I wanted to pick this up because I am a huge fan of "Final Girls" so I had high expectations and this one did not disappoint! The characters had me questioning everything and it's definitely one of those books you NEED to finish or you won't forgive yourself.

A darkly compulsive, psychological thriller - Riley Sager just keeps getting better with every new release. This author has been bumped to my automatic read list!

With the book Final Girls, I was able to read it as a beach read, and I loved the first book by the author. I am sad to say I was not as crazy about his sophomore novel.

When Emma was a summer camper at Camp Nightingale three girls went missing. All three, fellow campers, went off into the night and never returned. Now, fifteen years later, Emma has returned as a camp counselor. As the story unfolds we see that everyone has secrets, and even Emma has her own "lies." Much like House said, as I love to quote, "Everybody Lies."

I felt this book was just okay, I am struggling to write a review because my honest review was too short. I feel like, eh. This book was not the most amazing I have read, but it is not the worst I have read either. It was just not what I expected after Final Girls. I realize this is not a popular opinion, but I cannot help it.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this so much better than Sager's previous book, Final Girls. I loved the camp setting and thought it was the perfect, creepy backdrop for this mystery. The twists weren't mind-blowing, but the story itself was interesting and I'm looking forward to future books.

I read this book around the time it originally came out, and while there were details about it I remembered, this book called to me and allowed me to re-read it as if I was reading it for the first time again. That's an experience I don't hold too often with books (thank you ADHD), but this book always delivers.

Writing Style -


I'm not sure what it is about Sager's writing style that has me completely enraptured. Maybe it's the prose in the way it's depicted and scripted, maybe it's that he crafts the image into the words as the paragraphs progress, or maybe it's just the evident talent unfolding across the pages. Either way, I'm a complete sucker for his writing, and it never fails to draw me in.

Plot -

The plot of this book is meticulous, strong and twisty. Sager wrote this book to be unguessable, and for someone like me who is able to predict things fairly easily, even years later I was still second-guessing who did what.

World Building -

I don't focus on this often outside of fantasy or sci-fi novels, but Sager's world-building within the camp, and even outside of it, was admirable and dreamy. You could practically smell and taste the senses as they were described on-page, and you could perfectly imagine the scenes. I almost felt like I was able to reach into the pages and touch the water of the lake.

Characters -

There was little I didn't like about each of the characters. Even though the villain of the story had little page-time, it was easily discernible how they came to be that way and what lead to their actions at the end of the book. Along with that, I truly loved how Sager made Emma into a realistic and relatable character. The only thing I disliked is how some of them talked from time to time--it sometimes came across as too poetic, and it was a little hard to follow along to.

Overall -

Once again, I really adored this book. The Last Time I Lied is a favorite of mine, and it will continue to stay that way. I just hope I can get the same reading experience the next time I pick it up. For that, I rate it 4.25 stars.

One of my favorite Sager books yet! This author can do no wrong and I love that he can take you on a wild ride. Binged this book to read some backlist Sager and it did not disappoint.

Not a fan of this book at all. It was like reading Final Girls with a slight difference to the plot line. Nope.

This author definitely knows how to hold the reader's interest. He may not get the endings quite right but the books are enjoyable. I'll keep reading him.

3.75 Stars. I love Riley Sager so I will pick up anything he writes. Out of everything i've read by him this one is sadly my least favorite. It has all of the elements which should've have made it a 5 star for me but something about it just didn't click. Who doesn't love a creepy thriller set a a summer camp where girls mysteriously go missing just to have the one girl come back 15 years later to try to solve the mystery. We just can't love them all I suppose.

The Last Time I Lied is the second book I've read by Riley Sager, the first being Final Girls. Where Final Girls was a really good thriller, The Last Time I Lied is a great one. It disguises itself as a common book in the mystery/thriller genre and then extends beyond it, making the reader question their own opinions as often as the main character does her own. This book left me holding my breath, something that I had always thought an exaggeration when I've read similar reactions to thriller books. One of the best thrillers I've read.

he Last Time I Lied is the second release under Riley's name, and based on what I read here, it's no fluke he is the real deal. This book embodies incredible mystery thriller and horror elements I haven't seen from another author in years. On the edge of your seat suspense, and atmospheric horror ala Friday the 13th and Picnic at Hanging Rock (which was the muse to write this book), Riley excels so with jump shots and scares that will have you holding your breath until the very last page.

