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vanessa177's review against another edition
2.0
This review is definitely affected by reading this book immediately after Never Have I Ever. Reading this immediately after finishing the preceding one, there are a lot of pretty large holes in the plot. For the first few chapters, I assumed that the author may just have made a mistake. Instead, all of the plot holes were actually Emma conveniently forgetting things that were relevant to the suspect of the book. Had Emma remembered everything she had conveniently forgotten, the mystery in this book would have been solved a lot faster. Most attentive readers will have solved at least the mystery in Two Truths and a Lie well before it is revealed.
Another big problem is that the plot closely follows the same pattern as the previous books. The first book had the advantage of being about multiple suspects, and the second book was at least the first time that the formula was strictly followed. It is with this book that it really becomes a problem. For most of this book, Emma's life isn't directly in danger, so there is a lot less suspense.
Another big frustration is that Emma is so dull and flat as a character. The only time that she really seems to have a character is when she is channeling Sutton. Instead of developing, the same few facts about her life are repeated instead. She does not necessarily have interests. She just is conveniently skilled in things when relevant to the plot. She is a little more proactive in this book; however, she still spends most of her time just waiting for things to be revealed to her instead of actively investigating.
There are still some good aspects of this book. If this was not the third book in the series, I would consider it much better than the second. Thayer is a much more interesting character than most of the other characters. It is nice that both of Sutton's parents are starting to get a little bit of attention in the plot. I'm fairly optimistic that the last book in the series will return to at least a three. If the mystery continues beyond the fourth book, I will have to do some thinking before continuing to read.
Another big problem is that the plot closely follows the same pattern as the previous books. The first book had the advantage of being about multiple suspects, and the second book was at least the first time that the formula was strictly followed. It is with this book that it really becomes a problem. For most of this book, Emma's life isn't directly in danger, so there is a lot less suspense.
Another big frustration is that Emma is so dull and flat as a character. The only time that she really seems to have a character is when she is channeling Sutton. Instead of developing, the same few facts about her life are repeated instead. She does not necessarily have interests. She just is conveniently skilled in things when relevant to the plot. She is a little more proactive in this book; however, she still spends most of her time just waiting for things to be revealed to her instead of actively investigating.
There are still some good aspects of this book. If this was not the third book in the series, I would consider it much better than the second. Thayer is a much more interesting character than most of the other characters. It is nice that both of Sutton's parents are starting to get a little bit of attention in the plot. I'm fairly optimistic that the last book in the series will return to at least a three. If the mystery continues beyond the fourth book, I will have to do some thinking before continuing to read.
mxharriet's review against another edition
4.0
Rating after reread: 4 STARS
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
3.5 stars
I love the cover, they are simple but extremely effective, its as if at the start of the story completes the mystery of the last book by completing the face but by the end of the story you have the start of the face for the new suspect.
After Emma rules out Sutton's best friends, out pops Thayer Vega; missing for reasons Emma has no idea of, with no-one helping her out except Ethan, she must try to secretly find out the truth and trace back Sutton's tracks before Sutton's killer realises.
My opinions of Sutton and Emma from my previous reviews are the same as how I felt in this book.
Emma:
Loving, kind, friendly, happy-as-she-can-be, determined, gets-into-trouble-on-purpose-if-thats-what-it-takes, sensible, and does not like the lying game. She now easily copes with accusations of things she doesn't know about of which Sutton did as she is very clever in twisting it around to use it to her advantage and acts as clues for Suttons death, making everything that much harder for her. She is also a very likeable character who is mature and practical.
Sutton:
Unkind, hates-everyone, goes-along-with-it, ALWAYS-in-trouble, rebellious, selfish, immature, moody, and loves the lying game! She also seems to revel in everyones unhappiness and does not think about others before herself. Now that we have seen her view from the outside... she seems to regret a lot of things she has done, is great at encouraging her sister even though she knows she can't hear her and shows that she can also be practical and think through the situations and come up with valuable and accurate conclusions.
