The Lying Game is a psychological thriller and suspense story that once again confirmed my belief that I will read any book that Ruth Ware writes. I missed this one along the way, but am so happy that I am now caught up.

Kate sends to her three best friends from boarding school, Isa, Fatima and Thea, saying, "I need you". Within 24 hours each of the three have left their homes, husbands, and in some cases, their children, heading to Kate's home, "The Reach". Many hours were spent there while in boarding school, where they had become fast friends. They were so close, the other students steered clear. They were known for playing “The Lying Game”, a game to see who could come up with the most outlandish lie, then convince as many people as they could that it was true. The number one rule of the game however is that they never lie to each other. When there is a tragedy in their last year, the girls are all expelled, and even though they go their separated ways, they remain friends. What happened 17 years ago? What was the final lie that go them all expelled? Who else knows who's bones were uncovered in the opening of this story.

The story is narrated by Isa, a government employee who is on a maternity leave. Accompanied by her six-month old daughter, she heads off when Kate calls. I'm not sure if I liked any of the four main characters. They all had some baggage and some issues in their past, that unfortunately led them to make some bad decisions. Even as adults, the lying game still has a hold on these women and they are not being honest, even with each other. This book is full of unreliable narrators and I didn't know who to believe. The book was divided into five parts, each part entitled by one of the rules of the Lying Game: Rule 1: Tell a lie, Rule 2: Stick to your story, Rule 3. Don't get caught, Rule 4. Never lie to each other, Rule 5. Know when to stop lying. This was a character-driven psychological thriller. Parts of it were slow, but it picked up in the last 1/3 of the story as the women start to remember certain things and finally face the truth of what really happened so many years ago. As I began to realize what had probably happened, there were still a few twists to come until we reached a satisfying ending. Overall, I enjoyed this story, but it was not the best I have read authored by Ruth Ware.

Compared to Ruth Ware's previous novels, I quite enjoyed this one. The story was interesting and the suspense kept me going. I liked that the story switched from past to present; it's a style that I've always enjoyed because it makes the reader actively think and engage with the story. I will be honest in that I found the story quite slow and not the most interesting thing I've read ... but it was still interesting enough that I kept reading the book. The ending was a surprise and I enjoyed the twist that was there. I didn't really like Isa's character, as she whined quite a bit and just ... wasn't that interesting. Overall, I enjoyed this story more than any of Ware's previous ones. However, this wasn't my most favorite thriller of all times. This novel would probably satisfy fans of Ruth Ware's previous work.

Isa is a new mom in her early thirties with a successful career as a lawyer, when she gets a text from a childhood friend that brings her back to her boarding school days. The text is from her friend Kate, who still lives in her crumbling childhood home on the marshes of Salten, and it only consists of three words: “I need you.” Isa doesn’t hesitate when she packs up baby Freya, tells her husband she is going to a high school reunion, and jumps on a train to Salten.

Kate and Isa were also close to two other girls at school, Thea and Fatima. As the novel alternates between the past and the present, we learn about the complicated dynamic between the girls. They meet on the first day of the school year and are quickly introduced to “the lying game,” in which the girls award each other points for telling outlandish yet convincing lies. There are only a few rules to the game, but the most important is that the girls never lie to each other. They trust each other with their deepest secrets, but how well do they really know each other?

Now, many years later, the friends are reunited in Salten, where they town is desolate and decaying, and Kate’s family home is falling slowly into the sea. Fatima and Thea received the cryptic text as well, and when all the women arrive, Kate reveals why she has summoned them – a body has washed up on the shores of the marsh, and it may be connected to the secrets and lies of their boarding school days. The only way to keep their secret is continuing to play the lying game.

This is a thriller, but it has a slower, darker pace – until the tense atmosphere is escalated at the end. It is more complex than some thrillers, and yet it is implausible in many ways. The urgency that brings the girls back together seems especially contrived and unnecessary. I found Isa to be melodramatic and immature, although all the main characters are well-developed and distinct – in fact, I think it might have been better if the narration alternated between all four of the girls. Although she narrated the entire novel, Isa was actually the least interesting character – but maybe she was also the most relatable because she was so generic. However, even with these minor flaws, I found this novel to be very entertaining and unpredictable, and I sped through it to find out the girls’ secrets, and the consequences of the lying game.

