The Headmaster's List

by Melissa de la Cruz

Book Overview

One of Us Is Lying meets Gossip Girl in The Headmaster's List, an edge-of-your-seat YA thriller about a fatal car crash and the dangerous lengths one teen will go to uncover the truth about what really happened.

Friday night. The party of the summer. Four teens ride home together. Only one never makes it.

When high school sophomore Chris Moore is tragically killed in a car crash, Armstrong Prep is full of questions. Who was at the wheel? And more importantly, who was at fault?

Eighteen-year-old Spencer Sandoval wishes she knew. As rumors swirl that her ex, Ethan, was the reckless driver, she can't bring herself to defend him. And their messy breakup has nothing to do with it - she can't remember anything from that night, not even what put her in that car with Ethan, Chris, and Tabby Hill, the new loner in school.

The hunt for answers intensifies when a local true crime podcast takes an interest in the case, pushing Spencer further into the depths of this sinister mystery. Was it all just a night out that went very wrong? And is it a coincidence that all but Chris is on Armstrong's esteemed honor roll, the Headmaster's List? In a place ruled by pedigree and privilege, the truth can only come at a deadly price.

Set against the glitz and glamour of an elite LA private school, Melissa de la Cruz's explosive YA thriller is an addictive mystery perfect for fans of Only Murders in the Building and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.

"There's nothing Melissa de la Cruz can't write, and she continues to prove it with this razor-sharp, glitteringly mysterious thriller Put The Headmaster's List at the top of your TBR." --Kiersten White, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the And I Darken trilogy

"Melissa de la Cruz will keep you guessing - all the way up to the last page even when you think you've figured it out Everything you want in a thriller - a complicated heroine, snarky outsiders, cute boys, and a surprising and insightful story about status, race, class and tragedy in Los Angeles." --Sara Shepard, New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Little Liars

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250827388
• ISBN13: 9781250827388
• Release Date: February 2023
• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.7" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 14 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 9 to 12

Customer Reviews

Good Plot Line, Poorly Written Characters

de la Cruz has written so many amazing characters throughout her kidlit novels. She writes diversity, and she writes personality. In THE HEADMASTER'S LIST, she tried so hard to write diversity, that she took it a little too far. Tabby is a non-binary character. However, half of the book shines them as a villain, and the other half of the book forgets them altogether. They are even misgendered twice in the story. Spencer is a woman of color. However, she is told by Hailey that she cheated with Ethan because of Spencer's "minority perks". Hailey is jealous, because as a blonde white woman she has had to work hard for the things Spencer was simply handed "on a silver platter". Ethan never broke up with her because he didn't want to "seem racist". It is an insult to people of color who do work hard for what they deserve. The plot line of THE HEADMASTER'S LIST was enjoyable. There were two plot lines, one which I missed and the other that I knew was coming. It was a good story for a thriller. Had the characters not been written so insensitively, I might have enjoyed it more.

Fast paced YA thriller

The Headmaster's List opens with a horrific car accident after an end-of-summer party, in which one of the four students is killed, and the main character, Spencer, is seriously injured with head trauma and broken bones. Her ex-boyfriend Ethan was driving and is charged with reckless driving and manslaughter. Spencer can't remember anything about that night but has the nagging feeling that something is wrong. Spencer, along with Ethan's best friend Jackson, investigate the circumstances and events on the night of the crash. The students all attend an elite LA private school. The formatting of the book which includes multiple points of view, police reports, and a local crime podcast kept the pages turning and the pacing fast. As Spencer tries to piece together the truth, while dealing with her injuries, post-traumatic stress and academic load, it becomes apparent that someone wants her to stop seeking answers. The story ends with a couple of big twists. There were some aspects that were unrealistic such as the sloppiness of the police investigation and Spencer's apparently endless prescription of Vicodin, and her parents lack of awareness of it. The Headmaster's List is a gripping addition to the YA thriller genre. Thank you to BookishFirst for a copy to review.