I dig Adele Griffin's work - she's good at what she does. Tell Me No Lies, set in the 1980s Philadelphia, explores high school senior Lizzie’s coming of age through her friendships, love interest and career aspirations. And it's a fine read but I struggle to remember it.

I'm really not sure how to feel about this book. On one hand, I really enjoyed it and the plot, but I sometimes wanted to smack Lizzie for being dumb.

This novel captures the feelings of growing up in a time full of social change and injustice very well. Lizzie's journey through Philly moves you and makes you face the repercussions of everything that happened in the 80s. Through Lizzie we're able to get a look at it first hand.

One thing I found that added to the story was the elements of secrets. Obviously from the title there's an atmosphere of not really being able to trust anyone around you in the book. While this mysterious atmosphere added, I felt that it took away a bit from Lizzie really being able to develop any real relationships within the book.

This was a bit slow for me at the beginning which made it hard to get into, but once you push past a few chapters you start to feel the rhythm. Overall, this was a good read. It's something to look out for this summer!

I really don’t think I was the target audience for this one. I really loved Griffin’s previous novel but this one just seemed all over the place. I didn’t really like the characters and I just couldn’t get into the story. I probably wouldn’t recommend this one. Thank you netgalley for my copy.

This is a poignant story about acceptance, love, and growing up. Bonus that it’s a book set in the 80s—I unfortunately didn’t grow up in the 80s, though I wish I did. Lizzy’s character is easy to indenting with, as was Matt and Claire.

In this unique and fun-filled book, we follow Lizzy as she navigates her senior year. The book deals with some topics that are have the characters scrambling to survive. The story started off a little bit slow, but once you get the ball moving, it starts getting interesting.

Tell Me No Lies is a realistic look that had me more than a little engrossed in Lizzy’s life. I enjoyed watching her grow as a character, even if some of her actions were a bit problematic. Readers who enjoy deep and meaningful books, that also have a light undertone, will love this novel.

A story of every high school outcasts dream. Having been a nerd and total outcast most of her high school career, Lizzy becomes a big hit with the "in crowd" when she starts dating a popular boy. I found the character of Lizzie very annoying and not likable. The book was predictable and it was obvious that she would tumble.

Tell Me No Lies begins with a moment in time for 8th grade Lizzy as she has a grand mal seizure at school. Fast forward to her senior year of high school as she navigates popularity, friends, and her long time crush, Matt. Friendship dynamics shifts as a new girl, Claire, has a big impact on Lizzy and helps change her perspective of life. Matt becomes a possibility, and an older brother comes into the picture. With art and 80's music, Tell Me No Lies is a realistic glimpse into the world of today's teenagers. This book takes a look at friendship, discovering who you really are, being true to yourself, and first loves. "Nerds are for real. Authentic."

This is more of an older YA book based on the topics covered. While it was a slow read for the first hundred or so pages it got more interesting. Those interested in the 80s will enjoy that aspect of this book. I didn’t really enjoy the ending.

I would say this is for an older YA audience, I would not recommend it for young readers. I was not too attached to the characters and found the book to be just ok.

Adele Griffin’s Tell Me No Lies is an honest look at the lengths people will go to (especially in high school) to find a place where they feel like they belong.

I sympathize with Lizzy, the protagonist of Tell Me No Lies, as I used to be her when I was a teenager (minus the epilepsy…and the boyfriend). Lizzy has lived much of her life in fear of a disease she doesn’t really understand and absolutely refuses to talk about (or even call it by its name), and it has shaped all of her decisions up to the beginning of the story. But then new girl Claire comes into Lizzy’s life and turns her whole life on its head.

Throughout the entire book, Lizzy wants to be Claire’s friend, and for much of the story, it’s difficult to understand why. Claire comes off as dismissive, sometimes outright rude, and seems to be completely taking advantage of Lizzy’s good nature. In Lizzy’s quest to be liked, she ends up taking something personal from Claire – letters from her ex-boyfriend – in order to understand her better, and unsurprisingly, it is this action that is the catalyst for most of the plot.

