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The Girl in the Park

3.49 of 5 stars 3.49 · rating details · 650 ratings · 201 reviews

When Wendy Geller's body is found in Central Park after the night of a rager, newspaper headlines scream,"Death in the Park: Party Girl Found Strangled." But shy Rain, once Wendy's best friend, knows there was more to Wendy than just "party girl." As she struggles to separate the friend she knew from the tangle of gossip and headlines, Rain becomes determined to discover t...more

Hardcover, 224 pages

Published April 24th 2012 by Schwartz & Wade

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Jan 14, 2013 Karen Yingling rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

When Wendy's mother calls Rain very early in the morning asking if Rain saw her former friend at a party the night before, we know something is wrong. When Wendy's body later shows up traumatized at a playground in Central Park, the girls' entire private school is thrown into chaos. At first, police suspect a vagrant in the killing, but soon Nico, a popular boy whom Wendy was trying to steal away from Sasha, becomes a suspect because of Wendy's interest in him. Rain is very effected by the murde...more

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Mar 21, 2012 Yarethzia rated it 3 of 5 stars

First of all, thanks to random house for sending me the book. Second of all, mystery is not really the genre I usually read but hey, they were nice enough to send me the book so why not read it? I'm glad I read it, really. This is by far the best mystery book I've read in ages. There's so many clues all over the place for Rain, once Wendy's best friend, to help figure out who Wendy's murder is but for her to actually help, she has to speak up. This book captures the secret lives of many teenager...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Kennedy Albers added it

This book was out of my comfort zone. I did not enjoy it as I much as I thought I would. It was to unusual and everything just happened to perfectly fall into place. I believe this book could of been better if it had added things that sounded like real life scenario. Mariah Fredericks did a horrendous job of making the characters come to life, well at least in my opinion.

This book is about a shy girl named Rain struggling to find the murder of her use-to-be best friend, Wendy Geller. Rain alway...more This book was out of my comfort zone. I did not enjoy it as I much as I thought I would. It was to unusual and everything just happened to perfectly fall into place. I believe this book could of been better if it had added things that sounded like real life scenario. Mariah Fredericks did a horrendous job of making the characters come to life, well at least in my opinion.

This book is about a shy girl named Rain struggling to find the murder of her use-to-be best friend, Wendy Geller. Rain always thought that Wendy was a try-hard, that she would never take no for an answer. One night Wendy had dragged Rain to a girl named Sasha's party. Sasha has a boyfriend named Nico, who Wendy adored. Wendy was boy crazy, in every way. She was the kind of girl that went for another girls boyfriend. Rain had been Wendy's ride home, so when Wendy told Rain she didn't need a ride, Rain immediately left. Rain had a speech problem. When she was born she had no roof to her mouth, so doctors had to pull the sides of her mouth in, leaving a hole in the roof of her mouth.

The next morning Rain gets a call from Wendy's mother, saying that Wendy had not come home the previous night. Rain told her that she must have slept over at Sasha's house. Unfortunately later that day, a girl was found dead in the park. The body was Wendy Geller. The school acted like they were at wreck by all of this, but many people thought Wendy deserved it. She had been beaten to death. With the talk of new work city as " Death in the park: Party girl found dead," rain new she had to stop it. She got a hold of the detective on the case of Wendy's death. The detective had told Rain a secret, that they found an E pin. An E pin was a gift given to the students that stood out that year. Wendy was not one of the students. Soon Rain started putting everything into place, Wendy wanted to leave with Nico, and Nico's girlfriend had 2 E pins. Had Nico's girlfriend given one to him, or had Sasha killed Wendy out of jealousy. No, it couldn't have been Sasha, because she had been in her room the whole time everything went down, Rain knew because she had checked on her before she left. It must have been Nico. (less)

