This is the first book I've read by Jennifer Lynn Barnes but I will definitely be reading more from her in the future. The writing was really engaging and had me turning pages. I really liked the main character, Sawyer, and the storyline. Big thumbs up from me!

I am a huge fan of Jennifer Lynn Barnes so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book! Little White Lies was such a great read, I loved the format. I felt like it kept the reader engaged with what was happening now and what had happened in the past. Everything came together flawlessly.
The characters were also wonderful, I felt a connection with our MC from the beginning.

What a fantastic book! Everything about this was perfect!
I couldn’t stop reading this!
I’ve been in a huge reading slump (too many fantasy novels back to back) and I was looking for something light and fun to read and this was perfect!
Jennifer Lynn Barnes has written so many amazing novels that I adore, The Naturals and The Fixer series being two of the biggest favorites, so when I saw she was writing another book about debutantes I had to read it!
I knew virtually nothing about this book going into it and I think that’s the best way to read it, everything was a surprise and I loved it!
The chapters were very unique in the fact that they switched from past to present and between Sawyer and Mackie, a cop (you’ll learn more about that situation later)
I don’t want to say much more, I hate spoiling things, but this book is a must read!

I loved THE FIXER duo so much (and it should be a trilogy — still something that makes me incredibly sad and bitter) and have been saving THE NATURALS series for when I’m desperate for more words by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I decided not to resist this one though… and I’m glad I didn’t wait! I read it during ARC August and was definitely what I needed to break the semi-slump I was in. I was just forcing myself to read (not because I wanted to read) and this book changed me for the month.

It centers around Sawyer, a young mechanic who learns that her mom’s estranged family are filthy rich and only live 45 minutes away. When her grandmother shows up and offers her half a million dollars for college/life if she moves there and participates in the debutante season, she can’t resist the opportunity to find her biological father at the same time. She quickly falls in with her cousin, Lily, and her friend, Sadie-Grace… and unfortunately also with the evil Campbell.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this story, to be honest – I was kind of expecting something similar to the REBEL BELLE series with all of the ball gowns and southern traditions (minus the paranormal stuff). I did kind of get that, but there was a great mix of contemporary-mystery that Jennifer Lynn Barnes does so well. If you like her writing, I would have to recommend this book. It’s easy and addicting and hard to put down. I think my one complaint would maybe be that it was slightly long? Some parts felt dragged out and some went by too quickly. The story has small chapters in between the main action of “present day” and everything is else is from a certain amount of months before. It’s a really interesting way of setting up the story because you wonder how the girls got into that situation. Everything comes together later and the chapters get closer together, bringing the two timelines into cohesion. It was a dramatic and fun way to look forward to upcoming action.

The family drama was definitely prominent and there were little mysteries and twists throughout the story based off of that. Everything centered around whatever Campbell was doing (you spend a good portion of the book trying to figure out what her MO is) and figuring out who Sawyer’s father is. I really liked the relationships that she developed between the other debs and her grandmother. The ending had some great, unexpected twists that definitely made my jaw drop. I think there was a decent enough cliffhanger to keep things interesting (meaning some mystery left for the next book) but the ending was buttoned up enough where you don’t feel like your jaw is still on the floor. There’s plenty left to uncover and unpack in the sequel!

I will read/buy anything that Jennifer Lynn Barnes, and this book is no different. Her writing is strong. The story is strong.

Little White Lies is a lovely contemporary novel with a hint of mystery that slowly reveals with each page you read. The setting is vividly realistic with characters that are relatable making this a fun fast-paced read.

Jennifer Lynn Barnes is one of my favorite authors. She does an exceptional job with writing mysteries that are enthralling, believable, and filled with wonderful characters. This setting is in the rich, elite society life where Sawyer is thrust into becoming a debutant as part of a deal she makes with a grandmother that she never knew existed. At 18, all Sawyer has known is that her mom got pregnant at 17 and was kicked out of her own elite, debutant house. Through a deal made with her grandmother, she has nine months to become a debutant herself, discover where she fits in, figure out who her father might be, and learn that sometimes friends and family are what shape you if given a chance. Fans of the Fixer and the Naturals will love this book.

