Yvonne Woon's My Flawless Life is a dramatic YA thriller featuring a young woman who is unusually adept at both concealing and uncovering secrets.
Two years ago, whenever anyone at elite Washington, D.C., private school St. Francis needed a problem to go away, they called Hana Yang Lerner. The "fixer" could bury any secret and fix any problem--except those in her own home. Her dad, Senator Skip Lerner, was arrested for a hit-and-run and Hana's reputation plummeted as her father's infamy spiked. "The media liked to use euphemisms when talking about me," she says in her candid first-person narration, "I was exotic, they'd say, which is code for mixed-race. I had almond-shaped eyes, which was code for part-Chinese.... I was blossoming into a beautiful young woman, which meant I was old enough to receive the male gaze." It is a surprise, then, when the now 17-year-old senior receives an anonymous message asking her to help her ex-best friend, Luce Herrera. The text promises a hefty payment and Hana believes this fix has the potential to restore her social status and revive her old friendships. But being a fixer for the rich and powerful is a dangerous occupation.
My Flawless Life is an exhilarating mystery and beautifully written coming-of-age novel. In short accessible chapters, Woon (If You, Then Me) covers privilege, guilt, incarceration, identity, family, friendship and morality. As Hana unravels years of St. Francis's twisted secrets, the ones affecting her family are laid bare. The sheer abundance of gut-punching revelations will likely shock readers. --Natasha Harris, freelance reviewer