The Lying Game Review

Monday, December 20, 2010


I had a life anyone would kill for. Then someone did. The worst part of being dead is that there’s nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It’s enough to kill a girl all over again. But I’m about to get something no one else does—an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.

Now Emma’s desperate to know what happened to me. And the only way to figure it out is to be me—to slip into my old life and piece it all together. But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends? Convince my boyfriend she’s the girl he fell in love with? Pretend to be a happy, carefree daughter when she hugs my parents good night? And can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move?

Taken from Goodreads.

In The Lying Game, Emma has lived her life in foster care, bouncing from home to home without any real family to depend on. Unbeknown to Emma, her twin sister Sutton is the opposite - popular, privileged, and has a reputation to kill for. Then someone did. Sutton is dead and has no choice but to watch as Emma slips into her shoes to find out what happened to the twin sister she never knew. Along the way, Emma discovers exactly how feared and awed Sutton was in life, and realizes there's a lot more to Sutton's disappearance than meets the eye. Can she find Sutton's killer...and can she find the killer without endangering her own life?

I have to admit, I wasn't expecting too much from The Lying Game, but I really enjoyed Pretty Little Liars, so I figured a new series by the same author would still be fun. I was right! The Lying Game is a great start to a brand new series filled with plot twists, turns, and a mystery that consistently kept me guessing throughout. Sara Shepard has done it again - she's created a perfectly put-together whodunit mystery that has the reader wanting more...and it delivers, but manages to remain a nail-biter throughout.

The only minor hiccup I had with The Lying Game was the prologue, to be honest. I hate prologues. Frankly, I think they're unnecessary 90% of the time and actually detract from the story. The prologue was quite unnecessary, as The Lying Game jumps right into the story from the get-go. The details in the prologue could have easily been established in the first chapter, as well. The greatest strength of The Lying Game, however, were the characters. Emma and Sutton were perfect polar opposites, and while the book is told from Sutton's POV as she watches Emma, Sara Shepard manages to keep the characters from becoming confused with one another by distinctly identifying them.

All in all, The Lying Game is a solid and entertaining start to the new series, and it's not so much like Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars series as I'd anticipated. I give it a very strong 4.5 out of 5, and I highly recommend this book to all YA fans, especially those who enjoy a good mystery and contemporary fiction.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher, HarperTeen, in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

37 comments:

  1. I was on the fence about reading this one, too - I finally got it in from the library and will give it a shot over the holidays. Glad to hear that I will probably like it quite a bit!

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  2. I completely agree Melissa, I really enjoyed this one! I thought the disparity between the two girls was beautifully executed and getting both of their reactions to the same events was really interesting. I'm definitely going to be picking up book 2!

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  3. I thought this one was a lot of fun too! This is the first Sara Shepard book I've read, and I can't wait to find out what happens next!

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  4. To be honest I have never really thought about the prologue until you mentioned it - now I'll take more notice as to whether or not it is really needed as I have a feelng that you could be right. Anway I'm glad you enjoyed the book, thanks for the recommendation.

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  5. I enjoyed this book too, even though I thought it was almost exactly like Pretty Little Liars. I love the intrigue and the mystery that Shepard is so flipping good at. Love your review!

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  6. Wow, you finished this one quickly! Mark of a good book? I'm glad to hear you enjoyed this one. I'm looking forward to it after reading all these positive reviews.

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  7. Pretty Little Liars is one of my fave guilty pleasures! Glad to see this one's just as addictive :)

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  8. I am with you on prologues. Once I read a book and in the prologue I found out the couple die at the end...so silly

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  9. Ooo girl I feel ya. I loathe prologues and started a personal movement about a year ago where I don't read them. Like ever. They're choked full of spoilers and almost always leave me expecting the wrong thing or confused.

    Great review :)

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  10. Looks like an interesting book! Thanks for the review!

