Hiding Lies is the second book featuring Eleanor Ames, I really enjoyed Chasing Truth, so I was excited to read this one. It did take me a few minutes to reorient myself to the events of the first book because it's been over a year since I read the first book. This one picks up pretty much right after the events of the first book, so I would advise reading them in order. Otherwise you will be lost as well as having the first book spoiled.

This is a solid follow up to the first book. I felt like I got to know Ellie a bit more through flashbacks to her time with her con artist parents. I wish we could have gotten more background on Miles, but the story is told only from Ellie's perspective. Their relationship does grow more, however, there was a bit more angst in the trust department. I still love them together.

The mystery was really good. As in the first book, there are a lot of surprises. I'm not going to talk plot except to say once Ellie gets to New York, the book really gets going. Some of the characters from the previous book show up and add a lot of flavor to the story. I highly recommend this one as well as the first. I would keep it to over 16 YA crowd as there is some borderline mature content in it. I can't wait to see what happens to Ellie and Miles next!

Summary: Ellie Ames has had a difficult year. She left her con artist family to live with her sister, Harper, and Harper's ex-Secret Service boyfriend. Ellie had to start in a new fancy prep-school where she uncovered a mystery around the apparent suicide of another student. But Ellie life is looking up. She has finally found a perfect boyfriend in the secret agent-in-training Miles and she is rocking it at Holden Prep School but when Ellie is pulled back into her old con artist life she may find her happy new life and her future in danger.

Review: I wasn't sure what to expect with this book because I hadn't read the first in the series. What I got was a fast paced twisty mystery with a sweet romance that has definite sizzling moments. Ellie was a wonderful characters. She is sarcastic and smart and compelling strong but also slightly broken. I just loved her. I also adored her love interest Miles. I often say that a YA romance's success come down to the boy and Julie Cross knows how to write a great teen romantic lead. Miles is conflicted, trying to find his place in the world while not disappointing his secret agent parents or breaking a promise to his dead friend. He is just the type of perfect but damaged love interest that Ellie deserves. Together, they are adorable and funny and just about perfect. But the book doesn't just rest on the adorable characters. At its heart, "Hiding Lies" is a mystery filled with twists and turns as well as betrayal and blood. It will grab you from page one and will let you go until it's conclusion which will leave you desperately wanting a third book in the series. If you are a fan of Cross's or just a fan of a good YA mystery/thriller with a wee bit of romance thrown in then "Hiding Lies" needs to find it's way to the top of you "Must Read" list.

3.5 Stars

Hiding Lies takes us into Ellie's old live when her dad and "family" go to pull a con in the same city as her school trip. There's just as much excitement, intrigue, and suspense in this one as there was in Chasing Truth.

With Miles no longer at Holden Prep, Ellie has a surprising new ally, Dominique, to help her along with task: taking down her dad in exchange for her mom getting released from prison. I worried this meant we wouldn't see Miles, but I needed not to be alarmed. He shows up in plenty surprising places and the chemistry Ellie and Miles had in book one is still present.

This is fast paced with some twists along the way and not everything is always what it seems. A great sequel to Chasing Truth, I am eager to see if there will be more books in the series.

Rating 4.5/5*
Hiding Lies is the second book in this series and I have to say I thought it was even better than Chasing Truth - and I enjoyed that one! Actually, I think it important to read these books in the correct order as they show events in chronological order, building on events from the previous book. However, I also acknowledge that the author has included reminders of previous events so it could be read as a standalone. Now my problem with writing this review is endeavouring not to include any spoilers for anyone planning to read the first book . . . . so I’m going to give most of that a miss.

I’ll just say that the main character in both stories continue to be Eleanor Ames but in this story the focus is on the con Ellie’s Dad and other members of her extended family are involved with in New York. When Holden Prep take Ellie and other students on a visit to New York, it offers her the opportunity to catch up with her family - but does she really want to be drawn into their cons once more? Again, the FBI are involved as they continue to try to bring her father to justice. It is a story where family loyalties are tested. One where initial assumptions can so easily prove inadequate or flawed and one where friendship proves to be so essential but lies and secrets can be so disheartening and destructive.

