The book “People Like Us” is a well-crafted psychological fiction. The author's choice of book cover is creeping weird. Four well-dressed high school uniforms without a student in them, it tells any reader at a glance to expect mysteries and adventures.
The book's main character is Kathrine Donavan, and other important characters are Brie Mathews, Tai Carter, Maddy Farrel, Dr. Klein, and Nola Kent. Each character brings unique traits and adds to the thrilling narrative.
Kathrine, also known as Kay, buries her past and reinvents herself at Bates, an all-girls private school. She becomes a popular star soccer player, living a life of effortless popularity with her group of friends.
However, everything takes a dark turn when a girl's body is discovered in the lake behind their school. Mysteries and secrets begin to unfold as Kay is entangled in a scavenger hunt. The deceased girl, Jessica Lane had left Kay a coded revenge website, exposing suspects who grow continuously closer to Kay. Kay's relationships with her friends crumble, and her carefully constructed life begins to break down . As Kay opens new recipes on the revenge blog, she finds herself slowly becoming the prime suspect, and the skeleton in her cupboard is brought to light.
The novel's assertive message is beautifully captured in the quote, ’The truth is something you make, not something that happened.’ This notion revolves around the author's intention, emphasizing how lies, when repeated, can start to sound like truth, as people are inclined to believe what they hear.
In a murder case like the one in this story, where concrete evidence is lacking, people tend to believe the stories that interest them the most, even if they may be fabricated truths.
Kay's struggle to lead a normal life after her mistakes highlights the ripple effects of our actions when faced with challenging circumstances. Kay's mistreatment of someone, and her repeated lies come back to haunt her. It reminds us that even if we don't directly harm someone, the role we play in enabling others to hurt them can have significant repercussions.
Kay is resilient. The book ended with her picking up the pieces of her shattered life and setting on to reinvent herself once again, this time with the name, Kathrine.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves mysteries, detective stories, treasure hunts, and romance. It's a perfect escape from reality for a few hours.
Also, it is quite an easy and enjoyable read as the words are printed in bold letters, well-spaced paragraphs, and a total of 30 chapters spanning 375 pages.
Book title: People like us
Author: Dana Mele
Description: New York, NY: G.P.Putnam’s Sons,[2018]
Thanks so much for your time. I hope I didn't tell the story:) as it's my first book review. Let me know your thoughts in the comment section
