This Story is a Lie

by Benjamin Dean

Harley Matthews is a used to fading into the background. That is until Rising Stars, the high-school programme that takes talented students and makes their dreams come true, choose him to participate for the coveted position of winner for this year’s competition.

The first problem? They’ve also chosen Annabella, Billie and Theo. Aka Year Eleven’s most popular and powerful pupils. Aka the Perfect Four. The second problem? They didn’t choose the last member of the Perfect Four: Oliver. The third problem? Harley must compete with them all to win.

Harley’s world is turned upside down as he’s thrust into the school’s limelight. So much for laying low. But with new-found supporters comes envious enemies. And when he finds a chalk outline of his body drawn at the bottom of the school stairs, he has the face the reality that someone wants him out the competition – permanently. But the underdog deserves to win, right?

Remember, this story is a lie.

Please note: The Story is a Lie is not suitable for younger readers.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Crime, Audiobook, Short Stories

100 pages, Paperback

Published February 13, 2025

Reviews

[Dannii Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of this book told me the contents would all be lies and it still got me! Despite measuring in at just over 100 pages, this had such a fun little mystery and I was totally duped into believing I knew what was occurring on the page!

The contents and the tone read towards the lower end of YA, which I don't normally gravitate towards, but that didn't affect my rating as I found it a fun and refreshing change of pace to be caught up in the world of high school dramas for a while.

[Mady · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story for a young adult audience.
It was a quick read and I’ve enjoyed it. However, having read Ace of Spades only a few weeks ago meant that this story (though with a slightly different context) sounded quite familiar!

[Helena Wildsmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clever short story with an ending I didn't see coming!

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought harley was a girl for almost the entire book

[Sifa Poulton · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS STORY IS A LIE is a tale of a school competition that could change the course of someone's future, but not everyone is willing to trust they can fairly beat the others.

I liked how this book explored the performative nature that can, sadly, so often occur with schemes like this. This is a foundation with so much money but only transforms a few students' lives every year, and pits them against one another, rather than fostering a spirit of solidarity. The book also looks at how those with more privilege are often the ones that benefit from schemes designed to give anyone a boost - because of the wealth or time or support to pursue and hone the sorts of artistic endeavours that this scheme is supporting.

The way anonymous gossip was being spread reminded me of Simon Says in ONE OF US IS LYING. It is an effective device to raise suspicion and the stakes because you can see the effects it has on others and so don't want it to happen to the main character. It adds an impetus to finding who's behind it before they can act against Harley.

The title of the tale, THIS STORY IS A LIE, immediately warns you that you are dealing with an unreliable narrator. You have to take everything said with a pinch of salt, unsure what exactly is the lie and so how much of what you're being told you can trust as the truth. Doubt is therefore weaponised meaning that those who are seemingly ruled out cannot be.

There are actually two narrators. Harley is the main one, occupying about 80% of the book, telling his side of the story. But then his best friend Peter takes over. The tale is set up to make you trust Peter more than you do Harley, but given the title of the book, there is that niggling doubt left about maybe Peter isn't telling the truth either.

The back of the book reveals the title of Benjamin Dean's next YA thriller. I for one am excited for another thriller from the author - he is one of my favourites in the YA space.

[Kate Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Benjamin Dean has kindly contributed his short story This Story is a Lie to the 2025 World Book Day charity event, aimed at encouraging children to read and enjoy the benefits of literature. As we’ve seen a decline in children reading, through increase of screen usage, the long-term effects of the pandemic etc, it is more important than ever for kids to be reading.
Dean’s engaging short story is a thriller, aimed at teen readers (I love that WBD includes teens!) focusing on Harley Matthews, a black, gay student competing in the Rising Stars programme for gifted students, where the winner will secure a successful life beyond imagination. But, we know from the title that Harley cannot be trusted, although he is an unreliable narrator, we want to believe Harley’s underdog story. When three of the Perfect Four student royalties are chosen alongside Harley to compete, he believes there is no chance of winning. Until their worlds become turmoil after an anonymous blog post begins revealing personal secrets and accusing them of cheating, poisoning and theft, unexpectedly Harley is in with a chance. Although his life is threatened, and he suffers a near fatal ‘accident’ we think everything will work out for him. Until suddenly, the POV changes to Peter, a guy Harley described as convenience friends. Peter starts to do some investigating himself and realises his friend hasn’t been honest about the competition. But who can we trust? Is either side of the story the truth?
A great novella which can be used to introduce teens into crime/thriller fiction while encouraging them to read and reflect on the narration style. It can easily be read in one sitting and like all good texts, it has made me want to explore more of his work!

[JEDKEN · Rating 3 out of 5]

WTF
Typ som gosip girl eller A i PLL har vi här en bloggare som sprider hemligheter om elever i en skola. Men bara de som tävlar om att vinna ett stependium.
Huvudkaraktären som man följer tror man är den goda och han som inte gör något fel. Men de slutar med att han är den som har spridit allt. Men ändå så vinner han(tror ja). Slutar med att han skyller ifrån alltig på hans bästa kompis som tillslut kommer på honom.