The great character development, intriguing plot and surprises make this a very entertaining read and I only have one problem now - I’d love to read the final two books in this series straight away! Unfortunately they aren’t published yet, so I’ll just have to wait but I’ll definitely keep an eye out for their release. I have no hesitation in highly recommending this to anyone who enjoys fascinating teen mysteries with compelling writing that makes them a real page turner - even if you left your teens decades ago!

I requested and was given a copy of this novel, via NetGalley, with no obligation. This is my honest review of the book after choosing to read it.

10 stars- What a fun, mystery suspense. The Big Apple will never be the same again once Holden Prep takes over. This is a fast paced story that needs to be read after the first book so you can enjoy and not miss a part of this spy series. Eleanor is working to save her family but it's not going to be easy or safe. What happens when someone from her past resurfaces? I loved this book and thank you for letting me read and write about it.

the eleanor ames series closes out with hiding lies, picking up several weeks after the events in chasing truth, miles and ellie are self-defense training and hoping to continue to avoid the bad guys. but when ellie's mother is sentenced to prison time, miles mia and the fbi giving her another chance to act as an informant to catch her dad, ellie finds herself on a school trip to new york ready to pull the biggest con of her life.

the problem is, everybody ellie knows is a double agent. even her con artist family can be described as double agents. so many different agendas and goals are enough to make anyone crazy. even miles isn't being completely honest when he does reappear.

there's too many twists and turns in the plot to give away, but what is so great about ellie ames as a character is how she has this great ability to read people and to make connections with them. it's so very endearing. and also i just love her and miles together.

**hiding lies published on april 17, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (entangled teen) in exchange for my honest review.

Hiding Lies is the second book in the Eleanor Ames series. I really enjoyed the first book in the series, Chasing Truth, and was anxiously awaiting this next installment. This book did not disappoint! I do recommend reading Chasing Truth before this. The author does give a little bit of a back story in this one though, but I wouldn't call this a standalone exactly. I loved getting to see Ellie and Miles again. Ellie is such a great character. She's snarky, and yes, has been compared to Veronica Mars. The writing was great and the story unfolded very well. I really hope there is another book in the series. Highly recommend this series!

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

Okay, so first I have to say that this will probably be kind of short and maybe vague, because I really don’t want to spoil anything for folks who are new to the series. Second, I have to say ;OIHA;RIUFHPQOIH I AM SO GLAD THIS BOOK IS NOW OUT!!! Ahhh, I have been waiting for so long! Absolutely. Thrilled.

Okay, let’s put the flailing aside now! I have so much love for this series. I was blown away when I read the first book at just how much depth there was to the story. It was no surface-level mystery/thriller that was heavy on solving the mystery or thrilling us with action, but light on world-building and character development – no, sir! As much as I loved CHASING TRUTH, and as much as I love Julie’s writing, I admit to some trepidation before reading HIDING LIES; I was worried, since the huge mystery of the first book had been solved, that this one would focus more on the long-distance relationship of Ellie and Miles and some piddly student-related mystery inside Holden Prep or something. Well, let me tell you, I will never again doubt Julie Cross, and I apologize for ever even *thinking* she might let us down! HIDING LIES is at least as good as CHASING TRUTH, possibly even better – and I do not say that lightly.

All of the fantastic characters are back, some with added depth and personality that we didn’t see in book one when they were more peripheral characters (I’m looking at you, Dominic!). Of course Ellie is still amazing, and Julie does not hold back on giving her real concerns to deal with. I think that’s one of the things I love best about Julie’s books – they are on the longer side, but I love that, because she really takes the time to set up the “world,” to give the characters depth, to build up to the mystery and the ultimate climax of the story. (Hey, speaking of climax, a slight aside: thank you, Julie Cross and Entangled Teen, for bringing us healthy, beautiful depictions of sex between two people who love each other and who wait for each other to be ready, who are mature and talk to each other about what they’re feeling when it comes to sex!)

