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A review by litwithleigh
The Liar's Girl by Catherine Ryan Howard
3.0
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Writing: 3.5/5 | Plot: 3/5 | Ending: 2/5
THE PLOT
Ten years ago, Alison's college boyfriend, Will, was arrested for the murder of five girls and subsequently dubbed the Canal Killer. When new girls start to die in a similar fashion, Will realizes this might be the chance to prove his innocence. But to do so, Will needs Ali to investigate on his behalf while he's chillin at the psych ward.
MY OPINION
I have some bad news guys. It seems I have been infected with plothole-itis by my friend Chantel which causes me to be relentlessly hyper aware of any flaws, inaccuracies, or general wtf-isms within a book. So for that reason, we are here, with a 3 star rating, when I think pre-plotholeitis I would've tossed this 4 just for funsies.
I loved, loved, LOVED [b:The Nothing Man|51166217|The Nothing Man|Catherine Ryan Howard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1595212537l/51166217._SY75_.jpg|75872846] and made it about 50% through [b:56 Days|57628810|56 Days|Catherine Ryan Howard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1623124494l/57628810._SY75_.jpg|89201648] before I discovered NetGalley and got distracted. I enjoy the author's writing and I think she's very talented (even though she can be a little TOO detailed sometimes) but the plot and ending of this book just was not hittin. Here's why:
- Why TF did Will call Ali, an ex he hasn't seen/heard from in a decade, to see wassup on the outside when he has a whole ass LAWYER. This seems like a job for a lawyer, not a virtual stranger you dated for a hot minute.
- Mahone would've been canned from the Garda with the mf swiftness for his inappropriate behaviour, chiefly: giving way too much info to a civilian, falling in love with her and letting her squat at his home, using public wi-fi from starbucks (or starbs if you're nasty) to conduct official police business. Good. bye.
- During the final showdown, why did Ali text Mahone instead of calling the police??? GURL. PRIORITIES.
- The ending was very spoon-fed to the reader. It was literally like a Q&A covering all the questions the reader might be asking. Literally just 3 pages of straight dialogue explaining everything. Bleh.
THIS IS A SPOILER SO SCROLL FURIOUSLY TO THE BOTTOM IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK
- Idk if we were supposed to sympathize with Will for being a certified dumb ass and chucking Liz in the river hoping her death would be attributed with the Canal Killer, but I certainly could NOT. Are you actually dead ass with this? Liz was still alive and Will thought hmmm instead of finding someone to help me or just leaving her there to be found (still horrible, but better?) let's callously throw her body in the river and give her a painful death. Cool, cool, cool. And then when he was like "ya, I deserve to be locked up because I did murder someone" but changed his tune quickly and was like "but for how long bc this place is kinda stanky and I promise not to do it again" I wanted to roll my eyes so hard they might fall out of my head. The author should've kept this whole twisty twist to herself.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: Good writing, the story flowed nicely
Cons: Several things just didn't add up, the final twist was garbagio, the writing got a little too closed-captioned at some points
Writing: 3.5/5 | Plot: 3/5 | Ending: 2/5
THE PLOT
Ten years ago, Alison's college boyfriend, Will, was arrested for the murder of five girls and subsequently dubbed the Canal Killer. When new girls start to die in a similar fashion, Will realizes this might be the chance to prove his innocence. But to do so, Will needs Ali to investigate on his behalf while he's chillin at the psych ward.
MY OPINION
I have some bad news guys. It seems I have been infected with plothole-itis by my friend Chantel which causes me to be relentlessly hyper aware of any flaws, inaccuracies, or general wtf-isms within a book. So for that reason, we are here, with a 3 star rating, when I think pre-plotholeitis I would've tossed this 4 just for funsies.
I loved, loved, LOVED [b:The Nothing Man|51166217|The Nothing Man|Catherine Ryan Howard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1595212537l/51166217._SY75_.jpg|75872846] and made it about 50% through [b:56 Days|57628810|56 Days|Catherine Ryan Howard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1623124494l/57628810._SY75_.jpg|89201648] before I discovered NetGalley and got distracted. I enjoy the author's writing and I think she's very talented (even though she can be a little TOO detailed sometimes) but the plot and ending of this book just was not hittin. Here's why:
- Why TF did Will call Ali, an ex he hasn't seen/heard from in a decade, to see wassup on the outside when he has a whole ass LAWYER. This seems like a job for a lawyer, not a virtual stranger you dated for a hot minute.
- Mahone would've been canned from the Garda with the mf swiftness for his inappropriate behaviour, chiefly: giving way too much info to a civilian, falling in love with her and letting her squat at his home, using public wi-fi from starbucks (or starbs if you're nasty) to conduct official police business. Good. bye.
- During the final showdown, why did Ali text Mahone instead of calling the police??? GURL. PRIORITIES.
- The ending was very spoon-fed to the reader. It was literally like a Q&A covering all the questions the reader might be asking. Literally just 3 pages of straight dialogue explaining everything. Bleh.
THIS IS A SPOILER SO SCROLL FURIOUSLY TO THE BOTTOM IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK
- Idk if we were supposed to sympathize with Will for being a certified dumb ass and chucking Liz in the river hoping her death would be attributed with the Canal Killer, but I certainly could NOT. Are you actually dead ass with this? Liz was still alive and Will thought hmmm instead of finding someone to help me or just leaving her there to be found (still horrible, but better?) let's callously throw her body in the river and give her a painful death. Cool, cool, cool. And then when he was like "ya, I deserve to be locked up because I did murder someone" but changed his tune quickly and was like "but for how long bc this place is kinda stanky and I promise not to do it again" I wanted to roll my eyes so hard they might fall out of my head. The author should've kept this whole twisty twist to herself.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: Good writing, the story flowed nicely
Cons: Several things just didn't add up, the final twist was garbagio, the writing got a little too closed-captioned at some points