I absolutely loved this book!! I couldn’t put it down.
I just loved all the characters. I highly recommend this book.

DNF at 25%. It's been over three years since I received this ARC. I gave it a go and have decided it is not for me. It interested me then and no longer does now.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved the premise of this story, it had that hookability factor. I wanted to not put this book down and find out everything that happens

i love books with gay relationships that are codependent and border on obsession vs love. i wish the characters were more developed but other than that it was a good book!

This is a YA contemporary that breaks away from my previous foray into this genre. It hooked me in the most distrubing way. I couldn't understand how Remy didn't hate Elise ... I couldn't understand how unhealthy their relationship was .. but like a car crash I couldn't turn away. Books like this I always struggle to "rate" because was it enjoyable/likeable? No . It was gritty and dirty and made me feel gross . But was it page turning and a crazy story? Yes.

Well, this was different than I expected. I read the summary, and obviously I made my little guesses about what was going to happen, and I was completely wrong, lol. And it’s nice to be surprised!

So I go to the movies as often as possible, which is the one movie they play a week (but not in the summer and not when there’s a play SMALL TOWN), and I like to sit in a pretty specific area of the theatre so I get there early. And because I don’t have a cellphone and sitting in a theatre with nothing to do is very boring, I bring my kindle and read. And this has been my kindle book for a couple of movies now. I’ve become a person who reads more than once book at a time, and that’s terrifying.

Anyways, it’s really interesting seeing how the experience of reading a book that way affects my feelings on it, and this really held up well to that. It’s a really easy book to get into and to keep reading until you run out of pages an hour later, not that that’s how I finished it or anything. It is really a strength of the book to draw you in and hook you like that.

And I did quite enjoy this. It’s not the most unique thing ever, but it’s a good read and I really appreciated the author’s handling of particularly sensitive topics in this.

I don’t, however, think this is particularly a thriller or a mystery? It has some thriller elements, but it’s mostly contemporary. I also am not sure I would consider this a queer book? Neither Remy or Elise use any labels or really any words to suggest they were queer. And I’m very open to the idea of queer relationships that aren’t explicitly sexual or romantic, or are just different in general, but even as an aroace, I didn’t really read their relationship as anything other than a very intense friendship. I dunno, I’m not counting that against the book, but I am somewhat confused by other reviews/shelving choices.

Overall, I would recommend this! It’s quite solid and I enjoyed it. Four out of five roses.

This one was so out there for me, but it was decent. The Best Lies has what I think amounts to one of the most disturbing co-dependent relationships I have ever read about. Seriously, it made my skin crawl. I think there are conjoined twins with more independent relationships than what was demonstrated in this book. Of course, everything that could go wrong did go wrong, which wasn't a shocker at all. It was a good read, but an extremely uncomfortable one.

This was a gripping YA thriller!

There are two alternating narratives in this story. One is in the present, which is right after Jack has died. The other tells the story of Remy and Elise’s friendship. Remy seemed like an unreliable narrator, because she had to lie in her testimony. However, there were reasons for her lies.

Even though I knew how the story ends, with Jack’s death, I was still hooked on the story. There were some other twists before the end that I wasn’t expecting. Elise was a complex character, who went through a lot over the course of the story. She was classified as the “villain,” but I ended up feeling a little sorry for her.

I loved this story!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! What a pleasant surprise! I really really enjoyed this one. Some crazy wild plot twists, dysfunctional families, and killer (literally) characters!

If I could sum up The Best Lies in one word it would be stressful. I spent so much of this book wanting to take characters and shake them!! And let me just say this isn't a negative thing ... I'm giving this book a 3.5 star rating. You know the authors writing has got you when you're feeling SO many different emotions, and I probably felt ALL of them throughout these pages. But with that being said, that wasn't always a good thing either ... we've got some serious trigger warnings happening here, parental abuse, domestic violence. This was a heavy read to say the least.

I didn't love the characters, but I don't think we were supposed to. Remy & Elise both made me crazy in their own way ... toxic relationships my friends ... so very toxic. You're in for a very bumpy ride!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for my review copy!

If you've ever wanted to know about the other side of obsessive friendship, this is the book you need. One of my favourite tropes to read about in books is the sick, pining friendship, and I've only really imagined it from the person who's pining. The Best Lies takes this trope and twists it into something gruelingly real and dangerous, showing just how toxic some friendships can become.

The book opens just after the murder of Remy's boyfriend, Jack, with her best friend/ soulmate Elise being the one who pulled the trigger. Remy is, understandably, in an absolutely awful place as the book opens, but as the reader continues it turns out that a lot of Remy's life has been shaped by reactions to trauma. It's what draws her to Elise in the first place: both of them have been deeply hurt in their childhood, and it's why they can connect so well to each other. I could really connect with Remy: she's quieter and more timid, with more of a propensity to hide from her problems than enact revenge like Elise compels her to. Like Remy, I'm very mediocre compared to the rest of my family, and I can definitely see why Remy does what she does over the course of the book, because I would do them as well. 

