That's Not My Name: A Pulse-Pounding YA Thriller of Secrets, Lies, and Betrayal

4.5 rounding up. Great book. Loved the dual POV, and the twist was good and believable. Lally does suspense well, and there was never a dull moment in the plot. Writing pulled me along. I liked both of the main characters and was equally invested in their story lines. Definitely a recommend from me! Ok a side note, for the typography and editing, there were at least three separate places in the book where quotes were misplaced, like snippets of a sentence that were clearly supposed to be part of the dialogue or were character action descriptors. Example on pg 111 (paperback): "I sigh. She got in a fight--"

This was a very exciting, fast piece novel with a humongous twist at the end. This was my first novel by Megan Lilly and I really enjoyed it. The protagonist Drew is very like-able and the supporting cast is developed very nicely. At the beginning of the story, a young lady is wandering a lonely road, unsure of where she is. When a deputy spots her, he brings her to the station where he learns she has no memory of who she is, or what she was doing in the woods. Soon, her father shows up to the station, explaining how he was looking for her. He cannot explain what may have happened to her memory, but shows various photos of her as his daughter. The deputy is still somewhat unsure, so he agrees to follow the father to their cabin where he has more identification information (birth certificate, etc). The young girl is a little skeptical herself The same time acknowledges that her “father” is very kind to her, but she decides to call him by his name, Wayne. Then we hear from Drew. Drew is the boyfriend. He’s also the main suspect in his girlfriend’s Lola’s disappearance. The town sheriff who is also the father of one of Lola‘s best friends is sure Drew is behind the disappearance. The story then alternate chapters between Drew and the girlfriend being held captive. But there is a twist. A doozy of a twist… This book is definitely worth reading by anyone who enjoys psychological suspense, thrillers, mysteries, or just a good fast-paced story.

I ended up really loving this book—it’s a thriller with a twist that definitely paid off in the end. At first, I was a little skeptical because it had a bit of a Nancy Drew, high school vibe that I just couldn’t fully get into. But once the story picked up and everything started coming together, the ending made it all worth it. Great storytelling and a really satisfying payoff in the end!

Sigh, I wavered between 3.5-4 ⭐️ rating for a few reasons. First of all, this book is very much a YA read. The author is definitely a liberal. And some of the characters were quite annoying. Trying to be funny when they were anything but. Okay, so those are the things I didn’t like about the book. I did very much like the mystery though. The author redeemed herself by the way she dropped breadcrumbs of the twist at the end. In addition, I’m a mother of two teen girls. I can’t even begin to imagine what a parent(s) would be going through should something this catastrophic happens to their child. She even brought me to tears twice and I’m not a crier. Oh how I wish the book ended differently (as I’m a sucker for a HEA) however it did give some hope and relief. The story begins with a girl waking up in a ditch near a deserted road in the middle of the night. She’s bruised up and bloody. Has no idea how she ended up there and worse no idea who she is. A cop finds her and calls an ambulance. Yet she refuses to go the hospital…..why? That didn’t make a stitch of sense. Especially since she didn’t know who she was. The officer brings her to the station and tries to research who she might be but comes up blank. An older man comes running into the precinct to claim his daughter as missing when he sees her. He claims she is his missing teen daughter Mary who was in a car accident. The officer takes every precaution and insists the man must show proof, which he (Wayne) has no issue with and even allows the officer back to his cabin in the woods to check it out and make sure Mary is who Wayne claims she is. But there are many odd things that don’t make sense. Like Mary doesn’t have any clothing, they can’t locate Mary’s vehicle and Wayne is ridiculously possessive of her. She has a feeling her name isn’t Mary but Wayne has all this evidence that she is. So she waits for her memory to return. Then there is Drew, Max and Autumn. These are friends of a girl named Lola that has been missing over a month. Drew is Lola’s boyfriend and being blamed for her disappearance- which in a way he is. He’s annoying at best. So are the other two, however you feel for Drew bc he is being painted this awful person by people he’s known his entire life. He has to find Lola to clear his name but also bc he still cares about her. After pointless chapters of bickering, the three of them finally pool their heads together and begin to play detectives to track down Lola when a lead comes in (that Autumn’s dad (who is the towns sheriff) chooses to ignore bc he wants Drew to be the prime suspect). Sadly, there are good police officers and bad ones. Autumn’s dad is not one of the good ones. The savvy teens end up in the same town Lola was last seen…..do they find her before it’s too late?? Does Mary get her memories back? Why does Wayne want to keep a girl as his daughter if she’s really not?? All these questions and then some get answered. And the best part is the author tells you the answers the entire time throughout the book. You just have to connect the dots…….,

This is a really entertaining yet twisted book, that I easily guessed from the first few chapters. I am rarely shocked anymore, but it was still a great read if you enjoy mystery thrillers. It felt a little young (but the story is about high school students lol), yet it was written really well and not your typical ending.