You see, Tell Me No Lies is a book where a lot happens, and yet nothing happens. It’s the story of a school year where the climax isn’t really that climactic, and things happen because things have to happen. This book gives you a lot to process – there’s an AIDS scare, a suicide, money issues, friends fighting, epileptic seizures, romance, sexuality crises, and an unhealthy “relationship” (that will piss you off). There’s so much going on that it’s almost like the book can’t focus on any one thing enough, and though I did enjoy the story, a lot of this was dealt with very matter-of-factly, which felt kind of off.

Griffin does a masterful job of describing what it’s like to mourn a life you haven’t lived, and she also manages to weave a tale that surprises you halfway through. There are a lot of things I was surprised by in this book – although maybe I’m just getting bad at picking up on clues. While I enjoyed the story, it was difficult for me to connect with any of the characters for much of the book. I didn’t like Claire at the beginning for various reasons – and, to be honest, a lot of times I wasn’t fond of Lizzy, either – but eventually the characters actually have a discussion and amazingly, that fixes their issues. I enjoyed the second half much more than the first for that very reason. (Also, the first half reminded me too much of the pathetic attempts I resorted to in high school to seem cool to people who, ultimately, didn’t care about me.)

Would Tell Me No Lies have been better if Lizzy’s admiration of Claire turned out to be a crush? Perhaps. But, hey, it doesn’t explicitly say that she doesn’t have a crush on Claire, so read into it what you will. As it is, it’s a decent story about growing up, facing decisions, and trying to figure out who you are and where you fit – and also, the importance of being open and honest with the people you care about.

I don’t really know how I feel about this book. I really liked the setting! The writing was okay, but the main character annoyed me a lot. The story wasn’t that special, but it got better towards the end.

Tell Me No Lies is an entertaining read. It is set in late 80’s and follows the life of Lizzie, our MC, and the changes she is acquiring to. Lizzie has Epilepsy and she often fights with mild concussions and rare seizures. This is a secret she never wants to talk about with anyone because she was ashamed of it. When a new girl Claire enters her school, Lizzie finds a new friend in her and tried to be free and bold as her. Claire is also hiding a secret about his ex-boyfriend Jay. Matt was a long-time crush of Lizzie and when he finally shows her that he feels the same for her, she was happy but terrified at the same time. But when the friendship between Claire, Matt, and Dave started growing, Lizzie finds herself out of the loop and then finds a hard-hitting truth.

I’m really conflicted in my opinions about this book. While I really enjoyed the plot, somehow I wasn’t able to connect to any of the characters as much as I wanted to.

The plot of the story was my favorite. The story starts in summer and goes all the way till April next year. Lizzie was in the senior year and she goes through so many changes in that year. She befriends with Claire, Dave, and Matt while handling her seizures. In each part of the story, there was some plot to get you hooked to the story and turn the pages. I loved Gage and Mini’s characters. They were Lizzie’s childhood friends and was always there for her. However, when Claire enters Lizzie’s life, she very much parted distance with them because of the things she wanted from her life. Mini and gage were kinds of a nerd, as was Lizzie before meeting Claire. It definitely hurt me when Lizzie was drifting apart from them.

Though I don’t know much about the era of the 80s in foreign, I loved some of the backdrops. I have no idea about the 80s music for other countries but it definitely sounded like the good ones, as many have definitely praised for the music. As the title states, there are so many secrets involved with everyone. Lizzie kept her epilepsy as a secret and doesn’t want to tell about it to her new friends. Claire has this whole kind of secret about her ex. Matt and Dave had their own secrets. All these secrets perfectly align with the title of the book. This story perfectly captured the changing lives of teenagers. Each of them had different ambitions but at the same time, they were not sure what they want from their lives. While deciding their future, they go through acceptance and love, along with changing relationships and how they affect them.

I really liked the writing style of the author. This book was definitely long but because of her writing style, I was able to end it sooner than expected. I loved how the author ended the story. There is no definite conclusion but you can sure make it as you like it. That ending left many possibilities but in the end, friendship was the outcome that I gathered.

I was not able to connect to the main character Lizzy as much as I wanted to. Lizzy was sure a wonderful character but sometimes her decisions felt flat. I hated when she abandoned her childhood friends Gage and Mini for being with Claire. This book was definitely slow in the beginning. It took a lot of concentration to continue reading it to 20%. But I am glad after that it was quite easy to go through it.

