Well this was interesting…😅

I’ve been really into scammer stories this year (I’m trying to chase the high of Stone Cold Fox), so I thought a YA scammer-mystery would be a great next step. But, this book unfortunately was not it and felt like an episode in the final season of an ABC Family/Freeform drama series.

The main thing that made this a miss was how confusing it was. As an avid mystery/thriller reader, I typically love books that are shrouded in mystery and reveal their secrets as the story unfolds. This is where Such A Good Liar struggled. Characters were mentioned as if the reader should already know them, but when I flipped back, I couldn’t find any mention of them. Motives were never quite clear and the stakes felt quite low despite all of the build-up. I can’t say this was my favorite, but I’m sure some readers will enjoy it.

Such A Good Liar is out now. Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a Good Liar follows Lydia who is staying on a rich Caribbean island populated with the ultra rich. There’s is just one thing Lydia isn’t really Lydia. She is pretending to be her to get revenge.

This book was very YA. This book had a lot of drama in it and frankly that was boring. Most of the drama was super unnecessary. This plot had a lot of potential, but it felt a bit flat for me. I also felt like the end was very rushed. I wish that the thriller parts were focused on more rather than the drama.

I chose this title based on the vibrant cover and summer vibes. I was also intrigued by the title and it immediately made me think of my favorite show "Pretty Little Liars." The concept of this story reminded me of Netflix's "Inventing Anna" which is similar in theme to the main character who must fake her social status. I love how the idyllic setting of a tropical paradise was contrasted with the storm hitting the island. This was a great way to relate the plot (storm) to the inner motivations of the character (revenge). I also liked the element of a ticking clock for the main character to exact her plans, which was a great tool for pacing.

Keeping in mind this book is written specifically for a young adult audience, I will try my best to keep my review within the scope of YA expectations. This book was fun! It wasn't necessarily earth shattering or ground breaking. However, I did enjoy reading it and trying to predict what was going to happen next.

Here's what I think works really well:
The concept. Such an intriguing idea! Revenge, a taste of the high life, a dash of suspense. Honestly, who wouldn't want to read this novel from the blurb?
The setting. The island feels real and lived in. It's consistent throughout the novel.
The author's use of foreshadowing and suspense. There are moments sprinkled throughout the novel that clue the reader in that something is not as it seems. The author treats the reader like they are smart. I truly appreciate that since so many do not in the YA genre.

The positives are a bit dulled by the feeling that the author simply did too much. The last 15% or so is absolutely wild. Even for YA, it felt a bit overboard. A bit of trimming would have helped the pace and drama of the novel without relying on outlandish solutions once our characters have been painted into a corner.

I was mostly liking this book until the ending…which I have mixed feelings about

Basically the plot is that shannon pretends to be lydia to spend her summer on a super rich island to get revenge on the people who she thinks killed her mom. Along the way, there are some setbacks to her plan, but for the most part nothing really happens until the end

I liked the overall story, but there were just a few things that made me not really enjoy reading this book:

1. There were some weird grammatical issues towards the beginning. It also continued a little bit throughout the novel. Dialogue between multiple characters should be split into multiple paragraphs to avoid confusion. It’s probably one of the first rules you learn during elementary school?? How an editor didn’t catch it when this happened multiple times is weird to me?!?

2. There were a lot of useless side characters. Their whole friend group had no effect on the plot except for a few people. I understand that it helped conceal one of the plot twists, but it was hard to keep track of everyone, especially since they literally all had the same nonexistent personality besides being rich. But maybe that was intentional by the author… shannon could have been blinded by her dislike of the island people

3. The last 40 pages had so much plot crammed into it. It was action packed and tense, something that I felt could have been spread throughout this book. It was easily the best part of the story but it was just really rushed. Also, I didn’t like the ending. It felt abrupt and was very ambiguous

This was a decent story, but I couldn’t overlook a few main components :(

This book had so much potential they had a girl who worked at a flower shop that cater to the rich and because of that she pretends to be the daughter who is also privy to the plan but agree so the daughter can spend the summer with her boyfriend. and so the imposter goes to this island where you have to be invited, so she can get revenge on the most popular sisters and family on the island. As soon as the imposter mention staying with the florists Family friend and pretending to be the daughter I thought there would be issues with the story I mean there is such a thing as Facebook right? I really thought this book was going to be way better than it was and I almost didn’t finish it but wanted to see how it ended I found the ending messy and almost written as an afterthought I thought for certain I had read this authors books before and after reading her list of books none sound familiar maybe her name is just similar to another authors either way this book was only OK I love yeah thrillers and felt a little let down by this one. I want to think the author and Net Galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sue Wallman for a free ecopy in exchange for my honest review.

Shannon’s mother was murdered by the children of her ludicrously wealthy employers. She also happens to know—and look like—a family friend. Posing as the equally rich Lydia Cornwallis, Shannon is invited into the very circle, the very residence, where the crime happened, and Shannon won’t stop until her mother is avenged.

This was such an exciting concept, executed well with a character I wanted to follow to the very end. The story aced a slow-burn, eerie suspense through the actions—ranging from unnerving to appalling—surrounding Shannon. The characters were each perfectly shaped and impactful in the reader’s mind, one way or another: Shannon and her allies had my heart, and her enemies set my teeth on edge wonderfully. Shannon’s arc was fantastic, and the ending, with the stakes and suspense racked up, was an absolute gem. And I am so grateful how clean this thriller was.

The plot did seem to wander a bit for a portion of the second half, after a major event, but eventually came back onto a great track. There was one character who seemed primed to be a significant figure but was not, so the emphasis on his inclusion did not come full circle and his scenes seemed unnecessary. Finally, I also would have appreciated the writing style to be more immersive versus the fast-moving, almost skimming style, though even that felt well done.

