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The Return
A body is uncovered in an empty classroom at Lincoln Lane Prep, West Jackson Boulevard, it’s ruled an accident. A heroin overdose. The case is closed within a month.
Holly Steinfeld already has enough on her plate with her parent’s re-engagement, school, and settling into a town she once considered a distant memory.
But who can resist a good mystery?
Enthralled by the Leighton case—teenage girl found drugged and dead on the night of her prom—Holly enlists the help of four unlikely kids and together, they find themselves digging into a world of lies, secrets, and manipulation to uncover what really happened to Scarlett on the night of her prom.
Can she reopen a cold case and make it back in time for her parent’s wedding?
Holly Steinfeld already has enough on her plate with her parent’s re-engagement, school, and settling into a town she once considered a distant memory.
But who can resist a good mystery?
Enthralled by the Leighton case—teenage girl found drugged and dead on the night of her prom—Holly enlists the help of four unlikely kids and together, they find themselves digging into a world of lies, secrets, and manipulation to uncover what really happened to Scarlett on the night of her prom.
Can she reopen a cold case and make it back in time for her parent’s wedding?
Kindle Edition
First published December 10, 2022
69 people are currently reading
1,537 people want to read
About the author
Nenny May
12Ìýbooks116ÌýfollowersIndie author Nenny May is a Young Adult and New Adult thriller author whose new vision revolves around telling stories about strong black girls using their wit and intuition to explore difficult situations and building connections along the way.
Want to know more about Nenny May? Follow her social media platforms;
Tiktok: @Authornennymay
Instagram: @Authornennymay.
Want to know more about Nenny May? Follow her social media platforms;
Tiktok: @Authornennymay
Instagram: @Authornennymay.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
September 20, 2023
This book was amazing from beginning to end! I loved that although it was in the end a YA mystery book, Nenny touched on many important topics such as lost friendship, second chances, forgiveness, and teamwork. This book had all of these important messages but still remained an interesting page turner. The twists and turns were unexpected and the author did a great job building the characters to keep the reader invested.
February 25, 2023
So much to love here!! Interesting characters, fascinating family dynamics, and a little romance here and there. It wasn’t as twisty as some thrillers but I liked the premise a lot and I think it turned out really well! I was pulled in by the beautiful cover but I stayed for the intrigue!
January 20, 2023
TW: SA/Rape, Drug Abuse, DV, Suicide, Alcohol Abuse, Potential Statutory Rape/Illegal Relationships.
This book was a slow read, but it was well worth it!!! This story can definitely be stored under the redemption and coming of age tropes. It follows Holly, her family, and the people she encounters along her journey of rediscovery. This isn’t just a journey to find a killer, but also to trust herself and the world around her. The author allows plenty of time for world building and character development. She allows the reader to get immersed in the characters lives before dropping the biggest plot twist at the climax! I won’t give away any spoilers, but damn � talk about keeping your enemies close. I also love the fact that the author included other cultural aspects into this novel. Any foreign languages had an index in the back to help with translation. The differences made it a little difficult to start reading, but overall was a great challenge to allow myself to explore writings outside of my standard practice. It was a nice change to see others represented in such a popular genre! Also, there is a list of trigger warnings at the beginning of the novel. This is crucial as there are so many sensitive topics in this book. A bravo for the author making that decision to allow the reader to be informed BEFORE starting, instead of an after thought at the end! This is a great read for anyone who loves a slow burning plot, diverse characters/representation, or just a thriller junkie like myself!🖤
This book was a slow read, but it was well worth it!!! This story can definitely be stored under the redemption and coming of age tropes. It follows Holly, her family, and the people she encounters along her journey of rediscovery. This isn’t just a journey to find a killer, but also to trust herself and the world around her. The author allows plenty of time for world building and character development. She allows the reader to get immersed in the characters lives before dropping the biggest plot twist at the climax! I won’t give away any spoilers, but damn � talk about keeping your enemies close. I also love the fact that the author included other cultural aspects into this novel. Any foreign languages had an index in the back to help with translation. The differences made it a little difficult to start reading, but overall was a great challenge to allow myself to explore writings outside of my standard practice. It was a nice change to see others represented in such a popular genre! Also, there is a list of trigger warnings at the beginning of the novel. This is crucial as there are so many sensitive topics in this book. A bravo for the author making that decision to allow the reader to be informed BEFORE starting, instead of an after thought at the end! This is a great read for anyone who loves a slow burning plot, diverse characters/representation, or just a thriller junkie like myself!🖤
April 13, 2023
Rating: 2.5
October 2, 2022
A heartbreaking tale of love, betrayal, redemption�
This book tale explores the life of a teenage girl Holly who due to some circumstances got into investigative journalism and got to see at its rawest the cruelty of humans.