I received this book from Simon & Schuster and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and Ruth Ware for the opportunity to read this novel in return for an honest review.
This is the third book by Ruth Ware that I have read. I was ready to give up on this author as I find her first two novels predictable and did not keep me capitivated. I decided to give The Lying Game a try as my final try with this author. I found this novel to be her best out of her three novels so farm though I’m still not sold on adding Ruth Ware to any future TBR piles for myself.
I love the theme of this novel, it is dark, eery and well written and I wish I could enjoy Ruth Ware novels, though I find they stop short and don’t keep my interest. The plot was predictable. I found the mystery to be slow, and parts of the storyline didn’t need to be there (Isa fighting with her husband, Isa’s baby being mentioned throughout the entire story). Ruth Ware’s writing style has gotten better, though the disappointment for me, is the story goes off in different directions and never seems to wrap up into a finished package in the end.

3.5 stars. The Lying Game was a mixed bag for me, but on balance I quite liked it. It's told from Isa's perspective. Isa is now in her early thirties with a young baby. She and two others get a text from high school friend Kate -- "I need you" -- and this sends Isa her three friends into a tailspin back to the village where they went to boarding school when they were 15 years old. The less said the better because in large part the point of this story is how it unfolds. As a narrator, Isa is slow to let the reader know about what happened at school when she was 15 that has left such an emotional scar, and then Isa comes to find out that she doesn't have all the pieces of the puzzle. There's something dark, breathless and melodramatic -- almost gothic -- about how Isa tells her story that pervades the whole book. I wavered between finding the tone immature and just going along with it. At the end of the day, what I liked was that for this kind of quasi thriller, the story seemed original. I didn't know where it was going, and it was relatively morally complex. I cringed at many of the decisions Isa and her friends made at 15 and that Isa makes in her early 30s, but I couldn't stop looking because she had me hooked and wanting to see what happens next. You wouldn't want to read The Lying Game looking for characters to like or side with. But you might want to read it if you're looking for an entertaining read that doesn't follow what have become some of the usual storylines. But definitely don't read it if you're not into dark melodrama. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

The novel opens with a body being discovered and Isa, a new mother, receiving a text from her childhood friend. A text she knows to always respond to. A text she hoped she would never get. Travelling to Salten, a boarding school she spent a year in, she meets up with Kate and two other friends who all went to the school; notorious in their time, they were known for playing The Lying Game. A game blurred with reality, and soon, the girls realize that their past is not as buried as they had hoped.

From the first pages, I was pretty much hooked. It sort of had that chick lit, Pretty Little Liars vibe that I enjoy in a thriller. Imagine Big Little Lies and a sort of darker Gossip Girl. I really enjoy where I can get that sort of “feeling” from a piece of fiction for an adult, especially since it usually can only be found in the realm of YA.

I found myself flying through the pages, which were narrated by Isa, and was gripped trying to figure out what had gone on in their past (which was also explored). I had plenty of theories. This one peaked for me in the middle, it had a sort of “SAY WHAT” moment and I was completely perplexed.

However, I found the ending to be a little lacklustre. It sort of went the tried and true route and I felt a little disappointed.

Overall, I felt like this one was fast paced and juicy enough to be a perfect read for the beach. I gave it a 4/5 stars!

Isa Wilde’s life changed when she went to boarding school in Salten when she was fifteen. She met Kate, Thea, and Fatima, and they introduced her to the lying game. They would make up lies and the more convincing they were, the more points they would get. But the four girls drifted apart in the seventeen years since they left the school. That is, until Kate texts all three women saying she needs them. They all race to Kate’s home, with Isa bringing her baby, Freya. A body has been discovered close to Kate’s home, and all their lies are coming back to haunt them.

I liked this thrilling novel. It was very suspenseful. There were so many plot twists throughout the first half, that I didn’t know what was going to happen next.

I really felt for the characters, which is important to me when reading a book. I kept wanting to tell Isa what to do, which was frustrating, but I also felt sympathetic towards her problems.

I had kind of figured out what happened by the end of the book. There was a slight twist at the very end, but I had figured out the gist of it.

