The Fall of Iris HenleyReview posted October 22, 2026.
Macmillan Audio, 2026. 8 hours, 32 minutes.
Review written October 20, 2026, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review
I put this audiobook on hold because it was very popular with our library customers, and it turns out that was a good tip. The Fall of Iris Henley is about a senior in high school who's top girl on her cheer squad - the top of the pyramids and a flyer who does tricks in the air, caught by her squadmates.
But this year, their football team isn't starting out in great form. They've lost a star player, Rocky, who was Iris's boyfriend, and the cheer squad has lost the former top girl, Lynette, who had been Iris's best friend. They were found together, dead, with the gun in Rocky's hand. They'd been sleeping together behind Iris's back, but nobody knew why Rocky would have killed them both.
And then an anonymous poster on their school's private social media app comes up with a new theory - Iris did it. And that theory gains traction throughout the school. At first, her cheer team backs her up and sticks by her side, but something happens to challenge even their loyalty.
Iris was at a cheer sleepover the night in question, so she should have an alibi. Trouble is, after Rocky accidentally sent her a text that she knew was meant for some other girl, Iris got so drunk, she has no memory of the rest of the night.
The book is filled with cyberbullies and real-life bullies, constant questions for Iris about whom she can trust, and of course a conclusion filled with danger. Gripping suspense right from the beginning that feels all too realistic as cyberbullying gets way out of hand.