She gets to see how people kill, maim, plot and manipulate one another for personal gain, whether material or emotional and the potentially dangerous side Inexperienced reporters are exposed to everyday while stepping on toes without realizing it thinking some law will protect them.
It was such an interesting read
It made me think and question everything every step of the way
But the writing…got a bit confusing at some point
The sudden introduction to certain characters
The fast paced nature of some relationships
And yes I mean holly and her handsome hunk Kyle
I mean one minute they just met and the next they’re taking down criminals together
There’s the electricity yes but they don’t tell us
They don’t tell us about the little touches or the whispered apologies
There’s no burning tension leading to passionate kisses
We just go from the almost big thing in the cafeteria to neck kisses and licking?
The writing was great but it could be better
It was one of those books that drive you crazy in the oh-gosh-I-cannot-put-this-book-down way but still make you want to smack everyone in the book
All in all it was an easy interesting read and I was very excited to finish the book
This book tale explores the life of a teenage girl Holly who due to some circumstances got into investigative journalism and got to see at its rawest the cruelty of humans.
She gets to see how people kill, maim, plot and manipulate one another for personal gain, whether material or emotional and the potentially dangerous side Inexperienced reporters are exposed to everyday while stepping on toes without realizing it thinking some law will protect them.
It was such an interesting read
It made me think and question everything every step of the way
But the writing…got a bit confusing at some point
The sudden introduction to certain characters
The fast paced nature of some relationships
And yes I mean holly and her handsome hunk Kyle
I mean one minute they just met and the next they’re taking down criminals together
There’s the electricity yes but they don’t tell us
They don’t tell us about the little touches or the whispered apologies
There’s no burning tension leading to passionate kisses
We just go from the almost big thing in the cafeteria to neck kisses and licking?
The writing was great but it could be better
It was one of those books that drive you crazy in the oh-gosh-I-cannot-put-this-book-down way but still make you want to smack everyone in the book
All in all it was an easy interesting read and I was very excited to finish the book
January 13, 2024
Awesome Read
I really enjoyed reading this book. I was really impressed that this was a YA novel. The author is truly gifted and I'm definitely anticipating seeing more from her in the future. Mystery is truly a genre she's made her mark in. Great job Nenny May.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I was really impressed that this was a YA novel. The author is truly gifted and I'm definitely anticipating seeing more from her in the future. Mystery is truly a genre she's made her mark in. Great job Nenny May.
September 28, 2022
DO YOU SEE THAT COVER? I AM OBSESSED!
May 19, 2023
Looking to support another Indie author?
Cold Case - This book starts out with a body found dead in an empty classroom
Return home - some time later, Holly and her mother return back to the home of her father so her parents can remarry
Investigate - Holly stumbles on to the cold case and gathers some friends to see if they can solve it.
First, I want to say that the author did reach out and ask that I read and review this book and you can get it for free on Kindle Unlimited. And since I am trying to read more indie books this year, I decided to read it as YA mysteries are right up my alley. So let me start by saying that the premise and the story was actually really exciting. There were some twists that were cool, and the characters were very deep. But for me there are a few things to point out. The first being that there was a lot more cursing the necessary, especially at the beginning for a YA book so if that is an issue for you, be warned. Also, the book probably could have done with another pass at editing as a few times I needed to re-read to make sure I was understanding the intention. But overall, as an indie book, it was an interesting story.
Cold Case - This book starts out with a body found dead in an empty classroom
Return home - some time later, Holly and her mother return back to the home of her father so her parents can remarry
Investigate - Holly stumbles on to the cold case and gathers some friends to see if they can solve it.
