The Girl Who... by Andreina Cordani

The girl who... survived
The girl who... inspires
The girl who... has something to hide

People can't bring themselves to say what happened to her. They just describe her as 'the girl who... you know...'. But nobody really knows, no one sees the real Leah.

Leah is the perfect survivor. She was seven years old when she saw her mother and sister killed by a troubled gang member. Her case hit the headlines and her bravery made her a national sweetheart: strong, courageous and forgiving.

But Leah is hiding a secret about their deaths. And now, ten years later, all she can think of is revenge.

When Leah's dad meets a new partner, stepsister Ellie moves in. Sensing Leah isn't quite the sweet girl she pretends to be, Ellie discovers that Leah has a plan, one she has been putting together ever since that fateful day. Now that the killer - and the only one who knows the truth - is being released from prison, time is running out for Ellie to discover how far Leah will go to silence her anger . . .

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A tense, exciting book. Cutting between points of view and between time frames ensures that revelations are spaced out and not overwhelming. I genuinely didn't know what was going to happen at several points.

It's a very clever look at the victims of crimes like this and what can become of them as years go by. Although David clearly meant well by his daughter, he didn't handle things very well (though, admittedly, neither did she.) It's a very difficult situation, of course, and there's no right way to handle it.

The only, very minor problem I had: I couldn't always follow the flow of time. It didn't seem like very much had happened, but then the narration would say it had been months. Near the end, we're told it's been nearly a year, I couldn't have guessed that if you'd paid me. 

Otherwise, though, brilliant. I loved the characters, the tension - this was a great read, really well handled. Fantastic.

The Girl Who...publishes on the 14th January 2021.