About the Book
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Author:
- Sara Shepard
Cover Story: Dust Jacket Removal
BFF Charm: Ehhhh
Swoonworthy Scale: >:[
Talky Talk: Speed Read
Bonus Factor: Identity Swap
Relationship Status: Let’s Meet Up At the Bar
Cover Story: Dust Jacket Removal
So I guess that’s how all of these Lying Game series covers are going to be? The same half-girl, one right side up and the other upside down? This girl looks a little less photo-shopped/creepy than the last, so I guess it’s an improvement? And I think braids are cute? Okay, I’m grasping at straws here, but I’m feeling tired of complaining about the same cover type over and over again. But since this is a hard cover, you can just remove the dust jacket and underneath is a very classy black book.
The Deal:
In the first book of this series, Emma Paxton discovers she had a long lost twin after seeing an interesting video of someone on the internet who looked just like her. When Emma contacts Sutton Mercer, her maybe twin, Sutton tells Emma to meet up with her. The problem? Sutton is dead, is now some kind of ghost, with no memory of who killed her and is somehow linked to Emma, able to see what she sees. When Emma arrives in Sutton’s town, people begin assuming she is Sutton. And soon after, Emma receives a note from Sutton’s killer, telling Emma that unless she pretends to be Sutton, he/she will kill her too.
So now Emma is playing Sutton, trying to find out who had the motivation to kill her. Emma discovers Sutton and her friends are involved in The Lying Game, a secret group they formed to play cruel pranks on each other and various victims. Emma wants to solve Sutton’s murder and return to her own life, but with Sutton’s long list of enemies, the task may prove impossible, or deadly.
BFF Charm: Ehhhh
Hmmm, I suppose this is a bit awkward, because I gave my BFF charm to Emma easily in The Lying Game. But Emma just isn’t as cool or resilient as she was in the last book. She more or less stops standing up for herself during this book, which is frustrating. She’s supposed to be pretending to be Sutton, a girl who (for all of her many faults) at least doesn’t take shit from anyone. Emma spends this book becoming so mealy mouthed that she literally walks right into situations that she’s convinced could hurt or kill her. All because she’s too awkward to tell people no. Hopefully Emma’s spinelessness is just a result of needing to further the plot, and next book she’ll be back to the old Emma I grew to like in the first book.
Swoonworthy Scale: >:[
I know we normally try and rate the swoon scale with a number, but all I can come up with right now is a grumpy face. Emma’s main love interest is Ethan, who is the only person that knows she isn’t Sutton. Now, sharing in a secret can certainly lead to sexy times, but not for these two, at least not yet. But unfortunately, (minor spoiler) I’m pretty much over Ethan because he pulled a classic high school boy move on Emma and I am not feeling very forgiving. I know we all do jerk things from time to time, but would it hurt to be a bit more sympathetic to the girl who has someone trying to kill her?
Talky Talk: Speed Read
One of the nice things about this book is that everything in it just flies by. Nothing in the writing is too clunky or bogs you down. You can breeze through this one in the span of a long evening. The narration continues to switch between Emma and Sutton, just like in the previous book, but at this point in the series I have no trouble following the back and forth.
Bonus Factor: Identity Swap
People assuming others people’s identities (especially if it’s their twin) is ALWAYS A PLOT DEVICE I LOVE. Seriously, name ONE TV show or movie about people pretending to be someone they’re not that ISN’T AWESOME. I dare you.
Relationship Status: Let’s Meet Up At the Bar
For the last book, I gave it the relationship of my “flakey friend”, that sort-of friend you have who isn’t completely dependable, but is always good for an awesome story. I still feel the same way, which is why I would invite this book out to the bar with me. After a few drinks, I would love to hear this book tell me some crazy stories. I would be all “Book, you so CRAZY! The weirdest things always happen to you, I wish I could be there with you for this shit!” But you can’t think too hard about it or all of a sudden the details won’t make sense and you’ll release that maybe you were being BS’d a bit. So go to the bar, have fun and let it be that.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received my review copy from HarperCollins. I received neither money nor cocktails for this review (damnit!). Never Have I Ever is available now.
