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bookmarklit's review against another edition
3.0
Well. I generally liked reading this but I completely solved 90% of the mystery. I'm usually not great at that and fall for so many of the red herrings, but this one felt obvious to me? I also feel like a few things were kind of unexplained; they're probably not important but I'm still curious. Womp womp.
charrosand's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
I found the writing slightly annoying. It is true to that of the 18 year old boy's point of view. The first half of the book was slow. The last 1/3 was very intense, I read it in one sitting.
It wasnt a book i was anxious to pick back up, until nearing the end.
I found the writing slightly annoying. It is true to that of the 18 year old boy's point of view. The first half of the book was slow. The last 1/3 was very intense, I read it in one sitting.
It wasnt a book i was anxious to pick back up, until nearing the end.
selinamarcille's review against another edition
3.0
This book was alright. It seemed convoluted at times and I struggled to see any sort of emotional growth in most of the characters. The motive for the villain tried to humanize him, but he was too Joker crazy. The girlfriend, Parvati, was a good character, but again, little emotional depth. Max, the main character, was very two dimensional.
As someone who also struggles with conveying emotional depth in my writing, I think the plot was strong and moved along. I did struggle to understand some of the decisions that Max made, and there were some questions left unanswered. A decent read with strong pace.
As someone who also struggles with conveying emotional depth in my writing, I think the plot was strong and moved along. I did struggle to understand some of the decisions that Max made, and there were some questions left unanswered. A decent read with strong pace.
islandgeekgirl's review against another edition
4.0
It started off innocently. A forged permission slip for a fellow student leads Max Cantrell, his best friend Preston and his girlfriend Parvati, to start Liars Inc, selling lies to their classmates. They'll forge permission slips, lie about study sessions, all for a price. It seemed harmless. Until Preston needs his own alibi so he can meet a girl he met online. And he never makes it home. Evidence is found linking Max to the crime but he knows he didn't do it. Who will believe him and can he find the real killer before he ends up in jail?
I went into this book a little nervous since it was a mystery/thriller and the twists aren't always huge surprises. But this book managed to do just that. It surprised me and I loved that. I was able to figure some of the twists out but I was blown away by others, which I liked because after finishing it, I was able to reflect and see where those twists were coming from instead of them making no sense.
I really liked the character of Max. His mother died during birth and his father died from a heart attack a few years later so Max is an orphan, one who grew up in the system and was homeless for a while until he was adopted by the Cantrells. He wasn't a jock, he wasn't involved in any school clubs, he saw himself as pretty plain. He was smart and he cared about his friends and his adopted family, even if he had trouble trusting them. I found it easy to understand where his issues with trust and his jealousy were coming from and how that affected him with how to react to trying to avoid the police and clear his name.
Preston and Parvati were interesting characters. Both were rich kids who'd been expelled from their previous school and ended up befriending Max. Preston was the star of the school, beloved football player, and Parvati was involved in the newspaper and raised by strict parents. The author did a great job of developing them so I could see why they'd be friends with Max, to give them their own distinct voices, but also held back enough to make them suspicious at times. Because this was a book where I felt suspicious of everyone at one point.
The romance between Max and Parvati was nicely done. It was always there but it never overtook the plot. They could be cute together but when they had issues, I thought it was handled realistically.
The plot was very fast paced and action packed. It seemed like every chapters had another twist or another clue. Something was always happening. This was the type of book that could make the reader's head spin with so many wild theories with none of them even close to being right. It all came to a conclusion that left my jaw dropped. My mind was bent. The few things I has figured out paled in comparison to how much I did not see the ending coming. I loved that I was fooled.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I went into this book a little nervous since it was a mystery/thriller and the twists aren't always huge surprises. But this book managed to do just that. It surprised me and I loved that. I was able to figure some of the twists out but I was blown away by others, which I liked because after finishing it, I was able to reflect and see where those twists were coming from instead of them making no sense.