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Nov 27, 2012 Jazmine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Suspense was always one of my favorite genres. And I love unexpected twists. In The Girl in the Park by Mariah Fredricks, I was overly satisfied. Murders are always happening, but this is a very special case.
High school girl Rain Donovan makes a monster out of a girl who just wanted to fit in. Rain being no where on the social radar herself, never liked to talk. When she was born, the roof of her mouth was only partially made. And many people made fun of her, even Wendy's boyfriend! He even s...more Suspense was always one of my favorite genres. And I love unexpected twists. In The Girl in the Park by Mariah Fredricks, I was overly satisfied. Murders are always happening, but this is a very special case.
High school girl Rain Donovan makes a monster out of a girl who just wanted to fit in. Rain being no where on the social radar herself, never liked to talk. When she was born, the roof of her mouth was only partially made. And many people made fun of her, even Wendy's boyfriend! He even stuck his finger in her mouth. After Rain gives Wendy the wrong advice, all Wendy wants is for someone to choose her for once. And what she means by that is for someone to dump their girlfriend for her.
But after party one night, Wendy Geller's body is found in Central Park, New York the next morning. Rain is determined to find out who did it. With out saying much, she finds out who did it. You will be surprised to find out who the killer is, and they blame someone else for it.
Rain Donovan is very shy. She doesn't like talking because it seems like she has a speech problem. And she has always been very insecure about it. Her best friend Wendy was known for stealing other people's boyfriends, and they had nothing in common. But Rain was the only person who actually cared about Wendy's problems. Rain is a listener, never a talker. That's the reason why people always spilled their guts to her at parties (Which she only went to, to make sure Wendy didn't take her top off or something.)When Wendy's body is found, it is all anyone can talk about. It's all over newspapers and TV stations. And Rain feels like people never saw the real Wendy Geller. And she wants to speak for Wendy, since she is the only person who really new her. Afraid, she speaks up for Wendy. She follows clue by clue. From Wendy's Facebook page, to an untrustworthy reporter, until she finds out who is really Wendy's murderer.
Personally, I like this character, she is courageous, and kind. I would be terrified to even go to a funeral, but this character has taught me that its okay to step out of my comfort zone. She also made it clear that some people judge you on your name and appearance. Not by the story that they don't even know. I love the irony in this story, because only the reader knows what Rain is thinking. This book will keep you at the edge of your seat wanting to find out Rain's daily thoughts. And in the end, you're going to want to solve a mystery like Rain!(less)

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Nov 15, 2012 Sandy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, library

I just loved the cover of this book and after reading the synopsis I was hooked. Wendy and Rain were once best friends but then Wendy starts to run on the wild side. Rain watches her friend wondering what happened, only knowing that deep down inside she knows the true Wendy. The Wendy she knows had a “huge heart and could keep a secret”. Rain doesn’t run with the crowd because she feels as if they are always staring and making fun of her, laughing at her cleft palate and the way that she talks....more I just loved the cover of this book and after reading the synopsis I was hooked. Wendy and Rain were once best friends but then Wendy starts to run on the wild side. Rain watches her friend wondering what happened, only knowing that deep down inside she knows the true Wendy. The Wendy she knows had a “huge heart and could keep a secret”. Rain doesn’t run with the crowd because she feels as if they are always staring and making fun of her, laughing at her cleft palate and the way that she talks. So Rain stands on the sidelines, mentally taking notes of everything. Wendy is getting quite a reputation with other peer’s boyfriends which she is quite proud of and the night of a big party is going to be no different. Wendy leaves the party alone, or so they say but her body is discovered the next day in the park. As the police scramble to piece the puzzle together, Rain does some investigating of her own as she feels she is the only person who has anything good to say about Wendy and she wants to uncover the truth. Was Wendy still dating Ellis at the time of the party and was he upset and take matter into his own hands or was it Nico, the guy she was trying to “catch “, the one she was talking about on her Facebook page? Rain points the finger at Nico and the police arrest him, but the drama doesn’t stop there, no way! Girl drama, more investigations and then we discover the link with the evidence. It was quite the page turner.

It’s not very often you read about a girl named Rain and even when she was wrong (which she was a few times) she didn’t give up. She was a strong character who took a strong beating from her classmates but she held on to what was important to her, her friendships and truthfulness. I had a hard time putting this book down as it moved along rather quickly. I really thought I had the pieces all figured out then I saw something else that changed my mind. This is a book for a mature reader as there is drinking and mentioning of sex throughout the book.
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Oct 17, 2012 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: female-deliberately-flaunts-safety, same-old-mean-girls, snotfest, young-adult

Some young adult books are so hard for me as an adult-adult.

The mystery was decent (honestly, I do not give a crap and a half about how quickly you were able to "figure it out," if you need a challenge that badly, go stare at a Magic Eye poster for a while ("It's a schooner!"), or do a million piece puzzle. Seriously, who cares. It doesn't make me think you have a big penis.), but not really the main drive of the book, I don't think. The heart stabber of the whole thing comes in on the last page...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, teen

