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Four good liars
The unputdownable, explosive new YA thriller from the bestselling, award-winning author of The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder , perfect for fans of Karen McManus, Cynthia Murphy and Holly Jackson. Layla. Kai. Liam. Fliss. Terrified big sister. Troubled surfer. Insecure genius. Pampered princess. They have nothing in common, except they were all on the school bus that morning. The morning of the crash. The morning they discovered the dead driver’s holdall, containing one million pounds – and a gun. All of them have secrets, and all of them need that money. But someone dangerous is hunting it down, and drawing closer every minute. If Layla, Kai, Liam and Fliss want to survive, they’ll need to stick together. But can four good liars really trust one another? Or are some truths just too powerful to stay buried…?
352 pages, Paperback
First published November 21, 2023
66 people are currently reading
995 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
September 1, 2023
Four Good Liars is a novel packed with ambition. Wishart sets out to tell a tale of four high school students who continuously make bad choices, all for different reasons.
I appreciate what Wishart tried to do here, she wanted to build a story rich with suspense and tension, plot twists galore, with striking characters. She was only partly successful.
While this story certainly has tension and suspense, it soon grew tiring and my attention began to drift. Big reveals and twists were made, and then made again, and then again . . . Which I began to felt were a detriment to the story. These plot points took time away that should’ve been spent doing character work.
I didn’t love the characters, I found them all incredibly unlikeable. And not even an “unlikeable but I like their character” sort of way, they were just . . . Not good. Despite having strong motivations for wanting to steal and use the money, I never connected to any of the characters and never felt like they had any depth or complexity to them. They all felt very surface level, even tropey (which another reviewer has also noted in their review).
The romances had no chemistry to them, and the “endgames” did not feel right at all…I just don’t understand why any of them would like each other after spending a lot of the book betraying and lying to each other repeatedly.
I also think, again, some of the plot twists were just disappear and to keep lengthening/complicating them did a disservice to the story and the characters.
I do think this could be a good novel for younger readers who are just getting in to the genre. I think for them this would be exhilarating and fun, filled to the brim with drama.
Overall though I just think this book was a miss. It had a lot of potential, and some moments of really great writing, but it fell short.
Thank you to HarperCollinsUK Children’s Books for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
I appreciate what Wishart tried to do here, she wanted to build a story rich with suspense and tension, plot twists galore, with striking characters. She was only partly successful.
While this story certainly has tension and suspense, it soon grew tiring and my attention began to drift. Big reveals and twists were made, and then made again, and then again . . . Which I began to felt were a detriment to the story. These plot points took time away that should’ve been spent doing character work.
I didn’t love the characters, I found them all incredibly unlikeable. And not even an “unlikeable but I like their character” sort of way, they were just . . . Not good. Despite having strong motivations for wanting to steal and use the money, I never connected to any of the characters and never felt like they had any depth or complexity to them. They all felt very surface level, even tropey (which another reviewer has also noted in their review).
The romances had no chemistry to them, and the “endgames” did not feel right at all…I just don’t understand why any of them would like each other after spending a lot of the book betraying and lying to each other repeatedly.
I also think, again, some of the plot twists were just disappear and to keep lengthening/complicating them did a disservice to the story and the characters.
I do think this could be a good novel for younger readers who are just getting in to the genre. I think for them this would be exhilarating and fun, filled to the brim with drama.
Overall though I just think this book was a miss. It had a lot of potential, and some moments of really great writing, but it fell short.
Thank you to HarperCollinsUK Children’s Books for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
February 6, 2024
2.5
Bad but weirdly readable
Bad but weirdly readable
March 13, 2024
While the plot itself was intriguing, the characters were alright and the plot twists were way too confusing (also what was up with the Presidents? I thought this took place in England)
The beginning was really good. It was nice and action packed and made for a really good plot. I'll give it that.
As for the four main characters, well... They're pretty standard tropes, especially among multiple POVs
We have...
The girl who would be the main character if it was single POV (Layla. Though I do get her reasoning for wanting the money. It was definitely the one you tend to feel most compassion towards.)
The dude who's there for the romance (Kai. Okay, that one's not entirely true. He was actually the only one I really liked and connected to of the four. Though was the romance with Layla really necessary? I thought this was about stolen money and murder and stuff)
The spoiled popular brat. (Fliss. Though I'll give her credit for entertainment and her character remained true to herself instead of some big heroic development (While I'm all for the development, this is more realistic))
The gay kid. (Liam. Honestly at this point I feel this is more for diversity than actually part of the story. Though I did like the prime number thing he did to calm down from his anxiety. It gave him more personality)
Also they were all really whiny for some reason
As for the ending, I'm not going to spoil, but it was confusing and hard to follow. The pacing was slow and then all of a sudden they throw that at us.
So yeah. Overall, the plot was interesting, the characters were likeable enough, the relationships were not all that necessary and the ending was just confusing.
If you're the type of person who likes
Diversity and lots of it
Multiple POVs of morally gray and believable teens.
Slower pacing
Lots of random plot twists
I'd recommend this
Sorry this is so long
The beginning was really good. It was nice and action packed and made for a really good plot. I'll give it that.
As for the four main characters, well... They're pretty standard tropes, especially among multiple POVs
We have...
The girl who would be the main character if it was single POV (Layla. Though I do get her reasoning for wanting the money. It was definitely the one you tend to feel most compassion towards.)
The dude who's there for the romance (Kai. Okay, that one's not entirely true. He was actually the only one I really liked and connected to of the four. Though was the romance with Layla really necessary? I thought this was about stolen money and murder and stuff)
The spoiled popular brat. (Fliss. Though I'll give her credit for entertainment and her character remained true to herself instead of some big heroic development (While I'm all for the development, this is more realistic))
The gay kid. (Liam. Honestly at this point I feel this is more for diversity than actually part of the story. Though I did like the prime number thing he did to calm down from his anxiety. It gave him more personality)
Also they were all really whiny for some reason
As for the ending, I'm not going to spoil, but it was confusing and hard to follow. The pacing was slow and then all of a sudden they throw that at us.
So yeah. Overall, the plot was interesting, the characters were likeable enough, the relationships were not all that necessary and the ending was just confusing.
If you're the type of person who likes
Diversity and lots of it
Multiple POVs of morally gray and believable teens.
Slower pacing
Lots of random plot twists
I'd recommend this
Sorry this is so long
December 11, 2023
Four Good Liars has a great premise. A group of teens, who have nothing in common, are caught up in a dramatic crash as they travel to school. As they flee, they discover a holdall full of money. The four decide to keep the cash, and this begins a dramatic story which it would be hard to make up!
Fliss is our pampered princess. Kai is a surfer, abandoned by his mother. Layla and Liam are the other pair, though they’re not quite as memorable. Each has their reason for taking a cut of the million pounds…but they hadn’t banked on a drug gang stopping at nothing to get their money back.
From the outset this is action-focused. It doesn’t always make sense, but the way the group members interact is entertaining. The reality of the story is even more crazy than you could imagine, but it was hugely entertaining.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this.
Fliss is our pampered princess. Kai is a surfer, abandoned by his mother. Layla and Liam are the other pair, though they’re not quite as memorable. Each has their reason for taking a cut of the million pounds…but they hadn’t banked on a drug gang stopping at nothing to get their money back.
From the outset this is action-focused. It doesn’t always make sense, but the way the group members interact is entertaining. The reality of the story is even more crazy than you could imagine, but it was hugely entertaining.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this.
April 21, 2024
I had such good hopes for this book, but quite frankly, the more I read, the worse it got. I requested it sometime last year, maybe in September, because I’d seen a tweet from the author and became intrigued. I will admit, it took me a while to get into it. And I did eventually end up buying a physical copy in hopes that it would allow me to read it faster.
There were many things that bothered me about book, but I think the first thing is quite frankly: these characters are so goddamn dumb it’s not even funny. I have not been sixteen for four years. So maybe I’m misremembering how smart I was as a sixteen year old. But I am ninety percent certain that if I came into a load of money randomly, and I didn’t come into it legally, I would put it away and not touch it. I can understand Layla using it to pay for her brother’s treatment. But Kai and Liam? Especially Liam? That man was supposed to be the smart one out of the group—the stereotypical nerd who knew everything—and yet I think he made the worst decision out of them all, like c’mon man. They were not good liars. They were hilariously bad liars. Only Fliss had any sense, but then that was totally ruined at the end with bogus character development meant to solidify her stance as a ‘bad girl’ as if she wasn’t able to just… move on with her life.
The POVs seemed interchangeable. There were many moments where I had to flip back through the pages to see who’s pov I was reading because they were not different enough. They were annoyingly similar. Too similar.
And on that note, the writing itself also seemed annoyingly melodramatic and far too simple. There should not have been as many sentences that ended in an exclamation mark as there was. It was not needed. It changed the tone of the writing to seem less serious and more sarcastic. I also think the character interactions needed work, because at the end of the book once the climax had happened, everything felt so forced. Kai and Layla had no chemistry. Neither did Lou and Liam. And don’t get me started on Lou trying to tell them what to do with the money they had left over when he wasn’t part of it.
It wrapped up nice and I’m glad Layla’s brother got his treatment and his cancer is in remission but quite frankly, this book was way too melodramatic, poorly written and the four good liars were actually terrible liars.
I don’t think this book was terrible. Maybe I’m just too old now. Other people will like this better than I did. Take my opinion with a grain of salt.
There were many things that bothered me about book, but I think the first thing is quite frankly: these characters are so goddamn dumb it’s not even funny. I have not been sixteen for four years. So maybe I’m misremembering how smart I was as a sixteen year old. But I am ninety percent certain that if I came into a load of money randomly, and I didn’t come into it legally, I would put it away and not touch it. I can understand Layla using it to pay for her brother’s treatment. But Kai and Liam? Especially Liam? That man was supposed to be the smart one out of the group—the stereotypical nerd who knew everything—and yet I think he made the worst decision out of them all, like c’mon man. They were not good liars. They were hilariously bad liars. Only Fliss had any sense, but then that was totally ruined at the end with bogus character development meant to solidify her stance as a ‘bad girl’ as if she wasn’t able to just… move on with her life.
The POVs seemed interchangeable. There were many moments where I had to flip back through the pages to see who’s pov I was reading because they were not different enough. They were annoyingly similar. Too similar.
And on that note, the writing itself also seemed annoyingly melodramatic and far too simple. There should not have been as many sentences that ended in an exclamation mark as there was. It was not needed. It changed the tone of the writing to seem less serious and more sarcastic. I also think the character interactions needed work, because at the end of the book once the climax had happened, everything felt so forced. Kai and Layla had no chemistry. Neither did Lou and Liam. And don’t get me started on Lou trying to tell them what to do with the money they had left over when he wasn’t part of it.
It wrapped up nice and I’m glad Layla’s brother got his treatment and his cancer is in remission but quite frankly, this book was way too melodramatic, poorly written and the four good liars were actually terrible liars.
I don’t think this book was terrible. Maybe I’m just too old now. Other people will like this better than I did. Take my opinion with a grain of salt.
February 1, 2024
2.5 Stars ⭐️
January 1, 2024
A strong start to 2024, four good liars is fast paced, engaging and has some intrigue from the very first chapter. The characters are people you love to hate, and one more than the others. Certainly there are times when you question the decision making, and maybe the lack of sympathy I had for these characters grated a little. But despite that I was still rooting for them. A great read, with some interesting twists, though it loses steam just before the ending.
October 16, 2023
✨ 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 ✨
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Four Good Liars
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Sarah Wishart
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4/5
“‘𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨.’ 𝘓𝘢𝘺𝘭𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯.
𝘔𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴’ 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘳.
‘𝘓𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘵, 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥,’ 𝘍𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘭𝘺. ‘𝘞𝘦’𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘫𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴.’”
🤍 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿
🌸 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗨𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗟𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝗶𝗯𝗲𝘀
🤍 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀
🌸 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶 𝗣𝗢𝗩
🤍 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘀
Four Good Liars is an ambitious YA thriller that is reminiscent of One of Us is Lying, but with higher stakes. The delivery of the premise of this book—four teens stealing one million pounds from a drug cartel—is almost heist-like in nature, requiring levels of deceit from the teens that would not seem out of place in a high end gambling joint.
This book has four main characters and the story is told through all four of them. Layla needs the money for her brother’s treatment, Kai needs the money to bring his family back together, Liam needs the money to impress his wealthy boyfriend, and Fliss needs the money to get her blackmailer off her back. The plot coupled with these morally grey teens make for a fast-paced, fun, and easy read.
I enjoyed all the characters, and I liked the inclusivity of the non-binary supporting character. I think I liked Layla the most, her reason for stealing the money was the most noble and her subplot dealing with the grief of losing her Baba was subtly and cleverly explored. Kai second because his family situation made my heart physically ache for him. I did think that there was potential for better character development in all four main characters but this did not come intro fruition.
Also, I cannot put my finger on why, but it feels very Americanized. I can’t decide whether it’s the level of melodrama (not a dig at American fiction as I simply *live* for the melodrama) or whether it was the fact that there was a reliable school bus service? (On the other hand, this definitely was a dig at the British transport industry). I kept forgetting it was a UK setting.
Regardless, I’d give this book four stars… one for each liar.
—Kayleigh🤍
♡ 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦
♡ 𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Four Good Liars
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Sarah Wishart
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4/5
“‘𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨.’ 𝘓𝘢𝘺𝘭𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯.
𝘔𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴’ 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘳.
‘𝘓𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘵, 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥,’ 𝘍𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘭𝘺. ‘𝘞𝘦’𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘫𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴.’”
🤍 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿
🌸 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗨𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗟𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝗶𝗯𝗲𝘀
🤍 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀
🌸 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶 𝗣𝗢𝗩
🤍 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘀
Four Good Liars is an ambitious YA thriller that is reminiscent of One of Us is Lying, but with higher stakes. The delivery of the premise of this book—four teens stealing one million pounds from a drug cartel—is almost heist-like in nature, requiring levels of deceit from the teens that would not seem out of place in a high end gambling joint.
This book has four main characters and the story is told through all four of them. Layla needs the money for her brother’s treatment, Kai needs the money to bring his family back together, Liam needs the money to impress his wealthy boyfriend, and Fliss needs the money to get her blackmailer off her back. The plot coupled with these morally grey teens make for a fast-paced, fun, and easy read.
I enjoyed all the characters, and I liked the inclusivity of the non-binary supporting character. I think I liked Layla the most, her reason for stealing the money was the most noble and her subplot dealing with the grief of losing her Baba was subtly and cleverly explored. Kai second because his family situation made my heart physically ache for him. I did think that there was potential for better character development in all four main characters but this did not come intro fruition.
Also, I cannot put my finger on why, but it feels very Americanized. I can’t decide whether it’s the level of melodrama (not a dig at American fiction as I simply *live* for the melodrama) or whether it was the fact that there was a reliable school bus service? (On the other hand, this definitely was a dig at the British transport industry). I kept forgetting it was a UK setting.
Regardless, I’d give this book four stars… one for each liar.
—Kayleigh🤍
♡ 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦
♡ 𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫
December 20, 2023
Did not quite manage to hold my attention thought.
Did not vibe with characters and I grew tired of the constant "twists".
Did not vibe with characters and I grew tired of the constant "twists".
February 19, 2025
disclaimer: this is my first proper review. please keep this in mind while reading it.
overall opinion
I did not enjoy this book, and I would definitely not recommend it. I definitely think the author has potential, but I didn't think this book was well written.
the good
The premise definitely drew me in. I loved the idea of four teenagers trying to pull off a heist, and I was really excited to read this. I thought the twists were interesting, it led to an interesting plot.
the bad
Where do I begin? The two-dimensional, cliche tropes that the characters were based off did nothing but irritate me. I love books with multiple POVs, but unfortunately, all the characters blended together, with no truly unique POV. This led to me constantly having to go back and check who's POV I was reading from, which was incredibly tedious. I very much understood Layla and Kai's motivations, but Fliss' seemed flimsy considering how rich she was. Ditto to Liam. Stealing 250,000 pounds to impress your boyfriend? Who doesn't even care about you that much? Really? I really loved the twists, but it got to a point where it was hard to keep up with what was happening. Especially with Fliss. The title was name dropped various times, and impressively, it managed to fall flat every single time.
in conclusion
I truly think this author has potential, but I did not enjoy this book.
overall opinion
I did not enjoy this book, and I would definitely not recommend it. I definitely think the author has potential, but I didn't think this book was well written.
the good
The premise definitely drew me in. I loved the idea of four teenagers trying to pull off a heist, and I was really excited to read this. I thought the twists were interesting, it led to an interesting plot.
the bad
Where do I begin? The two-dimensional, cliche tropes that the characters were based off did nothing but irritate me. I love books with multiple POVs, but unfortunately, all the characters blended together, with no truly unique POV. This led to me constantly having to go back and check who's POV I was reading from, which was incredibly tedious. I very much understood Layla and Kai's motivations, but Fliss' seemed flimsy considering how rich she was. Ditto to Liam. Stealing 250,000 pounds to impress your boyfriend? Who doesn't even care about you that much? Really? I really loved the twists, but it got to a point where it was hard to keep up with what was happening. Especially with Fliss. The title was name dropped various times, and impressively, it managed to fall flat every single time.
in conclusion
I truly think this author has potential, but I did not enjoy this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2025
Když se na knižním trhu objeví nový ya thriller, tak si pište, že si ho přečtu. Čtyři dobří lháři působí jako zajímavá kombinace napětí, tajemství, lží a spletitých vztahů. Takové to ideální čtení na jedno odpoledne, které vás vtáhne do intrik a nedůvěry.
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Děj sleduje partu teenagerů, kteří mají společné jen to, že se jednoho rána ocitnou ve stejném školním autobuse. Někteří omylem, jiní jim jezdí pravidelně. Právě tahle náhoda je spojí u nehody a nálezu tašky s penězi a zbraní. Asi si umíte představit, jak to celé dopadne, ale tímhle rozhodnutím všechny jejich problémy teprve začnou. Pomalu začnou vyplouvat tajemství a ani sám čtenář nebude vědět, komu věřit.
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Bohužel právě postavy, na kterých kniha stojí, pro mě byly slabším článkem. Působily hrozně zbrkle a přehnaně impulzivně, ale ono to vlastně dává smysl. Přeci jen jsou to teenageři, kteří dělají hromadu chyb. I tak mi u nich ale chyběla hloubka nebo motivace, která by z nich udělala skutečně uvěřitelné a propracované postavy. Měli být každý jiný, ale přišli mi hrozně ploší a tím pádem jeden jako druhý. Podobný příběh by si rozhodně zasloužil i propracované postavy.
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Styl psaní byl fajn a čtení uteklo rychle, autorka umí držet tempo příběhu a rozhodně nechybí ani kapka napětí. Není to nic přehnaně temného, spíš drama se skrytou záhadou. Přijde i pár momentů překvapení a co musím příběhu vyzdvihnout, pak to, že mě samotná zápletka vlastně bavila. Podezírala jsem skoro všechny a když se konečně ukázala pravda, měla jsem ji napůl správně. Baví mě, když mě kniha donutí přemýšlet, ale dokáže i překvapit.
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Celkově jsou Čtyři dobří lháři průměrný ya thriller, který je čtivý, svižný a má pár dobrých zvratů. Rozhodně ale nečekejte něco hlubšího, co vám zůstane v hlavě dlouho po dočtení. Pokud rádi sáhnete po jednodušším napínáku na jedno odpoledne, je to ideálka.
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spolupráce s Cosmopolis
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Děj sleduje partu teenagerů, kteří mají společné jen to, že se jednoho rána ocitnou ve stejném školním autobuse. Někteří omylem, jiní jim jezdí pravidelně. Právě tahle náhoda je spojí u nehody a nálezu tašky s penězi a zbraní. Asi si umíte představit, jak to celé dopadne, ale tímhle rozhodnutím všechny jejich problémy teprve začnou. Pomalu začnou vyplouvat tajemství a ani sám čtenář nebude vědět, komu věřit.
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Bohužel právě postavy, na kterých kniha stojí, pro mě byly slabším článkem. Působily hrozně zbrkle a přehnaně impulzivně, ale ono to vlastně dává smysl. Přeci jen jsou to teenageři, kteří dělají hromadu chyb. I tak mi u nich ale chyběla hloubka nebo motivace, která by z nich udělala skutečně uvěřitelné a propracované postavy. Měli být každý jiný, ale přišli mi hrozně ploší a tím pádem jeden jako druhý. Podobný příběh by si rozhodně zasloužil i propracované postavy.
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Styl psaní byl fajn a čtení uteklo rychle, autorka umí držet tempo příběhu a rozhodně nechybí ani kapka napětí. Není to nic přehnaně temného, spíš drama se skrytou záhadou. Přijde i pár momentů překvapení a co musím příběhu vyzdvihnout, pak to, že mě samotná zápletka vlastně bavila. Podezírala jsem skoro všechny a když se konečně ukázala pravda, měla jsem ji napůl správně. Baví mě, když mě kniha donutí přemýšlet, ale dokáže i překvapit.
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Celkově jsou Čtyři dobří lháři průměrný ya thriller, který je čtivý, svižný a má pár dobrých zvratů. Rozhodně ale nečekejte něco hlubšího, co vám zůstane v hlavě dlouho po dočtení. Pokud rádi sáhnete po jednodušším napínáku na jedno odpoledne, je to ideálka.
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spolupráce s Cosmopolis
January 4, 2025
I was thrilled to get this for Christmas.
Sarah also writes adults books under Sarah J Harris and I am such a fan of her writing. She is worth looking up.
This YA read explores tragedy and what you would do in times of both need and opportunity. To what lengths will you go for others? It is twisty and captivating and was a very fun read.
Read if you enjoyed: Such Charming Liars, One of Us is Lying or The Color of Bee Larkham’s Murder
Sarah also writes adults books under Sarah J Harris and I am such a fan of her writing. She is worth looking up.
This YA read explores tragedy and what you would do in times of both need and opportunity. To what lengths will you go for others? It is twisty and captivating and was a very fun read.
Read if you enjoyed: Such Charming Liars, One of Us is Lying or The Color of Bee Larkham’s Murder
January 19, 2024
This book was incredible! I had to admit I was sceptical at first getting slightly confused with all of the P.O.V switches, but as the story grew it all became more clear and cohesive despite so much happening all at once. The countless plot twist were extremely well written needless to say the ending was so unexpected and had me guessing right to the very end. This was an amazing read, I definitely recommend!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2025
3 star!
i don't know, it sometimes went way too fast, but at other times, way too slow. i felt like some things should've been either left out or explained more thoroughly. but maybe that's just me. ps i did listen to this, maybe that makes a difference
i don't know, it sometimes went way too fast, but at other times, way too slow. i felt like some things should've been either left out or explained more thoroughly. but maybe that's just me. ps i did listen to this, maybe that makes a difference
January 13, 2024
INCREDIBLE PLOT and PLOT TWISTS.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT 😍
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT 😍
February 9, 2024
3.5 ⭐
Wow- I read this in 4h😅
I mean I liked the plot and some characters but sometimes I found it boring to much things going on but overall was it good!
Wow- I read this in 4h😅
I mean I liked the plot and some characters but sometimes I found it boring to much things going on but overall was it good!
August 13, 2024
3.5 stars.
Good book but kinda gave me a lot of one of us is lying flashbacks.
Kinda guessed the ending but other than that it was an enjoyable mystery
Good book but kinda gave me a lot of one of us is lying flashbacks.
Kinda guessed the ending but other than that it was an enjoyable mystery
September 5, 2025
3 estrellas solidas fue entretenido y eso era lo que buscaba buen suspenso pero no conecte con los personajes 😆
January 16, 2024
I think this book was very good. It was really good at working up suspense and the plot twists were so unexpected and amazing. It's very similar to 'one of us is lieing' in the way that none of the characters knew eachother before the situatioin. I really like this and reccomend it :)
May 6, 2024
DNF. I really wanted to like this, but it wasn't for me. I found the characters 2-dimensional, stereotypical and annoying. But teen readers may love it - I had a student grab this book as soon as it became available in our library, because a friend had recommended it. I'll be interested to hear their opinion.
September 3, 2024
It's bad but readable at the same time? None of the characters were likeable and it was SO HARD to get into the book at first. It put me in a reading slump and only the Harry Potter series could get me out of it 🥰. Anyways, this book is not worth it. I bought it super excited but by the ending I put it in my shelf and haven't opened it since.
At the start, it's really confusing. There's so many people and I had to reread the first few chapter so many times.
By the time the book has ended, I felt like I could finally get off a ride that I wanted so desperately to finish.
Not worth your money xx
At the start, it's really confusing. There's so many people and I had to reread the first few chapter so many times.
By the time the book has ended, I felt like I could finally get off a ride that I wanted so desperately to finish.
Not worth your money xx
September 9, 2023
Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
This story starts off strong, with its opening chapter hooking the reader in. However the rest of the book struggles to hold up against it. The four main characters lack depth and come across far younger (around 11 or so) or far older (adult) at times, their dialogue making little to no sense in a British, teenage context at times. There is heavy American influence on this story and, unfortunately, it does hamper the ability to enjoy it.
There are plot twists a-plenty and more action than you can possibly plan for, but unfortunately it largely packs no real punch. The characters aren't relatable for the most part and, while there are moments where Layla and Kai both separately tug at the reader's heart strings due to their family situation, it's quickly forgotten by the next chapter thanks to some silly drama which appears next.
Characters like Lou and Liam are 2D at best, and feel shoehorned in. Liam has many opportunities to become a stronger character but it feels like every chance is thwarted by another plot twist, while Lou feels like a character of convenience. It should also be noted that Lou is misgendered in one of the scenes concerning them which will need to be edited prior to publication.
The novel had a great idea and, truly, I could never have predicted some of the twists and turns, but ultimately it is forgettable.
2.5/5
This story starts off strong, with its opening chapter hooking the reader in. However the rest of the book struggles to hold up against it. The four main characters lack depth and come across far younger (around 11 or so) or far older (adult) at times, their dialogue making little to no sense in a British, teenage context at times. There is heavy American influence on this story and, unfortunately, it does hamper the ability to enjoy it.
There are plot twists a-plenty and more action than you can possibly plan for, but unfortunately it largely packs no real punch. The characters aren't relatable for the most part and, while there are moments where Layla and Kai both separately tug at the reader's heart strings due to their family situation, it's quickly forgotten by the next chapter thanks to some silly drama which appears next.
Characters like Lou and Liam are 2D at best, and feel shoehorned in. Liam has many opportunities to become a stronger character but it feels like every chance is thwarted by another plot twist, while Lou feels like a character of convenience. It should also be noted that Lou is misgendered in one of the scenes concerning them which will need to be edited prior to publication.
The novel had a great idea and, truly, I could never have predicted some of the twists and turns, but ultimately it is forgettable.
2.5/5
February 16, 2024
The most readable but badly written book I’ve read for a long time. The multiple points of views is something I usually look forward to in a book to offer different perspectives, however in this I found it very confusing. I had to keep on turning back to the chapter page to see who was narrating as it was not made clear by their characters. Whilst I love huge plot twists, especially in young adult crime mystery novels, there were too many in here where it felt disorganised and chaotic. It felt as though the author was just chucking in random plot twists to make up for the lack of depth in the plot. The characters were also very unlikeable and I struggled to create an understanding of them. I would recommend this book if you want a quick read as the font is huge and there is not much thinking to do when reading it. However, I would not recommend this book if you want an interesting and thought through story.
February 9, 2024
I truly enjoyed this book it was so good that it almost didn’t read like a YA because I was having so much fun with it and I ship Layla and Kai I was rooting for them throughout the book this did give me one of us is lying kinda vibes but I feel the teens couldn’t be good liars like the title and I feel this one could’ve been cut down a little four hundred pages is a bit a lot but moreover I can’t wait to see what Wishart writes next I really enjoyed this
January 21, 2024
Liam King (17) can't believe his luck. A guy from school has chosen him to be his boyfriend. This isn't just any guy. Tristram is good looking, popular, the lead in school shows and excellent on the rugby field. His family are also quite rich. This is one of Liam's biggest problems. His own mum works hard at her job at the hospital, doing long shifts in order to pay the bills they can never quite keep on top of. Tristram is used to the best in everything, and Liam can hardly keep up. Gifts and holidays must be found and paid for - even if it has to be done illegally. But Liam believes this is the only way to hold onto Tristram.
Fliss Cavendish (17) is one of Tristram's friends. She too is wealthy, at least her father is. But he left Fliss and her mother with a seaside hotel and debts to pay. Fliss is closer to her father, but only because he gives in to her demands - mostly. Her mother is too busy running the hotel and brushing Fliss off when she wants her mum's attention. Her mum's driver and assistant Aaron is usually at Fliss' disposal, but Fliss needs more. Her father lives far away with his girlfriend and her mum is practically always absent. How can she get back what they used to have when she was a child?
Laila Abdullatif (16) is worried about her little brother. Senna is sick with only an experimental drug trial in the United States left to battle his illness. Laila is very close to him after losing their father years before, and she will do anything to help him. Life has been tough in their household with her stepdad injured in a work accident and her mother busy looking after them all, especially her young son. Bills are bad enough without an impossible amount to raise for the US treatment.
Kai Marsden (16) is living on the streets. It wasn't supposed to end up like that when his mother and little sister left, but their landlord threw him out when the rent money ran out. Mum was supposed to be getting back on her feet in another town, and she would send for him, but Kai hasn't heard from her in weeks. He is surviving on stolen food outside cafe's and his part-time surfing instructor and gardening jobs. People are starting to notice.
One day before school, Fliss is angry that her mother has called her driver back. Fliss is dropped off at the closest bus stop and she is livid to have to catch the "Poverty Express." Her friends will never let her live it down. On the bus is Liam, Laila and Kai, all wondering why wealthy spoilt-brat-b@#!h is on the school bus. Soon they all have the same thought - are they going to die?
Their school bus is suddenly teetering on the edge of a cliff after some high intensity road rage. They all manage to escape, dragging a heavy hold-all out the window with them. It is stuffed with one million dollars.
Minds race as they realise how close they came to going over with the bus. Who does the money belong to? Do they tell the Police? All four minds are frantically working out what they could do with the money. How it could change their lives forever. They make a pact and decide to keep it, vowing not to touch it for six months to avoid detection.
This is the first lie of many they will tell each other and themselves. They all believe they have fail safe plans for their new futures. But the money belongs to someone very dangerous, and among these villains are even more liars, pulling the plot this way and that, throwing in twist after twist until the four teen liars become extremely unlucky indeed.
With their lives on the line, the villains closing in, and the police breathing down their necks, Liam, Laila, Fliss and Kai all wish they had never been on that bus that day...
A twisty-turny page-flipping YA thriller that had me wondering what was going to happen next. The setting is in a small coastal UK town which is easy to picture. The characters are varied, and I only really connected with one. Laila's worry for her little brother is real and her Egyptian heritage was interesting for me as a New Zealander. She was likeable and I was pleased at her personal outcome at the end of the book.
Fliss was pure evil, but a product of her parents, and I could've pushed her off the cliff myself. Liam was a bit whiny and I wanted to give him a good shake like his friends did. His new rich boyfriend was in Fliss' league for horrible persons.
Kai was a good liar to nearly the end of the book when he finally didn't have much choice but to tell the truth. I did feel for his situation and loved the elderly lady who looked out for him.
The plot twists surprised me, and I loved the way human nature was portrayed as it was molded by money, with not only the main characters, but others involved.
What would you do if offered $250,000 in cash?
Age - 14+
Fliss Cavendish (17) is one of Tristram's friends. She too is wealthy, at least her father is. But he left Fliss and her mother with a seaside hotel and debts to pay. Fliss is closer to her father, but only because he gives in to her demands - mostly. Her mother is too busy running the hotel and brushing Fliss off when she wants her mum's attention. Her mum's driver and assistant Aaron is usually at Fliss' disposal, but Fliss needs more. Her father lives far away with his girlfriend and her mum is practically always absent. How can she get back what they used to have when she was a child?
Laila Abdullatif (16) is worried about her little brother. Senna is sick with only an experimental drug trial in the United States left to battle his illness. Laila is very close to him after losing their father years before, and she will do anything to help him. Life has been tough in their household with her stepdad injured in a work accident and her mother busy looking after them all, especially her young son. Bills are bad enough without an impossible amount to raise for the US treatment.
Kai Marsden (16) is living on the streets. It wasn't supposed to end up like that when his mother and little sister left, but their landlord threw him out when the rent money ran out. Mum was supposed to be getting back on her feet in another town, and she would send for him, but Kai hasn't heard from her in weeks. He is surviving on stolen food outside cafe's and his part-time surfing instructor and gardening jobs. People are starting to notice.
One day before school, Fliss is angry that her mother has called her driver back. Fliss is dropped off at the closest bus stop and she is livid to have to catch the "Poverty Express." Her friends will never let her live it down. On the bus is Liam, Laila and Kai, all wondering why wealthy spoilt-brat-b@#!h is on the school bus. Soon they all have the same thought - are they going to die?
Their school bus is suddenly teetering on the edge of a cliff after some high intensity road rage. They all manage to escape, dragging a heavy hold-all out the window with them. It is stuffed with one million dollars.
Minds race as they realise how close they came to going over with the bus. Who does the money belong to? Do they tell the Police? All four minds are frantically working out what they could do with the money. How it could change their lives forever. They make a pact and decide to keep it, vowing not to touch it for six months to avoid detection.
This is the first lie of many they will tell each other and themselves. They all believe they have fail safe plans for their new futures. But the money belongs to someone very dangerous, and among these villains are even more liars, pulling the plot this way and that, throwing in twist after twist until the four teen liars become extremely unlucky indeed.
With their lives on the line, the villains closing in, and the police breathing down their necks, Liam, Laila, Fliss and Kai all wish they had never been on that bus that day...
A twisty-turny page-flipping YA thriller that had me wondering what was going to happen next. The setting is in a small coastal UK town which is easy to picture. The characters are varied, and I only really connected with one. Laila's worry for her little brother is real and her Egyptian heritage was interesting for me as a New Zealander. She was likeable and I was pleased at her personal outcome at the end of the book.
Fliss was pure evil, but a product of her parents, and I could've pushed her off the cliff myself. Liam was a bit whiny and I wanted to give him a good shake like his friends did. His new rich boyfriend was in Fliss' league for horrible persons.
Kai was a good liar to nearly the end of the book when he finally didn't have much choice but to tell the truth. I did feel for his situation and loved the elderly lady who looked out for him.
The plot twists surprised me, and I loved the way human nature was portrayed as it was molded by money, with not only the main characters, but others involved.
What would you do if offered $250,000 in cash?
Age - 14+
July 30, 2023
Layla's adored younger brother has been diagnosed with cancer, and the best chance of his survival lies in America, locked behind an insurmountable cost. Liam's fully smitten with his new boyfriend, but keeping up his relationship seems to require more and more money. Kai's been living a lie since his mother moved, breaking into holiday homes and constantly inventing excuses for her absence - but he thinks renting her dream house might just bring her back. And Fliss is being contacted by a mysterious blackmailer, who is threatening to spill her biggest secret if she doesn't cough up some cash. All together, they form an unlikely group - but they're exactly the group who are present when their school bus goes over a cliff, leaving behind a gun, a lot of questions: and money that might just solve all of their problems. All they need to do is work together, and figure out how to pull off what might be the biggest lie of their lives.
Four Good Liars starts off really strong, with an action-packed flash-forward that threw up a lot of questions. It worked really well in keeping me captivated, as I was then eager to find out the answers, and to see just how it got to that point. I liked that there were a mix of characters, and that each one had their own reasons for keeping the money. It made me a lot more invested in the plot, as whenever I found myself wondering why they hadn't just turned it in in the first place, I put myself in their shoes - specifically Layla's - and could completely see why handing the money in was barely even an option. There were also a LOT of twists; I genuinely don't think anyone could successfully predict everything that was going to happen by the end!
Something that did bother me throughout is that the characters were very tropey: the model minority, the one besotted with the uptown guy, the spoilt rich girl, and the down-on-his-luck outcast. I don't particularly feel that the characters were fleshed out much beyond that, or that there was any real character development. As well, Liam's reason for wanting the money did stick out a bit compared to the others! I think Layla's situation was one that anyone could empathise with, and I could understand too why Kai would need the money. Although I didn't like Fliss, and think she probably had the second weakest motivation, I could just about jive with it. And yeah, I guess I can see that Liam wanted to sustain what he thought was an important relationship, it just wasn't really in the same league! There were also some big plot-holes. I know the characters were teenagers, and maybe not the most rational! - but did they really think they could just suddenly have loads of cash, and that no one would a) notice or b) connect it to the crash they were all involved in, where a large amount of money went missing?! Lastly, and something that really irked me - there was a line at around 58% where the author appears to have misgendered Lou, or at least that was my reading of it. It's just... not hard, to not do that? If you're going to write a non-binary character, they need to be written respectfully.
For the most part, this was a fun read. I'm not sure it hooked me enough to read more by the same author, but it was fun while it lasted.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Four Good Liars starts off really strong, with an action-packed flash-forward that threw up a lot of questions. It worked really well in keeping me captivated, as I was then eager to find out the answers, and to see just how it got to that point. I liked that there were a mix of characters, and that each one had their own reasons for keeping the money. It made me a lot more invested in the plot, as whenever I found myself wondering why they hadn't just turned it in in the first place, I put myself in their shoes - specifically Layla's - and could completely see why handing the money in was barely even an option. There were also a LOT of twists; I genuinely don't think anyone could successfully predict everything that was going to happen by the end!
Something that did bother me throughout is that the characters were very tropey: the model minority, the one besotted with the uptown guy, the spoilt rich girl, and the down-on-his-luck outcast. I don't particularly feel that the characters were fleshed out much beyond that, or that there was any real character development. As well, Liam's reason for wanting the money did stick out a bit compared to the others! I think Layla's situation was one that anyone could empathise with, and I could understand too why Kai would need the money. Although I didn't like Fliss, and think she probably had the second weakest motivation, I could just about jive with it. And yeah, I guess I can see that Liam wanted to sustain what he thought was an important relationship, it just wasn't really in the same league! There were also some big plot-holes. I know the characters were teenagers, and maybe not the most rational! - but did they really think they could just suddenly have loads of cash, and that no one would a) notice or b) connect it to the crash they were all involved in, where a large amount of money went missing?! Lastly, and something that really irked me - there was a line at around 58% where the author appears to have misgendered Lou, or at least that was my reading of it. It's just... not hard, to not do that? If you're going to write a non-binary character, they need to be written respectfully.
For the most part, this was a fun read. I'm not sure it hooked me enough to read more by the same author, but it was fun while it lasted.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
May 20, 2024
Four teenagers. Four lives. Four secrets. A bucketload of trouble! When four teenagers catch a bus to school, they never expect their world to become turned upside and wanted targets for people who will stop at nothing to get what they want. But the people watching them don’t know what good liars the four teenagers are. They have nobody to trust and nobody to tell the truth to, and before long these four teens are in way over their heads. But there is no going back, not even as their pact quickly begins to unravel.
Layla just wants her brother to get better and will do anything to help him. Kai wants his family back together and will do whatever it takes to make that happen. Liam just wants to be good enough for his boyfriend and accepted by their friends and is desperate enough to do anything to be good enough. Fliss wants to get whatever she wants, regardless of the collateral damage. These four high school students have nothing in common, until one day their school bus crashes after a high speed chase and they find themselves with an unexpected one million pounds.
This novel is told through multiple points of views – Layla, Kai, Liam and Fliss. The chapter headings are essential to follow the events within the story because there is so much happening. The headings also help understand the motivation behind the characters. Wishart has done an exceptional job of creating four different characters with multiple subplots within each character. This adds to the depth of each character and allows the reader to really get to know and understand them. It is also a significant credit to Wishart’s writing ability to have created four distinct voices, each so different but each so important to the storyline.
The twists and turns are everywhere in this story, and the stakes are seriously high. In fact, each of their lives are on the line as they try to get away with keeping the one million pounds. As the story unfolds, Wishart pushes each character to evolve and at times, do things they never thought they would do. It also invites the reader to ask how far they would go to get what they want. The writing style is easy to read with text messages scattered throughout the storyline. There are references to current social media platforms which makes it modern and relatable to the teenage audience.
The novel includes the very real teenage angst around being accepted and fitting in. It also addresses social dynamics, family drama, gender identity, sexuality and friendship. All were done with sensitivity and without preaching. These themes make for lots of great discussion points and storylines that could be unpacked within the pages.
The easy to read writing style means this high stakes, action packed novel keeps the reader guessing all the way to the very end. Sarah Wishart is an action-packed writer and this will entertain any reader. Four Good Liars is suitable for a 12+ readership.
Layla just wants her brother to get better and will do anything to help him. Kai wants his family back together and will do whatever it takes to make that happen. Liam just wants to be good enough for his boyfriend and accepted by their friends and is desperate enough to do anything to be good enough. Fliss wants to get whatever she wants, regardless of the collateral damage. These four high school students have nothing in common, until one day their school bus crashes after a high speed chase and they find themselves with an unexpected one million pounds.
This novel is told through multiple points of views – Layla, Kai, Liam and Fliss. The chapter headings are essential to follow the events within the story because there is so much happening. The headings also help understand the motivation behind the characters. Wishart has done an exceptional job of creating four different characters with multiple subplots within each character. This adds to the depth of each character and allows the reader to really get to know and understand them. It is also a significant credit to Wishart’s writing ability to have created four distinct voices, each so different but each so important to the storyline.
The twists and turns are everywhere in this story, and the stakes are seriously high. In fact, each of their lives are on the line as they try to get away with keeping the one million pounds. As the story unfolds, Wishart pushes each character to evolve and at times, do things they never thought they would do. It also invites the reader to ask how far they would go to get what they want. The writing style is easy to read with text messages scattered throughout the storyline. There are references to current social media platforms which makes it modern and relatable to the teenage audience.
The novel includes the very real teenage angst around being accepted and fitting in. It also addresses social dynamics, family drama, gender identity, sexuality and friendship. All were done with sensitivity and without preaching. These themes make for lots of great discussion points and storylines that could be unpacked within the pages.
The easy to read writing style means this high stakes, action packed novel keeps the reader guessing all the way to the very end. Sarah Wishart is an action-packed writer and this will entertain any reader. Four Good Liars is suitable for a 12+ readership.
April 26, 2024
This is one of my favourite books by far this year.
Kai's mums a bit** but we can live with that cause he still has Lou and Layla.
Wooo Lou is a non binary character, and Liam is a gay character. Go LGBTQ+!! LOVE LOVE LOVE!
So Kai's mum is terrible!
Everyone, you should hate Fliss from the very beginning to the end. She kinda reminds me of a character from Criminal Minds, and I don't mean the ones we come to love. I mean, I mean a unsub we kinda want either captured or possible sho*. Oh, and her mum, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Pfft like mother like daughter...
Characters to like
Kai
Layla
Salih
Lou
Characters you should NOT like
Fliss and her mother stated aboved.
Liams boyfriend, kinda forgot his name. I read it as douchebag the whole time. Oh, and he killed someone as well... maybe he should hook up with Fliss.
Two of Liams boyfriends mates, not mentioned much, but when they are, you kinda want to burn the pages.
People tolerate
LIAM... THE GUY STEALS £250,000 AND STILL TAPES HIS GLASSES TOGETHER. THEN COMPLAINS THAT THEY ARE TAPED TOGETHER. P.S he bought a car for £20,000 for his douche bag boyfriend but couldn't get new glasses. Pfft...
Also, this is my favourite because I didn't even for one minute guess it was Fliss's mother or the hotel being a drug place. I mean, I could guess it was drug money, but the rest was pfft.
Oh, and p.s did Mrs Gibson have to die, no that was just cruel, I'm taking to you Fliss. I loved the old lady who was possibly mentioned 5 times and then died.
Also, Kais parents are just terrible. In fact, only Laylas parents are mentioned the most, Liams once, and she seemed nice. The rest kinda had such awful parents. Lou's didn't accept her, Kais, well.. pfft she..meh angers me and Fliss well f**k her mum need therapy
I LIKED THE BOOK
Adios Amigos!
Kai's mums a bit** but we can live with that cause he still has Lou and Layla.
Wooo Lou is a non binary character, and Liam is a gay character. Go LGBTQ+!! LOVE LOVE LOVE!
So Kai's mum is terrible!
Everyone, you should hate Fliss from the very beginning to the end. She kinda reminds me of a character from Criminal Minds, and I don't mean the ones we come to love. I mean, I mean a unsub we kinda want either captured or possible sho*. Oh, and her mum, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Pfft like mother like daughter...
Characters to like
Kai
Layla
Salih
Lou
Characters you should NOT like
Fliss and her mother stated aboved.
Liams boyfriend, kinda forgot his name. I read it as douchebag the whole time. Oh, and he killed someone as well... maybe he should hook up with Fliss.
Two of Liams boyfriends mates, not mentioned much, but when they are, you kinda want to burn the pages.
People tolerate
LIAM... THE GUY STEALS £250,000 AND STILL TAPES HIS GLASSES TOGETHER. THEN COMPLAINS THAT THEY ARE TAPED TOGETHER. P.S he bought a car for £20,000 for his douche bag boyfriend but couldn't get new glasses. Pfft...
Also, this is my favourite because I didn't even for one minute guess it was Fliss's mother or the hotel being a drug place. I mean, I could guess it was drug money, but the rest was pfft.
Oh, and p.s did Mrs Gibson have to die, no that was just cruel, I'm taking to you Fliss. I loved the old lady who was possibly mentioned 5 times and then died.
Also, Kais parents are just terrible. In fact, only Laylas parents are mentioned the most, Liams once, and she seemed nice. The rest kinda had such awful parents. Lou's didn't accept her, Kais, well.. pfft she..meh angers me and Fliss well f**k her mum need therapy
I LIKED THE BOOK
Adios Amigos!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2024
If you found a million dollars, who are 3 other people you would split it with?
Where do I even begin with this one? Four Good Liars by Sarah Wishart is a crazy thrill ride from beginning to end! With four different points of view to lead you down different paths of deception, you won’t know who to believe.
The Good:
I had a really hard time putting this book down. Every chapter was its own miniature rollercoaster ride and when you added them all up it was like I’d experienced all the highs and lows of an amusement park! The characters each had their own unique voices, and came from very different walks of life, which I liked. Some of them you loved to love and others you loved to hate. I liked that chapters were short and sweet and the surprises didn’t stop coming, not even on the last page!
The Bad:
I realize this YA, but the writing felt simple at times and lacked a certain polish, if you know what I mean. I also felt like it was a bit unrealistic, especially when it came to the money laundering and the guys they were dealing with. Small things in the big scheme, but still things I noticed nonetheless.
The Mentionable:
For a YA there was a fair amount of Trigger Warnings to be aware of: language, blackmail, character with cancer, elitism, car accidents, multiple murders, car accident injuries, alcohol consumption, child abandonment, explosions, gun violence, physical violence, gaslighting and attempted rape.
As a whole I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and I liked the story for the most part. With a title like this you are constantly asking yourself ‘who’s lying?’ And ‘Is any one actually telling the truth?’
Thank you to @harpercollinsca @frenzybooks for the gifted copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Where do I even begin with this one? Four Good Liars by Sarah Wishart is a crazy thrill ride from beginning to end! With four different points of view to lead you down different paths of deception, you won’t know who to believe.
The Good:
I had a really hard time putting this book down. Every chapter was its own miniature rollercoaster ride and when you added them all up it was like I’d experienced all the highs and lows of an amusement park! The characters each had their own unique voices, and came from very different walks of life, which I liked. Some of them you loved to love and others you loved to hate. I liked that chapters were short and sweet and the surprises didn’t stop coming, not even on the last page!
The Bad:
I realize this YA, but the writing felt simple at times and lacked a certain polish, if you know what I mean. I also felt like it was a bit unrealistic, especially when it came to the money laundering and the guys they were dealing with. Small things in the big scheme, but still things I noticed nonetheless.
The Mentionable:
For a YA there was a fair amount of Trigger Warnings to be aware of: language, blackmail, character with cancer, elitism, car accidents, multiple murders, car accident injuries, alcohol consumption, child abandonment, explosions, gun violence, physical violence, gaslighting and attempted rape.
As a whole I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and I liked the story for the most part. With a title like this you are constantly asking yourself ‘who’s lying?’ And ‘Is any one actually telling the truth?’
Thank you to @harpercollinsca @frenzybooks for the gifted copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
April 25, 2025
“They are four good liars” - The blurb.
Sooo.. they were in fact not good liars. Through their “good lying” they managed to steal money, arise suspicion by the police, their parents, and drug dealers, almost get themselves killed, lose all their money and get all their lies revealed. Wait, I forgot to add the part where they all claimed they lied better than the others yet somehow they worked out each others lies and admitted to them while still “lying”.
Honestly this was way too predictable and the “twists” were so obvious. The POC and LQBTQ+ rep felt so forced and constantly over emphasised as if their entire personality revolved around being that. There were so many stereotypes and not a single likeable character.
Liam was so insecure and self absorbed to the point that he thought someone looking his way to talk to him was judging his appearance when clearly they did not care. Layla was trying was too hard to be the innocent, loving older sister when really she was a self centered, whiny child. Kai was so naive and there was absolutely no need to constantly bring up his whole “I’m a surfer” thing. I don’t know what the author was trying to do with Fliss’ character but it wasn’t working. She really irritated me and she was quite possibly the worst liar despite the fact that she said, and I quote, “I’m a good liar. Far better than the other three. I’m the absolute best.” Also every single parent was extremely selfish and couldn’t care less about their child. And don’t get me started on DC Walker. How did he not get fired? Anyways so moral of the story is that if you find money that does not belong to you, it’s okay to keep it if you have good intentions for it.
Sooo.. they were in fact not good liars. Through their “good lying” they managed to steal money, arise suspicion by the police, their parents, and drug dealers, almost get themselves killed, lose all their money and get all their lies revealed. Wait, I forgot to add the part where they all claimed they lied better than the others yet somehow they worked out each others lies and admitted to them while still “lying”.
Honestly this was way too predictable and the “twists” were so obvious. The POC and LQBTQ+ rep felt so forced and constantly over emphasised as if their entire personality revolved around being that. There were so many stereotypes and not a single likeable character.
Liam was so insecure and self absorbed to the point that he thought someone looking his way to talk to him was judging his appearance when clearly they did not care. Layla was trying was too hard to be the innocent, loving older sister when really she was a self centered, whiny child. Kai was so naive and there was absolutely no need to constantly bring up his whole “I’m a surfer” thing. I don’t know what the author was trying to do with Fliss’ character but it wasn’t working. She really irritated me and she was quite possibly the worst liar despite the fact that she said, and I quote, “I’m a good liar. Far better than the other three. I’m the absolute best.” Also every single parent was extremely selfish and couldn’t care less about their child. And don’t get me started on DC Walker. How did he not get fired? Anyways so moral of the story is that if you find money that does not belong to you, it’s okay to keep it if you have good intentions for it.
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