Riley writes the female POV extremely well, especially when it concerns teenagers. We see this through flashbacks through the eyes of the heroine- Emma Davis, a rising star in the art world. She creates dark paintings with three girls- Vivian, Natalie and Allison, who all disappeared 15 years ago at summer camp when Emma was there as their bunk mates. Emma has never forgotten them because they haunt her. She knows something horrible happened to them but she can't figure out why. But then she is given an offer to revisit the past. The woman who ran the camp wants to open it for the summer and wants Emma to come back to be their art teacher. Against her better judgement, Emma accepts, and it taken on an emotional journey to that summer 15 years ago where she lost her innocence and almost her mind.

The steps Riley takes here as he reveals what happened that summer when Emma was thirteen is so well done. Each layer is peeled away carefully leaving readers guessing what happened to the three girls, especially the ring leader Vivian, Emma admired so much. There are many twists and turns, including with Emma. Is she going slowly insane as she thinks she sees ghosts around her, especially of Vivian who is trying to get Emma to solve the mystery of her disappearance and the lies Emma told, or rather the lies Emma tricked herself into believing.

The Last Time I Lies is astounding, and a major step up from The Final Girls, which was my favorite book of 2017. This second release of Riley's will be one of my favorites of 2018. It also reads like a screenplay, which means MAKE THIS INTO A MOVIE!!

The last 10 pages come out of nowhere and is a bit tongue and cheek, as well as jaw dropping in it's reveal. MUST MUST READ.

I just reviewed The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager. #TheLastTimeIlied #NetGalley I Thoroughly enjoyed this novel, well written and captivating. I kept finding myself wanting to speed read and skip ahead just to find out what was going to happen. This is second novel that I’ve read from the Author. I look forward to reading more from Riley

RIley Sager has quickly become a go to author for me. I rarely have to look at what his books are about, because I know I'll love the suspense and the thrill. This book was no exception, and didn't disappoint after I loved Final Girls so much. Definitely recommend!

Fifteen years ago three girls disappeared from camp. No one ever found them, and it has been haunting Emma ever since. At present, she is invited to go back to the camp as an art instructor and is hoping to find some answers. This is an intriguing story which goes back fifteen years and to present time.

This is the first book I have read by Riley Sager. I really enjoyed the suspense and it keep me hooked right from the first chapter. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. Apologies for the (very) delayed review.

Meh. My least favorite of Sager’s books. While I get the creepy camp vibe ultimately it just seemed a little far fetched without the scare factor for me.

This was a really good thriller. It took a while to grab me though because the pacing was so slow in the beginning. I did enjoy it more than Final Girls. I just wish the pacing had been bit more even and the constant switching back and forth between the present and the past was a bit jarring. I also think the characters could have used a bit more development. However, it did keep me guessing up until the end with all the plot twists and that ending was a completely unexpected.

I can't believe it took me this long to read Riley Sager. I'm on book 3 and cannot get enough. He is master thriller writer and each book goes further into darkness. I really enjoyed this one and cannot wait to finish the next. Great character development and well executed twists and turns this plot was top notch.

DNF @ 25%
2018; Penguin Group/Dutton

I loved the cover and synopsis of Riley Sager's first novel, Final Girls. The writing was well done, but. the story was predictable and not very suspenseful. I thought about not requesting this new title, but then the cover and synopsis was so tempting, again. Plus, this was the second book. Unlike the first book, I could not get through the writing and story this time to see how it ended. I am writing this review very late, and have been so tempted to request more titles, but I don't want to DNF or give further bad ratings. I may attempt again...I know, I am so weak when it comes to books.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

Fifteen years ago Emma was sent to a summer camp when she was a child. She was the youngest participant and placed in a cabin with three older girls ... Vivian, Natalie, and Allison. One night the three girls slipped out of their cabin in the middle of the night .. and were never seen again.

Emma is now an adult, a rising star in the art world, a woman who has never forgotten the three missing girls. She's turned their disappearance into a series of paintings, with leaves and branches covering three girls in white dresses.

One woman who has seen these paintings is the woman who is the owner of Camp Nightingale. She begs Emma to return to the newly re-opened camp as a painting instructor.Seeing an opportunity to find out what really happened to her friends all those years ago, Emma agrees.

Upon her arrival, Emma is assigned to the same cabin she slept in all those years ago. Doing her own investigation into the girls' disappearance, she discovers that the truth maybe closer than she thinks ... and the truth could cost her more than she's willing to pay.

Well written with a tightly woven plot this thriller weaves together the past and the present. It's a chilling tale, intense with tension that never lets up. All the characters are skillfully constructed, lending an air of credibility to Emma's story. The ending came quite as a surprise.

Many thanks to the author / Penguin Group - Dutton / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

3.5 STARS