered alone and injured on the mountain, she cannot remember anything about the previous 24 hours.
Where are Claire's best friends, Kat and Jesse? How did Claire end up with a gash on her head? What will Kat's family say when they discover the teenagers used the lake house without permission?
The biggest question, the one Claire is most afraid of, is: Did she hurt her friends?
A couple of notes on this book.
First off, Kara Thomas is relentless. I haven't read any of her other thrillers but am sure to look them up. She does a fantastic job of centering young adult characters with their concerns and teenage baggage while still creating a narrative that will interest adults.
Secondly, this thriller is DARK and also very sad, in a disturbing way. There are significant content warnings at play here, with troubling topics including abuse, violence, suicidal ideation, and alcoholism. While it's a Young Adult read, it deals with concepts and problems that might be inappropriate for younger readers.
Third: the story unfolds deliciously. The pacing, timing, and narration fluidity are superb. While the unreliable/amnesiac narrator is a bit overdone these days, it lends itself well to the book's overall plot.