Book Review Club ~ June 2011
book review blogs
@Barrie Summy
I considered reviewing NINE COACHES WAITING, by Mary Stewart for this installment of Barrie Summy’s Monthly Book Review Club, but then I decided I’d said my piece on Ms. Stewart, and it was time to talk about another author. Or, in this case, authors.
I stumbled over Lisa and Laura Roecker on Twitter, with their pink hair and bubbly personalities, and it wasn’t long before I knew I had to read their co-written debut, THE LIAR SOCIETY.
THE LIAR SOCIETY is the story of how Kate Lowry takes back her life after her best friend Grace Lee dies in a fire that almost everyone insists was an accident. In the year after Grace’s death, Kate is wallowing in despair, distanced from her friends and her parents, and seeing a therapist regularly.
And then she gets an email from Grace…an email that hints that there are secrets surrounding her death. Galvanized into action but clueless how to start, Kate forces herself to think back, to remember that night, to wonder at the little inconsistencies that stuck out in her mind. And then, as the emails begin coming in regularly, Kate starts sleuthing around, asking questions, finding clues, and discovering that the mystery is really more of a conspiracy. Enter Seth, a geeky neighbor dude with a mean crush on Kate and Liam, a cool, mysterious bad boy who Kate just might let herself crush on, and you’ve got a motley crew of amateur detectives/conspiracy theorists trying to keep up as the secrets spiral into a veritable black hole of lies, cover-ups, and other secret society stuff.
That’s all I can tell you. If you want in on the secrets, you’re just going to have to read the book.
What I loved about it (other than the pink hair and pearls…): Kate is an excellent protagonist and totally her own person. She is feisty and funny and the perfect combination of daredevil and careful. She is sentimental but not sappy, and she does the absolute best she can given her limited life as a teenager. I was totally cheering for her. I loved both Seth and Liam and wasn’t totally sure who’d make it as the boyfriend material in the end. And I loved the rare group dynamic of Kate and Seth and Liam. And the geeky side of me loved the school crests, the Latin phrases, and the word puzzles. Really, there is so very much to love about this book.
And I think…I hope…there will be a sequel. Things didn’t totally tie up in the way you like things to tie up in a single book…so I have my fingers crossed for Book the Second. (Plus, THE LIAR SOCIETY website has a menu option for ‘The Books’–as in plural. How’s that for good detective work? Uh-huh. )
06/01/2011 at 12:54 pm
I can’t wait to get my hands on this one. Thanks for the review!
06/01/2011 at 9:03 pm
I bet you’ll love it, Keri!
06/01/2011 at 2:49 pm
Excellent review, Alyssa. I may add this to my daughter’s future TBR folder. I haven’t started that but now is a good time.
06/01/2011 at 9:05 pm
That reminds me…I’m going to need to do another post for you on not-to-be-missed picture books. But this is definitely a good one to add to a later list.
06/01/2011 at 9:01 pm
Great review! I ran across Laura and Lisa’s blog when they hosted agent appreciation day and was curious about their book also how they manage to write together. This sounds like a premise that will be popular with teens like the Pretty Little Liars.
06/01/2011 at 10:02 pm
I’m always curious about co-writers myself, Sarah. Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl’s method fascinates me.
There is alot in this book to appeal to young readers.
06/01/2011 at 11:09 pm
oh this sounds very good, what an interesting plot. I like your new page. thanks so much for stopping by.
06/02/2011 at 12:53 am
Thank you for stopping by, Kaye. I’m glad you like it!
THE LIAR SOCIETY just draws you right in!
06/02/2011 at 7:11 pm
Sounds like a pageturner.
06/03/2011 at 5:29 pm
It was, Stacy! Took me only a couple days to finish, and I’m typically slow.
06/02/2011 at 9:34 pm
Ooo, I love the email component, and I’m dying to know for sure if she was emailing from beyond the grave. (Guess she must have been, right?) How VERY cool. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for this one. Thanks, Alyssa!
06/03/2011 at 5:30 pm
I can’t say one way or another, Ellen… 😉
06/03/2011 at 8:01 am
There are things about this book that really interest me. However, I get frustrated with books when it’s not clear who the boyfriend is supposed to be. It’s okay if the girl isn’t sure but I want to be in the know! 😀
That said, I’ve never read a book that you recommended that I didn’t love – you’re the one that turned me on to Eileen Cook! And no, I still haven’t ever read any of the Harry Potter books, although I’m sure they’re wonderful.
06/03/2011 at 5:31 pm
Lucy, I could have just been distracted. It might be obvious to everyone else who the boyfriend interest is, but I could see how it could *possibly* go either way and was intrigued.