Blog Tour: Review: Beautiful Lies by Jessica Warman

Summary/Cover Image from Goodreads:

Rachel and Alice are an extremely rare kind of identical twins—so identical that even their aunt and uncle, whom they’ve lived with since their parents passed away, can’t tell them apart. But the sisters are connected in a way that goes well beyond their surfaces: when one experiences pain, the other exhibits the exact same signs of distress. So when one twin mysteriously disappears, the other immediately knows something is wrong—especially when she starts experiencing serious physical traumas, despite the fact that nobody has touched her. As the search commences to find her sister, the twin left behind must rely on their intense bond to uncover the truth. But is there anyone around her she can trust, when everyone could be a suspect? And ultimately, can she even trust herself? Master storyteller Jessica Warman will keep readers guessing when everything they see—and everything they are told—suddenly becomes unreliable in this page-turning literary thriller.

Review:

With Where The Truth Lies, Jessica's second book and the first one I've read of hers, I fell head over heals in love with her storytelling ability. Her ability to craft characters and plot was fascinating. Then with Between, Jessica's '11 release and my second book of hers, that statement was seconded all the more. Now with Beautiful Lies, her latest release, I have a strong feeling I'll be a lifelong fan of Jessica's because this one was EXCELLENT! It was mysterious. It left me unsettled but dying to find out more. It was the perfect blend of paranormal and contemporary mystery. And most importantly, the twists and turns and even the ending caught me off guard.

Beautiful Lies begins the story of Alice and Rachel, identical twins so similar that no one- not even their family nor their closest friends- can tell them apart physically. However, their personalities tell a different story all together. Alice has always been the bad girl in the family. If she's not getting in trouble for drinking or sneaking out late, it's her attitude and temper that does. Rachel, however, is the good girl. She gets perfect grades. Never causing trouble or chaos, she always stays under the radar except when it comes to helping her sister Alice. Even with their differences Rachel and Alice are incredibly close...almost like the same person, but when one twin goes missing, everything changes. Suddenly, everyone becomes a suspect to the remaining twin, and with nowhere to turn and no one to turn to, she sets out to find her sister and even piece together the past as well as herself in ways she could have never imagined.

Beautiful Lies is a hard book to review. Not because I don't know what to say, but because I don't want to say too much. Beautiful Lies is the kind of book you want to experience all on your own...one where knowing just one little twist may ruin it all. Therefore, I'm going to keep this as brief and simple as possible.

First of all, I loved the characters! Jessica Warman did a fantastic job of crafting Alice and Rachel. I really got to know them throughout this book, and to tell the truth, I was fascinated by them. I've always wanted to have a twin...I think it would be so cool, and this book should such an interesting take on twins. The bond between Alice and Rachel was unbreakable and breakable all at the same time if that makes sense. They loved each other but also sometimes hated as well as envied the other. It was a complicated relationship but it made for interesting reading material...let me tell you. I also enjoyed the wide variety of secondary characters introduced in this. Kimber was a favorite of mine simply because while her story was heartbreaking, she was such a sweet and nice girl. I also enjoyed finding out more about Alice and Rachel's family and various other connections.

With a Warman book, you always go in knowing you're going to end up with an incredibly well written book, and that was just the case with this one. I love the way in which Warman crafts the plot because she always gives you just enough information that while you're happy enough with it you're also dying to know what's going to happen next. Plus she also keeps everything such a jumbled mess...in the best way possible of course. Beautiful Lies especially knocked me off my feet. Page after page I was constantly surprised, and even when things were out in the open, I was constantly second guessing them, waiting for something to come out of the blue yet again. I also loved the mix of paranormal aspects, because they added the perfect little spark to it.

The only aspect I didn't particularly enjoy was how rushed the ending was. I was a little confused at the end and had to re-read a few pages because of how quick everything went down. However, once I pieced it all togehter, I did feel it was the perfect ending in the long run-- even if it wasn't the one I was expecting.

