kayladaila's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Murder, Violence, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Classism, Colonisation, and Drug use
e_flah's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I loved being back in the Truly Devious world even though I didn't find the mystery of Nine Liars as gripping as some of those in earlier installments. Stevie and her friends' drastically different approaches to handling the pressure of senior year reminded me a lot of my own experiences. This was a really great way to get to know these characters on an even deeper level. I was completely blindsided by .
Nine Liars was a solid read and I will happily read Truly Devious books as long as Maureen Johnson wants to write them.
Spoiler
David breaking up with Stevie, which is a cliffhanger I need answers to desperatelyNine Liars was a solid read and I will happily read Truly Devious books as long as Maureen Johnson wants to write them.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders
purrpurr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
they came back and suddenly they are out of reach again. with that ending though, i am certain there will be another book. i just ........ need another one.
another spoiler warning for everything that follows.
i loved the set up but if i may quote my notes: .... peter helped with the whiskey thats all im saying. and although i had many other hunches, this was kind of obvious from the first time it was stated. the fact peter yelled “i’m fine” after throwing up was also so suspicious. and although i loved the time jumps, it just made the whole story slower because stevie had to find everything out after the reader did. just like we could already figure that there was an important hint on one of the analogue pictures – it just took the characters so long to get to that.
so yeah, you could quickly cross out many suspects. for some reason i was instantly sure all the women were innocent. i LOVED sebastian, so i was simply praying he was innocent (and there was loads speaking for that so). oh, and julien was also a given. everyone dissed and disliked him, it would have been too obvious. which leaves yash and peter. the trauma poor yash probably has from this week. horrible. (thinking back to when my notes said: peter and yash <3 married haha guess not)
one more thing: did we find out what the button was? /gen
am i tripping right now or did stevie never tell us. i thought the button was code for the clothes peter had been wearing but i guess not. what was the button? if anyone paid enough attention, please enlighten me.
now we’ll get into the recurring characters. my darlings. although, maybe not in this book – looking at you stevie. i mean yes, lesson learned, but she was so mean and heartless to her friends a few times throughout the book. everything is david, david, david and where did that get you, huh, stevie? (they were NOT on a break, he is in the wrong).
while we have another david L, we have only nate Ws, obviously. except he spent 5K on collage applications, i guess. (i’m baffled this is a thing in the states). apropos being baffled about culture: stevie could have been a little less startled about british and european culture, i know she is smarter than this. shoutout to david though, who answered all her questions about behaviour patterns with “well, they’re british”.
HAPPY COMING OUT NATE ILU AND U DESERVE THE WORLD!
another spoiler warning for everything that follows.
Spoiler
every truly devious book can be split into the mystery part and the personal part. the personal part was fine, great even but unfortunately this was the weakest book mystery-wise.i loved the set up but if i may quote my notes: .... peter helped with the whiskey thats all im saying. and although i had many other hunches, this was kind of obvious from the first time it was stated. the fact peter yelled “i’m fine” after throwing up was also so suspicious. and although i loved the time jumps, it just made the whole story slower because stevie had to find everything out after the reader did. just like we could already figure that there was an important hint on one of the analogue pictures – it just took the characters so long to get to that.
so yeah, you could quickly cross out many suspects. for some reason i was instantly sure all the women were innocent. i LOVED sebastian, so i was simply praying he was innocent (and there was loads speaking for that so). oh, and julien was also a given. everyone dissed and disliked him, it would have been too obvious. which leaves yash and peter. the trauma poor yash probably has from this week. horrible. (thinking back to when my notes said: peter and yash <3 married haha guess not)
one more thing: did we find out what the button was? /gen
am i tripping right now or did stevie never tell us. i thought the button was code for the clothes peter had been wearing but i guess not. what was the button? if anyone paid enough attention, please enlighten me.
now we’ll get into the recurring characters. my darlings. although, maybe not in this book – looking at you stevie. i mean yes, lesson learned, but she was so mean and heartless to her friends a few times throughout the book. everything is david, david, david and where did that get you, huh, stevie? (they were NOT on a break, he is in the wrong).
while we have another david L, we have only nate Ws, obviously. except he spent 5K on collage applications, i guess. (i’m baffled this is a thing in the states). apropos being baffled about culture: stevie could have been a little less startled about british and european culture, i know she is smarter than this. shoutout to david though, who answered all her questions about behaviour patterns with “well, they’re british”.
