Annie isnât expecting to enjoy her spring break at this week-long high school party on an inescapable island, but she sets aside her wants, needs, and even her favorite coat for Pennyâher best friend since middle school. Everything is going as normal as it can go until Annie finds a couple of crumpled up diary entries in her coat pockets. She disregards the angsty diary entries as strange until the sudden and untimely deaths of two partygoers later that evening. The novel keeps the reader guessing who the murderer is until the very endâanybody and everybody are suspicious.
Annie isnât expecting to enjoy her spring break at this week-long high school party on an inescapable island, but she sets aside her wants, needs, and even her favorite coat for Pennyâher best friend since middle school. Everything is going as normal as it can go until Annie finds a couple of crumpled up diary entries in her coat pockets. She disregards the angsty diary entries as strange until the sudden and untimely deaths of two partygoers later that evening. The novel keeps the reader guessing who the murderer is until the very endâanybody and everybody are suspicious.
The frigid air sends chills across your skin as you follow your best friend of four years, Penny, across a small wooden bridge. The bridge connects the main islandâyour âhome away from homeâ for the next week, as the spring break invitation had saidâto the smaller patch of land thatâs attached to the boat dock. You find yourself wondering if you two are late or early. The invite had specified an arrival time of seven in the evening, yet the only people on the previous ferry had been you and Penny. The thought of being late to any sort of event sends a spike of anxiety through you. Hence, you decide to focus on literally anything else.
You pull your coat tighter around yourself as if doing so will somehow will away the fading remnants of winter. Penny has been chattering non-stop for the past hour or so, and you must admit that you stopped listening at one point. Either she hasnât noticed, or she doesnât care. From what youâve been able to gather from her excited speech, sheâs more than thrilled to have been invited to the party. Especially since itâs full of juniors and seniors, and âsophomores rarely ever get invited to things.â Youâre not expecting to enjoy your spring break, but you do hope that itâs everything Penny wants it to be.
Pulling your phone out of your jacket pocket, your numbed fingers fiddle with it until youâre able to get the old thing to turn on. You check your messages. Itâs not that youâre insanely popular or really that you have anybody to text. Still, you do have one friend who demands you keep him updated on everything youâre doing. That one friend, David, had refused to come on the trip, citing that âparties are for stoners and people with no future.â You arenât sure if youâre relieved that he didnât come along or not at this point in your friendship. Regardless, heâd made you promise to text him during the break. You arenât one to break promises, and youâre also not one to make your friend angry.
Once your phone loads your conversation with David, your heart sinks at the âFailed to sendâ notification underneath your text. You tap to resend, not that it does any good. You can clearly see that thereâs no signal out here. You still tap the resend button a few times out of frustration before sighing and giving up. Davidâs inevitable hissy-fit when you get home is going to drive your anxiety up the wall this week.
âHey, PâŚPenny?â you ask, interrupting whatever your friend was going on about.
She looks taken aback that youâve spoken for the first time in what must have been an hour. However, her surprised look is immediately replaced with a smile. âYeah? Whatâs up?â
âIs there going to b-be Wi-Fi here?â The question makes you feel silly, as if youâre some sort of teen blogger who canât live without the internet.
Penny bites her lip and pauses in thought, then shrugs. âI donât remember Mason or Conrad saying anything about Wi-Fi. I can ask when we get up there, though.â
âThat w-would mean a lot. Thanks, Penny.â
âWhat are friends for? Anyway, as I was sayingâŚâ
You zone out once more as Penny continues with whatever sheâd been talking about before. If she says something important that demands your attention, sheâll let you know. Your focus is drawn to the enormous mansion that this âhouseâ party is supposed to take place in. Youâd known that there were some rich kids at your school, but youâd never seen proof of it like this before. Penny leads you up the stairway entrance, never for a moment pausing her conversation to gape at the veranda like you do. Itâs furnished with benches, tables, and several types of chairs. The stone walls that separate the porch from the front lawn are decorated with hanging plants, vines, and potted plants. You make a mental note that you want your future home to look like this when youâre an adult.