Follows Rain through the process of finding out who murdered her once friend Wendy. It starts with all the kids from her school going to a party. The next morning Rain is awoken by her mother stating that Wendy’s mom is on the phone. Wendy’s mom is concerned as Wendy did not come home last night and she will not answer her phone. Rain advises that she is sure nothing is wrong that Wendy is probably at someone’s house. Later that morning the news hits that Wendy has been found in the park dead. R...more Follows Rain through the process of finding out who murdered her once friend Wendy. It starts with all the kids from her school going to a party. The next morning Rain is awoken by her mother stating that Wendy’s mom is on the phone. Wendy’s mom is concerned as Wendy did not come home last night and she will not answer her phone. Rain advises that she is sure nothing is wrong that Wendy is probably at someone’s house. Later that morning the news hits that Wendy has been found in the park dead. Rain knows that something is wrong, that something does not add up. Rain starts to investigate what happened after she left the party, also reliving moments from the party and the last few years of school with and without Wendy, trying to put things together. She soon confides in a teacher Mr. Farrell, whom she has a crush on, but knows that he is married with a child and would never put that in jeopardy for him. Rain begins to talk to a reporter, as well as certain people that attended the party to put it all together. She soon figures out that Nico Phelps committed the murder, why she was not sure, but as far as she knew and with the clues she had put together he did the crime. However, once she accuses Nico and he is arrested the school ends up coming after Rain especially his girlfriend Sasha, who kicks the crap out of Rain. Mr. Farrell rescues Rain and takes her home. Still something is not settling right with Rain. She ends up talking to the reporter again realizing the one clue she had that put Nico behind bars was the once clue that was wrong. She ends up talking to the schools secretary after running into her in the hall, she then talks to Nico about what really happened that night and started to figure out more and more, especially after talking to a classmate of Wendy’s. Nico is innocent and she realizes this and needs to correct this. She goes to Mr. Farrell and confronts him, stating she knows the truth. Mr. Farrell finally comes out with the whole story stating that Wendy and him were having an affair and he wanted to end it, as he realized that even though he did the right thing all his life this one wrong thing was going to be his undoing and he needed to end it while he still had a chance to. Wendy didn’t take to kindly too this as she was in love with him and wanted him to leave his wife for her. He refused. Being the loud boy crazy boyfriend stealer that she was she was going to blow this whole thing up in his face and rip his world apart. Mr. Farrall decided the night of the party they would meet and discuss the situation, things ended up turning horribly wrong and before he knew it he was strangling Wendy and killed her.

This was an amazing book, I did not know or suspect who the killer was at all, I had some ideas as to who it could be but I did not expect the teacher. This book kept the reader thinking and following the same clues Rain was finding and trying to put it altogether with her.
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Jul 29, 2012 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love a good mystery and this was a good mystery! There were lots of clues to "who dunnit" and I figured it out early but it didn't necessarily take away from the book.

Rain and Wendy used to be friends. They have grown apart though and don't talk much anymore. They attended the same party though and when Rain is woken up by a phonecall from Wendy's mom, things start to spiral downhill. Wendy's mom calls Rain to find out if Wendy is over there because she didn't come home that night. Rain had se...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Wandering Librarians rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, friendship, mystery, serious-issues, ya

Rain Donovan used to be best friends with Wendy, but they haven't really spoken in years. Early one morning, Wendy's body was discovered in a park. She'd been strangled. Rain wants to give Wendy justice, so she quietly starts investigating herself. Her first hunch, however, leads to the wrong person being accused. Now Rain is short on time to figure out what really happened, and the answer might be more then she's willing to face.

At first I didn't realize this was a mystery. I thought it was ano...more Rain Donovan used to be best friends with Wendy, but they haven't really spoken in years. Early one morning, Wendy's body was discovered in a park. She'd been strangled. Rain wants to give Wendy justice, so she quietly starts investigating herself. Her first hunch, however, leads to the wrong person being accused. Now Rain is short on time to figure out what really happened, and the answer might be more then she's willing to face.

At first I didn't realize this was a mystery. I thought it was another YA realistic fiction book about a girl found murdered. Have you noticed there are a lot of them in the past year or so? So I was in a particular mindset when I started reading it and was not ready for the twists and turns a mystery has.

After the first person was accused, but it clearly wasn't the right person, I realized what it was. Then I thought it was kind of a lame mystery because the actual killer was super obvious. But well done Mariah Fredericks because she put in several good twists that kept me guessing and I didn't actually figure out who really did until close to the end.

Rain was a complex character who had many reasons for doing what she did. Rain has a cleft palate, which causes a lisp. While she had speech therapy that helped, Rain is afraid to speak. She's a listener and an observer. At the end of her high school career, the role she's fallen in to is "the girl people can talk to." She nonthreatening and she listens. This puts her in a very good position for finding things out.

When Wendy first moved to town at the beginning of high school, she and Rain became friends, but Wendy always wanted to be in the popular crowd. Wendy was loud and brash and completely her own person, and yet she had an intense desire to be loved and wanted. This led her to hooking up with a lot of boys, and in many cases, hooking up with the boys who girlfriends had been cruel to her. This is important to know because after her death, there were some who felt "she got what she deserved." She was a slut, she should have been more careful, it's her own fault. Getting with a lot of different people and actively stealing other people's boyfriends is not something I support, but does it mean you deserve to get murdered? Sure doesn't. It leads us back to the, "but look at what she was wearing!" defense. It doesn't matter what a girl is wearing, she doesn't "deserve" to get attacked.

