Reviews

Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson

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imissbookit's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

4.5

I really enjoyed the idea of a murder mystery that is treated as a locked room situation but is sprawled over an old English manse and involves a group of nine very close friends. It’s the kind of tight-knit social group many people wish they’d had in college… until it isn’t.

As an American who has been to London to study abroad, I found some aspects of the Ellingham Academy students’ experiences there relatable. I did, however hate the direction some of the interpersonal relationships within that group (both friend-wise and romance-wise) took. That part was incredibly sad, to me.

As someone who identified as Ace for over a decade, and is still on the Ace spectrum, I absolutely loved the representation in this book. Maureen Johnson pretty much always does rep well, and I think she’s very careful about how she uses it in her books. The care and love with which she writes those parts is incredibly evident.

iduska's review against another edition

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lighthearted 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

mpeeps's review against another edition

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5.0

This was the best book in Stevie’s story! I loved this murder and the setting of London. I was trying to guess who had done it, but with so many players in the story, I couldn’t quite nail it down. And the ending leaves us on a cliffhanger. I’m so excited to read the next one!