In all, Beautiful Lies is the perfect end of summer read, especially on a dark, rainy day. It's mysterious. It keeps you on your toes. And most importantly, it's incredibly well written...basically I can't suggest it highly enough.

Grade: A-

Beautiful Lies (Amazon/ BN/ Goodreads) is now out!

Source: Publisher via Netgalley- Thanks Bloomsbury/Walker Books!

Between by Jessica Warman (+ Giveaway!)

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

The buzz book of the international market, already sold to 9 countries, about a girl stuck in between life and the afterlife, trying to piece together the mystery of her death.

Elizabeth Valchar-pretty, popular, and perfect-wakes up the morning after her eighteenth birthday party on her family's yacht, where she'd been celebrating with her six closest friends. A persistent thumping noise has roused her. When she goes to investigate, what she finds will change everything she thought she knew about her life, her friends, and everything in between. As Liz begins to unravel the circumstances surrounding her birthday night, she will find that no one around her, least of all Liz herself, was perfect-or innocent. Critically acclaimed author Jessica Warman brings readers along on a roller-coaster ride of a mystery, one that is also a heartbreaking character study, a touching romance, and ultimately a hopeful tale of redemption, love, and letting go.

Review: 

Ever since reading Where the Truth Lies, Jessica's second novel, last year, I've been dying to read another book by her, so when Between landed on my radar I knew I had to read it. Not only because I was pretty sure I would love it, but also because it had been compared to two of my favorite YA books, Before I Fall and If I Stay. Luckily, it was pretty darn SPECTACULAR to say the least.

It all starts with a jarring noise. However, when Elizabeth (also known as Liz) goes to find out just what's making that sound, she gets much more than she garnered for: the sight of her body lying limply in the water. Shocked, Elizabeth begins to realize that she is officially dead and gone. Not knowing how this could be possible, she teams up with an unlikely ally to find out the truth, but everything, she's about to find out, isn't nearly as picture perfect as she thought. Her friends are hiding secrets, her stepsister, her supposed best friend, is moving in on Liz's boyfriend, and her boyfriend is weirdly enough going along with the advances. What's a girl to do? Will Liz figure it out before it's too late? Or will she forever be stuck in this between? Only more time and pages can tell in this complex and intricate new tale of secrets, second chances, soul mates, and the heavy price of popularity.

Similar to Before I Fall's main character, Liz starts out as an incredibly unlikable and selfish main character. However, even though I wasn't necessarily rooting for her at those times, it was part of the reasons why Between was so intriguing and hard to put down. You see, I had to know why Liz had turned out that way, what made her become to standoffish towards others and so reluctant to ask for help. In addition, when the pieces did start to come together, I was constantly surprised and shocked, making this book all the more fantastic, in my opinion. I also like the addition of her boyfriend Richie, more specifically, the bond the two shared. Unlike most things in Liz's life, their relationship was very innocent and very, very sweet. There weren't many people in Liz's life that saw who she was deep down, but Richie was one of him. I just adored his character to pieces, even though their relationship and ache for one anther throughout did make me tear up a little at times.

The premise of this is fascinating and the execution of the said idea is even better! For one, I loved that Jessica made the primary focus of this book on friendship, family, and redemption instead of just romance. It gave it a truly unique edge, especially when all the surprising twists and turns where thrown into the book. The addition of Alex Berg, another dead student from Liz's school, was another great addition to the plot, and while he severed more as a device at times then a character, he still managed to change Liz in ways that others couldn't.

Jessica's writing was also simply stunning! I loved how she switched between present situations to the flashback of Liz's life throughout the years, as it allowed more affect to be left than Liz just telling the reader what had occurred. I also appreciated the ending she gave. It was extremely bittersweet and emotional but it was just the way the novel should end so I can't really complain.