Penny knocks on the massive front door. Itâs probably as tall as three people stacked. However, when the door opens, itâs a smaller subsection of the door that opens and not the entire thing. A baby-faced blond boy in a gray hoodie, about your height and a little more massive in stature than you, smiles at the two of you.
âHey, Penny!â he greets. He opens his mouth to welcome you, but somewhere along the way, you see him realize that he doesnât know you. The boy settles into an awkward half-smile and addresses you. âIâve, uh, seen you around school, right? Iâm Conrad.â
âThis is Annie,â Penny introduces you, bouncing on her heels. She grabs your hand, then takes one of Conradâs and squishes your palms together in the clammiest handshake youâve ever experienced. You and Conrad laugh awkwardly, both of you retracting your hands once she lets go.
âAlright, well, nice to meet you, Annie.â His expression is kind, but you feel like he would prefer not to have to meet you again. Thatâs just your feeling, though. He steps aside and out of the way, gesturing at a wooden coat rack positioned by the door. âHereâs where you guys can hang your jackets.â
You start to protest that you would prefer to keep your coat on, but Penny is happy to start peeling your jacket away from you before you can get any words out.
âIâll hang your coat up for you, Ann.â Sensing your attachment to your favorite brown coat, Penny then says, âI promise that youâll get way too hot in here if you keep it on.â
âAhâokay.â You let your hands fall in defeat. You usually wear the coat everywhere as a sort of comfort item, but you donât have it in you to argue with your best friend. âThanks, P-PennyâŚâ
âYouâre early, I guess. Or uh, on time, and everyone else is late.â Conrad lets Penny hang your coat, then checks his shiny, expensive-looking watch. âI didnât really expect everyone to be here on the dot, ha-ha.â
âSo, Conrad,â Penny starts. She turns from the coat rack then hefts her backpack up onto her other shoulder. You hear various belongings clattering inside the bulging bag. âYou got any Wi-Fi here?â
âNah, no Wi-Fi. Whatâs the point of a party if everyone just sits there on their phones, dude?â
âUhh, so that we can post all the pics and videos weâre taking? Duh,â Penny teases.
Conrad laughs as he leads you two upstairs. The staircase spirals upward, and you feel sick trying to guess how much the stairs alone cost to build.
âPost all that after the party, man.â The three of you reach the top of the stairs. âIâll tell you what, though, no internet was almost a dealbreaker for Mason. I had to practically beg him to come. Dudeâs basically a teen blogger.â
Penny laughs, and you give a polite âha,â although you have no clue who Mason is.
âYeah, sounds like him,â Penny comments. âWhatâd you have to promise him to get him to come? Landon told me it was, like, a whole diplomatic thing.â
âEh.â Conrad shrugs. He leads you and Penny down a long stretch of hallway overlooking the first level of the house. A wooden banister with fancy carvings in it is the only thing between you and a ten-foot-or-so fall. âI mean, the whole conversation took place while we were playing video games. I wouldnât call it âdiplomaticâ or anything.â
âYou still didnât answer my question,â Penny teased, sidling up to Conrad in a fashion that was a little too friendly for your own comfort.
You only catch a glimpse of Conradâs face as he glances at Penny, but a blush is visible on his fair, freckled skin. âI mean, I just promised, like, food and stuff.â
âLike banana-shaped orââ
âHereâs your room,â Conrad stresses, stopping in front of a door. He gestures inside the open room, most of his face red. âIâll be downstairs if you need me. Feel free to explore after youâre unpacked ân stuff.â
Penny catches Conradâs arm before he hurries off. âDâaw, I was just teasing. You donât have to get so flustered.â
Conrad mumbles something that you canât hear, and Penny lets out a boisterous laugh. âOkay, okay. Go on, then.â
Conrad is released from Pennyâs grasp, and before he scurries away, he faces you. His face is less red now, and heâs smiling. âSeriously, if you need anything, just let me know, okay? Pennyâs been here before, so she kind of knows her way around, but it can be pretty confusing your first time here.â
âSheâll be fine!â Penny wraps her arm around your shoulder and rocks you back and forth playfully, shooing Conrad away with her hand. âGet out of here.â
You have to say, Penny smells nice. Your cheeks grow warm, but youâre lucky that itâs hard to make out blush on black skin. The moment doesnât last long as Pennyâs hand falls to grasp yours and tug you into the room that you two will be sharing for the next week.