was one of those books where so many things are missed in the best way — and that’s exactly why it works so well. Nothing is overexplained. Nothing is spoon-fed. The story trusts you to stay engaged, to notice what feels off, and to sit with unanswered questions until they matter. The core is an amnesia + kidnapping thriller, but the structure is what really shines. The way information is withheld feels intentional, not sloppy. There are gaps — but they’re purposeful gaps. Moments where you think something might be a plot hole, only to realize later that it was a choice. And yes… I absolutely missed some things on the first pass, which only made the payoff better. The FMC was strong and kind, even while questioning everything around her. That balance mattered. She never felt passive — just human. The MMC, though? Easily one of the best parts of the book. Honest, steady, and clearly in love with Lola in a way that felt grounded and earned. No ego, no games — just sincerity. Pacing was perfect. It hooked me fast and never let go. I flew through it because it kept rewarding attention rather than relying on shock. Every reveal felt earned, and the story absolutely stuck the landing. I might’ve cried if I hadn’t been racing the clock at the end of the night. ⭐ Final Rating: 5 stars Best part: the intentional restraint — the way the author respects the reader’s intelligence Re-read potential: probably not, but I’ll definitely recommend Who should read/listen: If you love smart, quietly tense thrillers that trust you to think, notice patterns, and connect dots without being guided every step of the way, this is absolutely worth your time. Especially good for readers who appreciate craft and restraint over nonstop action.

That’s Not My Name is a tense, dual-POV thriller that kept me flipping pages late into the night. The story opens with a chilling mystery: a girl found on the side of the road with no memory, and it ramps up from there. Told through the alternating perspectives of the amnesiac girl (possibly named Mary) and Drew, the boyfriend of a missing girl named Lola, the book weaves two timelines that gradually converge. The tension is thick, and Megan Lally does a great job of keeping the reader guessing. Who can be trusted? What’s real and what’s manipulation? I really appreciated how the story balanced suspense with emotional depth. The characters felt raw and believable, especially as they struggled through fear, grief, and hope. The pacing was solid, with a few slower moments, but overall the momentum held strong. My only reason for not giving it five stars is that the ending felt just a touch rushed, and I wanted a bit more resolution, but it was still satisfying and well done. A great pick for fans of twisty YA thrillers with heart, trauma recovery, and a strong mystery thread.

I thought this was a very good book and I loved the ending. It was very engaging and held my attention. I didn’t like the fact that the main character had two dads. I almost stopped reading it here. As others have said, the author is very liberal. But I forgave her for that and enjoyed the book. I bought this book several months ago and didn’t remember it was for young adults so even though I am old, I still enjoyed it. The book needed better proofreaders, as other have mentioned but overall, I would definitely recommend it.

Just finished "that's not my name" by Megan Lally. Here's what I thought of this book. First off all, it was hyped up on a Facebook group where people said this was an absolute 5 star read, after reading I get why they said it, but it's not a 5 star for me. That's not my name all but suggest what the book is about now doesn't it. We have a teen girl named Lola missing, we have a girl that can't remember a thing, found, and a boy named Drew who has been pointed out as a suspect in the disappearance of Lola. A girl in a ditch wakes up but doesn't remember how she got there, and why does everything hurt so much? She has to move, a feeling of dread has her somewhat alert. After walking for a bit, a police cruiser passes and stops. At the police station she can't tell much, she just doesn't know. She doesn't even remember her name. That's when they hear a knock on the door.. "thank god! You found her! You found my Mary" The man, named Wayne claims he is the father of this girl, Mary? So.. That's her name? The police has been right to be hesitant, but after showing her birth certificate and documents he places her in his care. But, was that the right choice? Is Mary really, Mary? Lola has been missing for 5 weeks now, there is no sign of her, it's like she vanished into thin air. Drew, her boyfriend has been the main suspect and the sheriff is closing in. Drew on the other hand, has been spending all his money on printing fliers, missing person fliers. He's the only one that doesn't give up. She has to be somewhere, right? After a bit of investigating with Max and Autumn they have a lead, only no one seems to listen. So they chose to check it out themselves. What will they find? That's for you to find out. 4 star read! The end had my heart in pieces.

It was great!!

Libro gradevole, scorre in fretta. Il plot twist finale nobn è così inaspettato o triste come invece dicono le altre recensioni. Io sono abituata ai libri di Freida MacFadden perciò non ho dato per scontato alcune cose e non sono rimasta sorpresa dal finale. E' comunque un libro godibile.

Absolutely cracking debut from Megan Lally, I could not put this down. Whilst it's billed as a YA novel due to the fact that the main characters are high-school age, any fan of psychological thrillers with a serial killer twist would enjoy this book. Well observed characters, written with Sass, and keeps you guessing in all the best ways. Superb book!

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