A Line in the Dark

By: Malinda Lo

Narrated by: Jennifer Lim

“A twisty, dark psychological thriller that will leave you guessing til the very end."—Teen Vogue

“[A] riveting read…"—NPR

The line between best friend and something more is a line always crossed in the dark.

Jess Wong is Angie Redmond’s best friend. And that’s the most important thing, even if Angie can’t see how Jess truly feels. Being the girl no one quite notices is OK with Jess anyway. If nobody notices her, she’s free to watch everyone else. But when Angie begins to fall for Margot Adams, a girl from the nearby boarding school, Jess can see it coming a mile away. Suddenly her powers of observation are more a curse than a gift.

As Angie drags Jess further into Margot’s circle, Jess discovers more than her friend’s growing crush. Secrets and cruelty lie just beneath the carefree surface of this world of wealth and privilege, and when they come out, Jess knows Angie won’t be able to handle the consequences.

When the inevitable darkness finally descends, Angie will need her best friend.

“It doesn’t even matter that she probably doesn’t understand how much she means to me. It’s purer this way. She can take whatever she wants from me, whenever she wants it, because I’m her best friend.”

A Line in the Dark is a story of love, loyalty, and murder.

★ "Mesmerizing."—Kirkus, starred review.

©2017 Malinda Lo (P)2017 Listening Library

Critic reviews

★ Kirkus Best Teen Book ★

★ Vulture 10 Best YA Books ★

★ Chicago Public Library's Best Teen Fiction ★

★ Rainbow List ★

“With an active focus on female friendships and relationships, A Line in the Dark is a twisty, dark psychological thriller that will leave you guessing til the very end. The story follows two friends down a path of dysfunction and murder as one of them, Chinese-American Jess tries to balance the expectations of her family, her fraught relationship with Angie, and her mounting sexual attraction for her. Lo offers some impressive storytelling, a chilling plot, and mean girls aplenty.”—Teen Vogue

“[A] riveting read… The story of tensions, romances and even violence between townies and prep school kids is well-trodden ground, but Lo makes it new and exciting by creating nuanced queer characters and giving them the chance to make their own terrible decisions.”—NPR

"[A] heart-tugging story of a teenage girl who expresses herself in art in ways she can’t quite do in real life—even as she tries to hold on to her best friend despite grappling with deeper feelings for her.”—Vulture

A surprisingly intense and dark romance/mystery

This book creeps up on you. it is only when you finish the book that many uncomfortablly or confusing scenes fall into place and turn this book from an angsty teen romance to a genuine horror thriller.

Pros:

The first half is emotionaly gripping and the protagonist is deeply flawed in a way that makes them tragically relatable.

The writing is rich and has momentum to it. it is a delight to listen to.

The awkward and uncomfortable parts in the second half ultimately pay off once you understand the motivation behind the characters change in behavior.

It's full of gay panicking


Cons:

The protagonist solves the murder mystery halfway through, and to keep the audience in the dark until the twist ending, it switches from 1st person narration to 3rd person narration. This is an uncomfortable shift in style and thus the second half lacks some of the emotional punches from the first half. but ultimately it is revealed to be a representation of the protagonists denial, locking the reader out of her thought process. it pays off but is annoying on the first read through.

There are a few scenes that add nothing to plot and could be cut.

It could have used more scenes to establish the central friendship so their falling out feels bigger.


Overall a tragically sad story with a gutpunch of an ending that Will leave you thinking. would recommend

Loved this!!

I devoured every word! Really great character development. Left me wanting more but was oddly satisfying.. I have so many questions but I also feel like, really.. I have the answers. Looking forward to listening all over again knowing what I know now!

Great YA Romance/Thriller

As is typical of Malinda Lo's work, this story kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat the entire way. Well written and narrated.

Not really the book you want it to be

Jarring mid-book perspective/subject-matter change. Twist ending left me upset@character I'd liked. Lo's other books better.

Biggest Plot Twist

Well, I sure as heck wasn’t expecting that, That’s for sure. Shooketh. To my core.

Didn’t see that coming

Honestly I was really hating the beginning of the book, but at the same time I loved it. The whole love triangle I felt was a bit much but was beautify written because I felt that tang of jealousy deep in the pit of my stomach. I’m sure we have all felt a moment of jealously towards something, hearing it written down and feeling it, I knew I was going to have to finish the book and what a ride. At one moment I was guessing something, then another, and another. A complete twist! I never saw what would happen at the end. A must listen!

Great start, weird end

This got off to such a compelling start, but halfway through turns into a different book with a rushed plot and a resolution that doesn't feel earned. If you can even call that ending a resolution.