I never give one-star reviews - never. But this one was an actual DNF for me. That's actually another thing I never do. I was excited about it because it was set in the 1990s, so I thought it would remind me of the students I had when I was teaching. It didn't. I couldn't relate to any of the characters, nor could I find anything that I could point to that would remind me of any of my students. That would have been acceptable, and I think I would have been able to get through the story. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. Others may have a completely different experience with the book.

What a bittersweet ending I would love a sequel. I sometimes had trouble telling the secondary characters apart but the main characters are well written and I love the boarding school setting.

I really couldn't get into a book. I thought it was a murder-mystery story, but there was so much other stuff that was going on. The writing wasn't for me either, I was confused a lot of the time who was who and what was going on. I wanted to DNF it, but decided to continue to see how the mystery ended by skimming the last half of the book.

A great and intriguing read that combined some of my favourites - a school setting and a mystery, set in the recent past, as well as LGBT characters. A suspenseful story that kept me hooked.

I was so looking forward to this book, I work in education so anything based in the school system is something that I usually go for,
This title sounded intriguing, but when I got into it, I found it hard to read, the style was choppy and slow.

I didn't get into this book at first, but I think it was because I was distracted by other books. When I finally came back to it, I was surprised why I did put it aside, it was love at second sight.


Set against the backdrop of the mid-1990s School Lies is a real page turner: a great mixture of suspense, romance and family secrets. A solid mystery that kept me guessing up to the end, very well developed characters that won't leave you indifferent, and a solid writing.

Highly recommended.

This book was quite good! I loved the diversity and inclusion aspects. The storyline was both easy to follow and kept me guessing until the very end. Great side characters and good pacing overall. Also, any book that takes place at a boarding school, is fine by me. It's one of my favorite places for a book to take place and this book was no exception.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

At first I was a little confused with this book, because it says 'and then Troy Byrne returns to school' and I kept waiting and wondering how in the hell Troy was returning to the school. Then I realized the wording was off, and he wasn't returning to the school as a student to investigate the way the blurb stated! Just one of those annoying things where you go into a book expecting to see something from the blurb and it wasn't the case.

This book is a terrific murder mystery set in the mid 90s, partly in all boys school. Both the main characters, Levi and Troy, struggle both with the inticate family circles, as well as being gay in a society that simply doesn't accept them. Both struggle to acknowledge how they feel about each other, especially to other people, and both hide secrets from each other and themselves. Their relationship is over at the beginning of the book, but due to the mysterious disappearance of Troy's sister and a possible link to Levi's father, they have to meet and come together once more to solve it.

Now I'm not going to lie, I love an angsty, gritty romance. It was my go to in my teenage years, and I basically groaned with frustration every time these boys were near each other (in a good way!) The tension you could cut with a knife, and I wanted to smack them multiple times through the book for hiding things/lying/not being entirely truthful. I get the motivations though. They are both exquisite damaged characters with their own reasons for what they do and how they respond.

The characters aside, it was an extremely good mystery and one I didn't solve or piece together by the end, so well done Kimberly G. Giarratano on a well written crime thriller that kept me guessing! (kind of hard to do these days) Although I didn't like everything with that ending, I definitely have hope for Levi and Troy to sort things out, and there are some really great side characters that deserved more of a role.

All in all I enjoyed this book a lot, and it was different from my usual cozy mystery/YA/True crime/Animal fiction that I seem to gravitate to. Four stars!

What a bittersweet ending. I need a sequel. 😭😭

As someone who grew up in the 90s, I absolutely loved all the references. School Lies is everything I want in boarding school stories with a good mix of mystery and romance. 

I wish we could have spent more time with some supporting characters though and gotten more flashbacks. I also felt like Troy and Levi were just running in circles at times. Still, I very much enjoyed the story and I like that the ending was open enough for the author to revisit the story if they choose. (I hope they do.)

really enjoyed the concept, and loved the main characters, Troy and Levi. Troy Byrne is searching for his missing sister. When he finds clues that lead directly to Levi and his classmates, he has no choice but to let his long lost love help him search for her.The relationship between Troy and Levi felt complicated and real.There was angst and some sweet moments between them.Levi and Troy are well-written characters and they seem like real teenage boys.

Kimberly G. Giarratano’s School Lies is a great mystery with surprising twists. Although I sometimes had trouble telling the secondary characters apart, the main characters are well-written and I love the boarding school setting.

Teenage boarding school student Levi finds his estranged headmaster father dead of a gunshot wound. Although the death is ruled an accident, Levi is suspicious. However, he doesn’t want to pursue anything because he’s leaving Hulbert Academy behind forever. He soon runs into his ex-roommate Troy who was kicked out of Hulbert three years ago. Troy’s sister is missing, and his parents are about to divorce. Troy definitely doesn’t have time to confront his feelings for Levi. However, when photo negatives connect Troy’s missing sister to Levi’s father, both boys join forces to uncover the truth. They discover a blackmail scheme, unearthing secrets about those closest to them.

I love boarding school stories! The setting is nicely crafted in this book. The mid-nineties time period is well-done. I appreciate all the familiar references. Although the beginning is a little slow, the book quickly picks up. I like how the mysteries intertwine. I didn’t see many of the interesting twists coming and the last big one particularly shocked me. I like that the twists aren’t just for shock value but they actually make sense.

The novel also focuses on the boys’ dysfunctional families as well as issues like bullying and homophobia. There is also focus on how both boys cope with being gay in an oppressive environment. The themes and plot are extremely relevant and relatable.

Levi and Troy are well-written characters and they seem like real teenage boys. Their relationship is realistic with appropriate angst and a lovely hint of sweetness. Giarratano really gets you invested in their lives. Their individual stories are authentically handled. Troy’s relationship with his stepfather is refreshing and deftly avoids stereotypes.

While Levi’s interactions with the boys in his dorm are pitch-perfectly teenage boy, I sometimes had trouble telling Levi’s classmates apart. Some of the minor characters could have been more developed. I really appreciate the book’s diversity (Levi is Jewish and Troy is brown Latino while a few minor characters are non-white) which doesn’t feel like a throwaway.

School Lies is a great read with well-written characters, a realistic romance and a fascinating mystery. I love that Giarratano explores relevant issues like complicated family lives, homophobia and bullying. I enjoyed this book and I definitely recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Weapenry Co-Op for this book in exchange for an honest review.

School lies did not need a specific time setting because this story would have still fit in the present. I enjoy romances that are a mystery at the center. There several twists that keep the reader intrigued and makes it a one sit read. This story is successfully in pointing out how foolish people can be. I am so grateful to Netgalley and Weapenry Co-Op for this ARC.

As a retired teacher, I'm a sucker for school settings in novels and this one appealed to me for many reasons; not the least of which is how far we've come in acknowledging the rights of gay students to feel accepted and supported. When I first started teaching high school back in the 70's no mention was ever made and of course students would have been reluctant (or terrified) to come out; often the homophobic community would bring up the "homosexual agenda." Huh? There's an agenda???
Thankfully, when I retired it was an entirely different story. So this is a novel that begs to be read; it's a mystery, a love story, a political commentary, and a family drama that revolves around Levi and Troy and their desire to solve several mysteries--the death of Levi's father and the disappearance of Troy's sister, Miranda. It speaks to themes of bullying, homophobia, friendships, and familial ties. It's captivating and relevant--a YA novel not to be missed!