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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
traciereads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Kidnapping and Alcohol
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
ash_ton's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Fatphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Cancer, Eating disorder, Medical content, Confinement, Death, Toxic friendship, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Terminal illness, Alcohol, Car accident, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Blood, Addiction, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Drug use
katiejohns's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Child death, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Death, Toxic friendship, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Car accident and Suicide attempt
Minor: Abandonment
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
erinlynneee's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Emma is 13 and sent to Camp Nightingale for her first summer away from home. Having arrived late, she ends up in a cabin with three older girls. They become friends, they laugh, they play games. And then the three older girls vanish, poof, gonna. Fifteen years later, Emma is an artist and is asked back to the re-opened Camp Nightingale to teach young girls how to paint. Does she go to gain some closure? Or is she just stirring the pot?
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Suicide attempt
fraise's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Grief, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Child death, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Cancer, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual content
the adult/minor relationship is a consentual encounter between two teenagersmeghan01's review
4.0
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Suicide, Death, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Car accident, Child death, and Cancer
Minor: Suicide attempt
trulydevious's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Kidnapping, Eating disorder, and Pedophilia