The Last Time I Lied
Ratings171
Average rating4
The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager ISBN 9781524743079
Riley Sager has some serious talent in his writing repertoire and I was totally jazzed to read this book. His stories are darkly compulsive and he has a knack for giving you the chills.
‘You see the fine grains of the pine plank wall, smell the traces of campfire smoke in your hair, and know exactly where you are. Camp Nightingale,'
The whole book is centred around 3 girls who went missing the last year the camp opened. Now the owner has decided it ripe to try and open the camp again, inviting back some of the old campers to be instructors. Emma accepts. She was in the same cabin with the girls who went missing. She needs some closure on what happened to her friends all those years ago. Discovering clues that Vivian left along the way, she starts to unravel a story so shocking, her own life may now be in danger.
I can see the brilliance in the regaling of this story. However, I predicted what had happened pretty soon into the book. I don't think it was necessarily obvious in the writing but it felt like a story that had been told many times before. I've been reading thrillers since my teens and this one didn't have anything new in the offering I felt. There was a few red herrings thrown in for good affect but I kind of felt the didn't lead me away from my original musings. Having said that it is a true thriller in the sense of the word - it's thrilling with understated suspense and it will creep you out in the best way possible. I enjoyed the ride even though I did feel like I had rode it before.
Riley Sager has weaved an intoxicating tale of girls gone missing at a sleep away camp. There is a huge cast of characters, none of which you will trust, and a highly unreliable narrator.
It was cleverly written and it didn't drag on. The pace was quick and I did devour it in one sitting. If you are someone who doesn't usually guess plots in a book then you will be riveted and will crave more Riley. I'm not gonna lie I get chills up my spin and the hairs did stick out on the back of my neck a few times. Even knowing what you know, you can't always be 100% sure.
I felt the ending was a little cliche for my liking. I can't say much without giving away the ending but the only way I can see this even happening is if there is a sequel coming out way.... Which I have no idea of..
I think most people will love it. It just fell a little short for me.
I give it 3.5 stars out of 5. If you love a good thriller and have a day to dedicate to a read, then this is the one for you.
www.thelionessofliteracy.com
3.5 stars
I enjoyed the twists and turns and the ending was surprisingly unexpected. However, the book felt overlong and repetitive, which made it a chore to finish. I skimmed through the final chapters, as the same themes and plot points were rehashed multiple times.
While the writing was engaging, the pacing was uneven, and the story could have been condensed for a more impactful experience, the book wasn't bad by any means.
This was the third Riley Sager book I'd read in a month so this probably would have been a 5-star read if I wasn't becoming tired of his signature writing format. The unstable and unreliable female POV and the flash back chapters are fun but can get kind of old after a while (very similar style to Home After Dark and The Only One Left). Ultimately, the story kept me guessing, and was especially thrilling toward the end. The plot twist definitely stumped me! I will definitely read more of his work, but need a break and hope that ALL of his books don't follow this same format.
A gripping psychological thriller with some great twists and turns and a surprise (to me) conclusion. This is my second Riley Sager novel and it won't be the last. Highly recommended.
Took me a while to finish the book bc life/work got busy. And also it was slow at the beginning? I enjoyed the story but felt there was alot of lead up. Also lots of directions it could go to
At the end, I was shock of what I was reading !! I wouldn't have thought
the ending really sold it for me—plus a summer camp setting?? cmon that's something i didn't even know i needed
Riley Sager will always remind me exactly why Thriller is my favourite genre.
This was a super interesting read. It was dark and ominous and kept me guessing. I love the way Sager makes the narrator unreliable, it always leaves me wondering if I'm able to trust what the main character is thinking or seeing.
Emma is the perfect example of an unreliable narrator. It's very evident throughout the whole book and made clear from the title that Emma hasn't been completely honest when it comes to the disappearance of her friends fifteen years ago. It's also revealed later on in the story that Emma experiences hallucinations and suffered from a mental episode that left her hospitalised.
There were so many times where I thought I had figured out what had happened or what was going to happen and I was wrong every time. I was not expecting the ending of this book.
The only reason I didn't give this higher than four stars was purely because I felt like I couldn't connect with some of the characters as much as I would've liked.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and would love to revisit it in the future.
i devoured this book definitely my favorite riley sager i have read and a top 10 book for me
i thought the plot twist at the end was good but very short. the plot itself was nothing special, but well written. an all around a decent read :)
There is nothing I despise more than a boring thriller that only gets interesting 80% in.
Imagine this plot out of Vivian's perspective, but as an unreliable narrator, I would've been so much more into it
I bought this book a year ago but then kept putting off reading it. Every time I hear someone talk about this authors books it's always good so I was glad when this book worked for July's buzzwordathon prompt. As it states in the synopsis 15 years ago Emma watches while her 3 cabin mates sneak out in the middle of the night and that is the last that anyone ever sees of them. Now Emma has the chance to go back and try to get some closure. I was definitely hooked from the very beginning and wanted to know what happened 15 years ago. There were definitely some twists I didn't see coming at all. Well I didn't see any of them coming but there was one in particular that really shocked me. This was my first book by this author but I will definitely be reading more.
Read for Tarot Readathon 2021: Temperance
This is the fourth Riley Sager book I've read and dare I say it's my favorite. I love how Sager kept the tension in this book and it was virtually unputdownable for me. I was always thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. Towards the end, I thought maybe it was only going to be 4 or 4.5 stars for me but Sager really pulled some amazing twists out the bag within the last 30ish pages.
