I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Adopted as a newborn, Tessa has always wondered who her biological parents are. After turning eighteen, she takes a DNA test in hopes of finding the answers. With best friend El and lab partner Victor, Tessa uses the results to start building her family tree. But they find more dead ends than answers. Her biological mother, who was raised in a religious cult, has cut all ties with her controlling family. And her biological father remains a complete mystery, at least until the police show up. For fifteen years, they’ve been trying to identify a serial killer known as the Portland Phantom. Tessa may be the link they’ve been waiting for.

April Henry delivers a twisty thriller about the families who choose us—and the ones we’re born into. Biology does not have to dictate one’s destiny.

Short and Sweet Review

Tessa has always wondered about the parents who gave her up as a baby, so when she turns eighteen, she finally takes a DNA test hoping for answers. Instead, the results pull her into something far darker. As she starts piecing together her biological family tree with the help of her best friend El and her lab partner Victor, she discovers connections to a religious cult, long-buried family secrets, and possibly even a notorious serial killer known as the Portland Phantom.

This was such a quick, addictive YA thriller. The premise alone immediately hooked me because the idea of a DNA test accidentally linking someone to a serial killer is genuinely creepy, especially because it feels realistic enough that you can almost imagine it happening. Once the story gets going, it moves fast. The short chapters and multiple POVs made it super easy to binge in one sitting. I really liked the way the book balanced the mystery with Tessa’s personal story about identity and family. Her relationship with her adoptive family was honestly one of my favorite parts because it never turned into the cliché “chosen family vs biological family” conflict. The book does a good job showing that Tessa’s curiosity about where she came from doesn’t take away from the love she has for the family who raised her.

The different POVs also kept the story moving. Alongside Tessa’s chapters, we get perspectives from a detective working the Portland Phantom case and from the killer himself. The detective chapters added a lot to the investigative side of the story, and I actually wish we had gotten even more of that. The killer POVs were hit or miss for me, though. Sometimes they added tension, but other times they made the villain feel less intimidating because we were spending so much time inside his head. He came across more pathetic than terrifying at times, which I’m not sure was intentional. I also think the characters could have been developed a little more deeply. Tessa was likable, and I enjoyed her friendships with El and Victor, but I wanted more scenes of them just existing together outside the mystery. Some emotional moments felt rushed because the book moves so quickly from one reveal to the next.

Overall, if you’re looking for a fast-paced, high-concept YA thriller that’s easy to fly through, this definitely delivers. It’s suspenseful without being overly graphic, and the DNA test angle made the mystery feel fresh even when some of the twists leaned into familiar thriller territory. Not my favorite book by April Henry, but still an engaging read that kept me turning pages the whole time.