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beatriz1998's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
não gostei muito não.
carrielion143's review against another edition
4.0
It was a quick YA read, but too unrealistic to love.
sarahanne1994's review against another edition
5.0
Another really well written book by Paula Stokes. Liars, Inc. is a fast paced, thrill ride of a novel that will keep you guessing until the very end. It's pretty action packed and I could not put it down until I had finished it. Only recently have I been getting into thrillers, but so far, this is my favorite. You can really relate to Max, Parvati and Preston, and their idea of selling lies? Pretty ingenious. There were enough twists in the plot to keep me guessing what was going on and I was fully satisfied with the ending. It was so good, and I highly recommend checking this book out (and by that, I mean buy it when it comes out in March), it is amazing.
cowmingo's review against another edition
4.0
Even though I figured part of it, I was riveted and glued until the very end. Great story.
pagesplotsandpints's review against another edition
3.0
Initial Impressions 3/3/15: Somewhere around 3.5 stars I think...
I had a hard time getting into Liars, Inc. The beginning and I didn't get along but I was interested to see where the story went once it started picking up (since the beginning was a lot of set-up, which is fair enough). It took about 35-40% and then I started to get into the book. It never really reached a level of greatness for me though. I didn't start to feel the "realness" of the characters until the very end, and really only with Max. I kind of didn't care for anyone else.
Maybe I need to stop reading mysteries? I keep craving them and craving them but then I sort of build this amazing book up in my mind and things don't normally seem to pan out.
There was a very nice twist and unlike We Were Liars, I did NOT guess it so that was great! I was super curious to figure out what would happen at the end and it was much more complicated than a simple one-sentence answer.
Some parts were a little darker than I expected and others not dark enough for my tastes (is that weird? I mean the ending was messed up but for some reason I wanted it to end on some ridiculous note. Maybe I was feeling hostile towards the characters by the end...)
All in all it was enjoyable but nothing really knocked me over. There was a moment where I was about to get really upset (Was that a statement being made? Maybe.) but it wasn't a big focus so I kept reading and moved on.
Sigh. I wanted to love this one but it just never really happened. Still a good read and it seems like others are really enjoying it but maybe hole in my heart for YA mysteries wasn't quite filled.
Full review originally posted HERE on The Book Addict's Guide 3/23/15: I’m always looking for more YA mysteries and thrillers so when I first heard about Liars, Inc, I was VERY excited! I was finally in the mood for a good mystery read so I picked it up right around its release date, hoping to instantly get hooked on another exciting book. The beginning started off well, reminding me of Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas, which I loved and inhaled last year, but shortly thereafter, I felt my mind drifting as I read and was having a hard time staying focused.
Long story short, LIARS, INC is a murder-mystery and for some reason I just have a very hard time finding young adult books that properly capture the essence of a great murder-mystery. I think it’s just because of the age range. Obviously we’re reading about mostly teenagers in YA and there are too many times when it’s illogical to have a teen involved in a crime investigation so in order to work that angle in properly, I feel like compromises have to be made and there are too many YA mysteries that just feel forced. I only felt it slightly with LIARS, INC but it was noticeable enough for me that the transitions from scene to scene and overall path of the plot just didn’t quite sit right with me for some reason.
The plot revolves around three main characters — Max (the MC), Parvati (his girlfriend), and Preston (their mutual friend). They have a sort of weird sexual tension between the three of them and I’m definitely not against sex in YA books at all but the role that their sexually-charged, jealousy-ridden non-love triangle played just felt like it would have been more natural in an adult book than young adult. Maybe that’s just a personal thing since I was fairly conservative in high school but it was just enough for me to notice and feel just a smidge turned-off since it was an ever-present thing and a driving force of the novel.
I also had an issue connecting with the characters. I liked Max a lot but it wasn’t until literally the VERY end that I felt like the walls came down and I got to see a more personal side of him. I can understand that he’s a guarded person and doesn’t easily let people in but it really prevented me as a reader from really connecting with him. I just wasn’t really a fan of Parvati or Preston at all though. The both seemed a little static for me and I also had a hard time connecting with them. I really liked the idea of how these three became friends and I also really liked the idea of their Liars, Inc plan (something I wish I had gotten to see more of), but the murder-mystery took the stage and that was okay too.
I actually really enjoyed the ending! Paula Stokes definitely devised a great mystery. I’ve had a few issues where I’ve guessed the ending before and it kind of ruined the book a little bit, but I really did not know how LIARS, INC was going to end! I even tried guessing — several times — and didn’t even come close so I was so happy to see a unique ending that had me confused and excited until the very end! I also really loved how you can’t even describe the ending in one sentence. The answer to “whodunit” is far more complicated than “the butler did it” and I think that also really prevented me from guessing how everything came together!
