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author_d_r_oestreicher's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Alcohol, Child death, Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
cepramas's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Graphic: Child death, Murder, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Violence and Cancer
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Emma returns to Camp Nightingale as an art instructor…fifteen years after her friends vanished from the very same cabin where she’s now staying.
I’m thrilled to say that with this book I’ve officially finished Riley Sager’s entire backlist! I enjoyed this one, though it doesn’t take my top spot for Sager (which is reserved for THE ONLY ONE LEFT). I will say that I’m rarely surprised by thrillers and I was genuinely shocked by at least two twists in this one, which is the primary reason for my rating.
That said, there was a part of me that was a little let down by how everything ultimately resolved here, and I felt like there was a lot of slow foundation laying in the beginning that took me forever to get through (this one took me 4-5 days to read which is LONG for me given the length and genre). But, I’d still recommend this one overall and I know a lot of people have LOVED it, so even the criticisms might be a me problem!
CW: Kidnapping; death/injury; mental illness
Graphic: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Death, and Child death
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, and Terminal illness
epeolatrist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Murder and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Suicide attempt
bookcheshirecat's review
4.0
“Everything is a game, Em. Whether you know it or not. Which means that sometimes a lie is more than just a lie. Sometimes it's the only way to win.”
➽ The Last Time I Lied is another fun Riley Sager Thriller! It's one of his older works that was still enjoyable to read. The story follows Emma, who spent a summer at Camp Nightingale 15 years ago where three of her bunkmates mysteriously disappeared. Her new friends were never found and ever since Emma has been hiding them in her drawings in order to deal with her lingering trauma. However, the camp is supposed to be reopened soon and she's approached by the director again. Emma gets roped into becoming one of the counsellors and the resident art teacher, but there are a lot of bad memories at Camp Nightingale and not everyone has forgotten what happened with her bunkmates.
➽ The story talks about Emma's trauma and mental health, as she's still trying to cope with the disappearance of her three friends. With the camp's reopening, she hopes to finally get some closure, but something strange is going on. Maybe she can finally find out what happened back then, as there are still so many unanswered questions. The story is told in dual timelines of Then and Now, looking back on Emma's fateful summer. She develops a codependent, slightly toxic friendship with three girls who are older than her. I didn't really like them, as they were your typical, mean Queen Bees, but the story was still compelling!
Graphic: Ableism, Fatphobia, and Mental illness
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Toxic friendship
Minor: Body shaming, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, and Stalking
astoriareader's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
- Fifteen years ago, Emma Davis went to summer camp, and her three cabin mates snuck out in the middle of the night & they vanished without a trace.
- In the present day, Emma is an artist & living in NYC. The owner of the summer camp is reopening the camp, and she asks if Emma wants to return as an art instructor. Emma decides to go for it, as a way to get closure.
- At camp, Emma is paired in a cabin with three teenagers, and history begins to repeat itself.
- Atmospheric thriller. I enjoyed the summer camp setting.
- Interesting premise.
- Ugh, okay, spoilers ahead as to why I went 3 stars on this one.
- I don’t really feel like Riley Sager, aka Todd Ritter, should be writing so many characters from women’s POV, particularly about a teenage girl getting her first period.
- If y’all play two truths & a lie one more time, I am going to lose it.
- Every character is accused at some point.
- What was even the point of the whole asylum backstory?!
- The first clue that she finds is in a trunk?! What? Has it been there 15 years? Why does she need the map anyway?
- Emma’s “secrets" were not very interesting. She was 13, and they were totally understandable, given her age, maturity, and the situation.
Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic friendship, and Death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Violence, Murder, and Sexual content
Minor: Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Cancer
d0505's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Death
Moderate: Mental illness
cyndi1966's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Minor: Grief, Terminal illness, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
aas's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Cancer, Drug use, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Cursing, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Confinement, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcoholism, Car accident, Kidnapping, Gore, Toxic friendship, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, and Alcohol
minimicropup's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Confinement and Mental illness
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Body shaming, and Gaslighting
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Bullying, Terminal illness, and Cancer