The perfect blend of sass and smart, these debutantes are on a mission. I love how the girls embrace the newbie with none of that mean girl crap; not that there isn't a mean girl but her heart is in the right place even if it takes a while for her actions to catch up. Super cute, very entertaining, and just weighty enough to avoid being teen fluff.

Mini review:

DNF

I received this E-ARC via Disney Hyperion and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Jennifer Lynn Barnes is one off the many authors whose works' I have been trying to get into. Partly because of the heroine in The Fixer. I have come to accept that this isn't an author for me.

What intrigued me was the synopsis. A mystery whilst taking place during a debutante? Sign me up! The beginning was interesting if a tab bit cringy. The first chapter did genuinely creep me out. The grandmother's entrance was very dramatic and odd. I didn't care much for Sawyer either.

I did skim the end, and I have to give the author credit for that twist. But after that revelation I was certain that the book wasn't for me. I don't really get along with books that have a lot of scandals. And I'm really tired off the mind games all the characters pull.

Overall this was a personal thing. I do really believe that other people will enjoy it more. Still recommend.

Let me start off by saying I'm a big JLB fan. Her books are just FUN - they are engaging and her character work is always awesome. As such, this book kept me up until 1 AM because I needed to know how this Southern family drama was going to play out! So, I'm biased, and it's why I've given this book a little bit more leeway than I would otherwise. Unlike some of Barnes' other books, it took a while to learn what the stakes were for our protagonist Sawyer and why they were so high. The desire to find out who her father is was a frustrating quest because Sawyer's mother - alive, but largely absent in her daughter's life since she turned 18 - simply refused to tell her (come ON, lady!!), therefore requiring Sawyer to agree to what ends up being a funny contract with the family matriarch. At times, family drama eclipsed the larger crimes and secrets among debutantes past and present, yet the twists and turns kept me guessing, plenty of sharp dialogue kept me laughing, and if there's a sequel, I'll be reading it. Probably more like a 3 if I'm honest, but it hit the spot so it gets a 4!

It was good. It was fun. It was kind of forgettable. I wasn't sold on the flashback format but that could've been in part due to the rough ARC formatting and maybe it works better with the more visible chapter jumps. I will definitely read a second book. I still much prefer the Fixer series.

I loved the characters, each one was precious and hard to forget. If you’re a fan of Southern charm and debutant tales you’ll enjoy the suspense that makes the book almost impossible to put down.

Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes- due out Nov 2018. Read the preview copy and I can see this one being a favorite this year. Sawyer Taft has been raised by her single mom her whole life. Her mother's family is high society and extremely wealthy. So when her mom became pregnant as a teen, she was promptly turned out for being such a scandal. But that's okay, all Sawyer and her mom ever needed was each other. Enter Sawyer's grandmother with a contract...come live with her for 9 months and become a debutant and her grandmother will give her $500,000. She will be set for college and have a great start on life. Plus wearing dresses, getting her nails done, and a chance to possibly figure out who her bio dad is...she can't pass it up. Turns out you should never trust a debutant. They can be ruthless. Kidnapping, theft, breaking and entering, and blackmail are just a few of their side hobbies. #LittleWhiteLies #NetGalley

Ms Barnes writes another winning, suspenseful YA novel. For fans of The Naturals series and libraries with a strong demand for teen fiction

Like others I've been sitting on this review for awhile. I really enjoyed the beginning of the book. Barnes is clearly a talented writer and I loved the surface of the characters she created. However, I feel like this book falls just shy of its potential. First, Barnes could have added a little more depth to Sawyer's (and her mom's) character. Furthermore, I was extremely frustrated by the resolution (or lack thereof) at the end of the book. I didn't quite understand the scandals, characters, or the character's reactions to the "scandals". And so much was introduced at the very end that when I finished the book I felt unimpressed and incomplete. The book/story didn't feel like a finished product. Why does every book these days need a sequel?

