The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

I had a life anyone would kill for.

Then someone did.

The worst part of being dead is that there’s nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It’s enough to kill a girl all over again. But I’m about to get something no one else does—an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.

Now Emma’s desperate to know what happened to me. And the only way to figure it out is to be me—to slip into my old life and piece it all together. But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends? Convince my boyfriend she’s the girl he fell in love with? Pretend to be a happy, carefree daughter when she hugs my parents good night? And can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move?

From Sara Shepard, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars books, comes a riveting new series about secrets, lies, and killer consequences.

Let the lying game begin.

Review:

I've been a fan of Sara Shepard ever since I read the first Pretty Little Liars book a few years ago, and as the years have gone by her books have gotten better and better. So, when I first heard about The Lying Game, her brand new series, I'll admit I was very excited to read it. And as it turns out, I had every right to be because The Lying Game is one of the most creative, addicting, and scandalous books I've read in a long time. It was a book I could barley put down for a second and when I finally did it was all I could think about.

The Lying Game begins the story of Sutton and Emma, two long lost sisters whose lives couldn't be any more different.  Emma has been bounced from foster home to foster home, while Sutton has lived a glamours life with two loving adoptive parents and a sister in Arizona. After a particularly bad foster family incident Emma stumbles upon Sutton, quickly realizing the two are sisters, and after a few facebook messages, she's off to meet her sister, a person she can finally call family. Though, just like any other Shepard book, nothing is exactly as it appears, as Emily and Sutton are soon to learn.

One of the things I loved most about this book were the mysteries. They ranged from the one surrounding Sutton and her death to the one surrounding Sutton's "friends" to the one surrounding Sutton and Emily's mother. Each one was incredible and well thought out, because not only did they keep me forever guessing, but Shepard presented them in such a compelling way with her writing.

Adding this fact, I loved the characters. Sure most of the them were not the nicest of people, but I couldn't help but get wrapped up in their scandalous lives. Without a doubt, two of my favorite ones are Sutton and Emily. Sutton is the typical "popular" girl, one who has left her status go to her head but still has some feelings under her tough exterior. One of my favorite aspects of Sutton was all of her secrets because I loved finding out about each and every one right along with Emma and seeing how they shaped and twisted the story. And talking about Emma, she is the "nice" girl, even though her life has been anything but pleasant. Emma was the one I constantly rooted for because I truly wanted nothing but good things for her. Lastly, I enjoyed seeing Emma's romance with a certain person start to develop in the book, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of it in future additions.

Moving on, Shepard's writing was also up to par in this book. I thought she did a great job of developing the characters and plot lines, as well as moving the story in a nice, smooth pace. Better yet, I loved the cliff-hanger she left at the end!

In all, The Lying Game is yet another solid effort by Shepard. It's an entertaining guilty pleasure, one that I promise is well-worth a read.

Grade: A+

The Lying Game is now out!

Source: Netgalley