I am truly grateful to have read this book; it connected with me in a way I’ve wanted for a long time. This deserves so much attention.

Such a good suspense build up in this book and I loved the characters they where so well written I would want more for her

came here to eat the rich, was left starving.

Underxhelming, anticlimactic, and fell flat. If this thriller is targeted for teenagers and that's the reason the revenge was so weak, then the author and/or publishing team is vastly underestimating teenagers' sensitivity. Even pre-teens can handle a murder or two.

review posted on goodreads

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the idea and characters emotions, but unfortunatly I had a hard time getting into the plot. It felt like the main characters was more interested in dressing the right part instead of getting background info

5 ⭐
You know a book's going to be good when it starts with revenge, and SUCH A GOOD LIAR was such a good book. I was immediately drawn in by Shannon pretending to be Lydia, and how the entire aspect of the book is getting revenge for her mother. I didn't want to put the book down. With every page, I was left wanting more, and I managed to read SUCH A GOOD LIAR in just a few short days. I just had to know what the Harringtons did and what Shannon planned to do in return(and whether or not she would succeed of course). This book is such a thrilling and suspenseful book with so many twists and turns that kept me intrigued and shocked(the plot twist and ending especially). The detail, the murderous thoughts, the revenge plot that came with swapping lives, everything was just perfect. And I just adored the drama especially everytime there was a setback(and of course when Shannon admitted who she was). I know SUCH A GOOD LIAR comes out November 7th, but I'm already counting down the days until I'll have my physical copy to read.

What I Liked About It:
*the overall story
*the revenge plot
*the drama

3/5-
Such a good liar is a YA mystery that lived up to my expectations, however, the ending felt rushed hence why i gave it only 3 stars.
In this story we follow our main character Lydia,a s she travels to this really luxurious island where the wealthy spend time. Lydia is 17 years old and she's really excited to go there, however, a storm leaves them in the island and some truths start to be undercover.
I really like the setting of this one, and how the island contributes to that feeling of being trapped.
-Lydia was an interesting character. Sometimes she got on my nerves and other times I was rooting for her.
-The romance subplot was a nice surprise. Usually in this books, i don't expect romance at all, so having that plot was really nice and added a good touch.
However, i feel the ending was rushed and not fully satisfactory.
Overall, a quick, fun read.

How to fake it til you make it…

Shannon Jones gets the opportunity to spend the summer being somebody she’s not, Lydia Cornwallis. Through her anxious moments, trial and tribulations will she get exposed as her true self? Or will she manage to slot herself into her new ‘friendship’ group.

I enjoyed reading this book, I felt the plot flowed great and I felt Shannon/Lydia’s anxiousness to retain her identity.

I did however feel that the ending let the book down slightly.

I had a tough time getting into this because I felt the pacing of when things were revealed was just a bit too slow. I just had a lot of questions and felt like I couldn’t get into what Shannon’s end goal was because I didn’t know what pushed her to this. It was just a bit confusing and slower than I expected.

I am a sucker for beautiful settings though, and Fengari was GORGEOUS. I want to go on a wealthy island vacay now, sigh.

I received this book ARC in exchange for an honest review. The description enticed me, but about 5 chapters in I was already annoyed by the writing style. The characters were not believable and the revenge took too long to take shape.

Cool premise, love the cover. Hoping for it to be like another book with a similar premise but the ending wasn’t what it needed to be. Too much suspending disbelief for this story.

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

I usually give a book about 25% before deciding whether or not to DNF. I made it through one chapter of this one before tossing in the towel. I don’t want to be mean, but I don’t need to be reminded every sentence or few sentences of what I just read, it was really annoying. So this writing style is not for me. I’m sorry I can’t finish and I wish the book all the luck.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this e-arc. I will not be leaving reviews outside of netgalley.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for ARC, in exchange for an honest review*

I was excited about this book; it sounded like the type I love reading. I enjoyed Such A Good Liar , but not as much as I thought I would when I came across the book. Most of the story kept my attention, and there were parts of the book where you wondered what would happen next. I wondered what sort of revenge Shannon would come up with. I wondered if Shannon would go through with a vengeance; I knew she wanted to for her mother, but she didn’t seem the type to me. Most of all, I was sure somebody would figure out that she wasn’t Lydia at some point. I wondered who would be the first to put two and two together. Some parts of the story kept you on the edge of your seat, craving more.

Throughout the book, I was waiting for that revenge, but the ending wasn’t what I thought it would be. It was unexpected. I feel like there should been more than there was; it didn’t feel complete to me. There were a few parts in the book where I had difficulty putting down the book because I wanted to see what would happen next. What would happen when it is discovered that she wasn’t Lydia? Would she be able to complete her mission before that happened? Some parts of the book kept me on the edge of my seat and kept me on turning the pages. Such A Good Liar is a book worth giving a chance to, and I’m glad I got a chance to read it.

Lydia Cornwallis is spending her summer being tutored on a Caribbean island known for vacation homes populated by the ultra-wealthy. While there she meets the Harrington sisters, who are beautiful, rich, and horribly cruel. Lydia has to balance her tutoring sessions with trying to worm her way into the Harrington sisters' social circle. But neither of those is Lydia's biggest problem because Lydia isn't really Lydia. Her name's Shannon Jones and she's there to get revenge against the Harrington sisters for murdering her mother.

I really liked the concept of this story. A compelling backstory. A sympathetic main character. A revenge plot against mean girls who've always evaded responsibility for their wrongdoings. However, the pacing in this one was off. The pacing of the romantic subplot was also off. It should've followed a B-story trajectory, but it went from zero to a hundred at breakneck speed in the last quarter of the book. The ending was also so rushed. I would've liked to have seen more of the fallout.

Thank you to netgalley and sourcebooks fire for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.