There are two beds, one on either side of the room. You immediately fall in love with the bedsheets on the left one, giving Penny comically big eyes as she glances at you. Sheâs frozen, and her bag is a few inches away from being dropped on the bed to claim it. You two stare at each other for a silent moment.
You pout your lower lip. âP-Please?â
Penny sighs loudly and dramatically whips her backpack away from the surface of the bed. Her momentum carries her all the way to the other side of the room. There, she then falls onto the sheets in a fantastic whirl of drama.
âFineâ is her anti-climactic response.
âThank you!â You hop onto the bed with the pretty seashell covers, pulling your backpack off and starting to pull everything out.
Penny rolls over on her bed, slipping out of the strap of her bag, and watches you unpack. Everything is just as neat and orderly as you remembered packing it. Your inhaler is on the top, followed by neat squares of shirts, underwear, and socks. Two pairs of jeans and a few extra skirts round out the bottom of your backpack. You decide to take advantage of the pretty blue dresser at the end of your bed and store your clothing in there. Your friend follows suit, unpacking her clothes and putting themâmore messily than youâin the salmon-colored dresser at the end of her bed.
âSo,â Penny looks to you, âare you excited about this week?â
âUm.â You shrug meekly. âNot⌠really.â
âWhat! Why not?â Penny pauses her unpacking to stare you down for answers.
âWâŚW-WellâŚâ You cross your arms and avoid looking at your friend, who is gazing intensely at you. âI mean, you know that Iâm not really the b- b- b⌠Iâm not good at socializing. Also, I literally donât know anyone coming to the party.â
âOh.â Penny sounds like sheâd been expecting something grander. Still, she shrugs. âMaybe this will help you come out of your cage more! Youâre always talking about how you donât have any friends. Well, nowâs the time to make some!â
You grunt in a tone thatâs neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Penny comes over to your side of the room, smiling at you as she takes your hands into hers.
âYouâll be okay. I promise,â Penny tells you.
Something about the genuity in her eyes is comforting. You finally smile back at her, provoking a heart-warming laugh from her.
âThereâs my girl! Thatâs what Iâm looking for!â Penny shakes your hands up and down with hers, grinning at your tickled laugh.
âOh, stop it.â You slide your hands out of hers and playfully slap at her. âGo finish putting away your clothes.â
âFine, fine.â Penny unceremoniously dumps the rest of her bag into the drawer. You shake your head at her messiness when she tosses her bag to the floor.
âYouâre never going to find anything in there.â
âIf Iâm meant to find it, it will appear on the top,â Penny tells you matter-of-factly.
âSureâŚâ You roll your eyes.
âWell, while you take your sweet time organizing your drawers, Iâm gonna go freshen up. I wonât be gone long!â
âWâŚW-What do you need to freshen up for?â you ask dubiously. âYou showered before we left.â
âAnnie, sweetie, this is an upperclassman high school party.â
âAndâŚ?â
âAnd that means there are mature boys here who wonât want to hang around a sophomore that smells like this.â
You scrunch your nose at her. âI donât know if mature boys should b-b-be hanging around sophomores at all, Penny.â
Penny waves your concerns away. âWhatever. Youâre probably just a late bloomer.â
âWhatever,â you mimic Penny. âGo get all sexy-fied or w-w-whatever youâre going to do.â
You earn a giggle from Penny. She picks out some crumpled-up clothes from the drawer, along with some bathroom condiments, before leaving the room. With your friend gone, youâre left with nothing but the sound of incoming guests downstairs. You can make out Conradâs loud voice amidst the chatter, although youâre not sure that thereâs a lot of people anyway.
You pull your phone out once more like the internet-deprived teenager you are. Luckily, you thought ahead and had downloaded some digital books onto your phone before leaving for the ferry this afternoon. A few taps bring some sappy romance novel onto your screen. Youâd rather die than let anybody know you love romance novels, but, thankfully, so far, youâre the only person who knows what you like to read. The only way you could be more comfortable right now is if you were wearing your coat.
