Friday, February 25, 2011

The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

I had a life anyone would kill for.

Then someone did.

The worst part of being dead is that there’s nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It’s enough to kill a girl all over again. But I’m about to get something no one else does—an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.

Now Emma’s desperate to know what happened to me. And the only way to figure it out is to be me—to slip into my old life and piece it all together. But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends? Convince my boyfriend she’s the girl he fell in love with? Pretend to be a happy, carefree daughter when she hugs my parents good night? And can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move?

From Sara Shepard, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars books, comes a riveting new series about secrets, lies, and killer consequences.
Let the lying game begin.            
The Lying Game is Sara Shepard’s second series for young adults. (Summary taken from goodreads)
           
         
  After reading the entire Pretty Little Liars series, I was extremely excited to find out that Sara Shepard was coming out with a new book! So, when it was released, I went right out and bought it. As I read, I found myself rather disappointed. Maybe my expectations were set too high, but I had really anticipated a better story. Pretty Little Liars had kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time, so I expected The Lying Game would do the same. Needless to say, it didn’t.
            The book itself was good. I still really enjoyed it and I love Sara Shepard as an author. The storyline was very creative and I found myself imaging what it would be like to be in Emma’s position. I mean traveling all that way to find out your long-lost twin sister is dead? How awful would that be? Still, I can’t blame Emma for trying to find her sister. She had been bounced around from foster family to foster family, so the idea that she might have a sister was pretty much a dream come true for her.
            The story itself was told from Sutton’s perspective as she was trying to piece together what had happened to her. This confused me so much. I kept thinking that it was Emma who was narrating and that we were seeing everything through her eyes. Yet, that wasn’t the case. Once I figured that out, I started understanding the book better. Also, the fact that no one seemed to notice that Emma was taking Sutton’s place was bizarre. Sure, they were identical twin sisters, but they wouldn’t have been the same in every single way. Plus, Emma barely knows anything about Sutton’s life, so wouldn’t that be an obvious sign that something was up?
            While this book lacked in romance, it certainly held mystery. Like the mysterious boy Ethan who Emma starts falling for. I was disappointed that spark between them didn’t ignite and grow into something bigger, but then again, since this is a series, I’m hoping something more will happen in the books to come. Ethan wasn’t the only mysterious one. Sutton’s group of friends also had their own secrets too. Guess we’ll just have to wait and find out what they’re hiding, huh?
            The Lying Games also seemed to parallel Pretty Little Liars in some cases. If you’ve ever read Pretty Little Liars (and don’t worry, this isn’t spoiler) or have heard of the book, then you know it’s about four girls with all of these secrets. As I read The Lying Game, I started to notice it had a bit of the same concept. Sutton, her two best friends, and her sister, had their own little group and like I mentioned before, they all had their own secrets. Plus, this book, just like all of the Pretty Little Liars left so many questions to be asked and loose ends to tie up. So what is the Lying Game? Guess you’re going to have to read it and find out. Which I recommend that you do. It was enjoyable book and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel.

6 comments:

  1. I just bought this book the other day! I hope I like it. I also still need to read the Pretty Little Liars too.

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  2. Greaw review. I'm glad you enjoyed "The Lying Game". I'm thinking about adding this novel to my Wish List. Thanks for the review.

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  3. Nice review Shaylene! I honestly don't know if I can read this after the ending of Pretty Little Liars, which infuriated me. Maybe someday :) I want Shepard to write more adult fiction!

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  4. Good review :) I want to read this one, but I keep hearing that it was just ok, so I'm bumping it down on my reading list.
    I also don't think Pretty Little Liars has ended yet. Apparently there are 3 or 4 more books that need to come out.

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  5. Hey !! Thanks for stopping by my blog ! Yours seems great .. so I'm your latest follower ;) !!
    I really want to read something by Sara Shepard : I have the first book in the Pretty Little Liars series in my pile (which I should definitely start reading) !! I love the show but I'm afraid I won't like the books as much .. =)
    The Lying Games sounds realy interesting !!

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  6. Great review! I really want to read The Lying Games, and Pretty Little Liars as well!
    This one is on my wishlist!

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