This was a difficult read for a couple of reasons. I strongly felt the injustice and anger at how the characters were treated, which was good, but that at times became overwhelming. I do think the writing was a bit stunted and several situations made me suspend belief more than I should have.

"**Six Truths and a Lie**" by Ream Shukairy is a gripping and cleverly constructed thriller that delves into the complexities of truth and deception. The novel’s intricate plot and well-developed characters keep readers guessing and engaged from start to finish. Shukairy’s masterful storytelling makes this a compelling and thought-provoking read.

I have so many thoughts an emotions after finishing this book. FOr a majority of the time I felt anger and frustration at the injustice that was dealt to the teenaged characters. Unfortunately, the plot is something that could very well happen in real life and it saddened me. Luckily the ending made up for it all. I loved this book and will be recommending it to others. The spirit of the characters was strong and inspiring.

This book was slow at times, but I feel that the writing made up for it. I adored the characters, as well as the intriguing storyline the book had. Overall, I was a little disappointed it ended to quick, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the book!

Six Muslim teens are falsely accused of a deadly attack in this timely and harrowing examination of America’s justice system, perfect for fans of Angie Thomas and Samira Ahmed.

As fireworks pop off at a rowdy Fourth of July bonfire party, an explosion off the California coast levels an oil rig—resulting in chaos and worse, murder.

A rowdy-but-fun 4th of July beach party for Muslim high school students ends in fear and tragedy when an offshore oil rig explodes. The explosion is declared to be an act of terrorism, and 6 teens are identified as suspects: private school student Nasreen, who keeps her reasons for attending the party close to her chest; Qays, the golden boy soccer player; social media influencer Samia; Zamzam, who’s trying to protect her younger brother; Muzhda, whose family has a secret; and Abdullahi Talib, a compassionate EMT in training. Dubbed “the 6” and treated by law enforcement as co-conspirators – although some were strangers to each other before the night of the party – their arrests lead to protests in the city and to fear and suspicion among the imprisoned teens themselves. Alternating points-of-view keep readers guessing about both the events on the beach and the fates of the 6; teen fans of both thrillers and character-driven narratives will find themselves hooked.

Just like Shukairy's debut novel this novel hit very hard. This hit hard because this isn't just a book this is real life for BIPOC in western countries. I really enjoyed it and can't wait for her next novel.

I bawled my eyes out at the end. I love how Ream writes and how reminiscent this was of the Central Park Five. This was done so well.

First and foremost, I greatly appreciate this book having multiple voice actors for multiple storytellers. I know some people can pull off many voices to make it distinguishable, but I honestly prefer this format, so kudos to this story. However, I would’ve liked fewer protagonists — or at least POVs — so it would be easier to follow.

I don’t think I understood what the main conflict was? The investigating going on didn’t really help since the book dragged in the middle.

This book was pretty topical to discourse nowadays. A lot of the conversations between characters and their place in society was really prominent and interesting to listen to. There are a lot of good lessons we can learn from it.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC!

This book was really good and I rated it a 5 stars. It is a book I would recommend others to read. I really enjoyed it.

Loved this! This book makes you love the characters and then tortures you with them!!!! I also loved watching the characters trust each other.

This is a story about six Muslim teens who are falsely accused of a deadly attack in America.

As fireworks pop at a rowdy Fourth of July bonfire party, an explosion off the California coast levels an oil rig, and a beach town is left reeling from the aftermath of tragedy. At the center are six Muslim teens.

An old soul stuck in a modern world. An aspiring doctor caught in the wrong place. An influencer with a reputation to protect. A perfect daughter with secrets. A soccer star headed for Stanford. An immigrant in love. Six strangers with something to hide and everything to lose. Faced with accusations of terrorism, the Six are caught in a political game that will pit them against one another. As police investigate what happened that night, which secrets will be worth the cost of freedom?

They each must decide: Betray the others to guarantee their futures or expose their secrets to earn justice for them all.

This book is very well written and I like how it is told from the six main characters' point of view. I was trying to guess what was going to happen but it didn't work, I was still taken by surprise by some of the plot twists. It was a fun read!

I unfortunatley could not get into this book any of the times I visited it. I do not know why because it was a very interesting story and from what I am seeing would only get better had I continued reading. I am opting to DNF this book at around 40% that being said I am definitley keeping it on my TBR to see if the time that this book finally captures me does come along! Giving 4 stars because the parts I read it does seem like a truly fascinating and important story.

This book is real, heartbreaking, and is not at all sugarcoating Islamophobia, racism and disparities in the justice system. I like how it touches on how diverse the Muslim community is and how teens can react/behave in unique ways when going through very complicated issues.