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  11. Great review. I really enjoyed this one. This book was easier to get into than the PLL books. :)

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  12. I'm glad to hear that this one was so good! You read it very quickly :o) I haven't read Pretty Little Liars, but now I'm thinking I should! Both books are going on my TBR list! Great review!

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  13. i've seen this one before, and i always thought it was part of the pretty little liars series! thanks for setting me straight :)

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  14. I hadn't bothered to pay attention to the fact that this book comes from the same author as Pretty Little Liars. LOL

    Yes, I definitely have this one on my TBR. Prologue don't bother me so much, but this particular one sounds somewhat annoying. I hate when things are blatantly spelled out for you. That is usually why I hate epilogues.

    Great review, Melissa!

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  15. Hmmmm, haven't read anything by Sara Shepard. Guess I'll give this one a go. I've heard really good things about her Pretty Little Liars series. Thanks for the recommendation.

    Jen
    In the Closet With a Bibliophile

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  16. I got it from Netgalley and I am so excited to read it. Your review has made me want to read it more now though. It looks so good.

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  17. I would love it if she would do a standalone. I don't feel like committing to another series.

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  18. You read this pretty fast. I haven't read Pretty Little Liars yet - I've watched the show though - and wasn't planning on reading The Lying Game either but now, thanks to you, I'm thinking of at least reading The Lying Game. *goes off to add another book to my wishlist*

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  19. Great review. I've been so curious about this one and I think I'll be putting this one on my wishlist! Thanks!

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  20. I haven't read any of Sara's books, but I definitely want to check out my copy of this soon!

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  21. Great review. I haven't read any of Sara Shepard's books but I am going to give this a try :)

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  22. Fun! Haven't read the Pretty Little Liars series yet but the TV show but my guilty pleasure last summer.

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  23. I kind of want to read this one, since I don't think I'll be reading the Pretty Little Liars series. I love books that keep you guessing the whole way through. I'll definitely have to check this one out.

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  24. So glad you enjoyed it! I thought it was a really fun, intriguing mystery, and I can't wait to find out what happens next.

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  25. I'm looking forward to reading this one. I've heard lots of good things, your review included. I don't feel strongly about prologues...but I do dislike them when they make the book seem confusing (as they often do).

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  26. Hi Melissa! Hmm I'll have to give this one a try! Thanks for stopping by my blog on Friday! I was born in Johannesburg myself but I love Pretoria! It is truly a friendly city! Hope you enjoy your visit in April! Why did you move away? Sonette @ bookaholic-worm.blogspot.com

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  27. I have this on my TBR shelf and since I never read Pretty Little Liars, I was happy that I could start with this new series. I am glad you like the book, which makes me even more anxious to read it. I also think this will appeal to my 8th grade girls. Thanks for the terrific review, and sorry I am always late to comment. Hopefully, I will be better after the B&B Bash ends.

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  28. oh i love a good mystery but i have to admit i seldom read a contemp book with mystery element in it. Hope I'll feel the same way too =)

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  29. I really enjoyed reading this book. It is the first book I read by this author, but now I want to read the other books that she has written even more. Great review, Melissa. :)

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  30. I must confess that I never read Pretty Little Liars--although I did watch & enjoy the TV show--but this looks good. Thanks for the review!

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  31. I've been meaning to read this one, but I can't find a copy of it in our local bookstores. Also I agree with you on prologues. Thanks for the review.

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  32. I have this book on my wish list, but I haven't had the chance to buy it. Your review makes it sound amazing!

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  33. I've read some mixed reviews of this, but from what you've said I'd really enjoy it. Except that yes, I hate prologues too, but it sounds like that's not a dealbreaker here. Great review!

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  34. I didn’t know much about this one before now. Sounds like something I’d actually really enjoy. Thanks for the great review, Melissa!

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  35. This one sounds really interesting! I really like the Pretty Little Liars TV show, and I've been wanting to try the books, or anthing else by the same author :)

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  36. I enjoyed this one too! I agree about the prologue. It was unnecessary. I also liked the contrast between Sutton and Emma. The mystery was great too!

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