When I think of The Lying Game by Ruth Ware I picture four fifteen year old school girls sitting in rocking chairs on the porch of an old sinking house in The Reach, a home in a tidal estuary located near the coastal village of Salten not far from the English Channel. What a life they had spending time together swimming, laughing, and joking, breaking the school rules until they were finally caught and expelled, although little did the supervising nun know the extent of their misdeeds. Of course to tell would be breaking the rules of The Lying Game, a fun way to put one over on people of authority.

Here it is seventeen years later when Kate texts her three former dorm mates, Thea, Isa, and Fatima, with three words - I need you, and off they all come, back to the scene of the "crime" to face up their youthful indiscretions. Unfortunately, they're not quite sure exactly what really happened way back when. Yet that's what they are about to find out as the story unfolds, told by Isa with flashbacks about their Sophomore year at Salten Academy, dwelling on the days they hung up out with each other and Luc, Kate's half brother, while Kate's father, an artist, drew what he saw, even if their attire was questionable, especially on those hot, skinny dipping days. This ultimately compounds their troubles, but it's how they deal with these issues that will determine their future, for better or for worse, as details are revealed and the repercussions of the events which occurred that fateful summer are in danger of ruining their lives.

While the premise showed potential, as a psychological thriller, this one is a little less than thrilling. There's quite a bit of repetition along with a meandering plot and a climax that, while unexpected, isn't really totally unpredictable. The reader could easily have figured out a lot of this stuff before the big reveal and the subsequent wrapping up of events, although there were some unanswered questions which didn't have an adequate resolution. This is not a happily ever after sort of book, but we do get some closure, even if various actions didn't seem to make sense or, at the very least, are a stretch. However, this book is a good character study on the effects of a guilty conscience as each girl tries to make peace with their dark secret, one which at the time sounded like their only viable option. Some editing might have made this a more exciting read.

Three stars and a thank you to Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This review also appears on my blog, Gotta Read:

https://ellenk59.wordpress.com/2018/05/01/the-lying-game-by-ruth-ware/

As always, Ruth Ware keeps the reader on the edge of their seat! Readers will be clamoring for this one!

I found this was very slow going and just ok. I think this genre is getting way to hyped up and readers are expecting so much more than what they get.

Isa lives a lovely life with her daughter Feya, and husband Owen. But she has a dark secret and it all comes crashing back down on her with one singular text that reads "I need you."

Packing up her baby girl, Isa makes her way back to Salten where it all began with her oldest and best friends, Kate, Thea and Fatima. While young University students the girls played a light hearted game known as the Lying Game. But lies catch up to you, and the girls learn this the hard way, as one lie follows them for almost fifteen years.

Rich in character development, atmosphere, and complexities, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. The ending was a bit weak, but the ride was still very worth it.

Another unputdownable thriller from Ruth Ware.
The Lying Game is a narrative of friendship, loyalty, and of course, lies.
The isolated, decrepit Mill is the perfect setting to this haunting tale of old friends, haunting lies, and new discoveries.
I thought I had it all figured out and then true to form, Ware throws in an element that I was not expecting, totally destroying my earlier predictions.
Thank you, NetGalley for the advanced copy of The Lying Game.

SO. GOOD. I recommend this book all the time, and now I just need to get started on her other books so I can recommend those as well!

A very similar plot line to Ware’s previous book, In a Dark, Dark, Woods, except even slower and more repetitive. Once again, old schoolgirl friends come together in a slightly eerie location and agonize over and over again about a past experience/deed they all shared. I correctly guessed the event at the end.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book. Not a great book, but still a good one. Recommended.

The book moved a bit slower than "The Girl in Cabin 10". Also, I didn't find most of the characters to be particularly likable. I did, however, enjoy the use of the baby as a way to show how parenthood has changed the way that the main character thinks.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for my review.

I WANTED to like this book, I really did, but I didn't. None of the four main characters were the least bit sympathetic. I hated them all - these self-centered women who had never grown up.. The only one with ANY redeeming qualities was Fatima, but she was still too weak to get away from the others. And the BABY!! She was the central character in almost every scene - how to feed the baby, how to transport the baby, how to get the baby to sleep. It was distracting and unneccessary. Isa may be the worst mother in the history of fiction, as the baby is only a prop most of the time and I felt real sympathy for Isa's "partner" Owen, who knows nothing of his mate (she makes very clear they are not married, although they do have a child together). He is, at best, a footnote in her life.

Four girls meet at a not-very-good boarding school, spend less than a year together, and are so inextricably bound that they cannot live normal lives. What happened? Well, it takes a LONG time to find out, and then that's not really what happend at all. With all the confusion of the characters and the events, it was just not a very good read.

Kte, Thea, Isa and Fatima were all 15 years old when they were expelled from school. The four were famous for something called The Lying Game, and their friendship almost ended when Kate’s father died and they did something drastic to keep the truth from being revealed. Now over 15 years later, his body has been discovered and Kate has called her friends to her side.

I liked this book a lot better than The Woman in Cabin 10, so it was a pleasant read and I was so hooked nearing the end. I really enjoying the writing and the pacing and we definitely got just enough but enough the whole way through which I loved because it left me guessing all the time. I also felt this story was a lot more realistic and believable, as thrillers go, compared to The Woman in Cabin 10.

I thought the town and school in Salten was written really well, and it came to life on the pages for me. I would have liked to have seen more of Mary Wren in the flashbacks seeing as she was one of the more villainous characters in the present day.

I liked the intense aspect that kept you reading. I didn't like the way the girls realated to each other. Tey didn't seem to want to get involved.

A story of friendships that have stood the distance of 17 years and seeing each other sparingly to come back for one of their own when trouble seems to be brewing.

I loved how devoted the women were to each other even though much time had past. How they stood by each other even when the pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place.

While it is a suspense and mystery, at the heart it is about protecting those we love.

I enjoyed how the book was divided according to the rules of The lying game. A nice story that kept me interested, intrigued and entertained.

I did not care for the characters in the story. The dynamic between the girls and the fact that they felt the need to lie to everyone in their lives is disturbing.

Not as good as her other books. I had a hard time getting into it. The ending was a nice twist that saved the story.

I find the characters to be a bit angsty, almost like a young adult novel. I also found the suspense to be less so because they tell you who died right up front. It was a great thriller though. Give to fans of Gone Girl and Ware's previous book.

This was another book that just didn't work for me. It took place overseas and I had trouble connecting with the characters. I like the premise of this story and would still recommend it to people who can relate to characters that don't like in the States.

I don't know if it was the story line or the characters that kept me hooked, maybe both. It was a good mystery. I can honestly say, I didn't figure it out. I've read all Ruth Ware's book, this was by far her best.

I loved The Woman In Cabin 10. I have expectactions of reading In a dark, dark wood. But this book just didn't do it for me. I have to quantify that I'm one of those rare creatures who never had a "ride or die" friendship. I wasn't going over the Grand Canyon with Thelma. I wasn't going to rob banks with Queen Latifah and die in a blaze of glory. I just don't have those connections. At all. So I couldn't suspend my belief that these young women would undertake an immoral, unethical, illegal act such as they did.
While I can understand that they were young and immature and as adults had to continue their lying ways to protect themselves individually and collectively (because if you don't, the other will rat you out), I didn't feel the crime was strong enough to do such an act.
This book was written wonderfully. Meaning, the description and pacing kept me going, but the overall "story" wasn't gripping to me. I connected with the narrator's intense connection with her infant daughter--even the description of her nursing, the child's movements and fussiness, the feelings of intense protection.
I look forward to reading more of Ms. Ware's books because she captivates you with her prose. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book.