In the Everglades town of Cape Hope, Florida, the tensions between the Chaserstownies with small businesses and jobs that depend on the tourist seasonand the Collectivethe wealthy hotel owners and elite who want to either buy up or downright steal the Chasers businessesare simmering to a boil. Noas familys Surf Shack is one of the few Chaser-owned places left standing, but after Noas brother took off and left just Noa and her dad to run the place, their finances are increasingly strained. There could be a way out of it, however, if Noa can finally pin down the Collectives role in a decades-old mystery involving a dead socialite, a missing Chaser, and a vanishing island. To do this, she must find the mysterious Rum Runner Island, and shell need a sturdy, functioning boat, so shes going to have to enlist her ex-boyfriend Jamie, a Collective kid who broke her heart last summer but seems eager to help now. Things take a turn when a dead body washes up on the shore and later two guys with guns show up, making it clear Noa and Jamie are onto something that might take the Collective down for good. Skillful writing evokes the treacherous allure of the Everglades, making it perfectly plausible that an island could simply disappear in this wild place where predatory gators lie in wait and the air is so oppressive it would surely muffle any cries for help. Less plausible are the incongruent plot beats that rely too heavily on leaps of logic and a deus ex machina in the form of a strangely knowledgeable but unknown relative. Fortunately, the dual narration between Jamie and Noa keeps the pace lively and lays out the emotional stakes well enough to keep readers engaged. Direct fans of Lockharts We Were Liars series (BCCB 6/14, et al.) here for another look at beautiful places with dangerous secrets. KQG -- BCCB * January 2026 * "Atmospheric and suspenseful; readers will be engrossed until the last page." -- Kirkus * December 15, 2025 * "A communitys decades-old feud comes to a head in this savvy thriller from Young (In Nightfall) . . . Pulse-pounding mystery and romance." -- Publishers Weekly * 11/17/2025 * Deep in the Florida Everglades, a mystery holds sway over the community of Cape Hope. Years ago, a hotel burned, a woman was murdered, and the cover-up caused the town to divide. The Collective, the rich people who own and control everything, and the Chasers, the less well-off townies, still are at violent odds with each other. The story bounces back and forth between the viewpoints of two protagonists: Noa, a young teen girl who helps her dad run the Surf Shack; and Jamie, a social pariah who holds on to just enough influence to run with the rich kids. Together, along with others, Noa and Jamie will investigate what really happened at the Starline Hotel (seeking to clear the reputation of the suspected murderer) and how their families and others are connected to the darker history of the town. Fans of mysteries around beach communities like television series Outer Banks will flock to Youngs (The Program) summer mystery. A mix of romance, adventure, and class struggle, this story brings something for all readersespecially mystery fans, who will enjoy trying to follow the clues that the characters discover. The racial/ethnic identity of the characters are not mentioned. VERDICT Perfect as either a beach read or stormy night mystery, this is a hit that will roll right off shelves. -- School Library Journal * 12/1/25 * A communitys decades-old feud comes to a head in this savvy thriller from Young (In Nightfall). Teen Noa finds comfort in running the Surf Shack on Cape Hope with her father. Following her mothers death and her brothers disappearance, the family business feels like the only thing she has left. But the Collective, influential Cape Hope residents, seems intent on slowly forcing the establishment out of business. Meanwhile, Noas ex-boyfriend and Collective member Jamie has always been uneasy with his communitys elitist ways. The clash between working-class locals and the Collective is generations-old, beginning when a disgruntled shift worker purportedly set fire to the hotel where he worked, killing a rich heiress in the process. When Noa discovers inconsistencies about the hotel blaze, she and Jamie endeavor to uncover the truth, which might be more tied up in Jamies family history than he anticipated. Conversations regarding gentrification and class differences are surface-level and well-trodden, but sensorial depictions of the marshy Florida setting steal the show as the white-cued protagonists navigate pulse-pounding mystery and romance. Ages 12up. Agent: Sarah Gerton, New Leaf Literary. (Feb.) -- Publishers Weekly * 11/17/2025 * An attempt to solve a 40-year-old Florida mystery turns into a high-stakes thriller when a recent murder comes to light.
Decades ago, a young socialite ended up dead, a local teen went on the run, and animosities flared between Cape Hopes localslabeled Chasersand the rich and powerful resort community called the Collective. For years, the Everglades have hidden the secrets of the crumbling Starline Hotel on Rum Runner Island, but a powerful storm churns up the past. In alternating first-person chapters, Noa Acosta and Jamie Matthewsalong with their friends, Tech Mendez and Shawn Callensearch for evidence to unravel the mystery thats shaped the town, stop the hostility thats brewing between its communities, clear a familys name, and offer a chance at redemption. Young creates an ominous tone, immersing readers in a visceral and vivid settinga lush landscape, where a dead body is clasped in a marshs wet embrace and a thick, sludgy kind of quiet permeates the air. The stakes are highwith threats both from the unforgiving nature of the landscape and from those who want to keep the truth buried. Elements of the past and current murders are expertly woven together with carefully laid backstory. Jamie and Shawn read white, and Noa and Tech are cued Latine.
Atmospheric and suspenseful; readers will be engrossed until the last page. -- Kirkus * December 15, 2025 *
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