Reviews with content warning for Grief - This Lie Will Kill You

I hoped for more with this book and I really think it had potential.
The book was very predictable and just confusing at times. There were so many plot twists that felt rushed and hard to follow as they were not explained and I was left feeling confused. The start was intriguing but towards the end so much was going on I didn’t enjoy it. It’s sad because I loved books like these.

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j3sslou_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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carbinara's review against another edition

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reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

The plot was fine and I quite liked it, but I hated how the characters were written. Well, mostly; I liked Brett, Juniper, and Gavin.

However, I found Ruby to be a bit of a mary-sue and her character totally changed after we find out she’s planned this (although I did sorta prefer her after). Also, Shane was the weirdest manic pixie dream boy character, and the whole slow dancing w Ruby on first meeting was just odd. Parker was too one dimensional as a villain. That being said, I liked the narration from him. </spoilers>

Plot wise, it was fast paced, which is always appreciated and I found myself shocked with some of the reveals

(mostly just that Juniper was sorta innocent)

Overall, a fun read but lacked well-written characters.

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loandbeholdx's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

This was a wild ride, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. It helped me to get out of a reading slump, as I didn't want to put it down. After checking reviews when I had finished reading it, I was shocked that it wasn't getting much love. I personally thought this book was gripping, I was so invested in the characters, and I was so intrigued behind everyone's motives for their actions. Yes, it was a little bit unrealistic in places, but I felt that it made it all the more fun to read. It was pretty dark in places for a YA thriller, and explored some themes that are a little more adult, so check content warnings if you're planning on reading this yourself.

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thebookishnerd_'s review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

2.0

This book read to me like an episode of Pretty Little Liars. Only, not as thrilling. All of the characters were unlikeable and flawed. I don't have anything against unlikeable main characters, but it came to the point where they had little to no redeeming qualities. One small thing that irritated me throughout the book, was the constant use of dolls and fire metaphors. Even in the first few chapters, you couldn't go a page without reading about dolls. A plot point that I found unlikely was how Parker was so easily manipulated (and the reveal that he was behind it was quite jarring). If parker is as manipulative and controlling as the book wants us to believe, then he shouldn't have been so willing to put his classmates in danger without realising that he would be in danger. I also felt that Brett's romantic interest in him was forced. Another thing that I wasn't a fan of was the last 50-100 pages. There were so many twists that it made the ending confusing to me. How Ruby was involved with it, and Parker tried to kill her even though he murdered a guy for her. But then Ruby killed him and then almost killed herself but Juniper walked near the fire and everything was alright. Also, it took forever for the police to arrive at the scene but when they did arrive they didn't go to the scene of the crime and allowed Juniper and Ruby to have a long deep discussion. When they did finally finish their conversation and joined Gavin who was with the police, none of them was questioned. The police didn't speak to them at all, even though they were the only witnesses. One final thing that didn't seem right about this book, was that it was so easy to climb into each other's houses without being seen. Even as six-year-olds they could magically climb up the side of a house to get to their friend's window. Overall, this book wasn't for me. I will give it credit and say that it was a fast read, but I don't recommend this book.

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