I liked that Rain had a very supportive mother who was actively a part of her life who loved and cared for her. She wasn't in the book a ton (and when I say she was supportive I don't mean she was supportive of her kid investigating a murder) but she was a refreshingly realistic parental character who wasn't having a meltdown or falling apart. She acted like an adult. It made me realize how rare it is to kind functioning adults in YA.

I ended up really enjoying this story, and while it's not Ellis Peters, it was a good and engaging mystery that kept me guessing. There were definitely a couple moments when I wanted to yell, "Rain, WTF are you doing? You know that's the murderer, why are you going off alone with this person?" But she had to so it could all have a dramatic conclusion and the murderer could reveal their whole dastardly plan. Because that's how it always works, right? (less)

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Jun 17, 2012 Courtney rated it 3 of 5 stars

I've been trying to get more mystery novels into my system so I gave The Girl in the Park a try. The main character, Rain, is the shy girl who makes friends with Wendy Geller, the girl in the park. When her boy is found in Central Park, Rain fails to acknowledge the rumrors and stories that drift around and go around trying to find the cultpit and clear the gossip.

This was a very easy and enjoyable read. Being from New York and taking countless trips into the city, it's always fun to read the se...more

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Jun 07, 2012 Becky Moe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, netgalley, suspense, ya

This book was intense, and had a more bittersweet ending than my usual preferred happy one, but I really liked it in the end. It explores friendship and belonging, betrayal and murder, all in the setting of an exclusive high school in New York City. Rain and Wendy, both on the fringes of the popular crowd at school, used to be friends--once. Times have changed, though, and they've turned into the kind of acquaintances who might only exchange a few words at a party or in the halls at school. The...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Kari rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-or-review-from-publisher-author, read-teen

A well crafted mystery with a interesting central character, The Girl in the Park pulls in some known elements in a well done way. Though the choppiness of the chapters and scenes, and the rapid switching between past and present, made it hard for me to fully delve into the book, there is still something addicting and intriguing about the book. Pulling in some rough emotional aspects, and having a quick pacing, The Girl in the Park is a fast but thrilling read.

Rain is more than just the shy girl...more A well crafted mystery with a interesting central character, The Girl in the Park pulls in some known elements in a well done way. Though the choppiness of the chapters and scenes, and the rapid switching between past and present, made it hard for me to fully delve into the book, there is still something addicting and intriguing about the book. Pulling in some rough emotional aspects, and having a quick pacing, The Girl in the Park is a fast but thrilling read.

Rain is more than just the shy girl – she’s the girl who’s been bullied enough due to her cleft palate and speech problems that she’s quiet and keeps to herself. When Wendy busted through that, and befriended her despite the physical problem, she definitely left a mark on Rain. Though the girls aren’t really friends now, there is still a quiet sense of kinship that drives Rain to want to find the truth behind Wendy’s death. Pulling in instances from the past and cataloging not only the good times but the bad times between them as well, Rain goes through a tremendous amount of growth that is scripted in a choppy yet well done way. Though she has her moments of weakness, and definitely has a few flaws, she’s a great character with a strong story and drive in her.

Wendy is brash and showy, the kind of girl who goes after other girl’s boyfriends and seems to have no qualms about it. A girl who gets around, and one who is the life of the party even in a bad way, it’s almost no surprise when she turns up dead on the park. Still, despite the in your face way about her, Wendy had a soft side to her, and was a great friend when it counted. Though she was the kind to get hurt easily, and created her own problems, readers will sympathize with her, and not just because she ends up dead.

The mystery around Wendy’s death, and the ensuing investigation, are well executed in a smart and realistic way. With little clues dropped here and there, but keeping the bigger things hidden, readers will make some connections but not all of them, giving them some feeling of control while still eager to find out the truth. Having a strong emotional and sympathetic element to it, and almost painful in the full scope, the actual reasons for everything are both realistic and understandable.

Quietly enthralling, though hard for me to get into due to the style of the writing and scene shifts, The Girl in the Park is a fast and fun read. I love murder mysteries, and this one didn’t disappoint. With a captivating central character, and pulling in some great elements, this one is enjoyable and worthwhile.
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May 15, 2012 Jac (For Love and Books) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley

One evening while lurking on NetGalley, I saw the cover for The Girl in the Park caught my eye - it was so eerie that I needed to know more about this book. I lurked around and saw a few reviews on Goodreads comparing it to Nancy Drew and that really got me curious, besides I was on a huge Stephen King kick. So I requested, and was thrilled when I could download this book.