All-in-all, the ending really pulled everything together for me but I still had issues with the flow of the book. I just really wish I had connected to it more before the ending. It seems like a lot of people are really enjoying it which is a great! There’s a chance I just may be too picky about my mysteries so this one didn’t quite do it for me.
I had a hard time getting into Liars, Inc. The beginning and I didn't get along but I was interested to see where the story went once it started picking up (since the beginning was a lot of set-up, which is fair enough). It took about 35-40% and then I started to get into the book. It never really reached a level of greatness for me though. I didn't start to feel the "realness" of the characters until the very end, and really only with Max. I kind of didn't care for anyone else.
Maybe I need to stop reading mysteries? I keep craving them and craving them but then I sort of build this amazing book up in my mind and things don't normally seem to pan out.
There was a very nice twist and unlike We Were Liars, I did NOT guess it so that was great! I was super curious to figure out what would happen at the end and it was much more complicated than a simple one-sentence answer.
Some parts were a little darker than I expected and others not dark enough for my tastes (is that weird? I mean the ending was messed up but for some reason I wanted it to end on some ridiculous note. Maybe I was feeling hostile towards the characters by the end...)
All in all it was enjoyable but nothing really knocked me over. There was a moment where I was about to get really upset (Was that a statement being made? Maybe.) but it wasn't a big focus so I kept reading and moved on.
Sigh. I wanted to love this one but it just never really happened. Still a good read and it seems like others are really enjoying it but maybe hole in my heart for YA mysteries wasn't quite filled.
Full review originally posted HERE on The Book Addict's Guide 3/23/15: I’m always looking for more YA mysteries and thrillers so when I first heard about Liars, Inc, I was VERY excited! I was finally in the mood for a good mystery read so I picked it up right around its release date, hoping to instantly get hooked on another exciting book. The beginning started off well, reminding me of Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas, which I loved and inhaled last year, but shortly thereafter, I felt my mind drifting as I read and was having a hard time staying focused.
Long story short, LIARS, INC is a murder-mystery and for some reason I just have a very hard time finding young adult books that properly capture the essence of a great murder-mystery. I think it’s just because of the age range. Obviously we’re reading about mostly teenagers in YA and there are too many times when it’s illogical to have a teen involved in a crime investigation so in order to work that angle in properly, I feel like compromises have to be made and there are too many YA mysteries that just feel forced. I only felt it slightly with LIARS, INC but it was noticeable enough for me that the transitions from scene to scene and overall path of the plot just didn’t quite sit right with me for some reason.
The plot revolves around three main characters — Max (the MC), Parvati (his girlfriend), and Preston (their mutual friend). They have a sort of weird sexual tension between the three of them and I’m definitely not against sex in YA books at all but the role that their sexually-charged, jealousy-ridden non-love triangle played just felt like it would have been more natural in an adult book than young adult. Maybe that’s just a personal thing since I was fairly conservative in high school but it was just enough for me to notice and feel just a smidge turned-off since it was an ever-present thing and a driving force of the novel.
I also had an issue connecting with the characters. I liked Max a lot but it wasn’t until literally the VERY end that I felt like the walls came down and I got to see a more personal side of him. I can understand that he’s a guarded person and doesn’t easily let people in but it really prevented me as a reader from really connecting with him. I just wasn’t really a fan of Parvati or Preston at all though. The both seemed a little static for me and I also had a hard time connecting with them. I really liked the idea of how these three became friends and I also really liked the idea of their Liars, Inc plan (something I wish I had gotten to see more of), but the murder-mystery took the stage and that was okay too.
I actually really enjoyed the ending! Paula Stokes definitely devised a great mystery. I’ve had a few issues where I’ve guessed the ending before and it kind of ruined the book a little bit, but I really did not know how LIARS, INC was going to end! I even tried guessing — several times — and didn’t even come close so I was so happy to see a unique ending that had me confused and excited until the very end! I also really loved how you can’t even describe the ending in one sentence. The answer to “whodunit” is far more complicated than “the butler did it” and I think that also really prevented me from guessing how everything came together!
