Title: That’s Not My Name
Author: Megan Lally
Publication: December 26, 2023
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: YA Fiction, Mystery/Thriller
Pages: 304
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SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
She thought she had her life back. She was wrong. It was a mistake to trust him.
Shivering and bruised, a teen wakes up on the side of a dirt road with no memory of how she got there―or who she is. A passing officer takes her to the police station, and not long after, a frantic man arrives. He’s been searching for her for hours. He has her school ID, her birth certificate, and even family photos. He is her father. Her name is Mary. Or so he says.
When Lola slammed the car door and stormed off into the night, Drew thought they just needed some time to cool off. Except Lola disappeared, and the sheriff, his friends, and the whole town are convinced Drew murdered his girlfriend. Forget proving his innocence, he needs to find her before it’s too late. The longer Lola is missing, the fewer leads there are to follow…and the more danger they both are in.
REVIEW:
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
My favorite book of 2024 by far! Do I have your attention now? I was a bit worried I had missed the Megan Lally train and have been missing out on amazing books, but it appears this is her first and I am here for it. Consider me a founding member of the Megan Lally fan club!
That’s Not My Name follows two stories flowing simultaneously as we are looking for a missing girl, and reading the story of a girl who seems to have forgotten who she is. Queue your guess as to how it ends, right? No. I promise you, this is not what you expect. I absolutely loved the characters. I really enjoyed the viewpoint from Drew and how everyone was against him and thought he was guilty, but he and his misfit group of friends were the ones still looking for his missing girlfriend. His best friend Max had the best one-liners and if I could be friends with him I would.
Jump to Mary, who I found to be more aware of her gut feelings and red flags she felt. It was interesting to watch her growth and her mind work through what she was experiencing and trying to differentiate real from fake. Lally wrote this character extremely well and the scenario she was in. I was on pins and needles the entire time wondering what was going to happen or just what was happening in general.
It’s been a while since a book hooked me as quickly as Lally’s That’s Not My Name. I was invested in chapter one and had to know what was happening. I finished the book in less than 24 hours and stayed up entirely too late reading. Megan Lally should be on your radar if you love really well-written, intricate, mystery/thrillers that leave you guessing the entire time. If she had more books I would be reading nothing but those. Cannot wait for more. Run, don’t walk, to the book store and get a copy!