One thing I really liked about Mariah Fredricks writing was how realistic it was - not that I've experienced a murder myster...more

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May 15, 2012 Annette rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Girl in the Park tugged at my heartstrings, as I struggled with Rain, the main character, to come to terms with the death of a friend and struggle to understand who committed this awful crime.

Wendy and Rain used to be best friends, but Wendy started to hang out with a wilder set, and became obsessed with boys. Rain is at a party with Wendy, and talks to her a little bit, but Wendy has decided to set her sites on a boy -- one who of course has a girlfriend -- and Rain has no idea that this wi...more

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Feb 23, 2012 Galinor rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

The Girl in the Park is a really good and interesting book to read. I usually don't read that many mystery books but it caught my attention from the beginning to the end, considering I read it all in about a day. The characters are believable and I was interested to see how the relationships between the classmates was developed with the popular and less popular kids.

The book is full of emotion because of the death of Wendy, one of Rain's friends. The pain from the loss to the family and from the...more

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Feb 23, 2012 Emily added it Recommends it for: Everyone!

Shelves: great-reads, favorites

On My Bookshelf: The Girl In The Park by Mariah Fredericks
Source: RandomBuzzers Ambuzzador Program
Format: ARC
Pagecount: 224 pages
Publication Date: April 24 2012
My Rating: 5/5 stars
Summary:
When Wendy Geller's body is found in Central Park after the night of a rager, newspaper headlines scream,"Death in the Park: Party Girl Found Strangled." But shy Rain, once Wendy's best friend, knows there was more to Wendy than just "party girl." As she struggles to separate the friend she knew from the tangl...more

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Feb 17, 2012 Kara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Excellent, gripping, and compelling. This is definitely an author to watch for. I wasn't sure how interested I would be in it at first - another story about super rich girls at a Manhattan prep school and suddenly a murder happens? I read the back of the book and the description though, of someone this protagonist knew is compelling. It made me, as a person that lived through a classmate's mysterious death, also want to understand how the story and murderer would be found.

The author's prose is s...more

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Jan 25, 2012 Vicki rated it 3 of 5 stars

The setting is a pricy upscale prep school in NYC. Saturday night is an A-List party, unchaperoned and electric with tension and excitement, but Sunday morning one of their number is found dead in a near-by park.

Rain Donovan narrates the story. She is one of the shy and quiet of the student population, and with good reason. As she has grown up with her classmates, she has known the brunt of cruelty and humiliation as a result of speech difficulties due to a cleft palate, now repaired. As a juni...more The setting is a pricy upscale prep school in NYC. Saturday night is an A-List party, unchaperoned and electric with tension and excitement, but Sunday morning one of their number is found dead in a near-by park.

Rain Donovan narrates the story. She is one of the shy and quiet of the student population, and with good reason. As she has grown up with her classmates, she has known the brunt of cruelty and humiliation as a result of speech difficulties due to a cleft palate, now repaired. As a junior in high school, the taunts and overt cruelty have abated, her speech therapy has been successful, but her self- esteem is still shaped by the memories of her childhood.

Sadly, the girl who has been killed is the one friend who has accepted Rain and encouraged her to step out of her shell and take her rightful place in the school's social strata. The problem is that Wendy Geller was new to the school and was an outsider in a group that needed no newcomers. Rain is heart-broken to learn of Wendy's shocking and sudden death, but her grief is not shared by many of the others.

Wendy was different, impatient to be accepted, and angry when she is cruelly rejected. She was not above getting even for slights she experienced and had made enemies along the way. We come to know the complicated young woman who was Wendy through Rain's memories of her, and the attitudes expressed by other students and faculty members about her after her death.

Rain is appalled to see that the news reports are painting Wendy as a slutty, drug abusing wild child, implying that she brought her terrible end on herself. Rain struggles mightily with her desire to speak out for her friend who no longer has a voice, but her battered self image almost prevents it. Wendy's words, which Rain hears in her memory finally mobilize her to analyze the clues that are subtly falling together to help her expose the killer.

Not all these characters are likeable by any stretch, but they probably have counterparts in many high school populations across the USA. The author has created a mystery in which the killer is anything but obvious, and I for one did not have it figured out much before Rain did. Because of Wendy, Rain does accomplish more than she had ever thought possible, and is able to help and encourage some kids that she might otherwise never have spoken to.

