About the Book
-
Author:
- L.E. Flynn
- Genres:
- Contemporary
- Mystery
- Voices:
- Cis Girl
Cover Story: Blurry Big Face
BFF Charm: Nay
Talky Talk: Now And Then
Bonus Factor: Sex, Lies, And Secrets
Anti-Bonus Factor: Toxic Friendships
Relationship Status: Locker Drama
Cover Story: Blurry Big Face
Instead of a blurry picture of a random brunette, I think they missed the opportunity to create a grid of different Trixies with different hair colors and styles, different makeup, etc. It would have been a lot more eye-catching.
The Deal:
A few months ago, after Alison’s party, Fiona’s best friend, Trixie, left her belongings on the beach and walked into the ocean. Fiona can’t quite believe it. Trixie, the girl who had a new hairstyle and color every week, the girl who didn’t give a shit, the girl who, yes, maybe had some scars on her arm, but had made plans with Fiona about NYU next year—that girl died by suicide?
Fiona is convinced something deeper is going on. As she looks back on Trixie’s actions over the last year, she realizes that maybe she didn’t know her BFF as well as she thought. Maybe what Trixie was doing all along was figuring out how best to disappear. And if that’s the case, well, Fiona isn’t going to lie down and take it. She enlists Jasper, Trixie’s former FWB, to help her uncover Trixie’s secrets. But if she digs too deep, she may not like what she finds…
BFF Charm: Nay
I feel sympathy for Fiona. She is a lost and easily manipulated soul, who’s lived for so long in other people’s shadows that she has literally no idea who she is without someone else’s influence. Before Trixie, Fiona was a leg of a tripod along with her fellow cheerleaders, Alison and Jenny. She didn’t love salad like they did, but she liked the way it made her look. When Jenny accepts a date with Beau Hunter, the guy Fiona has been in love with for years (and had TOLD Jenny so), Trixie is suddenly there, climbing into her car like she owns it—and just like that, everything else in Fiona’s life seems pointless. Trixie indulged in junk food, hated on the Man and people like Jenny and Beau, and told Fiona what she liked. And Fiona loved her for it.
I could just hear danger bells clanging all around Fiona every time she opened her mouth. I’ve never been attracted to people like her, and giving her my BFF charm would kind of feel like I was giving it to a lump of clay: someone moldable without any strong opinions of their own. Maybe Fiona will learn to be confident in her own skin one day, but it’s going to be an uphill battle with lots of therapy to find her happy.
Swoonworthy Scale: 2
Fiona still harbors feelings for Beau and figures maybe she always will (they are soulmates, natch), even though he’s still dating Jenny and not the sweet, gentle person he was before his brother, Toby, died. Beau’s drinking falls into alcoholism territory, and his mood swings are not cute, but Fiona just can’t seem to give up on him. But there’s also Jasper, who it seems really wrong to want, him being her BFF’s ex and all—but they both miss Trixie a lot, and, well, his lips are awfully soft…
Talky Talk: Now And Then
Flynn’s debut, Firsts, was utterly compelling and raw. Her protagonists are flawed individuals, and even though I wouldn’t necessarily befriend Fiona, I couldn’t hate her. There’s a lot of honesty and relatability in Flynn’s writing, and I liked the way the chapters flipped from before Trixie’s suicide to after, with Fiona taking a look back at their interactions and reexamining them in light of Trixie’s last action. There was some great build-up, but somewhere in the middle the plot lost some steam and never really recovered. I wanted it to be bonkers-crazy a la Genuine Fraud, but it just went…quieter than all that. I didn’t mind the way everything ended, but I couldn’t help but feel a bit let down after being so hyped from Flynn’s first book.
Bonus Factor: Sex, Lies, And Secrets
You get a bunch of suburbanite, middle-class, attractive teenagers at a house alone with alcohol and you know it’s about to go down. There’s definitely some dirty little secrets for Fiona to learn if she is persistent enough, though she also has to be careful not to accidentally reveal her own misdeeds.
Anti-Bonus Factor: Toxic Friendships
Sometimes you find a person who you think gets you so well, only to realize later that they were not a great influence at all. Fiona has surrounded herself with people who don’t really have her best interests at heart, and it’s quite devastating to realize that, especially during an emotionally fragile time like being a teenager.
Relationship Status: Locker Drama
They talk about us up and down the halls, Book. Taking a step back, I’ve realized that it’s unhealthy for me to entangle myself in all this drama we’ve created. You can say it’s just high school, but even teenagers should probably know better. I’ll see you around school, but don’t call me after class, okay?
FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from Imprint. This review was originally posted on Kirkus Reviews in exchange for monetary compensation, which did not affect or influence my opinions. Last Girl Lied To is available now.
