The Stranger Game

When Nico Morris’s older sister mysteriously disappears, her parents, family, and friends are devastated. But Nico can never admit what she herself feels: relief at finally being free of Sarah’s daily cruelties.

Then the best and worst thing happens: four years later, after dozens of false leads, Sarah is found.

But this girl is much changed from the one Nico knew. She’s thin and drawn, when Sarah had been golden and athletic; timid and unsure, instead of brash and competitive; and strangest of all, sweet and kind, when she had once been mean and abusive. Sarah’s retrograde amnesia has caused her to forget almost everything about her life, from small things like the plots of her favorite books and her tennis game to the more critical—where she’s been the last four years and what happened at the park on the fateful day she vanished. Despite the happy ending, the dark details of that day continue to haunt Nico, and it becomes clear that more than one person knows the true story of what happened to Sarah. . . .

• Missing Sister: For four years, Nico’s sister Sarah was gone. Now a girl claiming to be her is back, but this kind, timid stranger is nothing like the cruel sister Nico remembers.
• Sibling Rivalry: Nico was secretly relieved when her abusive older sister vanished. Now that Sarah is back and acting sweet, Nico is the only one who finds her terrifying.
• Unreliable Narrator: Nico is the only one who remembers what really happened the day her sister disappeared. As the lies pile up, her own secret might be the most dangerous one of all.
• Amnesia Thriller: This new Sarah can’t remember the last four years or the cruel person she used to be. Is the memory loss real, or part of a terrifying game?