-
Your next favorite book
is waiting.
Raw and moving, this contemporary realistic debut novel will leave readers of E. Lockhart and Gayle Forman breathless as it unflinchingly unfolds the tragic secrets being kept in a small, deceptively idyllic Maine town.
Seventeen-year-old Darcy Prentiss has long held the title of "town slut." She knows how to have a good time, sure, but she isn't doing anything all the guys haven't done. But when you're a girl with a reputation, every little thing that happens seems to keep people whispering - especially when your ex-best friend goes missing.
But if anyone were to look closer at Darcy, they'd realize there's a lot more going on beneath the surface. Staying out late, hooking up, and telling lies is what Darcy does to forget. Forget about the mysterious disappearance of her friend. Forget about the dark secret she and her cousin Nell share. Forget about that hazy Fourth of July night. So when someone in town anonymously nominates Darcy to be in the running for Bay Festival Princess - a cruel act only someone with a score to settle would make - all of the things that Darcy wants to keep hidden threaten to erupt in ways she wasn't prepared to handle…and isn't sure if she can.
"Starred Review. Gorgeously written and helmed by a protagonist with an indelibly fierce heart." - Kirkus
"Starred Review. Keen plotting, evocative writing, and dynamic characterization make French a writer to watch." - Booklist
"Tough yet tender, Grit explores new things about the girl everyone thinks they know." - Mindy McGinnis, award-winning author of The Female of the Species
"Touching, funny, and wise, Grit takes you on a journey you'll remember long after turning the last page." - Christina Baker Kline, New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train
This information about Grit was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Gillian French's short fiction has appeared in various publications and anthologies. She holds a BA in English from the University of Maine. She lives in Maine with her husband and son.
If you liked Grit, try these:
by Hayley Scrivenor
Published 2023
In Hayley Scrivenor's Dirt Creek, a small-town debut mystery described as The Dry meets Everything I Never Told You, a girl goes missing and a community falls apart and comes together.
by Paraic O'Donnell
Published 2022
With all the wit of a Jane Austen novel, and a case as beguiling as any in Sherlock Holmes' casebook, Paraic O'Donnell introduces a detective duo for the ages, and slowly unlocks the secrets of a startling Victorian mystery.
by Alexis Schaitkin
Published 2021
Hailed as a "marvel of a book" and "brilliant and unflinching," Alexis Schaitkin's stunning debut, Saint X, is a haunting portrait of grief, obsession, and the bond between two sisters never truly given the chance to know one another.
From the moment I picked your book up...
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Can you name the title?
Test your book knowledge with our daily trivia challenge!
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
