A review by yvo_about_books
Liars, Inc. by Paula Stokes

3.0

Finished reading: November 29th 2015

“The truth doesn't get you very far on the streets, or in a group home, or even in high school. That's probably why the idea of Liars, Inc. appealed to me. Everybody lies. You might as well get paid for it.”

Spoiler

l've had Liars, Inc. on my TBR for a long time. I have seen a lot of mixed reviews about it and that made me quite wary of actually picking it up. This novel by Paula Stokes has been compared to Gone Girl, most likely because of the unreliable narrator, crazy plot twists and the whole hype around it... Unfortunately, as with Gone Girl I don't think Liars, Inc. is actually worth the hype. Sure, it is quite an entertaining read and the plot twists are almost always unexpected, but it lacked the wow factor for me. I wasn't fully convinced with the main characters and they are not exactly likeable either, but that is part of the problem with an unreliable narrator in general anyway. The pace is fast and it was quite a quick read with a few surprising moments and crazy plot twists. So I guess that if you don't mind unlikeable characters and don't set your expectations too high, you will probably quite enjoy this read.



Max Cantrell doesn't really believe in the truth and has no problem with lying to get what he wants. When he covers for one of the popular girls in order to get the detention he wants so he can be with his girlfriend Parvati, an opportunity arises. His fellow students apparently are in need of forged permission slips and cover stories, and who is he to deny those to them? Together with his friend Preston and girlfriend Parvati, they start Liars, Inc. with the idea to make a little extra money and liven up their senior year. But soon they have almost more work than they can handle and money starts pouring in. So when Preston asks Max to cover for him so he can visit a girl he met online, Max doesn't think twice. Everything seems to work out perfectly, until Preston never comes home... And soon evidence starts piling up that implicates Max as the possible murderer of his friend. Will he be able to find the real killer and clear his name before it's too late? This time, lies will get him only into more trouble...



While I didn't feel Liars, Inc. was that good, I can't deny that it's quite an entertaining story in general. It's a quick read and the plot twists are unpredictable enough to keep you guessing what is really going on. I wasn't a fan of the characters; they were actually quite annoying and unlikeable, but I guess Paula Stokes did do a good job of using the unreliable narrator technique. I had a hard time rating this novel, but I think that if you liked other stories using the same technique (like Gone Girl), you will most likely enjoy Liars, Inc. as well.

P.S. Find more of my reviews here.