“The Lies They Tell”
Written by Gillian French
Review written by
Diana Iozzia of Bookworm Banter
“The Lies They Tell” follows our
main protagonist, Pearl Haskins, as she discovers the mystery of why the house
of one of the richest families in town has burned to the ground. Nearly all of
the Garrison family perished, except their eighteen-year-old son, Tristan.
Pearl is stuck in a love triangle,
or square, I guess, as she tries to help her father and his alcoholism. Pearl
works as a waitress at a country club during the summer, still planning her way
out of the town to college in the fall. Pearl befriends a group of rich kids
from the club, soon starting to fall for Bridges and Tristan, while still sort
of pining for her co-worker, Reese.
This book reminds me of 90210 meets “In
Cold Blood” by Truman Capote. Who killed the Garrisons? Was it their surviving
son? Was it Pearl’s father, who was there working as the caretaker that night?
Could it have been someone else entirely?
I enjoyed some of this book, but not
much. I think I would have enjoyed this more if I was younger. As a twenty-two-year-old,
sometimes it can be difficult for me to get into the mindset of a teen to read young
adult fiction. Most of the characters, barring Bridges, were a little too
unrealistic for me. I really enjoyed the dialogue, it is very realistic and
representative of teens. Often in young adult fiction, we’re “treated” to talk
of Facebook and Snapchat and Instagram and Kim Kardashian, so it was nice to have
a break from “teens”.
There’s a bit of uncomfortable
sexual harassment in this book, but the characters did call out the harassment which
I appreciated. As for the alcoholic father premise, this pops up in too many teen
fiction novels. I’m tired of the teens having to be responsible and fix their
parents. The names are very glamorous and of course make sense for the novel.
Bridges, Tristan, Hadley, Quinn. They all sound a bit like the author
researched wealthy teen names.
There were scenes that I enjoyed. I
enjoyed the boat sailing scenes, because it offered a new location / setting
that’s not often incorporated into teen fiction. I felt a little “Talented Mr.
Ripley” in some parts, which I liked. The climax and the reveal behind the
murders was good, but I don’t think it was a shocking enough plot twist that
made the book feel worthwhile. The book is slowly paced, and I don’t mind a
slow paced book if it eventually builds to a fantastic reveal, with great
little tidbits in the middle. I recommend it for teens, but if you’re above the
age of 20, perhaps this book may be a little too young for you.
I received an advanced
review copy for my honest reviewing purposes.
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