Beautifully written, introspective, and just all around fantastic, Between is my new favorite novel of '11, which gives me all the more reason to highly, highly suggest you pick this one up. It may not be for everyone but for people who enjoy a good story (similar to If I Stay, Before I Fall, and The Everafter) it's well worth a read. However, quick word of warning: grab some tissues before you start this one because if one thing's for sure, it will probably make you cry, especially when all the craziness comes out at the end.

Grade: A+ 

Between is now available!

Source: Publicist at Bloomsbury/Walker Books- thanks Kate!

To find out more about the Between and its author, head on over to Jessica's website.

Thanks to Bloomsbury/Walker Books, I also have ONE copy of Between to giveaway to one lucky winner. To enter, the giveaway please fill out the following form. 

Official Giveaway Rules:

~ Must be 13 years or older
~ Must have a US mailing address
~ This giveaway will close on August 31, 2011 at 12:00 PM EST
~ For an extra entry, tweet "Enter @Lauren817's giveaway for Between by Jessica Warman http://bit.ly/qcePwi"

*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW OVER.*

Interview with Jessica Warman, author of Breathless and Where the Truth Lies!

Jessica Warman is the author of one of my favorite books of the fall- Where The Truth Lies (Now out!)- and today, she's here on Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf to answer a few of my questions. So without a further ado...

In your opinion, what are the top three reasons why teens, or even adults, should consider picking up Where the Truth Lies the next time they see it online or in stores?

First of all, I think my publisher did a fantastic job with the cover, so I hope it will draw people in and spark an interest in the story by itself. Beyond that, the story deals with a couple of themes that I think are somewhat universal, one of which is the idea of first love. Emily's relationship with Del is certainly a bit more dramatic than most people's first loves, but it's something that we all experience at one point or another - most of us when we're teenagers - and I hope people will find a thread within Emily and Del's story that they can relate to. The second theme deals with the realization that we all have, at some point or another, that our families are not perfect. When we're young kids, most of us tend to see our parents or guardians as pretty infallible, I think. But as we grow older, we begin to recognize them as flawed human beings who struggle with their own issues, just like everyone else. Again, the way Emily experiences this revelation is somewhat extreme, but I do think the general idea is something that plenty of people will be able to relate to.

Where the Truth Lies is told from Emily Meckler view point, so would you mind sharing a little bit about her? Also, if you could over her any type of advice, what would you say?

One thing I like quite a bit about Emily is the fact that, when the story begins, she is very innocent and somewhat naive, and all of that changes once Del Sugar comes into her life. Basically, she grows quite a bit throughout the story. As a writer, it was a lot of fun to bring so much growth to a character. By the end of the story, she's a very different girl.

I read on your website that like Emily you attended a boarding school. So in what ways are the boarding school you attended and the boarding school Emily attended similar? Different?

My boarding school was actually pretty similar. Like Emily's, it was coed. There was a very strong sense of community, as well as one of great isolation... it was like being in a little microcosm of the real world. And like Emily, I actually enjoyed boarding school a lot. It was sort of like having a hundred brothers and sisters, or getting to have a slumber party with your best friends every night. As far as differences... my school was much more strict! I don't think someone like Del Sugar would have lasted at my school nearly as long as he did at Stonybrook.

In my opinion, one of the most fascinating characters in Where the Truth Lies is Del Sugar, so can you share a bit about the inspiration behind his character? Also, how did you come up with his name?

Well, his name just sort of came to me one day about ten years ago. And I definitely hope that people will be interested in him, because he's probably my favorite character of all time (who I've come up with). I've been writing about him for years; I have tons of short stories, and even another novel, that deals with him as the main character. He has become very real to me. I guess you could say I have a crush on him. I definitely don't think readers have seen the last of him...

What’s up next for you book wise?