Aside: For all of those in the midst of the high school drama and heart break, let me remind you/inform you, that life does get better, so hang in there! (less)

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Aug 08, 2011 Reving rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am loving this whole netgalley.com thing. The Girl in the Park by Mariah Fredericks isn’t due out until next April but I’ve got it on preorder for the library. I’ve never read Fredericks before, but I will look for her books now. Looking for a solid YA mystery? The Girl in the Park is a great one. Set in NYC it tells of the murder of Wendy Geller through the POV of her former best friend, Rain Donovan.
Wendy was a party girl. She loved being the center of attention, flirting with guys and stea...more

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Apr 22, 2012 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Main character Rain tries to stay quiet and avoid notice. She has a cleft palate that still affects her speech patterns, despite a lot of speech therapy. This definitely makes her stand out among the YA books I've read, reminding me most of Wonder by R. J. Palacio, which is amazing by the way. Both main characters are freaks because of deformities they were born with, but both are also really great people. From reading Auggie's viewpoint in Wonder and Rain's in The Girl in the Park, it's so obvi...more Main character Rain tries to stay quiet and avoid notice. She has a cleft palate that still affects her speech patterns, despite a lot of speech therapy. This definitely makes her stand out among the YA books I've read, reminding me most of Wonder by R. J. Palacio, which is amazing by the way. Both main characters are freaks because of deformities they were born with, but both are also really great people. From reading Auggie's viewpoint in Wonder and Rain's in The Girl in the Park, it's so obvious how smart they are and how much they have to offer.

Rain's a really nice person. She's the kind of girl who will help someone out just because they're in pain. Even if that person is the most popular girl in school and has never been kind to her, Rain will listen to her and comfort her when she's down, because that's what she does. This is how she befriends Wendy, a transfer student. Watching Wendy, Rain sees someone who wants so desperately to be popular that she stands no chance of achieving her goal. Rain offers her advice and tries to be friends, even though they are completely different.

One thing that did bother me was something that just was not believable, namely that the school sent out a message saying that students who did not feel up to coming the day after Wendy's death would not be marked absent. No real school would do this. Why? Because EVERY SINGLE STUDENT would suddenly feel the strange need to mourn for Wendy, whether they knew her or not, liked her or not. What schools do, and I have experienced this, is still have the exact same attendance policy, but make the guidance counselors extra available for people to talk to if they're sad. Seriously, if a school is going to make attendance optional that day, they might as well just close altogether, because that's how many kids would show up. Does this matter at all with regards to the plot? No.

Death is really awkward, especially with the advent of all of this web interconnectivity. The Girl in the Park does a pretty good job of highlighting this fact, although I don't imagine that's something all readers are going to take away from it. Wendy wasn't even very well-liked, but, in death, suddenly she's missed and fascinating and everyone's sad, even though many of them probably wished she would leave the school, if not the living world. Kids go to right on her facebook wall about their condolences and how awesome she was, though they may never have thought of it and though Wendy cannot actually read these messages. Whenever someone I know dies, which thankfully is not often, this same sort of furor erupts. There's this desire to be closest to the tragedy, to garner attention because of it, which I'm seriously creeped out by and do not approve of. Was grief always so public?

The Girl in the Park reminds me a lot of Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak, although the issues they are dealing with are not exactly the same. They do, however, share themes of popularity and being afraid to speak up. Rain's distance from others, although certainly not as extreme, is also a commonality between the two. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy the depressingly honest YA books by authors like Anderson and Bick. (less)

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Apr 22, 2012 Anjana rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Girl in the Park is another book that was hard to rate.

As the blurb mentions, the story begins with Rain receiving a frantic phone call from Wendy's mother at seven in the morning because she hadn't returned from a party she attended the previous night. Trying not to assume the worst, Rain reassures Wendy's mother that she's probably fine and goes about her day, only to find out later that she was found dead in the park.
Wendy and Rain used to be best friends but they haven't really spoken o...more The Girl in the Park is another book that was hard to rate.

As the blurb mentions, the story begins with Rain receiving a frantic phone call from Wendy's mother at seven in the morning because she hadn't returned from a party she attended the previous night. Trying not to assume the worst, Rain reassures Wendy's mother that she's probably fine and goes about her day, only to find out later that she was found dead in the park.
Wendy and Rain used to be best friends but they haven't really spoken or hung out in a while as they've drifted apart, like with most high school friends, but something felt off about her death to Rain which leads her to investigate it.

When I began reading The Girl in the Park, I wasn't sure I'd be able to get used to Mariah Fredericks' writing but I did and I'm glad because this book was really good! I'll admit that it was the mystery element mentioned in the blurb that initially caught my attention and The Girl in the Park certainly met my expectations.