In addition to the masterful build-up and the fleshing out of characters we met in the first book, I absolutely love the plot of this book, the mystery that Ellie gets involved in. I have to say it was an absolute delight to meet folks from Ellie’s past, to see the con in action, and to get more of Ellie’s flashbacks of growing up in a family of con artists and grifters (e.g., the advice her mom gave her, part of which is quoted on the teaser image just prior to this review, above). I was absolutely absorbed in what was happening and stayed up past 2:00 a.m. two nights in a row because I just couldn’t force myself to stop reading! And just when I’d think, “okay, phew! that was a crazy twist!”…along would come *another* one and blow my socks off. That, it actually occurs to me as I type this, is what is so special about Julie and this series – she can actually surprise me. I have never been able to guess ahead of time what’s *really* happening, how it will end, or who the “bad guy(s)” will be. I mean, I’ve been reading for 40 years, and she can still surprise me! That is an exhilarating feeling for a reader who sometimes feels as if she’s read every plot out there! Julie just keeps giving me more.

Well, long story short, I hope you can at least see how much I love this book, this series, and Julie’s skills! She is one of my favorite authors and I’m so thrilled that she’s with one of my favorite publishers. I will read anything Julie writes, and I would encourage y’all to do the same. Or at least find the genre you like best, since she’s written everything from contemporary to sports romances to science fiction to mystery/thriller! Seriously, there’s something for everyone, and I guarantee you will enjoy yourself. I highly recommend the Eleanor Ames series for readers who like smart, intricate, airtight mysteries with kick-butt heroines and swoony (and also kick-butt) heroes. Thank you to Julie and Entangled Teen for letting me take part in this blog tour and let y’all know just how much I love these books!

Rating: 5 mysterious and thrilling stars!

**Disclosure: I received an early copy of the e-book for purposes of this blog tour. This review is voluntary, and this is my honest rating and review.

Picking up right were Chasing Truth ends, Cross doesn't waste much time throwing readers right back into the mix of Eleanor and Miles's complicated lives. If you haven't read the first book in awhile, no worries. Cross does a great job at recapping some of the key events from the first book within the first couple of chapters, making it easy to get right back into the story.

Ellie's past quickly catches up to her in this story, leaving Ellie with some tough choices. Due to some events at the end of the last book, Miles and Ellie have some tough choices to make, and some complications they have to work through that are out of their control. Ellie once again proves she's the tough, resilient heroine she was in the first book. She definitely doesn't have an easy out with complex storyline.

Miles frustrated me more in this book. I liked how Ellie saw a double standard when it came to their trusting each other. Though it doesn't get explained until later on in the book, it was something I'm glad wasn't overlooked when it came to Miles, and his secrets. That certain thing (which I won't mention because of spoilers) definitely surprised me with Miles, though I suppose it shouldn't have.

With all the danger and drama surrounded Ellie's past, her family's role in this book, their ties to the mob, and a the twist that happened in the previous book coming back for them in this book, I had excepted a more dramatic ending towards the end than what took place. Having said that, I do like this book's ending. It definitely took me longer to get into this storyline than it did for Chasing Truth. Once I did though, I couldn't stop reading. I'm really hoping that this ending means there will be another story in this series, because there are a lot of unanswered questions.

As I've previously shared, this series is one YA fans who love a thrilling mystery, suspense, action, and romance will enjoy. It's a mix of Veronica Mars, Ally Carter a modern day YA Sherlock Holmes. This was a series I really enjoyed reading, and devoured both books back to back. I'm really hoping there will be another book in this series.

*There is some violence, language and sensual scenes that may not be suitable for younger readers.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Thriller, Romance

This is the second book in this series and it doesn't disappoint. Miles, Ellie, and Dominic are all thrown into the story and you get to see them mature, develop their skills, and see their relationships grow.

Ellie is still reeling a little from the situation she found herself in at the end of book one. She wants to find a way to redeem her mom and put her dad where he belongs. When the opportunity presents itself, she'll need all of the people around her to pull off this con. You are given more background for Ellie and also get to meet a new family "cousin."

