Book review: The Girls

YOU can’t pick your neighbours, can you trust them? 

Lisa Jewell

Century, £12.99;

ebook, £6.02

Community, teenage secrets and hidden pasts are explored in this engaging novel from the bestselling author of The House We Grew Up In.

Within the communal gardens of Virginia Crescent, life seems eternally peaceful until the comatose body of a new 13-year-old resident is discovered in the darkness following a neighbourhood party.

Suddenly everyone seems to be a suspect, and the residents question who they trust.

Jewell has crafted a community filled with complex personalities, and as the dark histories of the garden and its residents come to light, you come to trust everyone and no one all at once, leaving you as unsettled as the characters.

However, it is in the narration of young adults where Jewell exceeds, as their attention to detail, which is so often overlooked by adults, assists to unravel a tight web of secrets.

Captivating, entertaining and rich with emotion, this is a perfect holiday read for the summer.