I love a book with friendships. Though this book had many aspects of friendships, I am sad that none of them felt real. Gage, Mini, and Lizzie were a friend since childhood and yet Lizzie always finds herself drifting apart from them. Lizzie and Claire’s friendship too took a hard turn. While I appreciate the lots of turns and secrets in the story, I somehow felt that these secrets stopped the overall growth of Lizzie’s character. Those secrets turned her from her real ambitions and friends and she found herself in many difficult situations at times.
* It was good to read the 80s references. But being a person who doesn’t know much about that era, it was really difficult to get all those music references. I really rooted for Mimi’s brother Theo. I really wished there was more part of him in the story.

Overall, this was a good read and an entertaining one. The plot of the story is really good and the author’s writing will keep you hooked until the end. The story captures so many aspects like friendships, love and more than that, acceptance. It is a perfect read for the people who enjoy stories set in the 80s. It also covers a lot of issues and I loved the way authored has handled epilepsy. It’s definitely something to look out for this summer!

3 stars

I was so excited to read this when I got the chance to be a part of this blog tour, but I ended up losing interest as I continued along with reading the book.

It's got such a great premise: Lizzy is a girl with epilepsy and all she wants is to fit in with her new friends & boyfriend, the mysterious bad girl Claire who just moved here and Matt Ashley, the all-American boy who she's been dreaming of for years, respectively.

Plus, it's all set in the 80s and I just loved seeing some of the history peek through.

But, it just ended up being so-so for me. I just wasn't into it that much because as much as the 80s aspect and epilepsy put a real nice twist on the whole story, it felt like your typical "girl tries to fit in with X and Y and realizes things about herself and how she doesn't have to change etc."

It felt kind of like a teen movie where you know where the plot is going to go. When you read that Lizzy has epilepsy, you know the climatic scene is going to be Lizzy having a seizure. You can just predict it.

I really wish there was more diversity to the plot in making it uncliched, because it just felt like a typical teen story to me. Whether it's by talking more about how Lizzy struggles with hiding her epilepsy or her family's monetary problems, I wanted more unconventional stuff, not teen parties.

Despite this, I do think the parts about epilepsy were done really well and that Griffin did a good job portraying Lizzy's experience tastefully. Similarly, I feel like she did a good job of establishing the historical context like introducing things like Walkmans or the AIDs crisis etc.

Another thing I wasn't too keen on was the character development. To me, it just felt like a lot of people were boiled down into tropes, and I wanted more from them. Matt Ashley still felt like your "wholesome American boy" even with a few twists thrown into his character. Claire still felt like the "bad girl who just moved here," especially with the way Griffin shaped her past. This even happened with side characters, such as Wendy who was boiled down into "classic mean girl."

I wanted the characters to be more unique and unconventional, and maybe it was an impact of Lizzy's perception of the world, but it just felt like there could have been more emphasis on their characters.

I did think it didn't drag, but it didn't suck you in either. It was at that sort of sleepy pace and I wish there was more intensity and build up and fluctuations that made the story more cathartic.

Overall, I didn't have a terrible time reading, but I think there was a lot of lost potential in this book and the way it was presented. I'd still check out some of Griffin's other work, but this ended up being not the book for me.

"Whatever happened, however it happened, was beside the point. The point was the experience. The point was change."

Tell Me No Lies was so much more than I was expecting. When I first read the description I thought that it would be a cute coming of age story that just happened to be set in the 80s & since I was born in that time, I was excited to see how Griffin would handle life for these high school students before the age of the internet and cell phones.

And for the majority of the book, I felt like it really could have been set during any time period. Turns out high school stresses, new friendships, first loves and just general coming of age nonsense is actually quite universal. If it weren’t for the occasion mention of cassette tapes or Joy Division, I would find myself forgetting that this book was set 30 years ago. Lizzy and Claire and Matt just seemed so current, like I could walk into a restaurant in downtown Philadelphia today and just find them in a booth in the back, eating burgers.

And then, so gradually it was barely noticeable, we were quite clearly in the 1980s.

