Girl in a Bad Place 12+

About this book

The Haven, a commune in the mountains, seems harmless — until Mailee's best friend Cara decides she's going to stay there forever. How far will Mailee go to bring her friend home?

Mailee and Cara take care of each other. Mailee is the star of the high school plays; Cara is the stage manager. Mailee can't keep her life together; Cara has enough organizational skills for the both of them.

So when the girls are invited to visit the Haven, a commune in the mountains near their suburban Montana homes, it seems like an adventure. Until Cara starts spending every waking minute there . . . and Mailee thinks it's creepy, almost like a cult. When Cara decides she's going to move to the Haven permanently, Mailee knows it's a bad idea. But how far will she go to save her best friend . . . from herself?

Reviews

"Pulse-pounding." -- Jennifer Mathieu, author of The Truth About Alice
"Eerie and gripping, Girl in a Bad Place will grab you and not let go until the last page." -- Kara Thomas, author of Little Monsters and The Darkest Corners
"Intense doesn't even begin to describe this propulsive read." -- Kieran Scott, author of What Waits in the Woods
"Intense, suspenseful, and highly original examination of female friendship, self-discovery and survival. I was rooting for Mailee and Cara from the first page to the last. Girl in a Bad Place is a book that's impossible to put down and Kaitlin Ward is an author to watch." -- Courtney Summers, author of All the Rage and Cracked Up to Be
"A good place for young fans of Lois Duncan and Christopher Pike." -- Kirkus Reviews
"Tackles important issues of manipulation and safety with a fast-paced story that could be ripped from the headlines. ... Will keep readers turning pages until the end." -- School Library Journal