Mentioned in a blog post at https://booksbeyondbinaries.blog/2019/10/28/villainathon-wrap-up/

"Lies You Never Told Me" was a quick, chilling novel of two teens who made bad choices. The dual narrative, the intriguing plot and the shot chapters made it very easy to keep reading. I kept wondering when the two stories would converge and wasn't surprised when they did. I had a feeling from the start that the novel was heading in that direction.

Gabe and Elyse were both in toxic relationships they couldn't escape from. While I liked both of them, I was frustrated with their actions and choices and I found myself wanting to shake some sense into them on more than one occasion. I actually preferred their friends, Caleb, Brynn and Irene. These three young people were extremely supportive and showed far more common sense than either of the main characters. However, Gabe's little sister, Vivi, was definitely my favourite. She was an absolute delight!

Gabe's girlfriend, Sasha, and Elyse's drama teacher, Mr Hunter, were manipulative, controlling and mentally unstable, especially Sasha. I hate teacher/student relationships and although, Elyse felt older, she was in fact only fifteen and that made me feel sick the way Aiden Hunter treated her.

Although "Lies You Never Told Me" stretched the boundaries of belief at times, it was still a novel that kept me interested and engaged. ( )

Find this and other reviews at Carlene Inspired.

Elyse. Gabe. Sasha. Caroline. Four students, four very different lives. Lies You Never Told Me is a twisted tale told from the perspective of Gabe and Elyse, two high school students who have never met, but whose lives are about to be changed forever. A gripping Young Adult Thriller, Lies You Never Told Me is a novel about consequences. Elyse is starring in a school play for her first time and she catches the eye of a handsome, new fellow. The spotlight is new for her, its promises too enticing, but there's a line that once crossed she may never come back from. Gabe wants to leave the comfortable life as the popular girl's boyfriend behind, but Sasha is vindictive and not about to let him go. Quiet loner Caroline is just the sort of girl he'd like to spend his time with, but she has secrets and soon the truth and lies are too tangled to differentiate.

This novel had my attention right away, from the intriguing summary to the unique cover, but I never expected to be so caught up in a young adult thriller. The story is gripping, with characters that are believable and events that, though realistic, are unfathomable to think of. There's prejudice, abuse, mental illness, forbidden romance, addiction, poverty, and more lies than I could possibly keep track of. It's a well written novel that reads true to American teen's experiences growing up today. While I guessed at the twist very quickly, I remained engaged from start to finish, loving how Jennifer Donaldson amped up the drama and weaved two very different stories together. I really felt for both main characters, the weight of their personal situations too heavy for youth. Each has had to be more mature than is expected of others their age and their daily life is very different from others. While some guys are playing football, Gabe is picking up his younger sister and doing his best to protect her from Sasha's dangerous plan. Elyse has been in the shadows forever, picking up the pieces at home and parenting her mother, it was obvious that positive attention is something she sorely lacked. Each ends up in a dangerous position, the lies each has told pulling them farther from the protection of adults and deeper into the deceitful web of a vengeful ex and a man far too old to be romancing a high schooler.

There's a fine balance between high school life and the thriller nature of the novel taking over that, but I found it to be blended quite well. There's classroom gossip and locker room flirting, each tinged a shade of red as the characters await what could come next. Jennifer Donaldson has written an incredible suspenseful thriller with Lies You Never Told Me. Readers of all ages will enjoy the did they, didn't they storyline and will appreciate the relevant social issues that make this novel so diverse. I found it to be very clever considering it's a debut novel and am interested to see what comes next from author Jennifer Donaldson.

ARC provided by Razorbill of Penguin Random House. ( )

Thank you Goodreads and Penguin for the opportunity to read this book. It was definitely a slow burn, and I wasn't initially very impressed with it. It felt rather predictable. Once all of the pieces fit and my mind had its "ah-hah!" moment, I really liked it. I felt silly for not catching on sooner, but being outsmarted by a story can be half of the fun. The Sasha stuff felt mildly contrived and superfluous, but ultimately I understand why she was necessary to create movement in the story. It had a bittersweet, but ultimately hopeful ending. I would suggest that anyone who finds this to be "so-so" continue with the story. I hope you'll appreciate the payoff as much as I did. I'd be curious to read another of Jennifer Donaldson's books in the future. ( )

This book is one clever, clever page-turner. From the first page, I found myself drawn to the story and its characters, yearning to understand how their lives would intertwine and, if not, what connection they shared that would make them co-narrators of this story. My desire to find out what would happen next was so strong that it felt almost physically impossible to put this book down. I can't put my finger on what it was exactly, but something about the writing really drew me in. Both narrator's voices were very strong and distinctive. Not only that, they felt like the realistic thoughts and reactions of the teenagers they belonged to and their circumstances. Its been far too often that the books I've read have featured teenage protagonist with voices that were either too mature or too immature. I think Lies You Never Told Me hit the perfect middle-ground, in which the narrators' voices were perfectly reflective of their age and mindset, which I greatly appreciated.

That being said, I also have to say that there were several instances in the story where I was looking for more than what I was given. If I'm honest, Sasha's story-line felt a bit off at times. The character is vital to story, but a huge part of her arc seemed almost unnecessary in a larger context, with little motivation seemingly being given for her actions. Certain aspects of the story likewise didn't seem to meet full closure by the story's end, which was a bit disappointing.

Overall, this book is totally worth the read if only for that one plot twist. I can't say it or even hint at it since its so good, but I gasped out loud once I put two and two together. The author did a truly fantastic job. ( )