Though Remy narrates the book, I'd argue that Elise is definitely the true protagonist of The Best Lies: so much of Remy's thoughts revolve around Elise. From the moment they meet, Remy and Elise are attached at the hip, and even after Elise shoots Jack, Remy desperately tries to protect her. Elise and Remy refer to themselves as more than best friends: soulmates, family, and until Remy meets Jack, the two are absolutely insepratable. Elise is such a fascinating character, oddly sympathetic even though you know what happens and what the book is gearing up to as it goes on. Elise is a character who, in many ways, is shaped by her history of complex trauma, and many of her actions throughout the book are reactions to her experiences. 

The Best Lies is, among other things, an in-depth discussion of the nature of trauma and abuse and toxic people. Both Remy and Elise have had a lifetime of traumatic situations: Remy's parents argue constantly and threaten divorce, and her mom clearly favours her brother over her; on the other hand, Elise's father is abusive in a way that one would imagine. Both are portrayed as inherently traumatic and life-changing, even though one may be considered objectively worse than the other. The author herself comes from a history of abuse, and the message running throughout the book is clear: abuse and trauma does not excuse the perpetuation of more abuse and trauma, and even if your trauma isn't objectively the worst, it's still valid, because it still hurt. It's such a nuanced and realistic look at the nature of trauma and how people deal with it. 

Even though it's told through alternating perspectives, which would make one think that there would be a foregone conclusion, the book never quite loses its momentum. Not only is it a murder mystery, it's a tale of an obsessively spiraling friendship between two desperate girls, and the two stories in past and present complement each other perfectly. I was absolutely entranced by the story, and couldn't stop reading it even as the clock ticked closer and closer to morning. 

I have seen some people say that this was a sapphic book, and in the interest of not misleading anyone I want to be clear that the relationship between Elise and Remy is not explicitly sapphic. It can certainly be read as such, and I did read a lot into their relationship. Neither Elise or Remy are explicitly straight, either, so there's a lot of room for reader interpretation either way.

I highly recommend The Best Lies to anyone who's a fan of dangerous girls, and anyone who can relate to girls who are just trying to survive day to day. It's a harsh book and can get dark at times, but it's also incredibly well-written and incredibly complex in its narration and characterization.

Going into this book, I only really knew that it was a thriller that had some toxic friendship elements - I wasn't even sure what age group it was before I started - that's how blind I went into this one. And I'm so glad I did because I found a new favourite!

Thanks so much to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.

**TRIGGER WARNING: Parental/domestic abuse, suicidal discussion/attempt**

Seventeen-year-old Remy used to think she knew how her life was going to turn out. Now her whole world is upside down. Her boyfriend, Jack, is dead - shot in the chest by Remy's best friend, Elise. Was it self-defence? Or something more malicious? As Remy tries to piece together that night, the police start asking questions and Remy has to decide where her loyalties lie.

It's been a good long while since I read a toxic relationship book and I forgot how dark and twisty and intriguing they are. The relationship between Elise and Remy starts out innocent enough but as the two learn more about each other, the deeper they are drawn into the toxicity and manipulation of their friendship. I don't want to get into specifics because I don't want to spoil anything but the intricacies of their relationship were really well done on the part of Lyu.

I really enjoyed the writing style and the way Lyu set up the story timeline. Alternating between past and present, Remy narrates the point from when she meets Elise to the fateful night. At first, I was worried that the timeline jumping around would be difficult to follow but it was actually really well done. I never got lost and I didn't find myself hoping that one timeline would come back - which frequently happens for me.

This book also touches on other deeper topics such as physical and verbal abuse, manipulation, and a little bit on race. I think it will hit home for a lot of readers - it certainly did for me, so just be aware of that going in. I didn't find it too much for me, but, of course, everyone is different so proceed with caution.

Even though much of this book was about Elise and Remy's friendship, I found that the romance between Jack and Remy - the small portion that we get - really stood out to me. Their relationship was just really wholesome and adorable - it's one of those ones that I love to read about.

Overall, a new favourite for me and one I won't soon forget.

I don’t normally read YA novels but I have to say this one intrigued me and I decided to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I really enjoyed it. It would make a great movie too!! I enjoyed the ups and downs and all the emotions this book brought out!

2.5 stars for The Best Lies. I have been reading a lot of YA books lately, and this one didn't hit the mark for me. The characters weren't as fleshed out enough for the story and it was hard to relate to them. I do believe it is geared towards a younger audience which is why it fell flat for me.

I know this was a personal story for the author to tell and appreciate her sharing this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Best Lies is a hard-hitting novel. Tackling obsession, toxic relationships and abuse, the author sends you deep into the spiraling abyss of Remy and Elise's friendship. Sarah Lyu penned an engrossing story that will leave you heavy-hearted, mind-reeling and utterly exhausted. This book will engulf you from the very beginning, and you will carry its story with you long after you've finished. Although you know the outcome of Jack's character from the very start, it doesn't make it any easier once you reach his character's end. In fact, now that you know him, it makes it so much harder. Reading Remy and Elise's story unfold was one of the hardest parts. The growing manipulation and toxic behaviour had left me so uncomfortable in some parts of the book. Sarah Lyu created such a memorable book. It completely consumed me while reading. It's twisted and heartbreaking. A long lasting, memorable reading experience.

I was really disappointed in this book.

The writing style was boring - specifically, it did not make me feel engaged in the story and it really did nothing to make me feel liked I cared about any of the characters.

What a shame as the subject matter was very interesting to me.