Ummmm.......wooahhhh! I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did! I have been in a reading slump lately because of life things and decided to pick up the last Riley Sager book that I have not read yet and all I can say is that I was not disappointed. I am pretty sure I've said it before but this cements the fact that Riley Sager is one of my favorite thriller authors of all time. I mean, come on! Even though this book isn't my favorite of his, the fact that I still gave it five stars and ended with a stupid shocked look on my face should say wonders. For the first time I thought I knew who the bad guy was and what the big reveal would be and Riley Sager does it again, humbly reminding me that I know absolutely nothing. Well done, Sir, well done.
To begin with, The Last Time I Lied is about a girl named Emma, who went to a summer camp fifteen years ago but after her three camp roommates disappeared and were never seen again, she is struggling to deal with what might have happened to them. In the present day, she is called back to the same camp to work at as an art teacher and she takes the job with hope that it will help her to find some closure only to find out that she's in well over her head and that closure isn't all she might find. This is my first camp thriller and I have to say, this one was absolutely amazing. Not that I'm all that surprised, it is Riley Sager after all. But the atmosphere, along with all the little mysteries leading up to the big reveal, they just absolutely knocked my socks off. I have never been to summer camp and this book makes me simultaneously want to attend to see what I have been missing and also makes me want to stay away at all costs. And let me tell you, you might think you know where this book is heading but you have no idea, none whatsoever.
Secondly, the characters jumped off the page and I really got to know them intimately, even the secondary characters that I usually don't care for at all. They were all dark people doing dark and messed up things and I'm always there for that in Sager's novels, because it doesn't get anymore human than that. It's like the author takes the worst traits of human beings possible and makes extraordinary novels out of them, that is a rare gift I haven't encountered in many novels before. This novel is almost just as character based as it is action based and I am here for it.
Finally, the writing didn't disappoint, as I didn't think it would. As much of a reading slump as I am in right now, this book was just what I needed to reignite my love of reading and a lot of it had to do with the effortless way that Riley Sager gets the story across by weaving beautifully orchestrated sentences together that don't overwhelm or underwhelm. They are the perfect combination and make for a killer novel, all the aspects coming together to paint a masterpiece of a story.
In conclusion, if you love thrillers and you haven't read this one, you are missing out! If you want to be transported through time and space and attend a summer camp, this novel is for you. I seriously can't wait to see what other things Riley Sager might have up his sleeve and have already preordered his latest novel that hasn't come out yet. I am a relatively new reader and yet I have read all of his books, that should tell you something because they are just that good.
So my first Riley Sager book that I read was Lock Every Door. Overall, I was not impressed. However, after a lot of feedback, I picked up another title that he wrote, and I AM SO HAPPY I DID. The Last Time I Lied follows Emma, an artist who is obsessed with painting three girls. Come to find, the three girls that she is painting disappeared during her time in summer camp and have never been found.
Upon a series of events, she is brought back to the summer camp to teach the campers painting and it provides an opportunity to investigate their disappearance. Through her investigation, Emma has a series of characters who could have been the kidnappers, uncovers a secret history of the camp, and is faced with the actions of her past. All while the evidence and mounting suspicion from the camp leaders are pointing at her for these past crimes. Overall, I loved this book. Between the fast-paced plot and how Sager leaves you questioning the sanity of the main character, this is definitely a must-read title.
This book is a real page turner that keeps the reader wanting to continue uncovering clues. From one chapter to the next, the reader is left wondering if the narrator is lying to the reader, to herself, or to both.
The main character, Emma, is returning to Camp Nightingale fifteen years after being a camper there during a tragedy. Three girls disappeared from the camp back then, and Emma was their roommate. Since then, Emma has been haunted by the memories of these girls, especially Vivian, the leader of the group. Emma decides to return to the camp as an instructor in order exorcise her demons by uncovering the mystery of what happened to her bunkmates.
The characters in this book are all suspect, which makes for a great mystery/thriller. The narrator is unreliable, and the secondary characters all give the reader some cause to doubt them. It leaves the reader constantly uncertain of who can be trusted, thereby creating suspense.
The pacing of the plot is pretty close to perfect. The chapters are just long enough to provide appropriate details and just short enough to keep the reader moving at a good pace. I found myself in the “one more chapter” mood the entire time I was reading the book. It is hard to put down.
The resolution is strong and not easily predicted. I did have an idea of who the culprit was and ended up being correct, but it was not obvious and did not spoil my enjoyment. The ending is satisfying and flows logically from the events of the plot. Nothing is far-fetched or unbelievable.
Overall, this mystery/thriller is a very enjoyable read. It is suspenseful and engaging. I would highly recommend it to readers who enjoy a good story involving lies and unreliable characters.
I don't really know what to say about this book. It was all pretty bland and boring except for a couple of twists towards the end, although that final twist was fantastic.
Estrelas para esforço, mas achei que foi esforço demais. Como se o autor/a autora (não sei) tivesse decidido fazer uma pegadinha do Mallandro e descobrir todo um novo vilão cada vez que a gnt achasse que chegou perto da resposta. Deu uma cansada.
plot twist after plot twist after plot twist.. but that final plot twist? IT MESSED ME UP.
Riley Sager is everyones new favourite author and for good reason, I cant wait to read more of their books