From the author of Moxie comes a stunning novel told in three voices about the lies families tell to survive. Every year, summer begins when the Callahans arrive on Mariposa Island. That’s when Elena Finney gets to escape her unstable, controlling mother by babysitting for their two children. And the summer of 1986 promises to be extra special when she meets J.C., the new boy in town, whose kisses make Elena feel like she’s been transported to a new world. Joaquin Finney can’t imagine why anyone would want to come to Mariposa Island. He just graduated from high school and dreams about going to California to find his father and escape his mother’s manipulation. The Liars of Mariposa Island follows siblings Elena and Joaquin, with flashbacks to their mother's experience as a teenage refugee fleeing the Cuban revolution. Jennifer Mathieu’s multilayered novel explores the nature of secrets, lies, and fierce, destructive love.
Author
I'm a high school English teacher, writer, wife, and mom who writes books for and about young adults. My novels are MOXIE, THE TRUTH ABOUT ALICE, DEVOTED, AFTERWARD, and THE LIARS OF MARIPOSA ISLAND. My fourth novel MOXIE is a film on Netflix, directed by Amy Poehler! My sixth novel, BAD GIRLS NEVER SAY DIE, will be out in October 2021. It's a gender-flipped, feminist reimagining of one of my favorite books of all time, THE OUTSIDERS. All my novels are published by Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan. My favorite things include chocolate, pepperoni pizza, and this super hilarious 1980s sitcom about four retired women called The Golden Girls. I can basically quote every episode. I live in Texas with my husband, son, dog, and cat. When it comes to what I read, I love realistic young adult fiction (duh), creative nonfiction, super scandalous tell-all memoirs and unauthorized biographies, and basically anything that hooks me on the first page.
