Member Reviews
Thank you Negalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.
I actually really liked this missing person/teen mystery in a category that is sometimes crowded with wildly unrealistic scenarios and unnecessary drama.
Fiona and her issues in love, friends and body image felt raw and authentic.
The mystery around the suicides of two complicated high school students keeps you guessing until the end.
Highly recommended for readers of YA contemporary that enjoy heavier topics.
I enjoyed this one a lot - I thought the mystery element was strong and it would be likely to appeal to readers who enjoyed One Of Us Is Lying, which is a popular title with my students. I will be ordering this one for my classroom library.
While this was a super-fast read, there were parts that were a little lagging. In some instances, it felt too teen angsty, not enough mystery, which was the impression I got about it from reading the excerpt. Having said that, I still enjoyed the book! Fiona's best friend Trixie commits suicide--but did she? As Fiona begins to uncover information she never saw coming, and grow closer to her friend Jasper and the one that didn't love her, Beau, she begins to believe that maybe Trixie didn't commit suicide at all. In fact, maybe it was all an elaborate scheme to hide from other problems. Decent read!
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.
I really enjoyed the story and the ending was interesting but it just took too long to get there. There was a lot of stuff in the middle that really needed to be edited down, which is too bad because a lot of the writing was spectacular.
Last Girl Lied To is a fast-paced, psychological thriller perfect for fans of Kara Thomas' The Cheerleaders! The chapters are very short (only a couple pages each) and bounce between the past and present. I devoured this book as it was exactly what I needed to get out of a reading rut. I loved watching the different threads unfold of Trixie's disappearance and seeing how everything would turn out in the end.
The premise of this book sounded incredible, and I went with pretty high expectations because I enjoyed her debut novel back when I first read it, but unfortunately I was so let down by its outcome. This was more a personal me thing, but I had so many issues with it, and though there were certain elements that I liked and found intriguing, those didn’t redeem the story for me.
I feel like there was something about this plot and characters that made me feel disconnected to the story. Though I think the mystery was quite well put together and I enjoyed following that storyline, I feel the pacing was a bit off. Sometimes there were a lot of things happening and there was a lot of information given to the reader, and other times were quite repetitive and boring,
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The characters weren’t my favorite, either. I appreciated how much our main character cared about her friend, and everything she did to find the truth, but I feel we didn’t get to know more about her that wasn’t related to her friendship with the other girl. Neither of the characters were really complex or unique, and there were some that only appeared once and weren’t really that important.
There was also a romance that I didn’t like at all. It wasn’t cohesive with the storyline the reader was following and completely unnecessary, and didn’t add anything to the plot nor the character. I get why it was done that way, but I think it could have been done differently and have more impact on the reader.
When it comes to the ending I was pretty let down. I tend to be really good at figuring out mysteries and who killed who in books, and this was no different. However, I guess I was expecting more, because I found the ending not only predictable but also quite underwhelming. The book was reaching its climax and I was expecting to be surprised or blown away, but I didn’t feel anything.
Overall, I think this book had a really cool concept and potential, but I was expecting something much more surprising
Last Girl Lied To is a fast, gripping young adult contemporary about Fiona, who is reeling from the death of her best friend, Trixie. Fiona and Trixie became friends when Fiona decided that she couldn't handle being with her so called "friends" anymore. She and Trixie became incredibly close, at least on Fiona's end, but Trixie's death, which was ruled a suicide has her reeling.
Over the course of Last Girl Lied To, Fiona navigates through her past with Trixie, her own demons, and tries to find Trixie, who she's convinced has decided to disappear.
There are many things I loved about this novel (its fearless portrayal of how raw and immediate adolescence is, the lumonious writing, the emphasis on the psychological aspect of "psychological thriller") but what I loved best is how the ending is uncompromisingly honest. A deft, dark, and thought provoking read, Last Girl Lied To is contemporary ya done right and was so good I bought myself a copy. Very highly recommended.
I’m kind of new to the thriller/mystery genre, but so far, I haven’t found one that I haven’t enjoyed. That doesn’t mean that they’re all spectacular books, but the genre is very entertaining, as long as the story is moving.
Last Girl Lied To had me hooked from the get go, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t flawed. It has a hefty number of pages, but I don’t think the page count was used effectively. Some parts were rushed, while others moved way too slow. There needed to be some sort of happy medium. The one thing that really helped move the story along was the very short chapters. It sometimes got a little confusing because the chapters alternated from past to present. Since one chapter could be only three pages, once it switched to the next chapter, you would forget what timeframe you were in.
I thought the characters were good, but I felt like I knew nothing about the two missing teens. The chapters that took place in the past could have focused more on those characters so we could get to know them, instead of relying on the opinions of the main characters. I do think the character arch of Fiona really evolved over the course of the book as she is questioning everything that happen over the past few years. However, it could have gone much further. Her plotline about being insecure about her changing body was a great character choice, but I don’t it went far enough to be very affective. The author should have leaned more into it or not put it in at all.
While I definitely don’t think this was a perfect novel, I was enthralled from the beginning and couldn’t stop reading.
Last Girl Lied To by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn is a unique young adult thriller. Fiona's best friend disappeared, and everyone thinks she walked into the water and committed suicide. Fiona believes she is still alive somewhere, so what is the truth? I found this book to be an interesting book, but for some reason the characters didn't grab me. There is a lot of twists and turns, so you might want to give it a try. I did not hate this book, but I didn't love it either. I will read this author again.
I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.
For me this one was just ok. I liked the premise of the story but I didn't feel a strong connection with the characters and for me that can be make or break for a story. I do think that some of my students might enjoy it, but it was just ok for me.
