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kelsmomo's review against another edition
5.0
Gabe, Elyse, Sasha, Catherine...They all have dark secrets. Troubles in their past and present that they must keep hitten from everyone. Like a twisted breakfast club, these characters will draw you in and ensnare you. Leaving you guessing until the last page as to who will snap and who will pay. Donaldson doesn't disappoint.
The spider-web of lies and deception will draw you in, and before you know it there will be no way out and you are still reading at three in the morning when you work at 6!
Perfect for fans of We Were Liars.
The spider-web of lies and deception will draw you in, and before you know it there will be no way out and you are still reading at three in the morning when you work at 6!
Perfect for fans of We Were Liars.
tideturnerskeri's review against another edition
5.0
I won an ARC of "Lies You Never Told Me" by Jennifer Donaldson through a Goodreads Giveaway. This may be one of the best things I've ever won! I absolutely loved the storyline. I devoured chapter after chapter wondering how these character's stories would align and when they did, oh my goodness! This was my kind of book and just what I needed. I love a book that keeps me guessing and this one did for sure. This is hands down one of the best books I've read of 2018.
shannondel's review against another edition
4.0
I very rarely ever read books in one sitting. In fact, I can't remember the last time I did, if ever. But I could not put Lies You Never Told Me down. The story was paced perfectly. It had a mix of both the predictable and the unpredictable, which is PERFECT for a mystery thriller. Both narrators were interesting, flawed, and unique. While Elyse made some very questionable decisions and while I did not always agree with her logic, I understood her. I felt all of the tension in Gabe's life and rooted for him the whole way. The story was very well planned and the ultimate reveal was the best I have read in a mystery thriller since I read Gillian Flynn's books years ago.
Thank you, Jennifer Donaldson, for such a great ride! I already can't wait to reread and discover everything I missed the first time around. SO GOOD!
Thank you, Jennifer Donaldson, for such a great ride! I already can't wait to reread and discover everything I missed the first time around. SO GOOD!
movietiffany's review against another edition
1.0
Lies You Never Told Me is told from two different points of view, Gabe and Elyse. Gabe lives in Texas whose girlfriend is making him unsettled and after getting hit my a car starts to fall for somebody else. Elyse who lives in Oregon and just got the lead role in her school production of Romeo and Juliet and she is starting to fall for the wrong person.
This sounded like it was going to be a great read and I was really looking forward to reading it. Upon completing this book I realized that my expectations were to high. For me this book really dragged on and was quite boring. This year I have been reading book with the same twist ending so I felt like I seen it coming from a mile away and when it finally did happen I was underwhelmed. The characters all seemed a little bratty and annoyed me very much.
This is not a book that I would recommend and I wish I saved my time by not reading it.
I received an advance copy of this book.
This sounded like it was going to be a great read and I was really looking forward to reading it. Upon completing this book I realized that my expectations were to high. For me this book really dragged on and was quite boring. This year I have been reading book with the same twist ending so I felt like I seen it coming from a mile away and when it finally did happen I was underwhelmed. The characters all seemed a little bratty and annoyed me very much.
This is not a book that I would recommend and I wish I saved my time by not reading it.
I received an advance copy of this book.
leerconlayca's review against another edition
3.0
Tale of Two Lives Elyse and Gabe have never met but are tied by destiny. They tell the story of their lives in parallel narratives, sharing their secrets little by little. Elyse is entering a forbidden relationship and may be repeating her mother's footsteps. Gabe finally realizes that the relationship he is in may be more dangerous than he thought. Each will have to decide if the path they are on is the right one or beginning a new one is work their lives.
Pro:
Gabe and Elyse are enduring characters and it was a pleasurable experience to get to know them. I did like hat Gabe was not the Hispanic kid from the wrong side of the tracks who is dating the popular girl. Yet, he comes from a wealthy and educated family who loves him, with a sister who has a developmental disability adds to the dimensions of his story.. This is a character that does not get told as a protagonist much in contemporary literature. Elyse as well does not come from a typical family background. Her mother is an addict and must be an adult faster than she should. It was interesting to see how stories unfold.
The tempo of the story is a steady unfolding. At the start, it is a little hard to move along with because of the missing connection between both characters. I was constantly guessing who the had done what and how the stories were connected.
Con:
The character development is a little shallow throughout the whole book. I had wanted a little more depth into the characters, the story would have been more well rounded. Elyse and the strained relationship with her mother’s addiction could have been explained more. As well as Gabe's family life and heritage compared to his girlfriends. The plot twist was interesting at the end but it took away from what the book could have expanded on and explored. Throughout the whole time, I just had a why these two question and it frustrated me a bit that it took so long to connect. More could have been done to make the plot twist not so predictable or give another twist that could have enhanced the plot.
Pro:
Gabe and Elyse are enduring characters and it was a pleasurable experience to get to know them. I did like hat Gabe was not the Hispanic kid from the wrong side of the tracks who is dating the popular girl. Yet, he comes from a wealthy and educated family who loves him, with a sister who has a developmental disability adds to the dimensions of his story.. This is a character that does not get told as a protagonist much in contemporary literature. Elyse as well does not come from a typical family background. Her mother is an addict and must be an adult faster than she should. It was interesting to see how stories unfold.
The tempo of the story is a steady unfolding. At the start, it is a little hard to move along with because of the missing connection between both characters. I was constantly guessing who the had done what and how the stories were connected.
Con:
The character development is a little shallow throughout the whole book. I had wanted a little more depth into the characters, the story would have been more well rounded. Elyse and the strained relationship with her mother’s addiction could have been explained more. As well as Gabe's family life and heritage compared to his girlfriends. The plot twist was interesting at the end but it took away from what the book could have expanded on and explored. Throughout the whole time, I just had a why these two question and it frustrated me a bit that it took so long to connect. More could have been done to make the plot twist not so predictable or give another twist that could have enhanced the plot.
laurag22's review against another edition
4.0
This sampler has made me very excited to read the full book and find out the answers to the many questions which were answered in this sneak peek.
xpaiged's review against another edition
1.0
Stereotypes, flat characters, a production of “Romeo and Juliet,” a psycho ex-girlfriend who is rich and spoiled, a teacher and student relationship, a drug addict parent .... this book was a recipe for bland, basic YA from the start. The back cover had quotes from reviewers that made this sound like it would be suspenseful and AMAZING but it was just crap all around.
blurrypetals's review against another edition
4.0
Hoo boy that was quite a ride.
I don't want to talk at too much length about this book because it's an easily spoilable experience, so I'll try to keep things as brief as possible.
I did enjoy a lot of this book, especially wondering at how everything is connected. The pacing was sharp, each of our two POV characters had a pretty engaging story to tell, but where this lost its fifth star was in Gabe's storyline with his crazy ex-girlfriend.
I really thought her whole deal was silly and unrealistic. I just wish there had been a little more tact and nuance afforded to that whole plot, the same tact and nuance that the rest of the story got.
Ah well, still a fun read!
I don't want to talk at too much length about this book because it's an easily spoilable experience, so I'll try to keep things as brief as possible.
I did enjoy a lot of this book, especially wondering at how everything is connected
Spoiler
and the way everything ends up being connected is pretty damn coolI really thought her whole deal was silly and unrealistic. I just wish there had been a little more tact and nuance afforded to that whole plot, the same tact and nuance that the rest of the story got.
Ah well, still a fun read!
eviereadsallthetime's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
3.75