I received this book a couple of months ago via a book box. Although I’m not typically into thrillers, I recently discovered that I do appreciate YA thrillers from time to time, especially if I need something fast to read. Lie to Me by Kaitlin Ward is exactly that: an entertaining, fast-paced read with typical YA thriller themes.

Lie to Me

Lie to Me tells the story of Amelia, a teenage girl who nearly died by falling off a cliff. Everyone is convinced that it was a stupid accident. After all, nothing bad ever happens in her small town. Nevertheless, Amelia cannot shake the feeling that something is horribly wrong. When another girl is found dead in similar circumstances, she decides to take matters in her own hands and tries to investigate the case. But who can she trust? And why did she have to die in the first place?

An entertaining read

Lie to Me is a typical YA thriller. Mysterious murders in a quiet area, a girl who decides to play detective, it’s nothing new. Nevertheless, it’s quite an entertaining read. Almost all characters are on the list of suspects at one point or another, but the conclusion didn’t surprise me. However, even though I suspected one character more than the others as of the beginning, I have to admit that the author threw me off the right trail a few times.

“I escaped death so narrowly and I’m afraid the universe won’t let it stand.”

Amelia is a quite likeable teenage protagonist. She makes a lot of silly and immature decisions that might make older readers shudder a bit (Were we ever that stupid?), but she’s very much the stereotypical YA thriller main character. The story is told in the 1st person present tense. That’s not at all my favourite narration type, but the story pulls it off and it allows you to more easily go along with the strange choices Amelia makes. I would be a bit worried about her if I knew her in real life, though. Not only is she potentially being chased by a murderer, she might also have paranoia. If you’ve been getting along great with your older brother your entire life, it might be a bit worrying that you think “could he be the one who tried to kill me” simply because he lies once. I get it’s a scary situation to be in, but that doesn’t seem like a healthy reflex either.

“There’s a reason people come back, a reason they put up with spotty cell service and a town with literally zero stores. With tiny populations and petty gossip. I know I’m only sixteen, but I get it. It’s sort of an indefinable thing. A feeling of rightness in your heart. The sense that every ounce of love you feel for this place, it feels for you, too.”

All in all, I quite liked this book. It’s fast and you really want to keep reading, even though the story is predictable. Two out of five gemstones:

Age Category: Young adults

Representation: Bisexual main character

Trigger Warnings (click here, may contain spoilers)

Very mild. Warnings for betrayal, murder and attempted murder.

Do you want to discover more?

If my review inspired you to pick up the book, don’t hesitate to check it out at Goodreads or at the below online stores. If you decide to buy it via one of the following links, I will receive a small percentage at no extra charge for you!

Amazon.nl: Paperback edition

Similar to this

If you enjoyed Lie to Me, you should also take a look at Kaitlin Ward’s Where She Fell. This novel is about Eliza, a girl who gets lost in a hidden world beneath the earth, filled with vicious creatures. What will she need to risk to get back to the surface? Sounds quite good, doesn’t it? Something like a YA Fantasy Thriller, if that’s a thing. I’ve put it on my TBR list!

If you are into YA thrillers, you might want to check out Little Creeping Things by Chelsea Ichaso. This is one of my favourite novels in this genre. It tells the story about a girl with a past, who finds herself cornered when her murder fantasy actually comes to be. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time! My review can be found here.

I also quite enjoyed They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman. This YA thriller is set in a high school, but while you usually get the story told from the point-of-view of the underdog, this book is told by one of the popular kids. Jill is one of the Players, an elite group of students set for bright futures. But while her peers are more than happy to play the game, Jill starts to question herself. Are they taking things too far? My review can be read here.