Boys Who Cry Wolf

Joelle Wellington grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where her childhood was spent wandering the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. Her love of the written word led her to a BA in creative writing and international studies. When she isn’t writing, she’s reading and when she’s not doing that, she’s attempting to bake bread with varying degrees of success or strengthening her encyclopedia-like pop culture knowledge. Joelle is the author of Their Vicious Games (2023), The Blonde Dies First (2024) and Girls Who Play Dead (2025).

Praise for Girls Who Play Dead: 'A gripping, punchy YA thriller, ideal for fans of Holly Jackson.' The Guardian'A tremendously satisfying novel' The Irish Times'Hell is a teenage girl, and now she's dead. Girls Who Play Dead picks at the masks worn by residents in a town run by beauty, unraveling an intricate scheme of unapologetically complicated girls, ride-or-die siblings, suffocating social webs, and the dangerous pressure of keeping up an image.' Wen-yi Lee, author of The Dark We Know'Wellington is a remarkable voice in YA horror, and she pulls no punches with Girls Who Play Dead. Addictively unnerving, Wellington’s writing deftly burrows right into the cracks of this small town’s foundation, revealing the gruesome truth at its core.' Ryan La Sala, best-selling author of The Dead of Summer