High school can be hard for some, we all know that but in Rain and Wendy's case, 'hard' is an understatement. Rain's the shy, quiet girl with the Speech Disorder who was mostly bullied and made fun of. Wendy's loud, wild, and a mostly happy girl who was full of life. When Wendy first moved from the suburbs to the fancy school in the city, she tried her best to make friends, particularly with the 'cool' kids but that just led her into a world of trouble. Although they made an unlikely pair, Rain and Wendy were best friends for a while.

Peer pressure, fitting in and being accepted is the stuff of nightmares for most teenagers in High School and Fredericks has gone all out in exploring the dark and gritty side of it. I loved that the author decided to write the story about about two girls who're extreme opposites and yet social outcasts - Wendy, who was known for her promiscuity and Rain, the quiet girl who talks weird - while still managing to bring out their strengths.

It comes down to this - a lot people do bad stuff, some intentional while others not, but does it necessarily make them a bad person? Did Wendy get what she deserved?
Mariah Fredericks has done an amazing job with the characters and the mystery surrounding Wendy's murder without being afraid to deal with the bad stuff. She made no compromise with the story and dealt with various teen issues without sugar-coating it. I loved that!

The Girl in the Park was like ripping off a band-aid. All the bad stuff's out there, all at once, for everyone to judge and it made me question how I would've felt if I had switched places with Rain or Wendy. This is a book that's almost impossible to put down - a transfixing novel with deep, dark characters and a fast, suspenseful, thrilling storyline that literally gave me chills.
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Aug 14, 2012 Krista (CubicleBlindness Reviews) rated it 3 of 5 stars

This story is more than a murder mystery. The reader really gets to know Rain as well.
Rain was born with a cleft pallet. She is teased at school for the way that she talks and Wendy was always nice to her. Rain considered Wendy her friend.
When Wendy is found dead in the park, her mother tries to protect her from the news. But Rain decides to take it upon herself to figure out what might have happened to Wendy in her last days. When Rain begins to ask questions, she gets a lot of negativity from...more

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Mar 09, 2012 Jackie Miller rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I started this book I had an idea in mind as to what I was expecting. The synopsis actually makes the plot of the story extremely clear, but I guess I thought it would involve more of the struggle to figure out what kind of person her now-deceased friend was. I thought that would be the sole focus and completely forgot about Rain trying to find out who killed her friend. It turned out to be a good murder mystery that took me by surprise :)

I really liked Rain in the book. She is very self-co...more

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May 14, 2012 Tina (yAdultReview) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-books, contemporary, mystery, ya, arc-netgalley

Originally published at Nose in a Book

A contemporary YA novel? Who, me? Who would have thought, right? No wizards or demons or ghosts or vampires or anything paranormal at all in this one! I think in order for me to actually enjoy contemporary YA, it has to be a mystery. I’m the only person in the world who was annoyed by Anna and the French Kiss, after all. Rain, our protag, has a cleft palate and therefore a bit of a language disability. She doesn’t have many friends at her exclusive high scho...more Originally published at Nose in a Book

A contemporary YA novel? Who, me? Who would have thought, right? No wizards or demons or ghosts or vampires or anything paranormal at all in this one! I think in order for me to actually enjoy contemporary YA, it has to be a mystery. I’m the only person in the world who was annoyed by Anna and the French Kiss, after all. Rain, our protag, has a cleft palate and therefore a bit of a language disability. She doesn’t have many friends at her exclusive high school for rich kids, and when Wendy’s body is found, Rain’s world is rocked off its axis. Wendy was vindictive in a way that I quite enjoy, in that I like seeing snobby high school girls get their comeuppance (though she goes a little overboard with her boyfriend-stealing ways). I was really, really worried about slut-shaming in this one because of Wendy’s…activities, and Rain does imply Wendy is slutty at one point. I hate body policing and shaming women for sex, even vindictive high school juniors. It’s a little sad to watch the interactions of Rain and Wendy, both with each other and their classmates. The realism in this one makes me cringe a little, especially at times when Wendy’s peers complain that her death means no more parties. We meet Taylor, who is an overeager student reporter stereotype who annoyed me more than anything. We’re also introduced to Nico, resident bad boy, newest object of Wendy’s obsession (an obsession she’s embarrassingly public about, posting statuses about him on Facebook and such). Rain wonders if Nico and Wendy were in the park that night, and if Nico killed her.

I’ll admit, I started to worry that Rain and Nico were going to get involved in some weird romance. Nico has called her a retard in the past, and I was going to be furious if this turned into some bad boy redemption story, because I did not sign up for that. She has a cleft palate and he shoved his finger in her mouth to touch the hole left over from her surgery. Nico Phelps makes me sick. Not only is Nico contemptible, all of Wendy’s popular “friends” are either faking their grief or being openly indifferent to her murder. Many of the girls seem to be more worried about Nico’s reputation than what happened the night Wendy was killed. Rain is really pissed off by the amount of victim blaming going on, horrified that because Wendy slept around, people are acting like she deserved what she got. Rain is on a mission for truth. And at about 44% on my Kindle, I had a suspect of my own, and it wasn’t Nico Phelps. Did I mention that in the midst of all this, Rain is crushing on her teacher? There are a lot of emotions going around for her.

