Tell Me No Lies

By Author / Illustrator

Andrea Contos

Genre

Suspense & Thrillers

Age range(s)

14+

Publisher

Scholastic

ISBN

9780702323270

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

10-11-2022

Synopsis

Riverdale meets Gone Girl in a shocking thriller about two sisters whose bond is tested when one girl's boyfriend goes missing . . . and her sister is the primary suspect. Nora and Sophie Linden may be sisters, but they're not friends. Not since the party last month. Not since the night Sophie's boyfriend, Garrett, disappeared. Half the town thinks Garrett is dead, the other half believes he ran away, but Sophie knows something no one else does - Garrett left that party with Nora. And straight-A, Ivy-league-bound Nora had never been to a single party before that night.

Then Nora withdraws, barely coming home anymore, right when Sophie starts receiving messages from someone who claims to be Garrett, promising revenge for what happened to him that night, and for the lies both girls told to the police about it. With the sisters' futures - and lives - in jeopardy, they'll have to decide whether to trust each other again, or risk their secrets leading them to their graves.

Page-turning, twisty thriller for fans of We Were Liars and One of Us is Lying From Andrea Contos, The International Thriller Writers (ITW) Award Winner, 2021

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Reviews

Nora and Sophie are sisters but not friends as they now lead very different lives. Nora has Ivy League ambitions, with her straight A results, whereas, Sophie lives to dance and party with her friends. The only thing they seem to have in common is Sophie's boyfriend Garrett, who she saw Nora with the night before he disappeared! What happened that night? Who knows where he has gone? Is Sophie or Nora involved in Garrett’s disappearance?

The story is told in a before and after timeline. Nora's first person narrative shows how she was trying to clear her name of a cheating incident when she accidentally stumbled into a more dangerous discovery. Sophie's first person narrative shows how she is trying to find out who is behind the sinister texts she is receiving and what has happened to her boyfriend. What lies did these girls tell in order to protect each other?

Tell Me No Lies is engaging and well written, with a plot that is well paced and balanced, showing the emotions that the two sisters are going through as the book develops. The story is suitable for the 13+ reader but does contains some scenes of violence, death and abuse although nothing in too much detail. The plot also contains scenes of strong trust through friendships and between the sisters even though their present relationship is fractured.

This book would also be a great read for book clubs as it has so many opportunities for discussion. I was totally engaged in the story, as it's refreshingly different from some recent YA titles. This is an easy recommendation. You will not be disappointed, especially with the unexpected climax of an ending. Will all the readers questions be answered? You bet they are - and some you didn't even think to ask!

384 pages / Reviewed by Linda Brown, school librarian