Harmless by Dana Reinhardt

Book Review: Harmless

Author: Dana Reinhardt

AR POINTS: 8.0
FIC REI

BOOK REVIEW FOLLOWS SUMMARY~

WOW! I really enjoyed reading this book.

Three unlikely friends: Emma, Anna and Mariah come up with a crazy lie that turns into something more than what they expected. Emma and Anna have been BFF's for a long time and have been inseparable. When Mariah comes into the picture she seems to gravitate more to Anna. Mariah is a "popular" student at their relatively private school.

The three Freshman girls are invited to Mariah's senior boyfriends' house for a party which will involve alcohol and boys. Emma and Anna agree and all three decide to cover their bases with the parents saying they are going to the local theater then for a sleep over. When the dreaded phone call from Emma's mom comes in, the girls realize that they are in trouble.

To cover up their partying, the girls conceive up a plan that will will eventually get so big they can not handle it. Their plan: Emma was attacked by a man in the park on their "way home" from their movie. They all felt that since no one was hurt, the families would believe it and then drop the whole thing.

BUT-things quickly spin out of control and the one small lie eventually snowballs into something so big that each one has their own way of handling the situation. This one little lie puts strains on their friendship, family and the community. Things get more difficult when the cops get involved and by chance a young girl in a local community goes missing. The community rallies together to find this missing girl all the while their focus on Emma gets greater and greater...

The story is told in each girls' voice and gives the reader a sense of their thoughts and feelings.

I was hooked when I read this book. It details the impact of friendship and how far three friends will go to cover up their night of fun.