Reviews

The Lies We Steal by Monty Jay

tam_2208's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

4.5

rayne_99's review against another edition

2.0

1.5 stars

I think I’ve moved past enjoying a bunch of nineteen year olds walking around acting like they are the these big scary men. Everything was just too much for me and went over my limit of unbelievability I can look past in books. They would go from talking about enjoying torturing people to releasing a couple Boa Constrictors at their prom. How are they supposed to be scary when they do childish things like that? Maybe it was playing into their unpredictable and cruel personalities but I couldn’t take them seriously. Everything was very intense but not at the same time.

Also, slight ⚠️spoiler⚠️ maybe but: we got nothing from the MCs for them to get to that point in their relationship. There were like 30 pages between them hating each other and being obsessed with each other and we didn’t see any of the in between. There was a lot going on in those 30 pages but none of it revolves around them. I didn’t really buy their attraction in the beginning and we never got more that shows their connection deepening so it just fell flat.

There were a few errors that literally made my brain buffer to try and figure out that I usually don’t mind but this book was a jumble to get through to begin with so it just highlighted every mistake. This book just wasn’t for me. Me two years ago, would have really enjoyed this book though.

anagv's review against another edition

5.0

"I was sketching her because she was another reminder of something beautiful that did nothing but make me bleed."

"“I wanna know what it is that makes the shadows so great. I want you to show me.”"

"I wanted to be more than the man who scared her. I wanted to be a man she could love even if I had no idea what that meant for me."

asabovesobelow's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

one star for poor silas 

samitareads's review against another edition

2.5

After seeing so many people of twitter hype up this book, I had high expectations going in but unfortunately I was let down. I feel like the author wanted to make a slow burn but got distracted with the plot and then in the last 100 or so pages they remembered it was romance and tried to shove every element in. Alistair and Briar had a real genuine hate for one another which I really did appreciate, but once it was established that Briar had zero connection to Rose, they just for some reason had an instant connection, despite all of the shit that Alistair did to Blair. I felt like there was such an abrupt switch in the characters after the "prom", and Briar felt more of a strong infatuation for Alistair rather than love. The third act breakup was also very abrupt and totally shocked me in the way that I was like wow they haven't even known each other for that long and Briar was like "give me everything", I low-key sided with Alistair during that point (but I don't support his words). There were also scenes that the author included that were literally never mentioned again, like the scene where Alistair and Thomas had an argument during class. I thought that we would circle back to that interaction, but rather the author decided to never mention it again and talk about how Thomas and Alistair got along great at Thanksgiving. I just feel like their story was definitely complete by the end of the novel, but I would have liked their romance to be more gradual or if the author had added a 100 more pages to really flesh out the relationship because it felt super abrupt. I think that the concept was great and the I love the characters but the romance was just unsatisfying.

pranlyhfml's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

its_aislinn's review against another edition

4.0

The Lies We Steal is a standalone bully romance that follows Alastair, the town bad boy, and Brair, the out-of-town new girl.

To be more specific, this story takes place at a prestigious university where money and academics are what make you. Everyone at this school comes from big money, the exception being Brair. Brair is attending the university on a scholarship, though her background is in pickpocketing and thievery. Seeing this as a fresh start, Brair befriends her roommate, Lyra, and looks for the best in the situation. Shortly thereafter, Brair and Lyra end up witnessing a murder and are soon terrorized by four men, also from the school.

These four men are Alastair, Rook, Sylas, and Thatcher. Alastair is drawn to Brair, and naturally he sets his sights on her. True to bully romance, this becomes a “nobody can mess with her except me” style of bullying.

Overall, I found the storyline to be quite interesting. There were moments where I found the relationship to need work, but I enjoyed when Brair finally gave as good as she got. Ultimately, the final 20% is what took the book from being “alright” to “amazing”.

lailahatesithere'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

genia's review against another edition

3.0

Wish it was longer so there was more time for their relationship to develop, felt like there was a skip 

readbyjaimes's review

dark 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

I love starting a series like this and feeling like I've made some new friends

God, I LOVED these characters. They're so fucked up but I see so much potential for growth in them and their bond is just so amazing. The boys all sticking by Silas and hearing all they've been through together was so painful, but also heartwarming. 

But moving on from the boys, MY LONER GIRLS!!!! I love them so so so much. Briar and Lyra were amazing from the beginning and I'm so glad they developed a close bond so early. I feel like in a lot of books the girls are isolated from making friendships and I always love when that isn't the case. I had so much fun reading this book and I absolutely ate it up. 

Something I didn't love was the pacing. I feel like the end was super rushed and I didn't get to see their feelings develop how I would've liked. That isn't to say their relationship wasn't believable to me! I know for a fact that Alistair and Briar love each other, just wish we would've gotten more moments like that besides the last 70-ish pages. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, Murder, Death, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Blood, Gun violence, and Animal death

Moderate: Trafficking