Out of the corner of your eye, you see some shadowy movement. Your heart skips a beat, and you whip your head up. Imagining things and being paranoid can be scary, but whatâs worse is when you didnât imagine things after all. You yelp in surprise when you see a pale boy with emo-looking black hair leaning with his back against your doorframe. He wears thick sunglasses, even though heâs inside, and youâre especially unnerved because you canât see his eyes to tell what heâs thinking. He stares at the ground, unmoving and silent. Your yelp didnât seem to affect him either.
You expect the boy with ripped jeans, a gray sweatshirt, and a black t-shirt underneath it to start walking toward youâor do anything, reallyâbut he doesnât. You stare at him awkwardly and wait for him to say something. Again, he doesnât. Instead of him saying anything, you hear the distant sound of a toilet flushing. Another boyâs voice comes from the hallway outside your room.
âAâight bro, you pick out a room yet?â
The emo-looking boy gestures into your room, and you shrink in your bed nervously. A chubby Asian boy comes into view, peering into your room. His black hair is messy and pushed back with what looks like an obscene amount of hair gel.
âAhââ he smiles, and you notice a cute gap in his upper front teeth, âthis roomâs actually ocupado, dude.â
âOh.â The boy looks in your direction, but no recognition of your existence crosses his face. âReally? Conrad said that there was, like, nobody here.â
The chubby boy with the surfer-dude voice nudges the smaller one with his elbow. âHe said we were early.â He looks to you and waves, then escorts the emo boy away from your doorway and, you guess, down to the next available room.
Penny returns shortly after, not giving you enough time to mull over your awkward social encounter nor read much of your romance novel. You heave a sigh and shut your phone off as she digs around in her dresser.
âHey,â you grab her attention. âThere was a weird b-boy in the doorway before you came in.â
âA weird boy?â Penny asks, glancing at you with perfume in her hand. âWhat did he look like?â
âUm. He looked kâŚk-kind of emo. You know, with the swooshing hair?â You gesture to give Penny an idea.
âWas he wearing sunglasses?â
âYeah! Do you know him?â
Penny gives you the so-so hand gesture. âHis nameâs Shyanne. Heâs harmless, so you donât need to worry about him.â
âHe k-kind of gave me the creepsâŚâ You pull your knees up to your chest and hug them.
Penny shrugs. âI mean, I donât know the guy personally. Iâve dated his friend before, though.â
âThe surfer boy?â
Penny laughs, repeating your question. âSurfer boy?â
âYou know! All the âdudeâs and âbroâs and stuff. He sounds like heâs from California.â
âHave you ever even been to California?â
âNo, but thatâs what all the California surfer boys are like on TV.â
You smile at Penny, and she shakes her head playfully. âAnyway,â she says, âyes, thatâs the boy.â
âDoes surfer b-boy have a name?â
âHis nameâs Dillon.â
âOh my god, he even has a surfer b-boy name.â
âAnnie, stop, oh my god.â Penny laughs and slaps at the air in your direction.
You relax, letting your knees fall while you both giggle at the conversation. Penny steps in front of the full-length mirror hung on the closet door and takes the time to fix her hair. You must admit that she looks cute when she doesnât have three inches of makeup on her face. Her eyes really make her mass of facial freckles pop, plus thereâs no mascara to take away from how pretty her eyes are.
Penny pulls out her makeup kit and rests it on top of the dresser while applying her makeup in the mirror. Once, you had asked her why she wears so much makeup so often. Penny had talked about hating her freckles and that they made her look nerdy. Another reason of hers was that she hated that she looked identical to, well, her identical twin. Penny wanted something to differentiate herself from her sister. Even though they look similar, you believe that she and her sister are really nothing alike.
They both wear their skin and identity differently. Penny is a lot more girly with shoulder-length hair and usually some sort of flirtatious, excited, or mischievous look on her face. Bailey is more of a tomboy, her hair in a boy-cut that gets her mistaken as a boy often, and usually a grave, tired, or bored look on her face. Penny loves wearing stylish, form-fitting clothes of all colors to accentuate her features. Meanwhile, Bailey prefers neutral or dark colors and worn-out, baggy clothes that make her look like, in your opinion, a mysterious blob of cloth.
âAre you p..p-p-planning on wearing makeup the entire week?â you ask curiously.
âWell, anytime a boyâs around at least,â comes her reply as she applies her mascara.
You roll your eyes. âYouâre going to give yourself so much acne. A b-boy seeing your face wonât be the end of the world.â You recline in your bed. âWhat if you want to go swimming?â
âHah!â Penny doesnât glance at you while she focuses on her makeup. âYou think I wouldnât bring waterproof makeup?â
You wrinkle your nose. âYouâre already so p-pretty without makeup, though.â Much prettier than you, you think, but you donât say it. You cross your arms and pout instead. âMakeup should be something you use to empower yourself, not to hide your face âcause you donât like it.â
Penny hums, ignoring you for a few moments until she reaches a point she can talk. âIt is empowering meâitâs empowering my chances with boys.â
âYou know what I meant.â
Penny smiles in response, and you simply watch her routine. You donât usually wear makeup. One, because you honestly just donât feel pretty enough for it or worthy of looking nice. Two, youâve had bad experiences before in middle school, where other kids decided to splash you with anything that they could find to ruin your makeup. That was before youâd met Penny, though.
Meeting Penny had significantly improved your social status, although that wasnât why you were friends with her. You werenât entirely sure why she became friends with youâmaybe she just felt bad for you and ended up actually liking you? Regardless, sheâd given you a lot of makeup tips since then, plus more than a few free makeovers. You could never turn down the opportunity for your beautiful best friend to play with your hair or touch your face for hours.
Penny draws you out of your thoughts when she turns around and gestures at herself. âWell? How do I look?â
You sit up with a smile. âGorgeous as always, Penny.â
âOh, stop it, you liar,â Penny wrinkles her nose at you playfully. âYou always say the same thing.â
âI always say the same thing b-because itâs true!â You get up out of your bed, sensing that Penny is about ready to go hunt for some boys. âIâll stop saying it when it stops being true.â
Penny blows a raspberry at you and doesnât reply. She retrieves her purse from beside her bed, then turns to you. âYou ready?â
You gesture at yourself lamely. âReady as Iâll ever be.â Then you point at her bag. âWhat d-do you need your purse for?â
âA lady always brings her purse,â Penny replies in a stuffy accent. She smiles. âNever know if Iâll need something from it.â
âP-Packrat.â
Downstairs, there are more people than youâd expected there to be. You suppose that while youâd been distracted by Penny, you didnât notice the increase in background chatter. As you both reach the bottom of the stairs, you see Conrad walking out of the kitchen in your direction. Heâs wearing a white apron with the word âSTUDâ printed above an illustration of a muffin. Penny gasps at his apron and squeals in delight.
âThat is SUCH a cute apron!â
Conrad blushesâhe seems to blush very easilyâand looks away shyly. âThanks! Sasha got it for me.â
Ah, yet another person youâve never met. You love how easily included you are in these conversations. They never make you feel like youâre an awkward third wheel at all.
Penny raises her eyebrows as if sheâs scandalized. âOh? As in a gift from your girlfriend?â
Conrad shushes her loudly, hitting at the air in her direction. He nods his head toward the couch where a light-skinned black girl is lounging and sharing her handheld game with a short Asian boy. You donât know much about Conrad, but youâve got the feeling that he would be attracted to bold girls who take charge of a situation just based on his reactions to Penny.
Sasha has her cleavage out for the world to see, breasts cupped by her skinny crop top. Her pierced belly button below is hard to ignore, and her belly just slightly pooches over the waistband of her daisy dukes. Half her head is shaved, the other half in long, colorful dreads. She has multiple ear piercings in each ear. The polish on her short nails is chipped, revealing several layers of assorted colors as if she canât bother to take the time to do them correctly. Around her neck, completely clashing with her clothing ensemble, is a small brown pendant hanging from a black cord around her neck. It looks handmade from what you can tell, and lumpy, with a white âSâ in the middle on one side.
You donât really blame Conrad for liking this girl. She seems like a heartthrob, and for the few seconds that youâve known this girl, you must admit that youâve developed just a little bit of a crush as well.
