Review Detail

The Hanging Girl was a quick, suspenseful read. Author Eileen Cook has a great writing style. The story picked up right away and there were plenty of twists throughout the book.



Skye is an 18 year old senior with big dreams, but no money. She wants to move with her best friend, Drew, to New York after graduation, but can’t seem to get herself to admit to Drew that she hasn’t saved money. Skye has a history of lying and telling stories. Her mom had her when she was very young (I think it said 16 if I’m remembering correctly). She dropped out of high school and Skye’s dad wasn’t in the picture at all. They barely got by and Skye helped with the bills. Skye’s mom is a psychic and tries to convince Skye that she is, too. But she’s not a believer. That doesn’t stop her from doing Tarot readings to fellow schoolmates for a fee.



Skye’s relationship with her mom is a pretty big part of this book. Skye often times feels like the adult and her mom the child. I think she doubts the love at times.



“You’re a part of me. We don’t always get along, but never doubt that I would do anything for you.”



Paige is as different from Skye as you can get. She is popular, fairly rich, and her dad is a judge. But Paige isn’t happy with her life. She comes up with an idea, but things don’t go the way she so carefully planned.



I really ended up liking the guidance counselor a lot. He was probably my favorite additional character. Drew was decent, too, but I did have some issues with trusting her.



The author does a good job of making you think everyone is guilty at some point in the book. You don’t know who to trust. While some things are a bit easier to figure out, you’re just not sure. I was second guessing myself a lot throughout the book. The ending does reveal everything and it was interesting to see what path Eileen Cook would take Skye. Would she do the right thing and admit everything or would she continue to lie?

I received a copy of this from Edelweiss+ for review.