I've loved Jennifer Lynn Barnes since I picked up The Naturals and have picked up as many of her books as I can get my hands on. Which is why I was over the moon when I my request for the rACE of Little White Lies was approved. Little White Lies is just another example of Barnes' writing brilliance. Filled with twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end, I couldn't put this down. Other reviews have done a better job of breaking everything down, so I'll just say this, if you like a strong, independent female lead, a great mystery, and lots of intrigue, this is a book for you.

I really hope the fact that the ending leaves so much open that we'll get to revisit these great characters.

I definitely dug it, I certainly hope this isn't the last of it because it ends with a lot of interesting loose threads. What I liked the most though, other than the refreshing lack of romance, was that although the character is thrown into circumstances far different from the ones she's used to, she rolls with it. She's not just some poor girl thrown into a world of wealth and determined to stand out and show all these rich folks up, she adapts--she doesn't change who she is fundamentally, but she also doesn't set out to stick out and deliberately antagonize people based on how much money they may or may not have. She's got a chip on her shoulder, and it's earned, but it's not from class differences, which is nice, or at least, different from other stuff I've read. In any case, I dug it a lot, like the characters for the most part--mostly I want more. Those tidbits left dangling are pretty juicy.

Buckle up y'all because this book is nothing but southern goodness.

A quick summary:
"I'm not saying this is Sawyer's fault," the prim and proper one said delicately. "But."
Eighteen-year-old auto mechanic Sawyer Taft did not expect her estranged grandmother to show up at her apartment door and offer her a six-figure contract to participate in debutante season. And she definitely never imagined she would accept. But when she realizes that immersing herself in her grandmother's "society" might mean discovering the answer to the biggest mystery of her life-her father's identity-she signs on the dotted line and braces herself for a year of makeovers, big dresses, bigger egos, and a whole lot of bless your heart. The one thing she doesn't expect to find is friendship, but as she's drawn into a group of debutantes with scandalous, dangerous secrets of their own, Sawyer quickly discovers that her family isn't the only mainstay of high society with skeletons in their closet. There are people in her grandmother's glittering world who are not what they appear, and no one wants Sawyer poking her nose into the past. As she navigates the twisted relationships between her new friends and their powerful parents, Sawyer's search for the truth about her own origins is just the beginning.
Set in the world of debutante balls, grand estates and rolling green hills, Little White Lies combines a charming setting, a classic fish-out-of-water story, and the sort of layered mystery only author Jennifer Lynn Barnes can pull off.
From GoodReads.

The Set Up:
I tend to focus on how an author opens a story because really, that's what make you want to keep reading. Barnes starts us off in jail and from the POV of the police officer, who is totally clueless as to why three debutantes in white gowns are in his jail cell in the first place.
We meet our MC, Sawyer, through "And the fourth girl? She was picking the lock," before we are pushed back to nine months earlier when Sawyer meets her grandmother and is offered the contract. I was laughing from the beginning and immediately wanted to know how this cop got himself into his predicament.
She'll continue to occasionally switch back to the jail scene and officer POV until we are caught up in the timeline of the story.
We're introduced to Sawyer through the many hobbies she has had over the years and this is how Barnes lets us know more about Sawyer's childhood.
With lines such as, "I'd developed sequential interests in lock picking, the Westminster Dog Show, and fixing the perfect martini," and “For the record,” I told my cousin, “any lock-picking ability I may or may not have acquired growing up has less to do with where I lived and more to do with the fact that I was a very weird, very obsessive little kid," we learn why Sawyer is good at certain things, but they are also relatable reasons.
We've all had that late night obsession with conspiracy theories on the internet or wanted to learn how to be a spy.