All-in-all, the ending really pulled everything together for me but I still had issues with the flow of the book. I just really wish I had connected to it more before the ending. It seems like a lot of people are really enjoying it which is a great! There’s a chance I just may be too picky about my mysteries so this one didn’t quite do it for me.
rsarnelli's review against another edition
3.0
So. This wasn’t quite what I was expecting. The premise is fantastic, but I don’t think the story itself really delivers. I was hoping for a tense psychological thriller in the vein of [b:Dangerous Girls|16074758|Dangerous Girls|Abigail Haas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356513050s/16074758.jpg|21869436], but instead I got something more along the lines of “teenagers making poor decisions and ending up in increasingly ridiculous situations.”
That’s what this book was, really: kind of ridiculous. It was so far-fetched and silly at times...but it was also really, really entertaining. I thought about DNF-ing it a few times in the beginning, but then I hit page 154 and all this bizarre stuff started happening, and I could not. stop. reading. I just HAD to see what kind of wacky, off-the-wall thing was going to happen next.
As for the mystery itself...it’s okay. It’s interesting, but the description makes it sound a lot more intense than it actually is. I also think the motive behind everything was really weird and not totally believable. But most of this story is pretty unbelievable (seriously, the characters make SO MANY bad decisions), so I guess that’s to be expected.
So, while I’m kind of disappointed I didn’t get what I was hoping for (especially because I LOVED [b:The Art of Lainey|16068910|The Art of Lainey|Paula Stokes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1381343256s/16068910.jpg|21861359] and had high hopes for this), I’m also not that mad about it because it was entertaining as hell. However, I think that if you’re looking for a YA psychological thriller, [b:Dangerous Girls|16074758|Dangerous Girls|Abigail Haas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356513050s/16074758.jpg|21869436] is FAR superior. It’s more plausible and terrifying, not to mention extremely compelling. Liars, Inc. was just a bit too outlandish for me.
The cover is really awesome, though.
That’s what this book was, really: kind of ridiculous. It was so far-fetched and silly at times...but it was also really, really entertaining. I thought about DNF-ing it a few times in the beginning, but then I hit page 154 and all this bizarre stuff started happening, and I could not. stop. reading. I just HAD to see what kind of wacky, off-the-wall thing was going to happen next.
As for the mystery itself...it’s okay. It’s interesting, but the description makes it sound a lot more intense than it actually is. I also think the motive behind everything was really weird and not totally believable. But most of this story is pretty unbelievable (seriously, the characters make SO MANY bad decisions), so I guess that’s to be expected.
So, while I’m kind of disappointed I didn’t get what I was hoping for (especially because I LOVED [b:The Art of Lainey|16068910|The Art of Lainey|Paula Stokes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1381343256s/16068910.jpg|21861359] and had high hopes for this), I’m also not that mad about it because it was entertaining as hell. However, I think that if you’re looking for a YA psychological thriller, [b:Dangerous Girls|16074758|Dangerous Girls|Abigail Haas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356513050s/16074758.jpg|21869436] is FAR superior. It’s more plausible and terrifying, not to mention extremely compelling. Liars, Inc. was just a bit too outlandish for me.
The cover is really awesome, though.
sarahbousq's review against another edition
3.0
This book was interesting.
The plot itself was good, although it dragged at some points. Max is our narrator, a foster kid who found himself adopted by a great family, living near the beach and surfing on the regular.
The story starts out fast- Max is hiding out in his girlfriends cabin, the FBI are after him because they think he killed his best friend, and he has a gun. He manages to escape, and then we have a time jump back to the moment he believes it all started- the creation of Liars, Inc.
The whole Liars inc. part of the storyline didn't really fit or seem necessary to the actual plot. Max, his girlfriend Parvati, and his best friend Preston decide to start selling services at schools- permission slips, alibi's, things like that. It was supposed to show who these three kids are, but I didn't think it added anything to the story.
Preston asks Max to alibi him so he can go to vegas to see a girl, and then Preston disappears. His father works in government, so his disappearance is a big deal, and the FBI gets involved.
I did enjoy the plot, although the twists seemed pretty obvious to me. I never had a moment where I felt shocked by something that the story gave me.
It was a fine book, but nothing special. The writing was well done, but it just didn't snag my attention, and I never felt invested in the book or the characters.
The plot itself was good, although it dragged at some points. Max is our narrator, a foster kid who found himself adopted by a great family, living near the beach and surfing on the regular.
The story starts out fast- Max is hiding out in his girlfriends cabin, the FBI are after him because they think he killed his best friend, and he has a gun. He manages to escape, and then we have a time jump back to the moment he believes it all started- the creation of Liars, Inc.