I have a thriller coming out next year, called "Between," that I'm SO excited about!

~~~~

Thanks so much, Jessica! I can't wait to read Between, and I'm so happy to hear that there's a possibility of more novels dealing with Del Sugar on the horizon.

To find out more about Jessica and her books, head on over to her website. To see what I had to say about Where the Truth Lies, head on over here, and to enter my contest for Where the Truth Lies (along with two other fabulous books!), head on over here.

Day One: Review of Where the Truth Lies by Jessica Warman

*As part of October's Outstanding Bloomsbury and Walkerbooks Author's Week, I have a reveiw of Jessica Warman's Where the Truth Lies today; be sure to check back later for more Where the Truth Lies related goodies*

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

A riveting exploration of how love can lead to lies.

On the surface, Emily Meckler leads the perfect life. She has three best friends, two loving parents, and the ideal setup at the Connecticut prep school where her father is the headmaster. But Emily also suffers from devastating nightmares about fire and water, and nobody knows why. Then the enigmatic Del Sugar enters her life, and Emily is immediately swept away—but her passionate relationship with Del is just the first of many things that aren't quite what they seem in Emily's life. As the lies she's been told start to unravel, Emily must set out to discover the truth regarding her nightmare; on a journey that will lead her to question everything she thought she knew about love, family, and her own idyllic past.

This companion novel to Warman's critically acclaimed Breathless proves that sometimes the biggest lies are told to the people you love the most.

Review:

Where the Truth Lies is one of the most beautifully and elegantly written books of the year, one that deals with situations present in most teens' lives, if not their friends- first love, break-ups, pregnancies...

Where the Truth Lies starts of at the beginning of Emily Meckler's junior year of high school. Emily has always been the good girl. She has three best friends, a picture perfect family life with two parents (something most of her friends don't have), and the right to a boarding school education where her father is the headmaster of the said school. Her junior year is supposed to be just like the rest- perfect and uneventful. That is until it changes in one moment when she meets the mysterious, eccentric, and swoon-worthy Del Sugar. Del Sugar isn't like most boys at her boarding school. He came from foster care and has a tattoo and past he refuses to talk about. And soon he has Emily's heart as well, though as Emily is soon to learn through the falling apart of her life, this isn't the best of things. But how is one girl supposed to leave a guy she thinks she loves, especially given the situation she put herself into? And how is that same girl supposed to pull herself up when she's fallen so far from the top? Well, it looks like Emily is soon to find out...

Emily was a great main character, one that I continuously rooted for no matter how bad the circumstances she got herself into. One of the things I loved most about her character was the layers Jessica put into her, ones that contained the good girl that hid the girl who wanted to break out of her shell which hid a girl who was truly lost in all ways possible. I thought Emily was simply a fascinating character and a perfect pick to lead the story. I also enjoyed reading about her relationships with different characters in the story and how each where built up on truths and lies and how some could go tumbling down in a second. One of my favorite secondary characters was Renee. She was a funny and trustworthy girl that I truly liked. I also adored reading about Emily's other friends and the sometimes funny situations they got themselves into.
 
The plot of this was interesting and forever kept me immersed in the story at hand. I enjoyed seeing the constant twists Jessica put in Emily's life, as well as seeing how far one girl could fall from the 'perfect' life she had before.

Further more, I loved the fact that Where the Truth Lies took place at a boarding school. Because not only did Jessica do a great job of capturing the feel of one, but her descriptions of it often made me feel like I was right there with the characters, wrapped up in all the drama just as much as they were.

And as mentioned before Jessica's writing was nothing but fantastic. My favorite part of the story by far! I loved the level of detail to the story and how she easily made this story take place in two years without giving me the feeling that I missed important details.

The only part of the story I wasn't too found of was how everything also felt a bit too neatly into place, but other than that small thing nothing else truly bothered me.

In all, Where the Truth Lies is a fabulous novel, one that I highly suggest to all readers out there looking for a new contemporary author and her books to read! And I think it goes without saying that I can't wait to read more by Jessica Warman!

Grade: A

Where the Truth Lies is now out!

Source: Kate at Bloomsburry. Thanks!