What stood out:

Barnes has either been to my hometown, or has some sort of magical powers because she writes this world so well. Not only does she create the world but she describes the details of her characters in such a way that readers can immediately see them with lines such as, "She had a Southern accent—less twang and more drawl than my own. Com-pluh-mehnt or an in-suhlt?" and “Money isn’t something we talk about, Sawyer. It’s something we have," as she's describing Lillian Taft.

One of the scenes that stood out to me most was when Sawyer has agreed to her grandmother's contract and is going to the Taft home for the first time. She's greeted at the door by her Aunt Olivia and the following conversation happens:

“John David Easterling,” she called, raising her voice so it carried. “Who’s the best shot in this family?”
There was no reply. William Faulkner butted his head against my thigh and huffed. I bent slightly—very slightly—to pet him and noticed the red dot that had appeared on my tank top.
“I will skin you alive if you pull that trigger,” my aunt called, her voice disturbingly cheerful.
What trigger? I thought. The red dot on my torso wavered slightly.
“Now, young man, I believe I asked you a question. Who’s the best shot in this family?”

We later here John David glumly reply that the best shot in the family is his momma, who tells her child target practice on our family is not appropriate nor polite. These genuine conversations are what is so grabbing about this story. You care what's happening because they are relatable, or were for me as a girl who grew up with a sporting clay world champion for a grandfather and a very bragging mother. I even wrote the note, "this entire scene is phenomenal." TRUTH.

Discussion Topics:

Drama
This story is nothing but dramatic. From debutantes under contract to a blog with secrets written on a girl's body then published, I can easily see this on Freeform taking the spot Pretty Little Liars left open.
Throughout the story the one goal is for Sawyer to find out who her father is. There are three options and Barnes leaves us breadcrumbs throughout so when we learn the truth, it all makes sense.
While we're on the hunt for Sawyer's dad, we also learn our villain Campbell Ames has gotten herself into a pickle and wants to out someone for a drunk driving incident that ended in a hit and run and a boy in long term care. With these two stories woven together, the book was hard to put down.
As a teacher, this would be a great book for those that aren't interested in reading but like to Netflix binge.

Vocabulary
Barnes uses vocabulary that is absolutely refreshing. She challenges the mind of her audience but also makes these words and this story completely accessible. Some words I highlighted were:
Rapscallion
Adroit
Coquette
Salacious
Dishabille

Teen Pregnancy
There is so much to unpack here and discussion topics would be great. However, we don't see much of a discussion of teen pregnancy and the ramifications until the very end. I would have loved to see a bit more once Sawyer arrives on the scene and starts asking questions, however, there's another side of me that says it makes sense it's avoided because of the nature of these characters and their lifestyle. Teen pregnancy and scandal is not to be discussed. This is a perfect way to discuss the importance of these topics and having open and honest conversations.

I won't spoil anymore but I will say I rate this book 4.5. I loved it! It was fun, dramatic, relatable, and I want more. SO good news! I tweeted the author and learned a sequel is in the works!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

"If hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, than a whole legion of scorned women had no more impressive rage than a Southern lady robbed of her pearls."

Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a favorite young adult author of mine. I enjoy her strong female characters and interesting plot twists. While this wasn't my favorite of her novels, I enjoyed Sawyer's personality and the way she developed as a character. The story takes off right away with Sawyer's grandmother coming to see her, and only picks up from there. Numerous plot twists and nuggets of information make you want to keep reading, and I feel like the ending leaves room for a sequel. You won't be disappointed by the witty remarks of Sawyer and the way she changes throughout the book.

As a teacher who doesn't often have time to read everything I want to offer my students, I would say this book is definitely for high school age students. Some of the content wouldn't be fit for my middle schoolers.

super enjoyable southern belle YA mystery thriller with great characters and fun situations. very much enjoyed it. it does kind of end on the note of prepping for a sequel but i'm currently unsure if there will be a sequel.