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A review by lilibetbombshell
She Lied She Died by Carissa Ann Lynch
3.0
It’s always hard when you go to write a review for a book and you’re torn, because on one hand the plot is pretty darn cool and the characters are interesting, but the execution of both plot and character just falls flat.
This is the case for me when it comes to “She Lied, She Died”. The plot, which centers around a would-be writer who still lives on the farm where a teenage girl was found dead when she was a little girl and the just-paroled woman who was imprisoned for the crime who is now proclaiming her innocence even though she confessed to the crime when it happened, is actually an interesting and compelling subject manner to start out with. Both of them are outcasts in their town: the would-be writer because the body was found on her family’s land, and the just-paroled woman because, well, she was paroled for killing a teenage girl when she was just a teenager herself and was considered white trash by the rest of the town.
This book could have been an awesome opportunity to explore the themes of poverty somehow still being an acceptable prejudice in this country, of how disadvantaged teenagers are always prime targets for law enforcement, of how media values the beauty of a victim when it comes to crime, and how everyone loves a linear narrative when it comes to violent crime in small towns.
Sadly, this book veered off course. Instead of sticking with our two central characters and unraveling the truth in a more intimate and intriguing way, Lynch runs with just our protagonist as she all of a sudden needs to see her great aunt and her childhood best friend. And all this for a pretty lackluster ending.
This book is mildly diverting, but it didn’t live up to its potential.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper360 for granting me access to this title.
As per personal policy, this review will not appear on any bookseller or social media website due to the 3 star or lower rating.
This is the case for me when it comes to “She Lied, She Died”. The plot, which centers around a would-be writer who still lives on the farm where a teenage girl was found dead when she was a little girl and the just-paroled woman who was imprisoned for the crime who is now proclaiming her innocence even though she confessed to the crime when it happened, is actually an interesting and compelling subject manner to start out with. Both of them are outcasts in their town: the would-be writer because the body was found on her family’s land, and the just-paroled woman because, well, she was paroled for killing a teenage girl when she was just a teenager herself and was considered white trash by the rest of the town.
This book could have been an awesome opportunity to explore the themes of poverty somehow still being an acceptable prejudice in this country, of how disadvantaged teenagers are always prime targets for law enforcement, of how media values the beauty of a victim when it comes to crime, and how everyone loves a linear narrative when it comes to violent crime in small towns.
Sadly, this book veered off course. Instead of sticking with our two central characters and unraveling the truth in a more intimate and intriguing way, Lynch runs with just our protagonist as she all of a sudden needs to see her great aunt and her childhood best friend. And all this for a pretty lackluster ending.
This book is mildly diverting, but it didn’t live up to its potential.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper360 for granting me access to this title.
As per personal policy, this review will not appear on any bookseller or social media website due to the 3 star or lower rating.