Sara is still making me suspect everyone, at one moment you think you have figured it out she drops a massive bombshell and you are back to square one.This third instalment in The Lying Games I felt was rather repetitive of the second novel, it was still extremely entertaining with suspense continuously heightening however I felt something different needed to occur; you knew automatically what the ending would result in. Though, there is no doubt that Sara Shepard doesn't give you a mystery that will instantly suck you in, she does it flawlessly! I am extremely excited to read Hide and Seek, I just hope it does not follow the same pattern as the first three books.
karenholmes's review against another edition
3.0
Quick guilty pleasure that is starting to feel a bit repetitive because of the formula Sara Shepard is using in this series. At the beginning we find a new suspect and follow all the leads to clear him or her off.
This time it's Thayer Vega's time. He's Maddie's brother and way darker than he is in the TV show. He has violent outbursts and might be the last person to see Sutton alive. Or didn't he leave her alive?
Sutton's memories in the middle of the book got me distracted as they did add up but as Emma didn't know them, I just wanted to go and see if she sorted things out.
I liked that Emma is trying to make Sutton a bit more likable but Laurel, this book, is giving her a hard time. She was Thayer's best friend and resents the relationship they had with Sutton. And Thayer doesn't believe Emma's good intentions with her new found boyfriend either.
Anyway, heading to book 4 as I can't wait any longer. Though I'm sure, I won't even know who the culprit is yet, and we will have a whole book of following Laurel leeds. New suspect, yeah!
This time it's Thayer Vega's time. He's Maddie's brother and way darker than he is in the TV show. He has violent outbursts and might be the last person to see Sutton alive. Or didn't he leave her alive?
Sutton's memories in the middle of the book got me distracted as they did add up but as Emma didn't know them, I just wanted to go and see if she sorted things out.
I liked that Emma is trying to make Sutton a bit more likable but Laurel, this book, is giving her a hard time. She was Thayer's best friend and resents the relationship they had with Sutton. And Thayer doesn't believe Emma's good intentions with her new found boyfriend either.
Anyway, heading to book 4 as I can't wait any longer. Though I'm sure, I won't even know who the culprit is yet, and we will have a whole book of following Laurel leeds. New suspect, yeah!
ihateprozac's review against another edition
5.0
I think I can safely say that I'm actually enjoying this series more than Pretty Little Liars! Maybe I'm jaded from the number of subpar Liars books Shepard has released, but I'm finding The Lying Game to be much better written and much more compelling. I feel like her editor is giving her free reign with the Liars series, but is riding her ass with the Lying Game. And it's certainly working out for the best!
Sara Shepard is a master at getting the reader to believe with 100% of their being that they know who the killer is. It happened multiple times when I read the Liars series, with each of my Goodreads reviews claiming 'It is TOTALLY going to be X person', only for the next book to disprove that. Same deal here. In the last book I was certain that the Twitter Twins had killed Sutton in revenge for the train prank, and in Two Truths and a Lie, the focus shifts to Thayer Vega.
After learning that he'd carried out a secret relationship with Sutton, and that he'd actually run away to a mental institution, we as readers are 100% convinced that Thayer killed Sutton in a crime of passion. Then it turns out that can't be the case, because some nutjob stole Sutton's car and tried to run Thayer down in it! Thayer spent the night of Sutton's murder in surgery, and our suspicions are then shifted to Laurel.
But even though Shepard has me strongly suspecting a different main character in each book, I think that at the end we're going to find out that it's not one of the teens at all. I have my suspicions about Mr Vega, and would also like to believe that Mr Chamberlain's behaviour was less like 'Crap, Sutton caught me going to meet up with my mistress', and more 'How can you be here, we killed you last night?!' Or maybe Becky tracked Sutton down after all these years, and murdered her own daughter in a tragic accident.
I also have my reservations about Sutton even being dead to begin with! I've seen one too many TV shows and films where a coma patient is caught in between life and death, their ghostly body following their loved ones around the hospital ward. If Sara Shepard doesn't completely blindside us with a killer that makes zero sense *cough* secret basement dwelling evil triplet *cough*, I think she'll reveal that Sutton has been in a hospital the next town over the entire time. Maybe Thayer even had near brushes with coma!Sutton when he was wheeled in and out of surgery.
Overall: Another solid installment in The Lying Game series! Even though the Pretty Little Liars series has been rapidly declining in quality, and even if you're jaded as frak by it, give The Lying Game a go. The mystery is compelling, the characters multi-faceted, and the writing is overall much tighter and more cohesive than anything from the Liars saga.
