Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Last Girl Lied To by L.E. Flynn. I had some trouble becoming interested in this book about two teenagers that disappear at different times and are presumed dead. The story picked up and became interesting after quite a bit of reading, and then seemed to stall before becoming interesting again towards the end of the book. There was a twist at the end of the book however, this was not a book that held my interest throughout.

Fiona was a cheerleader, best friends with the popular girls in school, skinny, and in love with Beau. Then Beau's brother vanishes into the ocean, her BFF claims Beau as her boyfriend, and Fiona walks away from her former life. She happens upon Trixie and a friendship blooms that interweaves into present day, when Trixie has vanished into the ocean as well. Fiona knows Trixie was acting odd over the summer. Changing her hair and makeup, always on her phone, and being secretive. Fiona befriends Jasper, Trixie's friend with benefits and the two of them search for answers on what happened to Trixie, because Fiona refuses to believe that Trixie went for a drunken midnight swim into the ocean.

The story was engaging with twists that I partially saw coming, although the book stretched out into a long time period: a year and a half covering Fiona's senior year in high school and her freshman year at college. There wasn't much of a mystery component and the big reveal didn't make sense. The police who investigated Beau's brother's disappearance (and then Trixie's) would have searched their emails (especially since both were ruled suicides, I think). And the emails provided the answers to everything, although it takes Fiona almost a year of hacking (and somehow not locking Trixie's email) until she realizes the password and discovers the truth. I also didn't like Fiona's relationship with Jasper, but she redeemed her character by not giving up on Beau, trying to save him from self-destructing into a young alcoholic. The story also fit the overused cliche of beautiful, skinny, loud girl befriends quiet, fat, loner girl which ultimately leads the protagonist into discovering that she's beautiful and amazing no matter what she looks like.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC; this book was a great read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this title for review. All opinions are my own.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars (this seems really nitpicky, but I'll get into my reasoning in a bit)

This book started off on a really high note. The writing was intense, with alternating chapters told in 2nd person, short vignettes about the past written to a girl who is long gone and whom the narrator is desperate to find. Then, as the book went on, there was less and less action and it felt like things were getting stuck, a Groundhog's Day sort of situation where time was passing, but nothing was happening and the narrator was just continuing to drone on and on to herself in a Holden Caufield-esque way (why doesn't anyone understand how awful it is to be me???). And then, BAM, at like 90% done, this thing ratcheted up quite a bit and ended pretty great. So, as I read, it went from a mental 4 stars, to 2, to 3, to almost 4 again, hence the awkward actual rating above.

Fiona's best friend walked into the ocean one night and hasn't been seen since. Everyone has ruled her death a suicide, but Fiona refuses to believe that Trixie would kill herself. She is determined to search for clues that point to Trixie still being alive and will not stop until she gets answers. Of course, the more she tries to learn about Trixie's past, the more questions she uncovers. How was Trixie involved with Toby Hunter, a boy who jumped off the pier a year ago? Was she actually dating Jasper, the boy that Fiona is now using to get information? Could Toby and Trixie be out there somewhere, starting over and living on the run?

This book straddled the line of being a mystery/thriller about a faked death and being a realistic fiction book focusing on how relationships drift and change over time. It never fully landed in either spot. This is a second purchase type of book suitable for grades 9 and up.

WOW I just finished Last Girl Lied To by LE Flynn and I was blown away!! This book was amazing and I couldn't stop reading it. My heart broke to Fiona through her entire journey, The ending was everything I wanted it to be. GREAT GREAT BOOK! A MUST READ