"Last Girl Lied To" was finally a book I could relax and feel myself melt into. The author did an amazing job of keeping the intensity and pacing of this book moving by using shorter chapters and downright solid storytelling. I was completely on board with Fiona and her journey to prove that her best friend didn't really kill herself and may still be alive somewhere. Each element in this story is deliberate and masterfully woven. The lose ends are virtually non-existent. This is a story well worth your time!
Trixie and Fiona are best friends until one night Trixie disappears after a party. It looks like she killed herself but Fiona can't believe that. So she starts searching to figure out the truth behind the lies. What could it have to do with the boy she's been quietly in love with all her life? Does it have to do with the disappearance of that boys older brother the year before? Can she ever find the answers and is she ready for the answers she may uncover?
This story is really intriguing and it was neat how the author switched between before and after Trixie went missing. One thing I didn't like about the book is how down on herself Fiona seems. It felt like she was trying to use friends and boys for outside validation instead of working on liking herself. She also got so entrenched in her search for Trixie she didn't realize when she had appendicitis. I didn't see the end coming and I won't spoil it for you. I will say you do find out about Trixie's whereabouts. It is an interesting read and if you like mystery this is a good book to choose.
I received a free electronic advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
This is a fantastic YA mystery. I flew through this book and it was so hard for me to put down. I really connected with the main character, Fiona, so much. And I'm in my early 30's. If I was still a teenager I would have loved her even more. Fiona is messy and sometimes makes wrong choices but most of these choices come from her being in pain or her need to feel loved. The characters in this book all felt realistic which kept me wanting to find out what was going to happen next to them. The pacing of the story was also really well done. There would be some stuff happening and then it would skip ahead in time but nothing ever felt rushed. I actually liked that not everything happened in a short amount of time.
Also, the mystery of her trying to figure out what exactly happened to her friend, Trixie was giving me major Pretty Little Liar vibes. The stories aren't all that similar but it is about a friend dying and trying to figure out what happened in the backdrop of high school drama. So, I guess sort of similar. Except it's basically just Fiona trying to figure stuff out and there is no A or threatening text messages. It could be that I have PLL on the brain since the spinoff has started but I do really think that if you enjoyed PLL that you will like this book too.
I do want to point out that Fiona does reference her weight a lot in the book and I know for me, that would have been really triggering if I was still a teenage girl. It was making me uncomfortable at times reading it but I do think that it also helped to make Fiona more of a realistic character. I think a lot of people will identify with her but I know that for some of us that kind of talk can be harmful. There is no reference to her actual weight in the book just how Fiona feels in her body and how she perceives others to see her.
For me the ending of this book was predictable but I still really enjoyed it. There were parts of the final reveal that I didn't see coming. Also, the way the reveal was done was so good. We had been building to the reveal the whole book and it didn't disappoint at all. The actual ending was a pretty typical YA ending but since I was so invested in the characters I didn't mind it too much.
Took me ages to get into this one. Not sure the ending was worth the wait. Not every book for every reader I suppose.
There were some very intense parts I this book that had me riveted. This story I must say surprised me, and that can be sometimes difficult. Just as I thought I figured out someone or something going on it was changed. I loved that. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.
Last Girl Lied To is the kind of messy teen drama that will appeal to fans of Pretty Little Liars. Fiona is grieving for her best friend Trixie, who committed suicide over the summer. Starting her senior year, Fiona is still in shock, and she starts to think that the story of Fiona’s suicide doesn’t add up. She seeks out Jasper, the guy Trixie was hooking up with, hoping he’ll have some answers. Fiona and Jasper make a connection, but Fiona also has feelings for the guy she’s been in love with since freshman year, Beau, who happens to be the boyfriend of her former best friend.
At first I thought this was going to fall into the messy misfits making out category (which I love), but the story went in a different direction. I’m a little torn on how to rate it. It was a gripping read, I didn’t want to put it down, and I was genuinely surprised by the resolution of the mystery. On the other hand, I found Fiona to be a bit of a limp noodle and I couldn’t bring myself to care about her. Also, she’s hung up on Beau, who is basically a hot mess (drunk at school is not a good look). They have a bond because he's also grieving the suicide of his older brother (which is why he's a hot mess).
So, this was basically a 3.5- star read for me since it was entertaining and fast-paced, but I didn’t connect with it on more than a surface level.
The writing here was very engaging, and I flew through it. I liked the pacing, the use of flashbacks, the unveiling of events, the overall mystery, and the ending (especially). As far as the mystery goes, I found it compelling throughout.
I didn't like the characters very much, and that's why my rating isn't higher. They were too emotional, angsty, self-centered, lost, etc. Although I know there are teens like this, building an entire book using only that type of character just doesn't appeal to me personally. The epilogue did make up for some of that...
Laurie Elizabeth Flynn does it again with this gripping mystery/thriller! As usual, her characters are so multi-dimensional and real, I forget they're fictional. I loved the reality of how girls wrestle with body positivity as shown in the main character, Fiona. And the ending? So did not see that coming.
A highly recommended read, multiple times.
What an emotional read. Last Girl Lied To is an intriguing book that will leave you questioning exactly how well you really know those in your life. Last Girl Lied To is about the all encompassing friendship between Fiona and Trixie, and how Fiona reacts when Trixie suddenly disappears. The book does a great job weaving together past and present stories, making Fiona's back and forth questioning of reality feel real. You will quickly become invested in the characters and in finding the absolute truth.
Last Girl Lied To is an intriguing book that will leave you wondering just how well you know the people in your life.
Fiona and Trixie's relationship starts in an odd fashion and soon the relationship is all encompassing for Fiona. So when Trixie disappears, Fiona doesn't buy it. It makes her start to question everything that has happened between them.
The book does a great job with weaving past vignettes together with the present, which allows you to go along on the same ride as Fiona. You will be quickly involved and invested in the book and want to the know the truth about everyone.