I think this thriller will be a big hit this summer.

3.5/5 stars



The Lying Game is a standalone mystery/suspense/thriller. It is set in the UK.

The narrator is 32 year old Isa. She is a lawyer and a mother. She has a young baby named Freya.

Isa gets a text that says, "I Need You." And thus begins the story of four friends and the secrets they share.

Her old friends are Fatima, Thea and Kate. The four women went to boarding school at Salten House together when they were 15 years old. Now 17 years later they are in their early 30s.

They used to play The Lying Game telling lies to classmates, teachers and the town's residents.

I really liked The Woman in Cabin 10. So I was really looking forward to this book. But I didn't love it. Unfortunately none of the characters are that likable. And I just wasn't that invested in the story.

The book goes back and forth a lot in time. From the present to her (Isa) thinking about their time at boarding school. There was a lot of thinking back (too much IMO).

The second half of the book was stronger than the first half. I did get more invested in the story towards the end of the book. The pace of the mystery moved much faster. And I enjoyed how things played out.

Overall, it was an interesting concept. It just started too slowly for me. But the book picked up a lot towards the end.

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Simon & Schuster, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ruth Ware does it again!

Put four somewhat troubled teenage girls in a second-rate boarding school, and see what happens. Isa Wilde is sent to Salten by her father when her mother is dying. Fatima is sent while her parents are on sabbatical in India. Thea has been expelled from two or three other boarding schools. Kate’s father is the art teacher at Salten. These four girls form a lasting bond. Kate and Thea devise a “game” which is aimed at the more popular girls, and at the “establishment”. The Lying Game has five rules:

1. Tell a Lie
2. Stick to the Lie
3. Don’t Get Caught
4. Never Lie to Each Other
5. Know When to Stop Lying

They enjoy their little game, much to the chagrin of fellow students and faculty.

Then one of their lies becomes deadly, and the effects become lasting. Even after being expelled from the school, the girls keep the secret. No one tells anyone what really happened at Salten. They don’t even tell their future partners. Surprisingly, for such close friends, they don’t keep in touch. One lie haunts them all. But 17 years later, Kate sends each of them a text. “I need you” is all she says. Isa, now an attorney, immediately packs her bag, grabs her 6-month old little girl and tells her husband she has to go away for a few days. She doesn’t look back. Fatima leaves her husband, two children, and doctor’s office and gets in the car. Her medical practice will have to wait. Thea leaves her shift at the Casino as soon as she hears. They all head back to Salten, and to Kate. The final lie is about to burst open, and they have to face facts. All of their lives could be ruined. They could lose everything. They have been dreading this moment for 17 years. Did one of them break a rule?

Told from Isa’s point of view, we learn the girls backgrounds. We are also introduced to Kate’s father Ambrose, and her half-brother Luc, as well as the residents of the town that have no use for the girls. And of course, we hear about what happened, and why they were expelled.

Ruth Ware writes exceptional prose. She created a setting, a coastal town on the salt marshes, which seemed ripe for mystery. She created characters who are deep, who are “real”. Any reader who was once a 15-year old girl knows that the bonds you create at that age can stick like glue. And your stupidity can know no bounds. Ruth Ware knows this, and it comes across in this wonderful book.

Highly recommend it!

Isa Wilde is happy, in a loving relationship with a new baby, finds her life turned upside down by a text message from a classmate whom she hasn't seen for 15 years--not since Isa and her 3 closest friends were expelled from their boarding school in the wake of a scandal. Now the body of the long missing father of one of the girls has been found and the friends carefully constructed version of the events surrounding the man's disappearance

I enjoyed this book, though I felt it got a little 'too' twisty near the end. Not the actual outcome, but just it felt like the author had too many ideas to fit into one ending or something. Hard to explain without spoiling. I think this will be popular with anyone who likes a good griplit book though, and I did enjoy it!

