Book Review: The Last Time I Lied

The Last Time I Lied

by: Riley Sager

Note: I received a free copy of The Last Time I Lied as a e-galley from Dutton via Netgalley.  I was also sent a finished copy from Dutton in the mail in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions expressed below are my own.

Synopsis:
Emma attended Camp Nightingale as a teenager. While there, her three bunkmates went missing.  Fast-forward to the future, when Emma is an up & coming artist in New York.  She is invited back to Camp Nightingale for the summer to teach art to a new group of teenagers.  Since she is still haunted by her friends' disappearance, she decides to go and attempt to investigate what happened.  Will Emma figure out what happened?  What role did she play in the disappearance?  Is something sinister at work this year at camp?

Review:I'll admit, I had somewhat mixed feelings going in to The Last Time I Lied.  I had a copy on my Kindle, but I'm not always motivated to pick up my Kindle and read.  I'm a sucker for a finished hardcover or an exciting ARC prior to its release.  One evening my husband wanted to go swim laps at our HOA pool and I needed to bring along a book to read poolside (in the dark).  So, I grabbed my Kindle and decided on The Last Time I Lied.  I read maybe 10% over the next week, primarily when he'd go to sleep and I wasn't tired.  Fast forward to yesterday when I received a signed and finished copy in the mail.  I'll admit this prompted me to pick up my Kindle and read more.  Why on my Kindle and not the beautiful hardcover?  Well, the Kindle is lighter and easier to hold! I know, my logic makes no sense!  :-)

I've been having a bought of insomnia lately, so I started reading The Last Time I Lied this morning at about 4:30.  Between reading, chores, and cooking, I managed to finish the book in about 12 hours.  Let me just say that I was blown away by The Last Time I Lied.  Below are some of the reasons I loved this book:

*Creepy summer camp vibe.  For anyone who has spent weeks of their childhood at summer camp (or was just envious of those who attended), this will immediately pull you in.  You can picture the setting.  If you spent your childhood there, you'll be quick to admit to an ominous vibe - you spent your nights in the woods with limited supervision.  I spent several summers in a similar (though Illinois) setting, and loved how easy it was to imaging Camp Nightingale and Lake Midnight.  I also spent a ton of my childhood in the Lake of the Ozarks, which seems to be a HUGE version of Lake Midnight (though hopefully less sinister?).  This is the PERFECT setting for a summer thriller.  I loved it!

*Emma - both past and present.  In my opinion, Emma is the perfect unreliable narrator.  One that you KNOW is unreliable pretty early on, but that you can't help but cheer for!  You want her to be innocent.  You want her to figure out what is going on...but you just can't bring yourself to trust her.  That makes her such a great protagonist.

*The twists!  If you read Final Girls, you'll know that Riley Sager can throw a mean twist at you.  Personally, I love the twist that I didn't see coming.  And thankfully, this one packed several amazing twists.  Mr. Sager, you surprised me several times and I loved every second of it!

The Last Time I Lied is highly readable and quickly addictive.  You will trust no one, and trust me when I tell you that is part of the fun.  The flashbacks combined with the present sleuthing make for an epic combination that leaves the reader guessing and pushing on chapter after chapter!

There isn't much more for me to say without giving away too much of the story, which wouldn't be fun or fair to its readers.  I didn't plan to love this one - I thought it would be too hyped and that it would fall short of my expectations.  Thankfully, I read it early and am so happy that it totally lived up to what I wanted and then more.  If you loved Final Girls, please know that this is even BETTER!  I loved The Last Time I Lied and think it is the perfect summer read!  Bring this on vacation, to the beach, or just chill on the couch all day and binge-read it like I did!  You won't regret it!

(Side note - the covers!  I love how the cover of The Last Time I Lied pairs so well with the cover to Final Girls.  Bravo to the publishers & author & whoever else played a part in the cover designs!)