Sasha doesnât seem to notice that sheâs the topic of Penny and Conradâs conversation. She seems more invested in whatever the small Asian boy is doing in her game. Sasha repeatedly jabs his arm with her finger and shouts excitedly like a sports bar customer watching a nerve-wracking football game. At one point, she grabs him by the purple acrylic pendant around his neck to yell at him, and he shoves her away, shouting back playfully. Penny laughs at Conradâs reaction but lets the topic go. Conrad wipes his hands off on his apron, flustered.
âSo, how do you guys like it so far?â he changes the subject.
âObviously, itâs awesome,â Penny answers. You donât get a chance to respond when Penny wraps her arm around your shoulder and rocks you side to side. âAnnie and I are so excited about this week. We were just talking about going swimming earlier, actually.â
You force a smile, despite feeling utterly unenthused about spending your spring break here. Conrad smiles, seeming genuinely happy about Pennyâs answer.
âWell, good! I just want everyone to have fun. No drama, just friends hanging out, you know?â Conrad says. Penny nods enthusiastically.
âAs a side note,â Conrad continues, âtry to stick to swimming in the pool. Thereâs nothing wrong with wading out into the ocean, but just try not to go in too deep and try to stay off the rocks.â
âWhyâs that?â Penny asks.
âBunch of safety reasons,â Conrad answers. âLike, rip currents can drag you out to sea and drown you if you donât know what to do. Shorebreak can really mess you up if the waterâs real choppy. Uhh⌠all the way out here, there are more sharks than thereâd be on a regular beach.â
You shudder. The ocean is terrifying.
âYou really think one of us could get eaten by a shark?â Penny asks.
Conrad shrugs. âI mean, itâs more likely that youâd get taken by a rip current and drown than anything else. Maybe if you got taken really far out by a current, there is a chance sharks would want a nibble, but sharks are actually pretty avoidant of humans.â
âDang.â Penny looks to you for your comments, and you shrug.
âIâm okay w-with just using the pool.â You hug yourself. âI donât really like the ocean anyway. Itâs too big, and thereâs way too much in it.â
âAgreed,â Conrad nods. He glances back at the kitchen. âHey, do you guys want to help prep for dinner? Itâs just Mason and me right now.â
âOh, I dunno, Annie and I might smoke everyone out,â Penny teases.
âPlease donât,â you frown at Penny. âIâve got enough stuff triggering my asthma without a smoke storm. Oh! Speaking ofâŚâ
You feel around your pockets, although you clearly remember leaving your inhaler upstairs.
âI have to go get my inhaler. I left it in our room. Iâll meet you guys in the k-kitchen.â
âAlright, be yourself, make friends, donât die,â Penny jokes.
Dearly Beloathed is a thriller novel that revolves around a group of schoolmates who travel to enjoy their spring break at a week-long high school party on an inescapable island. Annie is dragged to this party by her best friend Penny. We see the story told from Annieâs perspective.
The story begins with Annie and Penny reaching the house the party was going to be held in. Penny introduces Annie to her friends and Annie starts to feel like she belongs there. As the day progressed, Annie finds a couple of crumpled up diary sheets containing strange and frightening passages. Annie doesnât think much of it at that time. But, soon after, two of the people in the house are murdered.
Nobody is above suspicion. Everybody is scared and does not know what to do next. Annie starts finding more bizarre notes and it turns out it is somehow connected to the murders. They are stranded on a remote island with a murderer and no way of getting outside help.
One person steps up and begins the investigation into finding the murderer. It turns out to be mostly people accusing each other. Many secrets are revealed awkwardly. There are a few moments of proper investigation that uncovers more secrets. We donât get to figure out who the murderer is till the end.
More people get murdered and it starts getting confusing. There is a lot of chaos at times and everything becomes calm at times as if there wasnât a murderer on the loose. Relationships get entangled and undone in the mess. It felt rushed by the end.
There were many issues addressed in this book which was refreshing. But the execution wasnât on-point all the time. The book never clicked for me. I could not connect with the characters. The ending felt inadequate for me. I expected more on the thriller side but it was mostly about the characters and their secrets.