Miles and Ellie deepen their relationship all while trying to navigate their inherent conclusion to mistrust everyone. I liked that they were able to continue their relationship, despite being on opposite "sides."

Black and white don't belong in this story – it's all about shades of grey.

The character who surprised me the most was Dominic. He was a breath of fresh, humorous air. I liked how he was able to help Ellie do her job but kept things light and funny.

This story is full of twists and turns that you don't necessarily see coming. I can't wait to see what happens next.


Veronica – ☆☆☆☆
It has been 18 months since book one in this series and I was excited to finally be getting my hands on book two.

Hiding Lies sees Miles in Turkey with his parents, and Eleanor going on a three week field trip to New York City. But the field trip is just an excuse for Eleanor to go undercover in her father’s current con, working with the FBI in the hopes of getting her mother’s prison sentence reduced.

This story is full on from start to finish. Between school, her friends, her boyfriend Miles, her family, the FBI, and the mob, Eleanor has so many balls in the air. The collision of the different parts of her life keep Eleanor on her toes and we get to see her in her element, putting her skills as a con artist to good use.

The story has a few good twists and turns but I kept waiting for everything to go pear shaped. I loved seeing Eleanor working all sides and trying to decipher right from wrong and good from bad, but it is a lot of presure on one high school student.

Hiding Lies is an excellent, fast-paced action/mystery with a bit of family drama and some good solid teen romance and I had a great time reading it. I hope we don’t have to wait another 18 months for book three.


Erica – ☆☆☆☆
5 Stars from a young adult perspective
3 Stars from an adult perspective
4 Stars overall

Hiding Lies is the second and possibly final installment in the Eleanor Ames series. I'd strongly suggest against reading this as a standalone. I read the first pre-release as well, so it has been a long while for me. If you haven't read the first in the series, I'd suggest reading books one and two back-to-back to get the optimal reading experience, as I struggled to remember the finer details after so long in between. If you enjoy rereading, and it's been a while since you read the first, I'd suggest a refresher.

This is a spoiler-free review, where I will avoid major plot points, as this is considered a mystery and suspense young adult series.

It was a slow start for me, not to say I wasn't enjoying said start – just that I was having difficulty remembering what had happened previously after reading 500 books in between. There was also a lot of threads going on, maybe two or three too many for young adults to grasp, giving a chaotic feel. So many things that there was no way there were enough hours in the day for Ellie and company to pull off what they were doing.

I'm thankful my logical personality was tucked away while I read, not rearing its ugly head until after I had finished the book. After all, this is fiction.

Ellie is a con artist who accidentally put her mother away in prison on their last job, 11 months ago. Now she's trying to right the wrongs (and that's all I can tell you to avoid spoilers. HA!).

Ellie is not too stupid to live. She's not a damsel in distress. Ellie is logical, putting her feelings to the wayside to get through what needs to be done. This is where the emotions of the novel truly hit me hard. I'm a sucker for a punch to the gut sensation, where rejection and betrayals really tug my heartstrings and connect me to the narrator.

Ellie is ashamed of her past, how she treated others as a means to an end. In actuality, as the pages go by, it's Ellie who is a means to an end, for everyone on the pages. No one is putting her first. No one is taking care of her. After all, she is a seventeen-year-old girl, and she should be someone's focus. No matter who is helping her, they have an agenda – they all lie to her. From the title to Ellie's inner monologue, one would assume it is Ellie hiding the lies... from my perspective, it's everyone hiding lies from her, as they ask things of her they shouldn't.

There are two points that lowered my reading enjoyment, hence the three stars from the adult perspective. I feel young adults won't notice, as they will be swept up in the swoon-worthy teen romance and the mystery and suspenseful action.

However, the adult in me did notice how things didn't make any sense when we got to the ending. Had I reviewed this immediately, my rating may have been higher, but after mulling the book over, nothing tied together in a lucid, logical, or even rational way. It made no sense whatsoever. Ellie's con family, the FBI renegade group, and the mafia, added with several governmental agencies, absolutely nothing tied them together, all the way to a rushed ending that tied the romance in a pretty bow.

