TOUR: LIES YOU NEVER TOLD by Jennifer Donaldson

LIES YOU NEVER TOLD 

BY JENNIFER DONALDSON 

"A compulsive page-turner with a shocking twist--get ready to stay up all night!" --Sara Shepard, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Little Liars

"This conversation-starting page-turner is...Fatal Attraction meets Big Little Lies." --Kirkus Reviews

     Gabe and Elyse have never met. But they both have something to hide.

     Quiet, shy Elyse can't believe it when she's cast as the lead in her Portland high school's production of Romeo and Juliet. Her best friend, Brynn, is usually the star, and Elyse isn't sure she's up to the task. But when someone at rehearsals starts to catch her eye--someone she knows she absolutely shouldn't be with--she can't help but be pulled into the spotlight.

     Austin native Gabe is contemplating the unthinkable--breaking up with Sasha, his headstrong, popular girlfriend. She's not going to let him slip through her fingers, though, and when rumors start to circulate around school, he knows she has the power to change his life forever.

     Gabe and Elyse both make the mistake of falling for the wrong person, and falling hard. Told in parallel narratives, this twisty, shocking story shows how one bad choice can lead to a spiral of unforeseen consequences that not everyone will survive.

Add on Goodreads 

Amazon US

Audible

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

 Google Play

Creative Photo by Next Book Review

 

Lies You Never Told Me is a fantastic fast-paced young adult thriller written by debut author Jennifer Donaldson. This did not read, nor feel, like a debut book. I don’t read a ton of young adult but I do read a ton of thriller/suspense books and for me that is what pulled me into this high school drama turned “Mean Girls” or “Pretty Little Liars”. We have a ton of characters in LYNTM and at first that was a bit overwhelming but I felt more comfortable with who is who and who is what as the story went on. I enjoyed Elyse a ton, she felt like a real young girl, and perhaps it was reading half the book from her point of view, but I could really relate with her. She struggles with school and working to try and help her really unstable mother.

Elyse has been best friends with Brynn for year. I could picture myself being friends with them in high school. The artsy and a bit shy girls, that want more. Elsye tries out for a play and she gets way more than she was expecting. Now, having a taste of the popular life, she likes it and wants more… so much more! I can understand this to be honest. She’s always been the good girl striving hard in school and working to pay bills as a young teenager. I wanted to scoop her up and let her be a teenager! It doesn’t hurt for a teenager to learn responsibilities but I felt for Elyse. So I get why Elyse wanted out and to be free. It all went too far. This is where it all sucked me in and I couldn’t stop reading.

Gabe was the other point of view. I really, really liked Gabe. For a teenage boy he was sweet and kind. OK, maybe a bit over the top in the feelings department but who doesn’t think they’re immediately in love in high school? I mean, I fell in and out of love so many times! There’s a ton of secrets and lies happening over here. There are girls flying everywhere. I guess I should mention that Elyse lives in Portland, OR, while Gabe lives in Austin, TX. What does one have to do with the other? How are we mixing these teenagers who live hundreds of miles apart?

Lies You Never Told Me was so quickly paced. I wondered and tried putting things together for half the book. Then I just gave up and ended up totally entranced in this book until it was finished. The writing was above par for a debut author. She’s incredibly detailed. My advice when walking into this book is… expect the unexpected.  Sometimes there’s a twist so big and so fast that you are completely stunned! Good job Ms. Donaldson! I can’t wait to see where you take us next!
 
I received an ARC of this book with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that... my opinions.

AUTHOR BIO

 Jennifer Donaldson graduated from Reed College and received her MFA from the University of Texas at Austin. She currently lives in Austin with her family.