10 must-read new YA book releases to make your December merry

The Good Girls – Claire Eliza Bartlett

A twisty new thriller from the author of The Winter of the Duke, The Good Girls is a book that delves into the world of mean girls and teenage noir when a popular student goes missing and is presumed dead.

After Emma Baines’ disappearance, the sheriff of a small Colorado town — who happens to be the missing girl’s father — centers his investigation on three girls. One is known as an airheaded cheerleader who also happens to be the captain of Emma’s squad. Another is a snotty overachiever who was competing with Emma for an important scholarship. A third is simply known as the school slut, who’s supposedly always out at parties.

But in the world of teen girls, no one is who they appear to be. Everyone has secrets. Even Emma herself. And some of them just might be worth dying for.

The official synopsis describes the story as follows.

"The troublemaker. The overachiever. The cheer captain. The dead girl. Like every high school in America, Jefferson-Lorne High contains all of the above. After the shocking murder of senior Emma Baines, three of her classmates are at the top of the suspect list: Claude, the notorious partier; Avery, the head cheerleader; and Gwen, the would-be valedictorian. Everyone has a label, whether they like it or not–and Emma was always known as a good girl. But appearances are never what they seem. And the truth behind what really happened to Emma may just be lying in plain sight. As long-buried secrets come to light, the clock is ticking to find Emma’s killer–before another good girl goes down."

The Good Girls Is available on December 1.