Truthfully, I felt the author was going to pull another trigger, that would have been an ultimate betrayal, but decided against it when it came time to do it. Otherwise, everything was illogical and too coincidental how everything fell into place.

It also had the feel of an ending for the series, yet nothing was resolved.

"We're going to let the adults handle it."

I enjoyed being inside Ellie's mind, as I feel she was the most rational character of the bunch. The rest of the cast acted as if they too were teenagers, even when grown adults in high positions. That's where the book fell flat for me. Those in charge were all too bumbling, written so to allow teenagers to shine, which makes me fear for our country if that were the case.

Dominic was a shining star, more so than Miles. By the way, what happened to Oscar?

I have no idea if this is the conclusion, even though it had a feeling of finality. New breath could be breathed into it if the focus shifts to a new narrator, or if Ellie got away from everyone and started over. Ellie is an amazing narrator but being inside Dominic would be eye-opening.

I highly recommend to young adults. For the more detail-oriented adult, I'd suggest reading quickly, then not mulling over how things got from point A to point B, all the way to point Z.

Young Adult age-range: 14+ due to violence, kissing, and fade-to-black sexual situations.

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for the opportunity to read and review Hiding Lies by Julie Cross! Ellie is living with her sister Harper and her brother-in-law Aidan and she’s trying to figure out her life, her relationships and how to deal with her past. Miles and Ellie are falling in love and are great for each other. Miles and his family leave the country for a while and when Ellie hasn’t heard from Miles in almost a week, she starts worrying. When Miles’ father calls her and asks her to erase Miles’ records from their school and doesn’t offer any information other than her mission, her worry compounds. Little does she know that she will be face to face with Miles while they’re both in the middle of a huge con. Dominic brings more interest to the story and Miles and Ellie bring suspense, especially with the intrigue and never knowing who they can trust. Fun and suspenseful, Hiding Lies is the perfect sequel to Chasing Truth, 5 stars!

"Hiding Lies" was a really great continuation of Ellie (Eleanor) Ames's story. This second book is much faster-paced and more action-packed than the first and really wraps up the story. I highly recommend reading them back-to-back, as you'll need a lot of the context from the first to enjoy the end to this duology. I am actually pretty sad that things were wrapping up, because I loved the whole cast of characters, and I definitely wanted to continue with them- I could easily see this becoming a whole great teen detective series!

Ellie is a former con-artist who escaped from the game when she turned FBI informant. While she intended to turn over her father, due to a last minute role switch, she turned in her mother- something she has regretted ever since. However, since then, she has been living with her sister Harper (eight years senior) and her sister's secret service boyfriend (Aidan), who is actually now former secret service. Upon finding out that her mother may get 10 years in prison instead of the 15 months expected, Ellie is ready to cut another deal with the FBI- become informant for her father in exchange for reducing her mother's sentence.

However, things aren't as black and white as they once appeared, and Ellie is dealing with the complications of also being on her private school Holden's winter course in NYC while also trying to protect herself from the FBI and turn in her father- who is in deeper than even Ellie could have imagined. To top it all off, her FBI-in-training high school boyfriend Miles whose parents are in the CIA has been out of contact, and she has no idea what he's up to. It's all a recipe for an intense book that will keep you turning pages all the way to the end.

I really enjoyed this sequel- Ellie is such a great main character- she has mad skills at conning plus is just a generally good person who has big dreams of living a normal life. Her private school friends are really entertaining and also skilled at protecting and helping Ellie. Add to that the steamy scenes with her boyfriend, and there's a whole cast of characters you will absolutely love. I really wish this had been drawn out into more books with more smaller mysteries, just because I am sad to say goodbye to these characters. This is a fantastic duology for older teens due to death/violence, sexual situations, and drug mentions (although drugs are hardly a part of the second book), and I highly recommend it for people who love mysteries and romance.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I’ve read a bunch of books by Julie Cross and I’ve loved most of them. I was really excited to start this series and even more so when I’ve read the dedication of the first book.
I’m a huge fan of Veronica Mars, it’s my favorite series of all time and though not much was similar to it, I could tell how it was inspired by it.