“I didn’t even believe in monsters till last year. But now I know better. Just because I couldn’t see them, didn’t mean they weren’t right in front of me. And they are, Lizzy. And no matter where I live, no matter what I do, I’ll always be on the lookout for them.”

There are so many serious subject matters in the novel that by the end I felt a little raw. I also felt myself really hoping that this book would resonate in the same way for young adults today. Unfortunately, I suspect perhaps they might just be too far removed from life in 1988 for this story to make the same impact as it did for me and that is really a shame.

This story is incredibly character driven & I adored the friendships in this novel most of all. I loved how Claire and Lizzy’s friendship developed so realistically over the course of the year. Even though they were both incredibly secretive & they definitely hit some bumps in the road, they were always there for each other.

“Neither of us should beat ourselves up with stories that make us feel horrible. Let those old stories crumble, because it’s the new ones that matter. The new stories are all we need.”

The one thing that nagged at me about this book were Lizzy’s parents. I’m not sure why so many young adult books these days have such awful parents (that are usually disguised as good parents). Maybe it is because I am a parent now myself, but I hate it when authors make parents into villains for generally no reason at all & I felt that way here.

Tell Me No Lies is really a story about friendship & those are generally my favorite types of YA these days. I found myself really wishing at the end of the book that Lizzy, Claire & Matt are still out there today, 30 years later, together.

“The silence is nice here, right? I’m always searching for the most beautiful kinds of silence.”

Tell me no lies is a nice contemporary read filled with secrets. I loved that it is set in the 80's. I did struggle with the first half of the book being a little slow but it did up the pace. I liked that the book is about friendship and there is some romance. Overall, I enjoyed reading Tell Me No lies .

I really enjoyed Tell Me No Lies by Adele Griffin. It's set in the 80s, me being an 80s model I really loved the references to that era. Tell Me No Lies is an authentic, deep and raw story of two very different girls, and how their differences somehow brought them together and what they learnt from each other. This is a powerful book and really touches on some very serious topics.

Lizzy is slightly unsatisfied with her boring life, she's the one to always have good grades, works at the local library and has her assignments ready, not just on the due date but early! When Claire Reynolds moves to the area, she's mysterious, troubled, cool and just didn't care much of others' opinion of her. Lizzy and Claire became fast friends...navigating life as teens together; their differences somehow attracting them to each other.

What I adored about this book was that the Author really captures the lives of teens in high school, how you try and figure yourself out, sometimes choosing friends that aren't the best for you etc. It also gave us two opposing sides so the "bad" friend may not necessarily be "bad" but just undergoing serious issues. Griffin captures the authenticity of the teens emotions, judgements and their path to self-discovery.

The characters in Tell Me No Lies are so strong with their constant raw emotions. Lizzy in her naivety but keen to be someone different from her current self, Claire seemingly strong and independent, but deep down needed a friend just as much (if not more so) than Lizzy. The way Adele wrote her characters is so engrossing and moving...and oh my the emotions behind each character was intense!

I also loved how Adele wrote out the ending, unable to give spoilers, I'll have an analogy of a gift...Adele wrote the ending with a nice wrapping paper, but did not tie a bow around it. So most will be quite satisfied with the ending, but there is a slight cliffhanger at the end, but not one where you'd be angry at the Author.

Tell Me No Lies by Adele Griffin is an engaging, thought provoking Young Adult Contemporary. Adele's writing was great, she truly transported me back to that era, and also back to my teens, when I felt the same deep and raw emotions that her characters were undergoing. Last but not least, her characters are so authentic, and I couldn't help but love them all.

Not gonna lie /pffffff/ I signed up for this tour because of the cover because it’s 1980s and pleasing.

~I want to make this book cover the new theme for my life.~

The book is about a girl named Lizzy Swift and I’ve decided to pretend she’s 2006 Taylor Swift.

Lizzy is a senior in high school and decides to emerge from her “nerd chrysalis” (I have no idea what possessed her to want this,,,unless she wanted to power up to god-like levels of nerd)

and date sporty Matt

and be friends with Claire who loves clubs and artsy graffiti and conceited self portraits.

