Her father died before she was born, but Ella Benton knows they have a supernatural connection. Since her mother discourages these beliefs, Ella keeps her cemetery visits secret. But she may not be the only one with secrets. Ella’s mother might be lying about how Dad died sixteen years ago. Newfound evidence points to his death in a psychiatric hospital, not as a result of a tragic car accident as her mother always claimed. After a lifetime of just the two of them, Mom suddenly feels like a stranger.

When a handprint much like the one Ella left on her father’s tombstone mysteriously appears on the bathroom mirror, at first she wonders if Dad is warning her of danger as he did once before. If it’s not a warning, could her new too-good-to-be-true boyfriend be responsible for the strange occurrences? Or maybe it’s the grieving building superintendent whose dead daughter strongly resembles Ella? As the unexplained events become more frequent and more sinister, Ella becomes terrified about who—or what—might harm her.

Soon the evidence points to someone else entirely: Ella herself. What if, like her father, she’s suffering from a breakdown? In this second novel from award-winning author Yvonne Ventresca, Ella desperately needs to find answers, no matter how disturbing the truth might be.

PUBLISHER AND ACCOLADES

Sky Pony Press, October 2016

• Winner of the National IPPY Gold Medal for YA Fiction, 2017
• First on BuzzFeed’s “23 YA Books That, Without A Doubt, You’ll Want To Read This Fall”, 2016
• Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the NCTE, ALAN Picks October 2016

“Readers will be guessing up to the very end of this riveting page-turner . . . Young adult readers will love this story, and librarians serving teens should have it in their collection.”
—VOYA

“There are scary moments, and even readers who figure out early on that Ella’s stepbrother might not be the most reliable source of information will be curious about how all of the ‘haunts’ came to be. . . . Ella’s stepfather’s reaction to the truth is upsetting but adds a shot of realism to the ending.”
—School Library Journal

“This suspenseful psychological thriller definitely won’t disappoint.”
—BuzzFeed

“Prepare your fingernails, because tension mounts quickly as Ella’s reality is chipped away piece by piece . . . This one will keep you guessing.”
—Justine Magazine

“I raced through Black Flowers, White Lies in a single sitting. What a twisty thrill-ride!”
—April Henry, New York Times-bestselling author of Girl, Stolen

“With a compelling cast of characters and a mystery that’ll have you turning pages, Black Flowers, White Lies is a book you don’t want to miss!”
—Tiffany Schmidt, author of the Once Upon a Crime Family series

“Not your typical YA thriller. It’s beautifully written and tightly plotted, telling a story that manages to keep a tight, intimate hold on the reader by digging into some universal fears that aren’t often explored in novels. An unnerving reminder that darkness—and even evil—often hides in plain sight.”
—Jessica Warman, author of Between

“A captivating story of a girl facing unexplained events that shake her to her core, open up old wounds, and make her wonder what’s real. Is it madness or haunting? You’ll be turning pages until the end to find out. Highly recommended!”
—Maria E. Andreu, award-winning author of The Secret Side of Empty

“Lures you in with charming characters and situations that seem innocuous until they become sinister. A great read from cover to cover.”
—Dr. George Simon, bestselling author of In Sheep’s Clothing: Understanding and Dealing with Manipulative People

“The tone remains true for young adults: it’s neither the cutesy ghosts with eyelashes intended for younger readers nor terrifying succubae that will take root in adult nightmares.”
—Jacqueline Cutler, NJ Star Ledger

“There’s twists and turns throughout this novel that gives it a Hitchcock appeal.”
—YA Books Central

“Compellingly and convincingly questions the links between mental illness and reality, revealing how fragile our understanding of and grip upon reality actually is. Ventresca tears apart the wall many of us have built between ourselves and ‘crazy’ and shows that none of us are exactly ‘normal’, none of us can claim we have all the answers, and our relationships with other people is the key to compassion, love, forgiveness and self-forgiveness.”
—J.L. Powers, The Pirate Tree

“I came into this story expecting suspense and got so much more.She creates rich characters you grow to care about deeply, coupled with a story that will draw you in from the start. Don’t miss this one!”
—Stephanie Faris, Best Books of October

“A chilling tale of faith and deception. The supernatural scares kept me hooked, and the ending absolutely blew me away!”
—Joshua David Bellin, author of Survival Colony 9 and Scavenger of Souls

“[T]he elements of this tale all come together to provide the most amazing psychological thriller written in a very long time. (YA or otherwise.) This fresh tale is so well-developed, so creepy, so intelligent, and so off-the-charts that readers will be absolutely riveted to this plot until the very last spell-binding page. The author grabs everyone with both her characters and her ability to weave a mystery of quiet, yet epic proportions . . . The YA genre can rejoice. A dystopian world is not needed in this psychological suspense that literally deserves time up on the ‘big screen.’”
—Feathered Quill Book Reviews

“This book was an absolute delight and perfect for this time of year. (And if you’re not good with super scary things, you’ll be ok with this. It’s creepy enough to give you chills while reading it but not so much that you’ll have trouble sleeping. Win win!) Recommended.”
—Kelly Vision

“Ventresca purposely lays conflicting clues and evidence for the reader, and includes so many twists and turns, that in the end I truly didn’t know what to believe.”
—Holly Ohs Book Reviews

“This was a dark, creepy psychological thriller that I really liked. It should appeal to fans of Emiko Jean.”
—Critical Blast

