A review by mellowbread
The Good Lie by A.R. Torre

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This got me hooked for a week before I finally sat down and finished it in one go. CSI and Criminal Minds were two of my frequently watched shows, and I'm a Psychology student, so I really enjoyed the deep dive into the psychology of killers. I think the author is good at hooking you in, leaving clues to keep you guessing, and even the side characters are well-described. Definitely read the content warnings beforehand, because this book covers a range of darker topics that I was sometimes unprepared for. 

I would've rated it higher if not for certain things that happened closer to the ending. Like I said, I'm a Psychology student, and some of the actions that Gwen (the main character) took struck me as really unethical and improper. I couldn't really relate to her because of this.
Like, just because your potential love interest is handsome, mysterious, and has a deep dark secret, she can just drop everything? And what about the fact that it gets revealed that he knew about who the killer was all along, and was manipulating her? There were so many red flags in this relationship that irritated me.
Even with the interesting plot, I still can't get over these things. Nonetheless, A Good Lie was still an enjoyable book because it gets you thinking about how well you really know a person and how far you would go for certain people.
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