HAPPY COMING OUT NATE ILU AND U DESERVE THE WORLD!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Alcohol, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Death of parent, Outing, and Toxic friendship
allyem_reads's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I feel so betrayed ;-;
I liked this significantly more than Box in the Woods, mainly because of the mystery. It's almost like a closed-room mystery, an isolated location with a limited number of suspects. It was much more intriguing to me overall. Once again, I'm not loving Stevie. She's way too impulsive and does some pretty awful things in order to feel that investigation high. And the worst part is, she doesn't face any real consequences? Like, her friends are upset with her, but they still back her up in her lies, and the adults in charge of her are none the wiser, so it's like she never gets her just desserts. I mean, yes, she does go through some very not good stuff in this book in particular, but it's all irrelevant to the shit she's stirred up herself. And I just think a 17-year-old should face more consequences for doing the stuff she does.
I liked this significantly more than Box in the Woods, mainly because of the mystery. It's almost like a closed-room mystery, an isolated location with a limited number of suspects. It was much more intriguing to me overall. Once again, I'm not loving Stevie. She's way too impulsive and does some pretty awful things in order to feel that investigation high. And the worst part is, she doesn't face any real consequences? Like, her friends are upset with her, but they still back her up in her lies, and the adults in charge of her are none the wiser, so it's like she never gets her just desserts. I mean, yes, she does go through some very not good stuff in this book in particular, but it's all irrelevant to the shit she's stirred up herself. And I just think a 17-year-old should face more consequences for doing the stuff she does.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Murder
There is no truly graphic details of murder, but it is talked through and mentioned quite a bitbutterflygirlkmc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, and Death
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Alcohol
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I don't think this is the strongest book in this series, but I liked the idea of Stevie going abroad to solve a mystery! It's a fun way to expand the series, and I'm assuming that there will be another book because this one kind of just feels like it ends. The mystery is solved, but the drama in Stevei's personal life is not.
I will say, I don't like David as a love interest. Personally, I don't think he and Stevie have good chemistry and I think Stevie can do better. But that's just my opinion! The mystery in this one was a good twisty one, which is one of the main reasons to read this series, anyway.
All in all, a fun addition to the series, and I'm sure that will be another coming at some point!
I will say, I don't like David as a love interest. Personally, I don't think he and Stevie have good chemistry and I think Stevie can do better. But that's just my opinion! The mystery in this one was a good twisty one, which is one of the main reasons to read this series, anyway.
All in all, a fun addition to the series, and I'm sure that will be another coming at some point!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexual content, Child death, and Infidelity
Minor: Cursing, Drug abuse, and Alcoholism
katisreading's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I adore this series and all of its characters! Wtf is going on with Stevie and David though? Their whole deal made me so upset and really kind of took away from the story. The murder mystery was decent and I enjoyed the pieces coming in through information and viewpoints from the past. Also, Nate is my favorite forever and always in this series, we need more of him pronto!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content
quizzle99's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you Harper Collins UK for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for an honest review
Genre: mystery
Minority rep: lgbtq+, BIPOC, Disability (anxiety)
I missed Stevie and her friends, so I had a high anticipation going into the book. I loved the change in scenery, as this story mainly takes place in England. It was fun to see the group adapt to a new country and culture while stumbling upon an old murder. This all makes the group dynamic different so I was never bored at what could happen next. Going on a trip with friends tests each others boundaries and habits. Johnson shines a very realistic light on this throughout the story, which I like. These books feel to me to be character driven, and this shows once again in Nine Liars.
There’s also a scene where Stevie has an anxiety attack. I loved how Johnson described what Stevie experiences when that happens and what anxiety can do to your mind and body. I feel like this scene was expertly written and I could very much relate.
The only thing I can fault this book for, is its pace. I felt like some things in the story could’ve unfolded sooner. Still, this book took my attention and didn’t let it go. I really like how these books make me feel like I’m right there with these characters. Even though they have dark themes, it feels cosy to me to read them.
I would highly recommend reading Nine Liars and all the other books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
korpney's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, and Alcohol
bookishlysophie's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Obsessed. How, five books into a series, Maureen Johnson manages to write something this impeccable is beyond me! The plot is intricately layered and, though I did get the culprit wrong, the way the mystery unravelled kept me hooked. The ending was amazing. There has to be another book. I’d highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Drug use