I really liked the character of Max. His mother died during birth and his father died from a heart attack a few years later so Max is an orphan, one who grew up in the system and was homeless for a while until he was adopted by the Cantrells. He wasn't a jock, he wasn't involved in any school clubs, he saw himself as pretty plain. He was smart and he cared about his friends and his adopted family, even if he had trouble trusting them. I found it easy to understand where his issues with trust and his jealousy were coming from and how that affected him with how to react to trying to avoid the police and clear his name.
Preston and Parvati were interesting characters. Both were rich kids who'd been expelled from their previous school and ended up befriending Max. Preston was the star of the school, beloved football player, and Parvati was involved in the newspaper and raised by strict parents. The author did a great job of developing them so I could see why they'd be friends with Max, to give them their own distinct voices, but also held back enough to make them suspicious at times. Because this was a book where I felt suspicious of everyone at one point.
The romance between Max and Parvati was nicely done. It was always there but it never overtook the plot. They could be cute together but when they had issues, I thought it was handled realistically.
The plot was very fast paced and action packed. It seemed like every chapters had another twist or another clue. Something was always happening. This was the type of book that could make the reader's head spin with so many wild theories with none of them even close to being right. It all came to a conclusion that left my jaw dropped. My mind was bent. The few things I has figured out paled in comparison to how much I did not see the ending coming. I loved that I was fooled.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
lucy_ab's review against another edition
3.0
my friend recommended this to me and i read it over thanksgiving break. i liked the plot fine and i absolutely love flawed characters. but this book just didn't hit. But i will definitely check out some of the authors other works.
shannkfitz's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. An enjoyably fast paced read, with multiple twists.
nerfherder86's review
4.0
Good and twisty mystery thriller. Gets very complicated. Three teens earn extra cash by running scams for classmates--forging permission slips, providing alibis for partying, trading exams, etc.--until one of the boys turns up dead and the other is the prime suspect! Max, now the suspect, learns his dead friend Preston and Max's girlfriend Parvati were also keeping secrets from him, as he gets pulled deeper into what really happened. Will he be able to clear his name? What was Preston really up to? Can Max trust anyone?
9th grade and up.
9th grade and up.
jakobmarleymommy's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. While I didn't dislike this book, I did find it difficult to finish. The characters weren't believable or particularly likable, and the plot took twists and turns that, while predictable based on the plot line laid out, were so far flung that I felt I had to suspend reality far too much. I don't mind suspending reality from time to time, this book took too many leaps and forced the reader to stretch the bounds of believability far too often.
I found the whole "Liars, Inc." business to be completely irrelevant to the plot. Everything that happened within the book could have been accomplished without Liars, Inc. All Liar, Inc. served to do was make each of the three main characters look a tad more unsavory than they already looked. The author easily accomplished that without adding the extra, and unnecessary, element of Liars, Inc.
I found the whole "Liars, Inc." business to be completely irrelevant to the plot. Everything that happened within the book could have been accomplished without Liars, Inc. All Liar, Inc. served to do was make each of the three main characters look a tad more unsavory than they already looked. The author easily accomplished that without adding the extra, and unnecessary, element of Liars, Inc.
falconerreader's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars? The book sucks you in, man; I read it all in one evening, and when I had to do other stuff, like make dinner and get the kids ready for bed, the whole time I was all, "Is Max okay?!?" I think my biggest disappointment, weirdly, is that a character I was hoping would turn out to be bad, didn't.
I'm hyper sensitive to "kids from troubled backgrounds" stories, since I've got two in my household. I loved the way Max's backstory explained a lot about him. The loss and abandonment issues were there, but having started out in a loving family, and losing his parents through tragedies, not their choice, left him better equipped to survive all that crap with some mental health and sense of self intact, if buried.
I'm hyper sensitive to "kids from troubled backgrounds" stories, since I've got two in my household. I loved the way Max's backstory explained a lot about him. The loss and abandonment issues were there, but having started out in a loving family, and losing his parents through tragedies, not their choice, left him better equipped to survive all that crap with some mental health and sense of self intact, if buried.