First, I want to say that the author did reach out and ask that I read and review this book and you can get it for free on Kindle Unlimited. And since I am trying to read more indie books this year, I decided to read it as YA mysteries are right up my alley. So let me start by saying that the premise and the story was actually really exciting. There were some twists that were cool, and the characters were very deep. But for me there are a few things to point out. The first being that there was a lot more cursing the necessary, especially at the beginning for a YA book so if that is an issue for you, be warned. Also, the book probably could have done with another pass at editing as a few times I needed to re-read to make sure I was understanding the intention. But overall, as an indie book, it was an interesting story.
April 8, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. I powered through this evening, interested in following Holly on her quest to discover what really happened to Scarlett some years before. I also enjoyed reading Scarlett's story aswell, as the book jumps from past to present.
The character development was good, I liked meeting Holly and her family, learning about their life and Holly's journey to acceptance of her past and what the future might bring. This was quite inspiring.
I liked Kyle, alot of emotion written into him. I could've cried when he spoke about his mum, especially as he always referred to her as "leaving"..... ðŸ˜
This is one of those books where you're interesting in what's going on with the main story but also enjoy the side stories and development etc. There are some heavy themes here to be prepared for but I'd recommend this book to younger and older audiences.
The character development was good, I liked meeting Holly and her family, learning about their life and Holly's journey to acceptance of her past and what the future might bring. This was quite inspiring.
I liked Kyle, alot of emotion written into him. I could've cried when he spoke about his mum, especially as he always referred to her as "leaving"..... ðŸ˜
This is one of those books where you're interesting in what's going on with the main story but also enjoy the side stories and development etc. There are some heavy themes here to be prepared for but I'd recommend this book to younger and older audiences.
August 7, 2023
I really wanted to love this book but it had a lot of issues that made it hard to follow at times and generally not very enjoyable. There were punctuation issues and confusing jumps between the two plot lines in the past and present, with so many characters I got had to go back several times to check who was who. Overall, I liked the overall concept but felt it needed a more thorough editor.
May 9, 2023
Not what I expected, in the best way!
I loved this book! I loved how the story fit into the place with the past and present. Each character was unique and well written. I am very excited to read more of this story and more from this author!
I loved this book! I loved how the story fit into the place with the past and present. Each character was unique and well written. I am very excited to read more of this story and more from this author!
July 12, 2022
I had the pleasure of reading this as an ARC from the author and this book had me hooked from the first page!
September 28, 2022
2023!!!!!!! The fact that this book is supposed to be like One of Us is Lying has me hooked!
September 28, 2022
I AM SO EXCITED!! Finally someone is combining my two favorite books!
September 28, 2022
OH MY GOD! How am I going to wait until 2023?
September 28, 2022
2023????
September 28, 2022
I. CAN'T. WAIT!!!!
Read
September 28, 2022Omggggg!!!!
September 28, 2022
Can't wait for this book! 2023??? I love the cover BTW!
September 28, 2022
2023?? Is this book a series? I'm already Hooked OMGGG!!!!
September 28, 2022
i cant wait omg! I am so ready to read the whole series!!!
September 28, 2022
I just know from the cover this is going to be mind-blowing!
September 28, 2022
THIS COVER!!
September 28, 2022
THIS IS GOING TO BE AMAAZINGG!
July 14, 2023
Wow! His was an amazing story. There was so much depth and so many issues teens can relate to. Trigger warning as well!!!
Shelved as 'dnf'
September 9, 2023I just couldn’t get past the writing. It was full of typos, hard to follow, and just not great imo.
December 4, 2023
Rollercoaster of emotions
This was a wild ride but worth every moment, from the moment Holly returns to the very end I was hooked. My heart broke and mended along with these characters, these two very different girls who shared pieces of themselves through time. Both deserved better and one deserved justice. My heart reached reading through Scarlett's life and bled for her situation because it's such a real one. Holly was an amazing character to follow and who grew and evolved as the story went, I loved the band of characters she collected and truly enjoyed this book.
This was a wild ride but worth every moment, from the moment Holly returns to the very end I was hooked. My heart broke and mended along with these characters, these two very different girls who shared pieces of themselves through time. Both deserved better and one deserved justice. My heart reached reading through Scarlett's life and bled for her situation because it's such a real one. Holly was an amazing character to follow and who grew and evolved as the story went, I loved the band of characters she collected and truly enjoyed this book.
August 15, 2024
Audiobook.
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