Thank you to Flatiron Books for providing an e-arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5☆ — this golden state being a modern-day bonnie & clyde but with kids is the absolute page turner that readers can expect! just truly hooks readers right in, as i could not put down this mystery thriller and read in one sitting. following poppy, at almost 18 has been using fake names her whole life and doesn't even know her parents' real names, it hurts to see the situation no kid should be put in and how she could never let anyone get close to her. as the family never stays in one place for more than a few months maximum definitely less if people come close to recognizing. immediately entering the story seeing the pattern of poppy's life once again being taken away from a town she was just getting used to and the toll it takes on her emotionally. their move to california is definitely one much different than their previous ones with being a location poppy has dreamed to go to and with how excited her mom is more than usual. we get to see our main take advanced math courses with a stanford professor and poppy is a character who hasn't been able to settle enough to see her potential, academically particularly and is highly intelligent in stem courses able to keep up with kids her age who took years of tutoring. but soon she meets a fellow classmate, harry that she finds herself instantly connected to him though not being able to open up completely as a family on the run yet they truly begin a whirlwind of a romance. the romantic subplot wasn't exactly my favorite i did enjoy harry's character a lot and what depth we see of him, but its more of a plot device to further poppy's search for her parents' true identities with him being her access to technology after both found each other mailing in ancestry.com dna tests. you truly feel the building tension and anxiety for poppy as the story furthers as she gets closer to the truth. with trying not to give anything away, weisenberg genuinely builds a great structure of a story with little easter eggs all throughout and weaving them all together how it connects back to the true story of poppy's parents. the only critique i have is that i agree with fellow reviews of its ending and wishing we got to see more of what comes after but i do understand that the book would have gone on for much longer if that were to happen. all in all, i think readers looking for a quick paced, mystery that keeps one at the edge of the seat will be satisfied with the rush that this golden state gives!