Summertime is all about the beverage. And if it is done right, there’s always a splash of coconut. Adding a murder mystery completes the perfect pairing. If you read Night Film with us for Boozy Book Club and/or preordered Neverworld Wake, then get ready. Slice some limes and rev up the blender. Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl is a contemporary YA mystery you’ll want to sip poolside.
If you could blend We Were Liars and Before I Fall (can also substitute Groundhog Day) with a pinch of Inception, you would get Neverworld Wake. Marisha Pessl’s first YA, this contemporary mystery (with just a touch of time travel) goes down smooth.
More About Neverworld Wake
A year after graduation and the tragic death of her boyfriend, Beatrice reunites with her best friends from High School for a night of frivolity. When their car crashes, the five friends find themselves caught in a time wrinkle where they relive the last eleven hours over and over. The only way to end the time loop, they must unanimously vote for only one survivor from the crash.
Naturally, the group can’t find consensus and doom themselves in a hellish loop of time — leading to chaos, madness and lonely immortality. As time repeats, Beatrice’s need to unravel the mystery behind her boyfriend’s death grows.
Watch the Neverworld Wake Book Trailer:
Why I enjoyed Neverworld Wake
The story accurately captures the awkwardness after freshman year of college, where high school friendships are no longer what they once were. I completely connected with Beatrice’s character where I had changed so much as a person after freshman year that my high school friendships were meh. This disconnect between the once best friends fuels the selfishness and honest evaluation once they enter the Neverworld.
Marisha Pessl captures the hellish nature of being caught in an eternal time loop. Like Billy Murray, you just want to grab a groundhog and drive off a cliff. What would you do? Where would you go if you had to relive the same eleven-hour period day after day after day? Brutal.
Reminiscent of We Were Liars, I was caught up in the mystery of their friend’s death. When the group starts to untangle the case, I couldn’t put the book down. Because they are in a time loop, the five friends must find creative ways to uncover details about the case. The scene at the police station is one of my faves.
I would recommend Neverworld Wake to anyone who enjoys a quick mystery with a touch of fantasy. A fast read, you can dig your toes in the sand, sip a dirty diet Coke and get lost in the pages. Neverworld Wake just came out and you can buy it on Amazon.
Want more? You can follow her Facebook for extras or Watch Marisha Pessl do a Q & A about Neverworld Wake. (It was a live feed so you need to skip to minute 4:32 to start the stream.)
