Review: That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally

She thought she had her life back. She was wrong. It was a mistake to trust him.

Shivering and bruised, a teen wakes up on the side of a dirt road with no memory of how she got there―or who she is. A passing officer takes her to the police station, and not long after, a frantic man arrives. He’s been searching for her for hours. He has her school ID, her birth certificate, and even family photos. He is her father. Her name is Mary. Or so he says.

When Lola slammed the car door and stormed off into the night, Drew thought they just needed some time to cool off. Except Lola disappeared, and the sheriff, his friends, and the whole town are convinced Drew murdered his girlfriend. Forget proving his innocence, he needs to find her before it’s too late. The longer Lola is missing, the fewer leads there are to follow…and the more danger they both are in.

• Title: That’s Not My Name
• Author:  Megan Lally
• Publisher: Sourcefire Books
• Publication Date: December 26, 2023
• Genre: Thriller, mystery 
• Targeted Age Range: YA
• Content Warnings: murder, kidnapping, police incompetence, police harassment, blood, emetophobia, violence
• Rating: ★★★★★

In the advance praise for Megan Lally’s debut novel That’s Not My Name, author April Henry (Girl, Stolen and Two Truths and a Lie) said “That’s Not My Name begs to be read in a single adrenaline-fueled sitting.” and she could not have been more correct. Once I started this book, I could not put it down. I was hooked from the very first page.

That’s Not My Name opens with a 17-year-old Jane Doe waking up bruised and bloodied on the side of a road with no memory of how she got there, or who she is. At the police station, a frantic man runs into the precinct stating that she’s his daughter and he’s been worried sick, searching for her for hours. While she may not remember him, this man certainly knows her; he has her school ID, a birth certificate, and family photos, showing that he’s her daughter. Once the police have verified the truth of this man’s statements, that this Jane Doe is actually his daughter Mary, her father does all that he can to help her regain her memory, but “Mary” can tell that something isn’t right. The more she remembers the more confused she gets, and soon she’s questioning if everything that her “father” has told her is the truth.

In the months that it’s been since Drew’s girlfriend Lola went missing, everything in his life has turned upside down. He was the last person to see Lola alive before she disappeared, and now the entire town — including the sheriff who is convinced Drew is hiding something — believes that he killed her. With everyone convinced that Lola is already dead, no one will listen to Drew, or help him find out what really happened to her, but that won’t stop him. He knows that she’s alive, and he’ll do anything he can to bring her home.

That’s Not My Name is told from dual perspective — I love a good dual perspective thriller — and Lally does a brilliant job of weaving together “Mary” and Drew’s points of view to tell this story. That’s Not My Name is so many things; it’s clever and witty, and some parts even made me laugh out loud, but most of all it is powerful. At its core, this story is about the lengths that we will go to for the people that we love, and you can feel that in every page, especially those from Drew’s point of view. 

This book made me feel such a wide range of emotions. I was heartbroken for this young woman who had no idea who she was and simply wanted her memories back and to feel safe again, and for this young boy who was trying so hard to bring his girlfriend home, even when everyone in his life thought he had hurt her. From the start I felt so connected to both “Mary” and Drew — I wanted to protect these two kids with everything I had.

That’s Not My Name absolutely gutted me. I’ll be totally honest, I’m a crier, I cry at a lot of things. I’m happy? I’ll probably cry. Angry? Sad? Overwhelmed? Tears are everywhere (what can I say, I’m a Pisces!). That being said, I don’t really remember the last book that made me full on sob — I’m talking tears streaming down my face, putting my hand on my chest to try and get myself to calm down, eyes so filled with tears that the words are blurring on the page sobbing, this book did that. I can’t fully put into words how this book made me feel because then I’d probably spoil the whole thing, but this book made me feel so deeply. These characters burrowed themselves into my heart and their pain was so palpable, it felt almost suffocating because it felt so real. 

I did love that we got a little bit of comedic relief throughout the story, courtesy of Drew’s cousin Max, because this book is very heavy. Max had a lot of funny one liners, my personal favorite was “Get in losers, we’re going sleuthing”, and he was very relatable with his fear of birds (me too, bestie, I get it!) but I loved that never once did the comedic bits take away from the seriousness of the situation. Max brought in some much needed joy, but he wasn’t dismissive of what Drew was going through, and it was so clear that he wanted to help his cousin in any way that he could. I also really loved Autumn, Lola’s best friend. She’s a character that definitely grew on me, because she drove me crazy at the beginning, but what I most appreciated about her was that once she realized the mistake that she made, she did everything that she could to make it right. 

To me, this book was expertly crafted, and I truly can’t believe that it’s Lally’s debut. That’s not to say that debut novels can’t be and aren’t expertly crafted, but there was something about this book that felt like it was written by a very seasoned author. The plot twists were fantastically executed, the characters real and distinct, and the writing descriptive. 

I truly have nothing but good things to say about this book. That’s Not My Name is one of the best — if not the best — YA thrillers I have ever read and I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Links for That’s Not My Name: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop