They Wish They Were Us meets The Queen's Gambit in this
"stunning...unforgettable" (Publishers Weekly) thriller set in the
world of competitive Scrabble, where a teen girl is forced to
investigate the mysterious death of her best friend when her Instagram
comes back to life with cryptic posts and messages.
CATALYST
13 points
noun: a substance that speeds up a reaction without itself changing
When Najwa Bakri walks into her first Scrabble competition since her
best friend's death, it's with the intention to heal and move on with
her life. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to choose the very same
competition where said best friend, Trina Low, died. It seems that even
though Najwa is trying to change, she's not ready to give up Trina just
yet.
But the same can't be said for all the other competitors. With Trina,
the Scrabble Queen herself, gone, the throne is empty, and her friends
are eager to be the next reigning champion. All's fair in love and
Scrabble, but all bets are off when Trina's formerly inactive Instagram
starts posting again, with cryptic messages suggesting that maybe
Trina's death wasn't as straightforward as everyone thought. And maybe
someone at the competition had something to do with it.
As secrets are revealed and the true colors of her friends are shown,
it's up to Najwa to find out who's behind these mysterious posts--not
just to save Trina's memory, but to save herself.