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A review by spicycronereads
When We Lied by Claire Contreras
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I read this as a buddy read with some of my book friends from TikTok and it was a lot of fun. I had read Until I Get You last fall and liked it quite a bit. So I suggested we read this book without really paying much attention to the plot description. I didn’t realize there would be a murder mystery at the heart of it! But it was a lot of fun trying to figure it out and then also being able to comment and share theories with friends on the buddy read.
The timeline is dual POV between the MCs. FMC Josslyn is a college basketball player and social media influencer who has a brief encounter at a seggs club with Finn, who is a player both for the NHL and of hearts. Josslyn is friends with Finn‘s sister, Mallory, who is unalived. The book unfolds over repeated encounters between Finn and Josslyn as they separately try to figure out what happened to Mallory.
The timeline is occasionally confusing. I think partly because there is a mystery so there are red herrings and twists. And, for me at least, it took me a while to realize that there are two seggs clubs (seriously Fairview must be the capital of untimely unaliving and seggs clubs per capita for whatever state it is in!) I was wishing I had read it in print so I could annotate and tab it, which I think would have helped me keep things straight. But any confusion is worth powering through, made up for by great characters, amazing plot twists, and lots of romance and spice.
Josslyn is such a great character. She’s smart and independent and kind. Finn is the kind of alphahole MMC who quickly became a book boyfriend. And his character arc is really great. They both have traumas they are dealing with and their relationship becomes a catalyst for healing. Their chemistry and banter are off the charts.
And speaking of characters, Lyla and Lachlan from Until I Get You make multiple appearances here as Josslyn is related to Lyla by marriage and Lachlan knows Finn through business and hockey. So that was fun and I appreciated seeing how their relationship progressed.
There is some interesting commentary in the book about social media, influencer culture, and intense sports fandom. I need to sit with it a bit longer to really unpack that critique, I think.
The spice is plentiful. It starts off early and like a five alarm fire. Since they start with a hookup and move into romance, there is lots of really hawt spice at the beginning, that tempers a bit as lot of swooniness is added as the narrative progresses. It is a great balance of 💖 and 🌶️. It’s a 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ for me, with the understanding that it is also really swoony in parts.
In terms of diverse representation , Josslyn and her bio family are Cuban American. There are other Latine characters among the secondary characters as well. There are queer characters, namely lesbians or bi women. And there is class diversity. Many of the characters have multi generational wealth, but Joslyn’s family is more middle class (and consequently more down to earth, more welcoming, and less toxic than the other families depicted).
Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this, practically devouring it in a little over a day. I was only slowed by my kindle running out of battery! 😂 With that kind of intensity, I have to rate it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. And 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️.
The timeline is dual POV between the MCs. FMC Josslyn is a college basketball player and social media influencer who has a brief encounter at a seggs club with Finn, who is a player both for the NHL and of hearts. Josslyn is friends with Finn‘s sister, Mallory, who is unalived. The book unfolds over repeated encounters between Finn and Josslyn as they separately try to figure out what happened to Mallory.
The timeline is occasionally confusing. I think partly because there is a mystery so there are red herrings and twists. And, for me at least, it took me a while to realize that there are two seggs clubs (seriously Fairview must be the capital of untimely unaliving and seggs clubs per capita for whatever state it is in!) I was wishing I had read it in print so I could annotate and tab it, which I think would have helped me keep things straight. But any confusion is worth powering through, made up for by great characters, amazing plot twists, and lots of romance and spice.
Josslyn is such a great character. She’s smart and independent and kind. Finn is the kind of alphahole MMC who quickly became a book boyfriend. And his character arc is really great. They both have traumas they are dealing with and their relationship becomes a catalyst for healing. Their chemistry and banter are off the charts.
And speaking of characters, Lyla and Lachlan from Until I Get You make multiple appearances here as Josslyn is related to Lyla by marriage and Lachlan knows Finn through business and hockey. So that was fun and I appreciated seeing how their relationship progressed.
There is some interesting commentary in the book about social media, influencer culture, and intense sports fandom. I need to sit with it a bit longer to really unpack that critique, I think.
The spice is plentiful. It starts off early and like a five alarm fire. Since they start with a hookup and move into romance, there is lots of really hawt spice at the beginning, that tempers a bit as lot of swooniness is added as the narrative progresses. It is a great balance of 💖 and 🌶️. It’s a 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ for me, with the understanding that it is also really swoony in parts.
In terms of diverse representation , Josslyn and her bio family are Cuban American. There are other Latine characters among the secondary characters as well. There are queer characters, namely lesbians or bi women. And there is class diversity. Many of the characters have multi generational wealth, but Joslyn’s family is more middle class (and consequently more down to earth, more welcoming, and less toxic than the other families depicted).
Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this, practically devouring it in a little over a day. I was only slowed by my kindle running out of battery! 😂 With that kind of intensity, I have to rate it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. And 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Infidelity
Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, and Suicide
Minor: Stalking and Drug use