The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas Summary

The Cheerleaders is a young adult mystery thriller about Monica Rayburn investigating the deaths of five cheerleaders in Sunnybrook, New York. Five years after the tragic deaths—two in a car accident, two murdered by a neighbor, and Monica's sister by suicide—Monica discovers evidence suggesting the official story may be wrong. She uncovers hidden letters, an old cell phone, and disturbing secrets that reveal a sinister conspiracy behind the seemingly unrelated tragedies.

Kara Thomas is a bestselling young adult mystery and thriller author who has written seven YA novels including The Cheerleaders, Little Monsters, The Darkest Corners, and That Weekend, plus adult thrillers Out of the Ashes and Lost to Dune Road. A self-described true crime enthusiast, Thomas lives on Long Island with her family and has been nominated for the International Thriller Writers Award. Her books have been translated into multiple languages and praised for their psychological depth.

The Cheerleaders is perfect for fans of psychological thrillers, young adult mysteries, and true crime enthusiasts. Readers who enjoyed One of Us Is Lying or similar twist-filled mysteries will appreciate Kara Thomas's intricate plotting and dual timelines. This book suits those interested in stories exploring survivor's guilt, small-town secrets, and the psychological impact of trauma on communities. It's ideal for readers seeking edge-of-your-seat suspense with emotionally complex characters.

The Cheerleaders is absolutely worth reading for its masterful suspense, relentless pacing, and thought-provoking themes about truth versus perception. Kara Thomas expertly builds tension through dual timelines while exploring how communities protect reputations over confronting uncomfortable truths. The novel offers deep psychological exploration of survivor's guilt and collective denial, making it both a gripping page-turner and a compelling character study that challenges readers to question official narratives.

The Cheerleaders explores powerful themes including truth versus perception, survivor's guilt, and the dangers of collective denial in suburban communities. Kara Thomas examines how adults prioritize protecting their own reputations over children's well-being, and how small choices create devastating ripple effects. The novel addresses community complicity in covering up uncomfortable truths, the weight of hidden secrets, and how trauma impacts both individuals and entire towns seeking closure.

In The Cheerleaders, five cheerleaders from Sunnybrook High died in three separate incidents over a short period.

• Two girls died after their car hit a tree on a rainy night.
• Shortly after, two more cheerleaders were murdered by their neighbor Jack Canning, who was shot by police before anyone could learn his motive.
• Monica's sister Jen was the final cheerleader to die by suicide, leading the school to disband the cheer squad entirely.

The Cheerleaders is set in Sunnybrook, New York, a wealthy suburban town that prioritizes appearance and reputation over confronting uncomfortable truths. This seemingly idyllic community serves as a perfect backdrop for Kara Thomas's exploration of hidden corruption beneath a perfect exterior. The superficial town becomes a character itself, with its collective denial and need to maintain its pristine image creating fertile ground for dangerous secrets to fester over five years.

Monica Rayburn investigates whether the deaths of five cheerleaders, including her sister Jen, were truly unrelated accidents and tragedies as officially claimed. After discovering mysterious letters in her stepdad's desk and an old cell phone, Monica suspects the murders attributed to neighbor Jack Canning may have been covered up. With help from her new friend Ginny, she uncovers that the quick judgment and closed case hide a darker conspiracy involving adults protecting sinister secrets.

The Cheerleaders stands out through its nuanced exploration of how entire communities become complicit in denial and coverups. Unlike typical YA mysteries, Kara Thomas focuses deeply on psychological trauma, survivor's guilt, and the ripple effects of collective silence rather than just solving crimes. The dual timeline structure and examination of how adults fail to protect children while prioritizing reputation creates a morally complex thriller that challenges readers to question authority and official narratives.

The Cheerleaders has a companion novel called The Champions by Kara Thomas, released in August 2024. While not a direct sequel, The Champions is set in the same universe as The Cheerleaders and returns to Sunnybrook High, following a budding reporter who unravels a conspiracy involving the school's football team. Both books explore dark secrets within the same high school community and can be read independently or together.

While The Cheerleaders received predominantly positive reviews praising its plotting and suspense, some readers felt the multiple tragedies strained believability or found the premise overly dark for young adult fiction. A few critics noted that the small-town setting's collective coverup required significant suspension of disbelief. However, most readers appreciated Kara Thomas's willingness to tackle difficult themes around adult complicity and community denial, viewing these elements as strengths rather than weaknesses.

Readers who enjoyed The Cheerleaders should explore One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus, which shares similar mystery elements and high school settings. Kara Thomas's other YA thrillers including Little Monsters, The Darkest Corners, and That Weekend offer comparable psychological depth and suspense. For adult readers, her thriller Out of the Ashes explores similar themes of uncovering buried family secrets and questioning official investigations, maintaining Thomas's signature style of complex mysteries and unreliable narratives.