The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson
Published by Quill Tree Books on October 7, 2025
ISBN: 0063271273
Genres: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Format: Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads

Despite her parents’ belief that she is destined for Yale, Jordyn decides to attend Frazier University, an HBCU. She immediately hits it off with her suitemates, and hopes that this new sense of belonging will help her through the grief of losing her brother. When Devonte, the older brother of a roommate, and who is fresh out of prison, needs a place to stay, the group takes him in and quickly falls under his charismatic, worldly spell. Soon, the friends are questioning everything they thought they knew about race, gender roles, nutrition, and themselves. Only Jordyn starts to question Devonte’s need to control them, and worries she might be too late to break the brainwashing that is spreading through her dorm and out into the campus.

Fast-paced and interesting, The Scammer is a solid YA psychological thriller that helps draw some attention to the spread of misinformation and the manipulation that can result from it. Jackson adds a final twist that will be divisive, definitely a love-it-or-hate-it situation, but for those it works for, this will be a big hit.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath