Lie Until It's True / Jessie Weaver / Book Review

LIE UNTIL IT'S TRUE

Amanda Pruitt's sister wasn't guilty, and Amanda feels pretty bad about that. She's the one who turned over the "evidence" to the police, after all. With a need to redeem herself, Amanda can't wait to escape her family (and the press constantly dogging them) and return an old retreat, the historic Summit Hotel in Colorado--somewhere Amanda hasn't been since her sister's trial began years ago.

But things have changed at the Summit since she left it. Amanda's summertime friends have grown older, and her life isn't the only one to have been rocked by a bit of murder. Just last winter, billionaire Royden Das was shot and killed at the Summit--and Amanda's old friends were all implicated in the murder. The mother of one of her best friends is behind bars, awaiting her own murder trial now.

Amanda isn't jumping to conclusions this time, though. And none of them believe that Vince's mom actually shot a billionaire. With a particularly haunted history, there are a lot of hidden secrets at the Summit... and a lot of places nobody should go, if they know what's good for them. Especially when a new death at the Summit cracks the foundations of their friend group permanently.

THOUGHTS

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I really didn't enjoy Jessie Weaver's Live Your Best Lie, but I thought I'd give this one a shot. I do like to give authors a second try. And I'm glad I did. This book might not be the best thriller out there, but the setting was a perfect mix of mundane and spooky. And with a cast of interesting but relatable characters, well, what more could someone want?

PROS

Unreliable Narrator	Hey, I'm a sucker for a thriller with an unreliable narrator. But this narrator isn't just unreliable. She's also sympathetic. She's not hiding things from her readers on purpose. She's sick. She suffers from seizures and resulting memory lapses. Even she doesn't know if she could have done it. Right time, right place and all...
Class Divisions	A possibly-haunted hotel will always be a good setting, no matter what type of story you're telling, but here it really lends itself well to the murder mystery of it all. As remote as the setting is, the fact that it is a ski resort adds some great class divisions to the cast of possible suspects. You've got the rich elite, those who enjoy a remote retreat with no expenses spared, but you've also got the service workers manning the desk, cleaning the rooms, and making the deliveries. Add a ghostly (and deadly) history to this hotel, and you've really got a winning combination.
Rock & Hard Place	There are compromises made by every suspect here. Everybody's in a bit of a precarious position. Everybody's willing to fudge the truth--or just stop talking, even when their own skin is on the line. There are tight family bonds. There are unfortunate histories, with the media chomping at the bit for more. There are money issues, inheritance problems, and even a bit of money laundering... Everybody's in a tough spot, and nobody's exactly "innocent." It just depends on what you consider a crime.

CONS

This is a book with a shelf life. Which isn't to say it doesn't work now. But in ten years, nobody's really going to look back on this one. It's a bit too 2024, you know? With that being said, it also doesn't quite nail the very trendy, very now teen protagonists that it portrays. I mean, there isn't a teen TikToker around who thinks sharing some very personal footage will help her to remain anonymous. And in a world where streaming has made older film less-than-accessible, what teens are going around making references to Hitchcock's Vertigo? This book dates itself and also doesn't quite nail the demographic, which is unfortunate both ways around.	TikTok Teens?
There are a lot of reasons Amanda Pruitt should feel guilty, but the guilt trip she receives from her "friends" doesn't make sense. No spoilers from me, but the amount of angst she receives for something she actually had nothing to do with was just frustrating. I'm sorry, but those aren't your friends, girl. Leave them behind.	Guilt Trip
This cast was surprisingly diverse for middle-of-nowhere Colorado. Not that there can't be diversity in rural Colorado. It just doesn't feel realistic to have a cast so well-balanced in its range of melanin. At least not when looking at current demographics.	Rural Diversity

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
6/10

Fans of Jessie Weaver's Live Your Best Lie will definitely love diving back into this world of murder and social media mayhem. Those who enjoyed Holly Jackson's A Good Girl's Guide to Murder will love sleuthing around with these teens who aren't afraid to step out of bounds in the name of justice.

Details Publisher: Melissa de la Cruz Studio Date: May 7, 2024 Series: N/A Add to Goodreads Buy it HERE

Note: I was provided with an ARC by the publisher through Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.