Title: This Is Why We Lie
Author: Gabriella Lepore
Publication: September 21, 2021
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Genre: YA Fiction, Mystery
Pages: 292
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
Everyone in Gardiners Bay has a secret.
When Jenna Dallas and Adam Cole find Colleen O’Dell’s body floating off the shore of their coastal town, the community of Gardiners Bay is shaken. But even more shocking is the fact that her drowning was no accident.
Once Jenna’s best friend becomes a key suspect, Jenna starts to look for answers on her own. As she uncovers scandals inside Preston Prep School leading back to Rookwood reform school, she knows she needs Adam on her side.
As a student at Rookwood, Adam is used to getting judgmental looks, but now his friends are being investigated by the police. Adam will do whatever he can to keep them safe, even if that means trusting Jenna.
As lies unravel, the truth starts to blur. Only one thing is certain: somebody must take the fall.
REVIEW:
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
This Is Why We Lie by Gabriella Lepore jumped out at me right away because it had to do with boarding schools and Prep schools. I don’t know what it is about them, but they always have the best twisted tales and teenagers trying to cover for themselves. I knew I had to read it.
The story follows a few kids, Jenna, Adam, Max, Serena, Hollie, Imogen, and Brianna to name most. The girls are from a Prep school nearby. The boys are at a reform boarding school nearby. And then a teenager winds up murdered. Of course everyone is a suspect to start. The story jumped right in from the first page. There was no slow grow. We were in the thick of the mystery right from the start. I liked how Lepore didn’t make us drag on to get there. It made the story feel interesting and gripping right away.
I quite enjoyed the array of characters. This story jumped from before the murder to after the murder and as it jumps back you get to learn more and more about each character. We see everything from Jenna and Adam’s points of view. We learn about their relationships with the others and it had me constantly changing my guess on what really happened. As the plot thickens and more drama and murder occur, I was literally completely at a loss for who the bad guy was.
The only thing that really bothered me about this story was that I felt it slowed down in the middle a bit. From about 40% to 60% there wasn’t as much action and it kind of tapered off a little for me. I wanted it to hold the momentum it started with. With that said, I will say it quickly picked up at the 60% mark and flowed very intensely through to the end, which BLEW MY MIND. I was absolutely not prepared for that ending and Lepore gets a huge applause for keeping me guessing.
This Is Why We Lie gave me very One of Us is Lying vibes. That same youthful vibe full of secrets, twists, and guesses. The suspense was not overpowering, but held you in place turning pages until the very end. I would highly recommend this novel to YA Fiction and Mystery lovers. I tell you this. I will never send my child to boarding school if this is the chaos that ensues. Lepore did a fantastic job of keeping me on the edge of my seat.
STAR RATING: 4/5
Pick up your copy of This Is Why We Lie by Gabriella Lepore on Amazon, Barnes and Noble or check your local bookstore. Also make sure to add it to your To Reads list on Goodreads and leave feedback for the author when you are finished. You can also check out more of Lepore’s work HERE.
