Books like Four-Letter Word

3.5 StarsFour-Letter Word tells the alarming story of Chloe Sanders and her sort-of friends as they give in to the whim of the new girl, the seemingly larger than life Chloe Donnelly that gives narrator Chloe a new nickname, Other Chloe. New Chloe comes from Chicago, seems to know about everything, and uses a game to control the 7 friends. What seems to be a simple game becomes something much scarier when the truth is revealed, people will do anything they need to in order to protect their secrets. When the game turns nasty and the friends are turned against each other a plan is formed to shut Chloe Donnelly down, but the truth could cost them more than their secrets.While I can't imagine myself ever giving in to a game like this, Christa Desir brings the game and the characters to life in Four-Letter Word. I ached for Other Chloe as she dealt with typical and non-typical teenage drama, I wouldn't know what to do in her shoes. Though the believability of the novel is a bit far-fetched, the way the friends treated each other was very accurate. I actually liked the dramatization of the game, this idea that people, especially teenagers, would do nearly anything to both keep secrets and to uncover them. Chloe is the sort of girl who hasn't figured it all out yet, unaware that her naivety is actually a good thing in many ways. She's both independent and codependent, her role created by her so-called friends and the lack of parental supervision. The secondary characters include her previous best friend Eve, Eve's present bestie Hollie, Other Chloe's crush, three other boys, and of course, New Chloe. Each is very well developed and had distinct voices and characteristics even when only being described by Other Chloe. The interactions Other Chloe has with her friends are impactful and very true to reality, at least from what I can remember of high school.As for the game, it's twisted and not something I would've come up with or been willing to play at that age. It reveals a lot about the characters and about teenagers in general. The ending was lackluster for me and for me, I think a novel of this style should leave a lasting impression and Four-Letter Word just didn't for me. I think Christa Desir did a stunning job portraying the age group and the secrets they feel are most important. The things the teens were willing to do though, it's a bit harsh and a little sad too, as they came across as trying so hard to be adult at an age where they shouldn't have to worry about these things. The teens had a proclivity to make things sexual and that added an even more adult feel to the novel. Ultimately, I would have to categorize this as New Adult or even Adult. I enjoyed the mystery and thriller aspect of Four-Letter Word, as well as the bits of coming-of-age tale that we got from Chloe. The characters and their secrets were interesting and allowed for a complex novel that kept me fairly engaged. ARC provided via Netgalley.