I don't typically read thrillers, be they YA or adult novels. But when I read the First Look for this book, I found myself quickly becoming engaged in the story and wanting to know more!
The story is told in dueling, first-person narratives. In one, we follow the story of Gabe, a teenage boy who, after being involved in a car accident and rescued by a mysterious girl, finds himself struggling to escape the clutches of his mean-girl girlfriend, Sasha, to pursue this new savior girl. The other narrative follows Elyse who on a whim auditions for a role in "Romeo and Juliet" and quickly finds herself entangled in a complicated web revolving around a person she knows she should avoid.
Both stories were engaging, however I did find myself more pulled into Elyse's plot. Her struggles and circumstances were a bit more relatable to the average reader, while Gabe's story could verge a bit into the unbelievable, particularly where his ex-girlfriend Sasha was involved. It was a bit hard to believe that she had so little oversight in her life that she could pull off some of the very unbalanced stunts she did.
The story is told in first-person, which I thought worked fairly well for the story. At times it did make the writing feel a bit too simple, and I found myself wanting a little more depth in the descriptions of scenes. This is a typical limitation of this writing tense, however, so it wasn't overly distracting, just not my preferred type. And I do think that keeping it in first-person allowed readers to more fully identify with the mental and emotional struggles that Elyse and Gabe go through.
I also very much liked the diversity of the cast. Gabe is Mexican American and his sister has Down Syndrome. I especially loved the relationship between Gabe and his sister, and it was great to see a relationship like that portrayed on the page. The story also tackled several other topics such as poverty, addiction, and, of course, abusive romantic relationships.
As I've said, I haven't read too many thrillers. So, while I know that there will some twist coming, I wasn't able to spot this one. Maybe fans more familiar with the genre would have had an easier time of it, but I was genuinely surprised. Specifically, I was left wondering throughout most of the book how Elyse's and Gabe's storylines were tied together, and it was exciting to finally find out in the end. However, as surprising as it was, it also had an affect on how I viewed the rest of the story in the end, and I'm not sure it was a change for the better.
Ultimately, I very much enjoyed "Lies You Never Told Me" even though it falls outside of my usual genre preferences. I'm sure it will be a hit for regular thriller fans as well!
The story is told in dueling, first-person narratives. In one, we follow the story of Gabe, a teenage boy who, after being involved in a car accident and rescued by a mysterious girl, finds himself struggling to escape the clutches of his mean-girl girlfriend, Sasha, to pursue this new savior girl. The other narrative follows Elyse who on a whim auditions for a role in "Romeo and Juliet" and quickly finds herself entangled in a complicated web revolving around a person she knows she should avoid.
Both stories were engaging, however I did find myself more pulled into Elyse's plot. Her struggles and circumstances were a bit more relatable to the average reader, while Gabe's story could verge a bit into the unbelievable, particularly where his ex-girlfriend Sasha was involved. It was a bit hard to believe that she had so little oversight in her life that she could pull off some of the very unbalanced stunts she did.
The story is told in first-person, which I thought worked fairly well for the story. At times it did make the writing feel a bit too simple, and I found myself wanting a little more depth in the descriptions of scenes. This is a typical limitation of this writing tense, however, so it wasn't overly distracting, just not my preferred type. And I do think that keeping it in first-person allowed readers to more fully identify with the mental and emotional struggles that Elyse and Gabe go through.
I also very much liked the diversity of the cast. Gabe is Mexican American and his sister has Down Syndrome. I especially loved the relationship between Gabe and his sister, and it was great to see a relationship like that portrayed on the page. The story also tackled several other topics such as poverty, addiction, and, of course, abusive romantic relationships.
As I've said, I haven't read too many thrillers. So, while I know that there will some twist coming, I wasn't able to spot this one. Maybe fans more familiar with the genre would have had an easier time of it, but I was genuinely surprised. Specifically, I was left wondering throughout most of the book how Elyse's and Gabe's storylines were tied together, and it was exciting to finally find out in the end. However, as surprising as it was, it also had an affect on how I viewed the rest of the story in the end, and I'm not sure it was a change for the better.
Ultimately, I very much enjoyed "Lies You Never Told Me" even though it falls outside of my usual genre preferences. I'm sure it will be a hit for regular thriller fans as well!