Through Our Teeth 
Written by Pamela N. Harris 
Published by Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins Publishers 
Ages 16-18 
Available September 16, 2025 

High school senior Liv Porter has been numbly floating through life since her best friend, Hope Jackson, died six months ago. The police ruled her death as a suicide, but Liv suspects that she was murdered by her boyfriend, Brendan. Struggling with anxiety since Hope’s death, Liv is determined to find out what really happened to her. One night, she lures Brendan to one of her mom’s empty properties to exact revenge and uncover the truth. But the plan goes awry when two of his friends show up—and then utter disaster strikes when people in their group start dying, one by one. Determined to survive the night and get justice for Hope, Liv exposes the lies of those she was closest to. 

Pamela N. Harris creates a twisty page-turner that explores themes of mental health, domestic violence, and cyberbullying. The action in this locked-room thriller starts immediately, gripping readers until the last page. Harris also utilizes flashback scenes every few chapters to provide more context to Liv’s relationships and slowly reveal what happened the night Hope died. The combination of past and present scenes results in each characters’ secrets being revealed in a dramatic way that hearkens back to Pretty Little Liars, mounting suspense as the reader gets closer to the truth. Mental illness is an important theme, and the novel explores anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder through multiple characters. The conversations surrounding mental illness and its treatment in the Black community can be used as a good starting point for deeper conversations with teens. Both suspenseful and insightful, Through Our Teeth allows readers the chance to explore important topics within a thrilling mystery.