The Last Time I Lied

I didn't love this right away. Honestly it took a little too long to get good and I was almost going to put it down. However once things picked up, WOW, did they ever. The ending was satisfying if not somewhat rushed. But I found myself tearing through the final 250 pages. A great thriller with well paced reveals at the end.

the answers were all there i was just too DUMB

Donkere atmosferische thriller die blijft boeien tot het einde, met tal van onverwachte kleine wendingen en een bizarre, maar bevredigende ontknoping.

“Because the lake's been lowered by drought, the farthest-reaching branches scrape the bottoms of the canoes, sounding like fingernails trying to scratch their way out of a coffin.” Wow, this was an unexpected pleasure! Coming from the background of having read too many difficult books lately, I chose this book because it sounded like an easy, light who-dun-it with an interesting premise. Two truths, one lie: a) I greatly enjoyed this book, b) it was an easy read, c) it kept me glued to my Kindle for hours. Of course, b) is the lie because this book was an excellent blend of who-dun-it, thriller, adventure and near-insanity. Emma, a young painter of 28 years, gets invited back to the reopening of an exclusive summer camp for “rich bitches”. The camp was originally closed 15 years ago when – during Emma's stay there – three of her fellow campers disappeared without a trace. Emma, traumatised by the disappearance and what happened afterwards, comes back to deal with a creative blockage and to finally find out what happened to her friends all those years ago. The book starts slowly; we get to know Emma and get used to the wonderful writing style Sager employs: “I've heard Randall boast to potential buyers that my surfaces are like Van Gogh's, with paint cresting as high as an inch off the canvas. I prefer to think I paint like nature, where true smoothness is a myth, especially in the woods. The chipped ridges of tree bark. The speckle of moss on rock. Several autumns' worth of leaves coating the ground. That's the nature I try to capture with my scrapes and bumps and whorls of paint.” We also learn what and, partly, why she paints and, thus, get a first glimpse at the shadows in Emma's life: Even after 15 years she still feels guilty about the disappearance of her friends and though neither kind nor extent of her guilt are clear at this point, we get a very good idea at the monstrous kind of feelings Emma harbours. “Fifteen years. That's how long it's been. It feels like a lifetime ago. It also feels like yesterday.”Thinking about that sentence, remembering the momentous events in my own life (first love, marriage, first child...), I found myself nodding agreement with that sentiment. In fact, it was quite often during the first half of the book that I found myself understanding our protagonist exceedingly, sometimes even shockingly, well. It's best not to talk too much about the plot because there are a few twists some of which I didn't really see coming – that might, of course, be me but I really enjoyed them all either way. The dense atmosphere of both the camp itself, the woods and the flooded valley helped greatly, of course, because just as my opening quote shows, the atmosphere is satisfyingly creepy at times and sinister, at least once even desperate. All of that combined with using both traditional elements of the “great outdoors” stories as well as having Emma use her phone sensibly really kept me interested and at my Kindle with very few breaks for coffee, etc. “I run my finger from the spot that probably-is-but-might-not-be the gazebo to the ragged triangles nearby. I assume those are rocks. Which means we need to make our way northeast until we reach them. After that, it looks to be a short walk north until I find the X. Our route now set, I open the compass app downloaded to my phone the morning I left for camp, rotating until it points northeast. Then I snag a handful of wildflowers and, with Miranda, Sasha, and Krystal in tow, march into the forest.” A truly enjoyable book with very few flaws. Recommended to any reader. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

4.5 stars. The atmosphere of this book was so good - I loved the spooky summer camp vibes. I also loved the twists throughout. I wish some of the characters were a little bit more fleshed out but overall, a great read.

After enjoying Sager's debut novel, Final Girls, I was excited to get my hands on his follow-up novel.

The Last Time I Lied follows Emma, who after a traumatic visit to summer camp in which 3 campers when missing when she was 13, decides to go back and face her demons. Back at camp, things are definitely not what they seem, especially as she questions who was responsible for her missing bunkmates - Vivian, Natalie, and Allison. As strange occurrence happen around the camp, Emma is convinced that the person behind the disappearance of her friends is back for more.

Sager's second novel is a great mystery that will leave you guessing with every page you turn. I'll admit that I didn't see the ending coming, and it left me pleasantly surprised. The writing is fantastic, and the story is strong. If you want a good mystery, definitely give this one a try.

I read this book in two days and loved every minute of it. What do you get when you cross a creepy cabin in the woods with drama worthy of Pretty Little Liars? Meet one of the most deliciously entertaining “popcorn reads” of the summer: THE LAST TIME I LIED by Riley Sager. I loved the parallels to the past and the present. If you want to know if this is like his first book in my opinion no. This is a lighter book but it's own kind of creepy. I can't wait to see what's next.

4.5 stars. Yes! That was the remedy for my slump. Snappy writing and finally a mystery that I couldn't solve myself. Or maybe I just didn't want to because I was enjoying the ride too much :)

This book was incredible. There were so many twists and turns. I believe that this book was very well written and I would read more by Riley Sager in a heartbeat. I chose this book as my July Book of the Month and I don't regret that decision at all. I think this is one of my favorite books, honestly. 5 stars!