A few cons: I was confused at multiple points during the story. There are so many characters and each chapter is someone’s POV making it a bit difficult to follow, the part when the explosion happens felt rushed (I had to read it twice to figure out what had just happened) and the twist was confusing but then it broke my heart.

A novel about six Muslim teens who are wrongly accused of perpetuating a terrorist attack on a beach. This mostly follows their interrogations, trial, and quest to find the truth.

This gave me serious Central Park Five vibes. It was such a tragic story Shukairy told and even though fictional, I could definitely see this being reality. It definitely is a heavy book and you won’t feel great emotionally at the end. However, it is worth a read I think as it does a great job exploring the biases in our justice system.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Six Truths and a Lie is a young adult novel about six Muslim teenagers who are accused and arrested for an act of terrorism near Los Angeles, California. Early on, we come to understand that they were all in the wrong place at the wrong time, only on the beach for a fourth of July Muslim student party. The six teenagers don't really know each other, but find their fates intertwined. But how do you do the right thing when your parents and lawyer want you to save yourself?

It took me a little bit to get invested in the story. There being so many perspectives and backstories it was tough to keep them straight at first. The teenagers are all very different, with varied backgrounds and aspirations. I especially liked Abdulahi and their sensitive, thoughtful nature. They were all very well drawn and you could see how they navigate their parents' expectations, religion, and being a teenager.

It's rightly enraging to read. You feel like you're being gaslit by the authorities, just like the teenagers are. Because they're accused of terrorism, they aren't given basic rights you would expect. It was heartbreaking to read, they were all so optimistic at first, that things would be straightened out. You understand that even if they are exonerated, what will happen to them? Can they still live normal lives? How do their families go on while struggling with this?

Shukairy does a fantastic job ratcheting up the tension. Once I was about a third of the way in, I was hooked, and wanted to find out what would happen to the Independence Day Six. I listened to the audiobook, which is well-narrated, though I wish there were more narrators. I think additional narrators could have helped me differentiate the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

5 Reasons to Read

Mystery

A Lie, A Truth, and a Lawyer. Six teens in the wrong place at the wrong time end up in a jail cell together with only one thing in common. They’re all Palestinian, Asian, or Muslim. They’ve been accused of a terrorist attack that uncovers a murder. They may not be directly involved or suspected of the murder itself but one of them has to know something. Each person had a reason to be on that beach but what is a lie and what is a truth? All you know is that all need a lawyer because this mystery is bigger than it looks on the surface.

Secrets

Which secrets will be worth the cost of freedom? Each person saw something or someone. Each are connected in a roundabout way. It’s going to take unraveling the secrets each of them holds to determine what really happened.

Multiple POV’s

Six strangers with something to hide and everything to lose. This book is told from the perspective of six teens. Although it sounds overwhelming, the author did an amazing job of connecting and intertwining each story in a way that is far from confusing. Each POV had a distinctive voice, and you always knew whose head you were in from chapter to chapter.

Explores themes of Unity and Division

A political game that will pit them against one another. This book is powerful and important. It puts a magnifying glass on how a person’s race leads to false accusations and the way society responds to it felt realistic. Not only did the teens come together to try to clear their names but the community rose up to fight the injustice.

A timely and harrowing examination of Americas justice system

This was tough read, especially after the teens are arrested. The way they were treated made me sick to my stomach and it was because I believed it. The detailed descriptions of how the women especially were treated by authorities in the detention center makes you feel every emotion they were feeling. I had to remind myself it’s a fictional character in a fictional book by Shukairy’s writing made it feel real. This book shines a huge light on just how broken the American Justice system is and how those who are supposed to be “Innocent until proven guilty” are just guilty.

I really wanted to like this book, and while the beginning caught my attention, unfortunately with all the different voices, it became challenging to follow the story and individual characters' journeys.

Wow! This book is amazing. It shows a different perspective of the results of big corporations laying the blame on innocent people, in this case teens. Prejudices make it easy for these teens to be convicted without real evidence or even being treated fairly under the law. A definite must read.

Follow along on this emotional mystery. It is both an easy read and an engaging story. The short chapters help to make it easier to read in spurts. It does feature some heavy topics such as racism. In a nutshell, six Muslim teens are falsely accused of a terrorist attack. I’m a fan of dual POV’s and will readily admit six POV’s blew me away – such a great way to tell this story! The story starts with a bang and then returns to a normal pace as we learn about the kids and everything they are going through. I do recommend this book.