So I sort of figured out who the killer was about halfway through, but I liked the mystery. Things work out a little too easily for our heroine, but the whole story was intriguing, and I liked how they gave Wendy a voice through Rain. Rain, in her own mind, confronts slut shaming, prejudice, and the sometimes callous media. There are a lot of realistic things in this book, like the way they paint Wendy as a party girl, or how Nico is so believeable as a murderer due to his violent past. When I say realistic, I mean the media portrayal in this book. The media is terrible and it hurts people in lots of different ways. This was an intense book to read, and exactly the kind of contemporary novel I like. It’s definitely worth a shot.(less)

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Apr 22, 2012 ABookVacation rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

This was a really interesting novel with an ending that I never expected. Rain is a shy young woman, her cleft palate leaving her less than thrilled to speak aloud, causing her to spend much of her time in silence while observing the world around her. Wendy Geller, Rain’s former best friend, is just the opposite, loud and outgoing, looking for love and acceptance in all the wrong places, and the circumstances surrounding her death leave her upscale preparatory school with mixed feelings...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Gerri Leen rated it 4 of 5 stars

The score on this book is sort of a weird composite. I'd give it normally a two or three because I figured out whodunit by about a third of the way through and had to wait for the heroine to catch up--always find that painful. On the other hand, the ending made me tear up and the heroine is an engaging character who learns and grows in a meaningful way, and the plot zips along skillfully, so on that basis, I'd normally give a book like this a five. Split the difference and it gets a four.

I kept...more

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Oct 18, 2012 Lindsey Moore rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

The book `Girl in the Park` was sorta slow in the first maybe 50 pages. The kinda slow where your just trying to find something else to do just so you can find a reason not to read the book. Then in the middle of the book, thats when it really started to kick up. A girl named Wendy goes to a part then ends up dead in some bushes at the park. Her friend Rain was once close to Wendy but through out high school the two have fallen alittle bit apart, But Rain is determained to find wendys killer and...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, fiction, teen, mystery

I very rarely read mysteries but synopsis for "The Girl in the Park" seemed promising enough for me to risk it (also, I checked the book out through Overdrive for my Kindle, so the urge to peek ahead was pretty much gone). I'm glad I did since it proved to be thoroughly enjoyable. The unraveling of the mystery was done just right, and Fredericks does a good job at managing the pacing so that it wasn't extremely slow but didn't race through to the end. Rain is an extremely fascinating character:...more

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Nov 03, 2011 Mrs Mommy Booknerd http://mrsmommybooknerd.blogspot.com rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley

The summer before my senior year of high school I lost a friend of mine. It was a terrible shock to everyone that knew and loved him. I remember my friends grieving together and trying to make sense of the loss. Traumatic events leave a mark on the fabric of your life. It is a hurt that diminishes but is never forgotten.

The discovery of Wendy Geller's lifeless body in a park leaves a group of friends and fellow students reeling over the death of their friend in THE GIRL IN THE PARK. Each person...more

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Nov 02, 2011 Michele rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: genre-young-adult, format-arc, 2011-50bookpledge, format-ebook

Review can also be found on my blog Just a Lil Lost

Rating: ★★★ ☆ (3.5/5 stars)

The Girl in the Park initially reads like a cautionary tale: wild party girl makes enemies, wanders into the park alone at night and trouble finds her. But things are not always as they appear. Wendy Geller is the aforementioned girl in the park. She loves the party scene and getting the attention of the boys, especially those already spoken for. When her body is found in Central Park, the gossip spreads through the sc...more

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About Mariah Fredericks

Mariah Fredericks is the author of the bestselling novel The True Meaning of Cleavage, which Meg Cabot called "Laugh-out-loud funny and way twisted!"

Mariah accepts that cats are her superior in every way and would never dream of insulting one by trying to own it. However, she has been reading tarot cards since she was a teenager, and while she knows that it is lame to believe in fortune-telling, h...more

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Quotes from The Girl in the Park

“Just for once, I want someone to want me more than anybody else. To put me first.” — 5 people liked it

“Wendy is still dead. I hadn't understood before: it really doesn't bring them back. Somehow, you think, despite what you know, it will be a trade. Find the person who did the wrong thing and they will suffer instead of the one who was killed. Instead, that person just suffers too.” — 4 people liked it

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