The whole Liars inc. part of the storyline didn't really fit or seem necessary to the actual plot. Max, his girlfriend Parvati, and his best friend Preston decide to start selling services at schools- permission slips, alibi's, things like that. It was supposed to show who these three kids are, but I didn't think it added anything to the story.
Preston asks Max to alibi him so he can go to vegas to see a girl, and then Preston disappears. His father works in government, so his disappearance is a big deal, and the FBI gets involved.
I did enjoy the plot, although the twists seemed pretty obvious to me. I never had a moment where I felt shocked by something that the story gave me.
It was a fine book, but nothing special. The writing was well done, but it just didn't snag my attention, and I never felt invested in the book or the characters.
beachteach81's review against another edition
4.0
Not every element of this book was perfect, but it came together well and it kept me wanting to read. I couldn't put it down! Lovely twists!
cecilierogers's review against another edition
4.0
I flew through this book. It was such an easy read and it kept me interested from the very start.
I never like to read the description on the backside of the book, and prefer to go in blind. So I guess it's my own fault that this book was not what I expected. I had read some of the description. But only the part about forging permission slips to make money, so that's what I thought the book was about.
However, it turns out that it was really about the main character, Max, and his friend going missing. Then Max gets accused of his kidnapping and later on murder.
As far as the characters go, I can only say they were ok. I enjoyed them, but there was nothing too special about them in my opinion.
On the contrary the best part of this book was absolutely the mystery surronding Preston's disapperance and murder. I couldn't stop reading, and I was dying to find out what had happened. Especially when Max found the video recordings of him having sex on Prestons harddrive, that was such a good turn!
I can't make up my mind if I found the reveal satisfying or not. I'm leaning towards yes though. It was not predictable. Up until the last couple of pages, I had no idea, and I was honestly surprised by the ending. If anything, I had hoped that it was a bit more explained.
Still, very good book that I flew through in just a couple of hours.
I never like to read the description on the backside of the book, and prefer to go in blind. So I guess it's my own fault that this book was not what I expected. I had read some of the description. But only the part about forging permission slips to make money, so that's what I thought the book was about.
However, it turns out that it was really about the main character, Max, and his friend going missing. Then Max gets accused of his kidnapping and later on murder.
As far as the characters go, I can only say they were ok. I enjoyed them, but there was nothing too special about them in my opinion.
On the contrary the best part of this book was absolutely the mystery surronding Preston's disapperance and murder. I couldn't stop reading, and I was dying to find out what had happened. Especially when Max found the video recordings of him having sex on Prestons harddrive, that was such a good turn!
I can't make up my mind if I found the reveal satisfying or not. I'm leaning towards yes though. It was not predictable. Up until the last couple of pages, I had no idea, and I was honestly surprised by the ending. If anything, I had hoped that it was a bit more explained.
Still, very good book that I flew through in just a couple of hours.
zoesnicholson's review against another edition
3.0
Liars, Inc is exactly what the title suggests it is - a tale of lies, betrayal, and twists like no other. Especially considering it's a young adult novel, Liars, Inc is especially grim and dark, which made me adore it even more.IT ALL STARTS WITH ONE LITTLE LIE...
When Max's best friend Preston asks for Max to help cover for him so he can go meet a girl he met online, Max doesn't think twice before helping him. Until, two days later, Preston is still not home. When the police go on to investigate, it's a series of clues that lead them to find Preston's body. A series of clues that make it look like Max is the murderer...
I found Max to be a protagonist I was a bit indifferent about. In terms of his narration, I fond it really enjoyable. It's rare to find something in YA written from the perspective of a teenage boy, but Paula Stokes does it in a way that feels realistic and authentic. However, despite his strong narration, I did find some of his actions to be a bit reckless and unnecessary. Throughout the story he continually tampers with the evidence, refuses to talk to the FBI, and makes himself look extremely guilty - especially for a boy so innocent. This mindless behavior definitely ran on me a bit of the wrong way.
In terms of the actual mystery, I found it to be pretty mediocre. It is neither mind-blowing like [b:Dangerous Girls|16074758|Dangerous Girls|Abigail Haas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356513050l/16074758._SY75_.jpg|21869436] nor horribly predictable like [b:I Hunt Killers|7766027|I Hunt Killers (I Hunt Killers, #1)|Barry Lyga|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1333289403l/7766027._SY75_.jpg|10644152], but rather somewhat in between the two. The red herrings are decently placed and do their job of throwing us off the true culprit, and the clues are subtle and well-placed.
As you slowly unravel lie after lie throughout the story, you'll soon realize that nothing here is what it seems. A decent novel; if only the main character was a bit less reckless in his actions.