The Believing Game by Eireann Corrigan

Synopsis:
Greer’s been dumped in a home for disturbed kids, but amazingly she meets the boy of her dreams–and his creepy AA sponsor, a 50-year-old possibly homeless guy who has grand plans for Addison, Greer, and their friends.

Review:
The Believing Game is the portrait of a nascent cult. While Greer doesn’t quite buy Joshua as a spiritual leader, she’s so in love with Addison that she accepts Joshua so as not to lose her boyfriend. But Joshua has a way of getting under people’s skin and inside their heads, and he’s running a very long con. Greer realizes quickly that she’s not strong enough to fight Joshua, but she thinks she can save Addison, so she goes along with Joshua’s game until everyone passes the point of no return. I thought Eireann Corrigan did a great job showing the slippery slope of belief in something crazy, and there was genuine suspense throughout.

Many thanks to Scholastic for the review copy.