So now she parties with Matt and Claire and they all have tons of secrets.

THE MUSIC REFERENCES ARE SO BEAUTIFUL.

Joy Division and Tom Tom Club “Genius of Love” and the Pet Shop Boys and just watching MTV music in general?????

I loved the music okkkkkkkk

and the MC was really innocent and sweet. She’s living a very domestic, academic as a high school senior wanting to go to Princeton, but she also wants to go to parties and drink and listen to French music. Which why can’t we have both? (she hasn’t realized yet lkdjs)

She’s relatable because we all secretly want to be weirder and darker??? but she also wants to remain v adorable??? I ACKNOWLEDGE BEING CONFUSED.

And she’s epileptic, and it was so nice to experience that rep because the only other character I’ve had with epilepsy was Percy from “Gentleman’s Guide,” and now I’m thinking about himm and I miss my sunshine.

& Sadly

You know how I appreciate good friendships and this book,,,*chocked sigh*,,,HAS NONE. There’s a distinct lack of close, supportive, good stuff friendship in this volume and this was HARD.

Also the plot was very slow. I didn’t really care what was happening so I made a game in which I waited for a music reference to happen, then looked up each song.

and it was really satisfying

Overall this was really Lizzy’s personal journey into finding herself, what she loves and feels and wants.

+music+ lies + late 1980s iconic

ISN’T IS AMAZING WHEN BOOKS INCLUDE MUSIC REFERENCES??????

ESPECIALLY COOL MUSIC???????

This is a tale of friendships, romance, young love, self-discovery, betrayal, and most importantly acceptance. Lizzy Swift's life changes exponentially over her senior year. She metamorphosizes from wallflower to social butterfly partially thanks to her new friend, the reclusive Claire Reynolds and her hot new boyfriend, Matt Ashley.

Unfortunately, Lizzy's new life has come with a price as her grades have slipped, her parents are on her case and her old friends are becoming more and more distant. Lizzy, Claire, and Matt are all keeping explosive secrets that just might blow all of their relationships out of the water. When the truth comes to light, Lizzy might be left standing alone.

I have to be honest, this book got off to a very slow start but wait for it...because it gets a lot better. This book is about teens struggles for acceptance: self-acceptance, peer acceptance, acceptance from your parents, and societal acceptance. It's a realistic story that will be enjoyed by both teens and adults because we're either going through it or we've been there. You will hate the ending but I can appreciate why the book ended the way it did.

Actual stars....4.5
Somehow I missed seeing that this was set in the late 1980's. It was a nice little surprise!!
What I loved: This wasn't by any means a typical YA book. It was so much more. It evoked the fear of AIDS, the beauty of life before social media and smartphones, and the thrill of the phone ringing and finding a place to steal away in the house for a private conversation. I won't lie...it took me a little bit to get into the book at first, but something kept telling me to read more, go further, and I'm so glad I did.
What I liked: This book felt genuine.
What I hated: THE ENDING!!!! I get it, but it didn't mean I had to like it.
I think this is a great cross-over book for adults raised in that late 80s early 90s timeframe.
Thoroughly enjoyed this.

Lizzy has always been a good student and good daughter, despite maybe wanting to be rebellious. Set in the 80s, Griffin tells the story of Lizzy as she navigates her first parties, first boyfriend, a new mysterious friend, and old friends-- all during her senior year.

The pacing of this book was not my favorite, but it did lend itself to be more realistic.. I think because of the awkward pacing. The relationship between Matt and Lizzy at first seemed like insta love, but it actually ended up being sweet. I wish that we got more of Dave's story.. and maybe even a different perspective...? The whole idea of everyone having secrets was interesting, but Lizzy's secret (epilepsy) felt a little silly in comparison. I'm not saying that having epilepsy and learning how to deal with it is not a life changing issue, but Lizzy's confidence seemed to be so inconsistent throughout. It made it out to be a bigger deal (in her head)-- which made it seem like it is a big deal or some kind of game changer for everyone around her.

Despite these issues, I still liked the book. I liked the setting, I liked her realistic relationship with her parents, and I liked Lizzy trying to figure out new and old friendships. I would like to see where these characters go next, and that was my issue with the pacing.