“Mixing together the ideas of never truly knowing others, or ourselves, Ventresca weaves a completely believable tale of teenage longing: the longing to be connected to something bigger, something outside ourselves.”
—Still Dreaming of Manderley

“Ventresca has carefully plotted a variety of twists and turns in this engrossing mystery that doesn’t let up until the final pages.”
—Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the NCTE

In Pandemic, only a few people know what caused Lilianna Snyder’s sudden change from a model student to a withdrawn pessimist who worries about all kinds of disasters. When people begin coming down with a quick-spreading illness that doctors are unable to treat, Lil’s worst fears are realized. With her parents called away on business before the contagious outbreak–her journalist father in Delaware covering the early stages of the disease and her mother in Hong Kong and unable to get a flight back to New Jersey–Lil’s town is hit by what soon becomes a widespread fatal illness.

With friends and neighbors dying around her, Lil does everything she can to survive. Just when it all seems too much, the cause of her original trauma shows up at her door. Lil must find a way to survive not only the outbreak and its real-life consequences, but also her own personal demons.

PUBLISHER AND ACCOLADES

Sky Pony Press, May 2014

• Crystal Kite Award, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Atlantic region, 2015
• Shortlisted, West Australian Young Readers’ Book Award, 2018
• Readers’ Choice Award, Morris/Essex Health & Life Magazine, 2015

“This is an engrossing apocalyptic story, told through Lil’s eyes and newsfeeds as her neighborhood, then the East Coast, and finally the entire U.S. buckles to its knees as the pandemic spreads. . . . Themes of friendship and coming together in a crisis carry the novel.”
―School Library Journal

“As is to be expected in an apocalyptic novel, there is no shortage of tension or death and a few gruesomely dead bodies, but teen disaster fans will likely appreciate that the high schoolers are portrayed as good, helpful, yet imperfect people.”
―Booklist

“In her first novel, Ventresca pulls together three unrelated themes to create a medical thriller/romance. . . . this realistic page-turner will keep most readers enthralled.”
―Kirkus Reviews

“I thought that it handled several of the issues really well and was quite pleased with the way that Ventresca is able to show the long term effects of sexual violence on our main character in a unique situation.”
―School Library Journal, Teen Toolbox

“Ventresca’s debut novel will appeal to those who love realistic coming of age stories, romances, or disaster fiction. Bravo!”
―Mike Mullin, award-winning author of the Ashfall Trilogy

“I can honestly say this is one of my favorite reads thus far this year and easily ranks in my top 25 favorite disaster novels. Yeah, it is that good.”
―Jim Cobb of Survival Weekly

“You’ll be rooting for Lil and Jay!”
―Debbie Dadey, author and coauthor of The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series and the Mermaid Tales series

“A suspenseful, authentic and emotional narrative. . . . Riveting and terrifyingly real with moments of hope that shine through when you least expect it, Pandemic is one that will stay with you long after you read the last page.”
―Amalie Howard, author of the Aquarathi series, The Almost Girl series, and Alpha Goddess

“A fast and gripping story. . . .The plot never failed to impress me; there was always a surprise around the corner. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I would not hesitate to recommend it. I would also give it a rating of 5/5 stars!”
―Sophie C., Teen Ink

“The brilliance of this book lies in its simplicity, its crispness, its economy of detail, its characterization, and especially in its mastery of psychological horror. This book scares so well because it lets your brain wander, like Lily’s does, to places that it doesn’t want to go.”
―Jim Nicosia, Boy Book of the Month

“I was on the verge of giving up on Post Apocalyptic/Dystopia books. But yes! Yes! Pandemic saved me. I had hope! My high expectation was reached!”
―Her Book Thoughts

“It’s a book where no one is safe, and I liked that you never knew who was going to die, and that it happened to people you got to know. Ventresca didn’t shy away from that at all, which made the book feel so much more realistic.”
―WingedCreature Reads

“I love how the author spins her own unique twist into what might have been yet another deadly-disease-plague-that-kills-everyone story.”
―YA Books Central

“. . . Lil must come to terms with that most basic of questions: when my safety and survival are at stake, do I work to help others or do I help myself only?”
―The Pirate Tree: Social Justice and Children’s Literature, J.L. Powers

“I was hugely impressed by Yvonne Ventresca’s Pandemic. It’s an apocalyptic book on par with Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Life As We Knew It or Meg Rosoff’s How I Live Now.”
―Intellectual Recreation

“It is refreshing to hear about someone whose life wasn’t picture perfect OR full of martyrdom before the Earth-threatening natural disaster.”
―Word Out 2014: Teen Summer Reading

“An intriguing story about emotional trauma, fear, danger, and the will to survive you won’t want to put down.”
―KidsBookshelf.com

“”One of the things that makes this book so readable, is the perfect balance of detail. Many books dealing with pandemics (whether real or fiction) get so bogged down in the details of the illness itself that the reader loses the plot line. Not here. Ventresca provides just enough detail so that you are aware of the illness, but never lose sight of the storyline which is in the characters, not the illness itself.”
―Compass Book Ratings

“Yvonne Ventresca’s debut novel hits the ground running and never stops until the last page. TPandemic is an exciting new addition to Young Adult books.”
―C. Lee McKenzie, author of Sliding on the Edge and The Princess of Las Pulgas

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