Sara Shepard is a master at getting the reader to believe with 100% of their being that they know who the killer is. It happened multiple times when I read the Liars series, with each of my Goodreads reviews claiming 'It is TOTALLY going to be X person', only for the next book to disprove that. Same deal here. In the last book I was certain that the Twitter Twins had killed Sutton in revenge for the train prank, and in Two Truths and a Lie, the focus shifts to Thayer Vega.
After learning that he'd carried out a secret relationship with Sutton, and that he'd actually run away to a mental institution, we as readers are 100% convinced that Thayer killed Sutton in a crime of passion. Then it turns out that can't be the case, because some nutjob stole Sutton's car and tried to run Thayer down in it! Thayer spent the night of Sutton's murder in surgery, and our suspicions are then shifted to Laurel.
But even though Shepard has me strongly suspecting a different main character in each book, I think that at the end we're going to find out that it's not one of the teens at all. I have my suspicions about Mr Vega, and would also like to believe that Mr Chamberlain's behaviour was less like 'Crap, Sutton caught me going to meet up with my mistress', and more 'How can you be here, we killed you last night?!' Or maybe Becky tracked Sutton down after all these years, and murdered her own daughter in a tragic accident.
I also have my reservations about Sutton even being dead to begin with! I've seen one too many TV shows and films where a coma patient is caught in between life and death, their ghostly body following their loved ones around the hospital ward. If Sara Shepard doesn't completely blindside us with a killer that makes zero sense *cough* secret basement dwelling evil triplet *cough*, I think she'll reveal that Sutton has been in a hospital the next town over the entire time. Maybe Thayer even had near brushes with coma!Sutton when he was wheeled in and out of surgery.
Overall: Another solid installment in The Lying Game series! Even though the Pretty Little Liars series has been rapidly declining in quality, and even if you're jaded as frak by it, give The Lying Game a go. The mystery is compelling, the characters multi-faceted, and the writing is overall much tighter and more cohesive than anything from the Liars saga.
lovemydolphins's review against another edition
5.0
Another good TLG book. This is the one that introduced Thayer as a major character/suspect, so you can imagine how much I liked this book, given that Thayer's my favorite character <3
This book provides more insight into Sutton's mind and memories, and there's a lot of plot development. Overall, great book.
This book provides more insight into Sutton's mind and memories, and there's a lot of plot development. Overall, great book.
happilyhalliwell's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
hannahbrnr's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
sharonsm_28's review against another edition
3.0
Actual Rating: 3.15
This book was an okay read. I don't think this series has the same impact as the PLL series. This series is getting better with each read, but it does not suck me in like PLL did. I like the story building, but I wish there was more. I don't know how to describe it. There has to be more suspense in the story, then I think I can consider this as a good series. Overall, an okay read. Nothing really jumped out at me. Still going to finish the series. Let's see where this series goes from here.
This book was an okay read. I don't think this series has the same impact as the PLL series. This series is getting better with each read, but it does not suck me in like PLL did. I like the story building, but I wish there was more. I don't know how to describe it. There has to be more suspense in the story, then I think I can consider this as a good series. Overall, an okay read. Nothing really jumped out at me. Still going to finish the series. Let's see where this series goes from here.
narteest's review against another edition
4.0
What I like about this series is that I read it when it was in its initial stages. I mean the other series, Pretty Little Liars looks interesting too, I love mystery things, but there are so many books out, I would have to start from the beginning to get to the last one. Sara Shepard has a really great way of weaving her stories. She holds onto your attention forcing you to read the next pages. I mean I still think the ghost of Sutton does nothing but act like a casual observer (which is a kind of ghost that obviously does not make this a ghost story). I'd like this even more if the ghost was completely written out and it was just Emma's story I was reading. But I still really like this series, and I am totally willingly to go for the next one! I wonder how many books she plans to write. Seriously, I know there's a tv show based on this series, but I swear Shepard should be in the screenplay business. Her books are soooo meant for tv!
Anyway, about the book. Like the others, Emma discovers another possible killer, she spends the book trying to figure out how they could have possibly killed her and then she's back to square one by the end. Same old storyline, but also the same old writing which you can't help but read!
Emma and Ethan are so cute!
Anyway, about the book. Like the others, Emma discovers another possible killer, she spends the book trying to figure out how they could have possibly killed her and then she's back to square one by the end. Same old storyline, but also the same old writing which you can't help but read!
Emma and Ethan are so cute!
halaaa's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75