I really enjoyed this novel! I was about to give up on this author after the last couple of books I've read by her but am so glad I didn't. I actually liked the main character in this novel and was very pleased that she was a strong woman and not flaky or whiny.
I loved the settings of this book, the boarding school, the Mill House, the town of Salten. I could almost picture everything in my mind. I have to say, this author does know how to set a scene with detailed descriptions and moods.
Four friends from school who invented and played The Lying Game. The rules of this game still impact their lives and play a big part in the story. These four women remain friends albeit not nearly as close as they were at school. When Kate needs her friends, they drop everything and come running. A body is discovered and, as we soon find out, it is Kate's father. The story takes off from here and doesn't stop. The point of view of this story is all told from Isa's perspective and I liked her a lot. There are twists and turns, plenty of suspense and a moody setting. I love these things is my suspense/thriller novels.

I would definitely recommend this novel to others.

I have read The Woman in Cabin 10, and In a Dark, Dark Wood, and I have to say that this is by far the best of the three.

I felt dark and damp the whole time I was reading this - maybe it was the marsh setting. However, I wouldn't classify this as a psych thriller, as its not really hard to figure out what is happening. It takes a while to get to it, but its not surprising.

Diverse characters, though in like Ruth Ware's other books, there were none that I really cared about.

Ruth Ware is not my favorite author, but I keep wanting to read her books.

I’m a huge fan of Ruth Ware! I loved “In A Dark, Dark Wood” and “The Woman in Cabin 10”. Ware’s latest novel “The Lying Game” has a different feel than her previous books. I was really excited to get my hands on an ARC of the “The Lying Game” and may have set myself up for disappointment.

I didn’t love the characters in this book. I don’t think their characters developed much between high school and 17 years later. It didn’t feel like the girls learned their lesson about The Lying Game at all. Additionally, there is a weird feel to a brother/sister relationship that left a weird taste in my mouth.

That being said, “The Lying Game” kept you guessing until the very last page. Every time you thought you knew, Ware threw you for another loop. I love a good page turner and I absolutely love a surprising ending. All in all, I’d give “The Lying Game” a solid 4-stars.

A special thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After devouring The Woman in Cabin 10, I was excited to get my hands on another Ruth Ware book. Initially I was enjoying this book, especially the parts that take place at the boarding school, but I didn't fully buy in. I don't want to make comparisons, and whether this was on purpose or not, but there were echos of The Secret History by Donna Tartt. Is Donna Tartt not one of the most brilliant literary voices? This seems like a compliment, right? But in fact, this comparison does this book a disservice because Ware is a strong enough writer to stand on her own and not have to draw on this inspiration. Again, this may be me creating the parallel between the two, so I'll move on. But it's there: the exclusivity, the boarding school, the murder, the circumstances, the lasting effects of the death on the group, and that it is a murder mystery in reverse.

There is an immediate hook—a woman is walking her dog in the quaint coastal village of Salten along the section of river known as the Reach where the tide meets the stream. Her dog charges into the water to retrieve what is perceived to be a large stick, when in fact it is a human bone.

The next morning, three women—Isa, Fatima, and Thea—get a text from Kate, the fourth in their exclusive group, that simply says "I need you". Hoping they would never get this request, they drop everything and rush back to Salten. The girls were a fearless foursome at the Salten House boarding school. They used to play the Lying Game which involved telling the most outrageous things to people for points. Only there are rules: tell a lie, stick to your story, don't get caught, never lie to each other, and know when to stop the lie. For some, the lines become blurred with what are actual facts versus what is fantasy. Ware reveals bits and pieces of the girl's time at the Salten boarding school, and how extreme the game got—they were all expelled in their final year under mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of the art teacher, Ambrose, who also happens to be Kate's eccentric father.

Where this book stumbles is with our narrator, Isa. She is a new mother, and Ware loses the plot because this character is so consumed by this role. The baby proves to be a distraction for both Isa and the reader which ultimately detracts from the story. Without the baby, Isa could still be an unreliable narrator—her memories of events are viewed through the lens of a naive young girl who seems enchanted with Ambrose, Kate, and Luc (the step-son/step-brother). More of the girls' time at school needed to be written and the other characters needed more attention. I found it a stretch that these girls were only friends for such a short time, yet remained so incredibly loyal over the span of 17 years. There was simply so much more to the story. Ware took a wrong direction, not in using Isa as our narrator, but with hinging so much of her character on being a mother. The boarding school, and the girls' past is paramount to the plot, yet none of the characters were really fleshed out.