I received this book for free from NetGalley to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Some Laneys Died by Brooke Skipstone Series: Skipping Sideways #1
Published by Skipstone Publishing on 2020-08
Genres: Fiction, Psychological, Suspense, Thrillers
Pages: 268
Format: ARC
Source: NetGalley
Laney's world collapsed when she caught her dad cheating. He begged her not to tell, but she did. Her family fell apart and regret consumes her, especially when she learns every decision she makes spawns a new universe for the opposite choice.
If only she could skip sideways to the Laney who didn't tell.
But her only escape is through her imagination, until a news story blurs the lines between worlds. Two girls were murdered at the same time and same place as her father's adulterous act. Strange events lead Laney to believe their bones are connected to her and the sister she always wanted.
Laney now has another decision to make. Some Laneys say yes, while others say no; some live and some die.
And some skip between worlds.
CW: Violence, sexual assault, death, animal death, sexual situations, suicide
If there is one thing I love, it’s a good mystery. And let me tell you, Some Laneys Died is a good mystery. But it’s not just a mystery. It’s a mystery with a science fiction1 twist to it.
What makes this mystery unique is the addition of the Many Worlds Theory/Interpretation. I can’t really tell you too much without giving away a good portion of the book, but let’s just say that things aren’t necessarily what you think they are in the world. And those flashes of memory that you can’t explain because you know you’ve never done something? Yeah… that’s probably because of the many worlds theory.
In any case – there is a large cast of characters, all of whom are well written. You don’t get a big info dump on their backgrounds either. You find out bits and pieces about each one along the way and you don’t find out those bits and pieces until you need to know to understand the story.
The basic gist of the plot is this: Laney is obsessed with writing stories of what might have happened if she’d made different choices when she caught her father cheating. This leads to her finding out about the many worlds theory and realizing that something isn’t quite right in her world. Mayhem ensues as she fights to understand what is happening to her.
I was intrigued by this book. I read 70% of the book in one sitting, then read the other 30% in another sitting. It was very fast paced and kept me wanting to continue reading, even when I needed to go to bed and get some sleep. Most books, even mysteries, haven’t been able to do that lately, so this was a breath of fresh air.
The science/science fiction twist2 is what really makes this book so darned hard to put down. That and the fact that the plot is excellent and extremely well written.
I loved Laney. I loved how she wished she was a twin. I, too, was an only child and I wished often that I was a twin. So she was very relatable in that aspect. I also loved how she just couldn’t let anything go – how she needed to figure out what was going on and why she felt the way she did.
Jag was another favorite character in the story. His love for Laney is instantaneous and obvious. The fact that neither of them can seem to stop thinking about the other is another thing I thought was adorable – they are teenagers after all, so that kind of puppy-love, infatuation is pretty common3.
Of course, there are characters I didn’t like much, but that’s OK because you’re not really supposed to like them4.
This book is one of those books that you just have to read to understand why it’s such a great book. The best thing? It’s part of a series and the second book is slated to be released soon. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.
I give this a five out of five stars because it is innovative, fun, fast paced, and just a great all-around read.
You can find Brooke Skipstone on Twitter, Instagram, & Goodreads.
