THE LYING GAME by Sara Shepard
Series: The Lying Game, #1
Publication Date: December 7th 2010 by HarperTeen
Rating: 
Summary: 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?
Review Overview:
- Intriguing mystery but characters were immature and irritating
- Sutton’s death was difficult to sympathize with
- Unsatisfying ending with lack of a resolution
Emma and Sutton are from two different worlds. Separated at birth, Emma has endured a life of hardship moving from one foster family to the next after her birth mother had abandoned her. On the other hand, Sutton had been adopted by a wealthy loving family and has everything she ever wanted. But someone has murdered Sutton and Emma has been mistaken for her twin, forced to live her life as her sister’s murderer threatens her to keep her silence. THE LYING GAME is an intriguing mystery about mistaken identity and murder.
I had a hard time caring that Sutton was dead because to be competely honest, she was such a bitch and I perfectly understand why someone would be willing to kill her. She’s nasty to her family, nasty to her friends, and no one else at school seemed to like her. The only reason why I would want to find out who killed her is because I do like a mystery, but more importantly, I felt that Emma deserved to know what happened.
And don’t get me started on the Lying Game. My God, how childish can these characters be? They’re cruel and immature and yet somehow they seem to be popular. I hate these kinds of girls and reading about these ridiculous and over the top pranks were painful.
I’m annoyed that this is a series. I’m not happy with the fact that there would be more because I think that it could have been solved in one book. Does this mystery have to be stretched out into a series? Seriously? I felt completely unsatisfied at the end of the book. The mystery was not solved. Emma was left knowing just as much as she did in the beginning.
I thought I liked this book a lot more, but after finding the time to vent, the characters just ruined the book for me. I doubt I’ll continue reading the series or Shepard’s other works. THE LYING GAME is a great mystery that will keep you guessing, but the fact that it is the first in the series will leave you feeling unsatisfied. Fans of Shepard’s PRETTY LITTLE LIARS will probably enjoy this, but it was just not for me.
I almost bought this book last week. I’m glad I didn’t. Books with characters like the ones you described annoy the crap out of me.
Thanks for the great, honest review.
?SarahLydia
I’m sorry you didn’t like it more, especially since this one keeps catching my eye. I think i’ll still have to give it a try though. Thanks for the great honest review!
Come check out my interview with author Courtney Summers? http://blackfingernailedreviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/author-interview-courtney-summers.html
I’m with you, it doesn’t matter how good a plot is if the main characters in the book are irritating then I am not going to like the book. I enjoy watching the Pretty Little Liars show but I know I wouldn’t be able to read about the girls because they would annoy me, same reason why I didn’t add this book to my TBR, it sounds interesting but it felt like the school atmosphere would be the same as Pretty Little Liars.
I’m not a fan of these sort of “mean girls” book either. I do like a good mystery but still, will probably skip this one.
Wow, yeah… I’ve been meaning to get my hands on this copy, but I’m not so sure I will now. We have similar tastes, so I trust your character judgment. I’d probably be pissed off at the characterization, as well. I haven’t even picked the book up and I was already annoyed (at your description of them in your review, at least). Anyway, like I said, I probably won’t be jumping to pick this one up. So thank you for the very honest, but fair, review!