Anyway, this book starts a couple weeks after the end of the first book, and not much has happened since.

As much as I did enjoy this book, it wasn’t as good as the first one, in my humble opinion. I found it to be not as fast paced and I wasn’t as captivated as I was by the first one.
I guess the setting wasn’t as exciting to me. I missed the burgeoning of the relationship we could see in the first one, the connection. The friendships weren’t as interesting either, except the one between Dominic and Ellie which I really really loved.

It was still insanely good and I didn’t see any of the twists coming.
I would definitely recommend this to everyone I know and I truly hope another book is gonna come out soon!

I love this series! I never thought I would be into a story like this because the characters are younger than what I typically go for. However Ellie and Miles are wiser beyond their years. I love the different storylines between what is happening in Ellie personal life and Miles personal life and how they come together. Also love the romance in this book, the scenes were realistic and still had the heat. This book had a semi happy ending but I would be down to have more Miles and Ellie adventures.

It was so fun to read about Eleanor and Miles back at it again! I highly recommend that you read these books in order starting with Chasing Truth. Eleanor is a reformed (sorta) con artist. Miles is her boyfriend who happens to be a teenage FBI agent. When trouble from her past comes knocking, Eleanor finds herself in the middle of something that will have Miles flipping his lid.

Don't miss this great YA read that's filled with mystery, romance, and a whole lot of fun. I recommend it.

This was a hard book for me to get into, but once I did, I couldn't put it down. It is a fast-paced, thrill ride that picks up right where the last book ends.
This book builds on the events of the previous book, with the same action and suspense I loved in it. Ellie and Miles are one team I would not want to go up against.
My only issue with the book was having to fight to really get into it. I'm glad I didn't give up and finished it. It was well worth the read.

5 STARS!!

It's been one of the best reading experiences getting back into the world of Eleanor Ames. She is by far one of my favorite YA heroines and this is definitely a favorite series. My expectations were high for this second outing, because Chasing Truth was a favorite YA book of mine from 2017. Yet, Julie Cross outdoes herself and delivers a funny, tempestuous, shocking, and ultimately romantic story. I honestly can't decide which book I love more. They are equally fabulous. With the way Hiding Lies is written, it can well and truly stand on its own, but it would be an injustice not to read Chasing Truth first and get the whole Eleanor Ames experience. Personally, I loved how some of the characters from the first book took new and exciting roles in this one. I'm not sure if this is a continuing series or just a duology, but if the author plans to continue in the world of Eleanor Ames, I will most assuredly follow. (This is my voluntary and unbiased review of an advanced copy of Hiding Lies via the publisher and Netgalley.)

Interesting but seems a little too long and overly complex.

Hiding Lies by Julie Cross is the second book in the Eleanor Ames series. This series is a bit of a young adult mystery/thriller mixed with some romance. The series is one that the story carries over from one book to the next and is best read in order.

In Chasing Truth readers were introduced to Eleanor ‘Ellie’ Ames who is attending Holden Prep while living with her older sister. Ellie’s parents were con artists and had raised their girls in that life but now they are going straight and Ellie is trying to use her talents for something better now.

While Ellie’s FBI in training boyfriend, Miles, is away with his secret agent parents Ellie finds out that someone from her previous life is trying to run a con and it happens to be going down in the same location of her school’s field trip. Despite knowing it’s dangerous Ellie seeks Dominic’s help to tag along on the school trip and then agrees to be an informant and get herself involved in the new con.

This series is a fun young adult mystery with a snarky but likable main character. This second book picked up the pace which I loved after complaining the first dragged a bit. I also loved that we are finally given a lot closer look at Ellie’s background of being a con artist and her family. There was obviously more story that can be told after the end of this one so I’d definitely join Ellie on her adventures again if the series continues.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.