Today Marshmallow is writing about The Fall of Iris Henley, a 2026 book by Jennifer Graham.
Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like exciting mysteries about high schoolers with way more drama than average, then this is the book for you!
Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Iris Henley perfectly fits the stereotype of a Texan cheerleader. Blond, pretty, and with a football-playing boyfriend (named Rocky), she seemed like a sure finalist for Homecoming Court. Unfortunately, things got seriously messed up when Rocky and Lynette (her ex-best friend) are found dead under circumstances that indicate Rocky was unfaithful. The police declare it to be an open-and-shut case: Rocky shot and killed Lynette and then committed suicide after with the same gun. This explanation is widely accepted until a couple of months later.
Iris is the top girl (meaning she is the flyer at the top of their pyramid structure) and cheer has taught her how to put on a smile and cover her feelings in order to stay on top. She’s been trying to come to terms with losing her best friend and her boyfriend to the hands of her boyfriend himself; how can she grieve for him when he is the reason why he and Lynette are both gone?
During a football game, an anonymous poster on the school’s gossip site Sekrit claims that Rocky wasn’t the murderer after all — Iris was. It would make sense from a certain perspective. Lynette had been struggling with a drug problem and Iris accidentally leaked this news to the cheer coach, leading to Lynette’s permanent suspension from the team. Though Iris had not intended for it to happen, she became the top girl, the coveted role Lynette had held before. Cheer had been one of the few things keeping Lynette from going completely off the rails, and her drug addiction worsened quickly, especially after Lynette isolated herself from Iris (Lynette believed Iris had wanted to steal her spot). Rocky — who wasn’t the greatest guy — began having an affair (and not his first) with her at some point, which would give Iris a huge motive for murder.
On top of all that, on the night of the murder, Iris was at a cheer sleepover and she wasn’t fully straight-headed the entire time. Past a certain point, she starts to wonder whether it is possible that she did commit the crime while drunk. Almost the entire school thinks she did it too. Her other two best friends (Hailey and Sophie) stick by her and so does the “cute” boy from sports camp she’s been texting. They figure the best way to clear her name is to find out who’s been posting lies on Sekrit; but while searching for the liar, new truths come to light and it becomes increasingly clear that no one is or was trustworthy to start with.
Marshmallow’s Review: The Fall of Iris Henley is a very good book! I only saw two plot twists coming, and there were far more I was completely unprepared for. The story is fascinating and exciting; I know it is cliche to say, but you cannot put this book down! The characters are all developed extremely well, but then the author changes everything you think, feel, or think you know about a person — and in a way that is still logical and believable.
Also, I found it very interesting to read about a mystery set in a community that is very different from my own. The rural football culture in Iris’ city of Varda was intriguing to read about, though I think the author does some subtle critiquing of that way of life. This was interesting from an outsider’s perspective, but I can also see how this location choice could also appeal especially to those who live in similar settings.
That said, certain things the characters do are undeniably deserving of criticism. Iris and her friends all drink regularly and occasionally take other types of drugs; her best friends are often vaping and they skip class at least once. They are not good role models. Also, the characters are almost all seniors in their last year of high school and they engage in sexual interactions so this is another reason why this book might not be very appropriate for some. Luckily, nothing is shown in detail (all of these things are mentioned vaguely in passing) but it might be too much for bunnies younger than thirteen or fourteen.
All that being said, The Fall of Iris Henley was very thought-provoking and the mystery was very hard to solve. The author did a very good job of resolving the mystery, giving a satisfying end to the main conflict while tying up character development in a nice bow. This was a very good book overall and I would highly recommend it to everyone who is old enough to read it!
Marshmallow’s Rating: 98%.
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