Olklart vilken ålder denna ska vara till.
3.8

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fascinating read. Clever way of narrating and a well structured twisty story. From the beginning, it tells you this is a lie, and that was no lie. Will be exploring this authors other works, too. Great fun book.

[Patsy Boobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good short little story with unreliable narrators and makes you question who is actually telling the truth or not - it makes you look for little hidden clues and who seems to be the one behind it all. Cool ending which makes us realise the one behind it all had given us clues all along.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Year 9 were gripped!

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good plot and to the point. Overall an enjoyable read.

[Lula Lina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars
°•°•°•°•° No spoilers °•°•°•°•°

It had "One of us is Lying" vibes. I didn't like "One of us is Lying" but this one was okay even if it was a little confusing, but it sorted itself out in the end... I think.
It did have some good plot twists.

[tola · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a quick read and the ending is unexpected. This was a trust nobody, who’s the imposter, that guy’s sus, I saw him vent ahh story 💀

[Aroosha Rehan · Rating 2 out of 5]

its obviously a short book so it wasn't that interesting

[Stella Tralcio · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's so annoying. There is one plot twist but it's still shit. I hate it with my entire heart💀

[Georgina Power · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Benjamin Dean as an author, and The King is Dead is one of my favourite reads ever, so to see that Ben was doing a book for World Book Day I just knew I needed to buy it and read it, not just for the fact that I know it will be amazing, but to support Ben and support World Book Day!

This story is a lie is gripping and fast paced YA short story thriller filled with twists and unexpected turns. The story follows main character Harley, who after being shortlisted by the foundation for his chance to be accepted into the Rising Stars Programme, Harley starts experiencing strange events, and starts questioning the motives of those around him, and whether there is someone out there who doesn’t support his place in this competition, is the battle between the five short listers going to become deadly?

This book is absolutely brilliant at building the suspense and angst that you feel throughout, and it provides real “one of us is lying” vibes, with an anonymous source providing scandalous details on all the competitors in the Rising Stars shortlist, and with the finger being pointed in multiple directs, it adds to the mystique and intrigue that comes with all well-developed thrillers. Told predominately from Harley's perspective you really start to feel for him, and worry that something unjust is going to happen, and his character development is brilliant.

However around three quarters through the book there is a new narrative from his best friend Peter, in which plot twists reveal themselves, and many stories and lies become unravelled. This is a book that I finished in one sitting, and a fantastic tribute to WBD!

[Linda (bythebellbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect quick read for when you want something short, clever, and a little bit mind-bending!

This story kept me guessing from the start — what’s real, what’s not, who’s telling the truth? I love books that play with your head a little, and this one did it in a fun, simple way without feeling confusing.

It was also super easy to take along for a road trip (finished it in one go during our drive back to Athens from Mystra for Easter holidays!).
The story moves fast, and even though it’s short, it still pulls you in and leaves you thinking.

Perfect for fans of quick mysteries, twisty plots, or anyone looking for a bite-sized book that feels bigger than it looks.
And bonus points — it’s a World Book Day book, so it’s affordable and fun to collect! 😉

[Lola Lloyd]

I've chosen not to rate books with less than 200 pages from now due to personally thinking that books that short havent had enough time to prove itself to be 4 stars etc. However, this was a very clever story and the ending really surprised me!

Is it bad though that I only realised Harley was a boy during Peter's POV XD It lits has his pronouns on the blurb i'm so stupid :p.

I do think the idea of him being black and gay could of been explored a tiny bit more, because it was just mentioned in a random sentence (which people could of easily missed) then it wasn't mentioned of even hinted at after its introduction.

But overall, this was a fun read and I am considering reading one of Benjamin Dean's longer books, but if this story was clever, i'm sure it will be fun to explore his writing and ideas in a bit more detail with a longer book.

[Jo · Rating 1 out of 5]

You get what you pay for - this book cost a free WBD voucher and was nearly worth it.
Dreadful, clunky writing, which veered between a ham-fisted attempt to recreate the breathless hyperbole of a teenager (who claims to still have an elevated heart rate hours after a mild surprise) and a weirdly corporate exposition style which one can only imagine was needed to fill enough pages to elevate this from a pamphlet to a novella. Shameless rip-offs of various pop culture tropes - notably Gossip Girl - and forgettable, flat characters are the main features I can recall. I honestly could not have cared less had they all turned out to be aliens. Total dross.

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of the YA thrillers that abound at the moment. This is a novella, short and sweet and a little bit creepy scary. I do like an unreliable narrator and Harley is definitely in that category. He is suddenly in the spotlight at school, nominated for a supreme award, one of 4 up for it, but there can only be one ultimate winner. The nominees start to meet with dreadful ends and Harley is scared, rightly so, because it seems that someone is now after him too.

Bit of fun. Short, sharp, snappy read and ideal for those who need something really engaging and short.

[Tracy Lander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice story for teens.
When Harley Matthews name is drawn to take part in the Rising Stars programme. He tells Peter he didn't put his name forward.
The three others are all part of The Perfect Four, and are eliminated one by one as rumours against their character surface.
But Harley doesn't automatically go forward as Oliver, the fourth of The Perfect Four, is added suddenly. After that meeting Harley is pushed down the stairs. He is muttering Oliver's name.
But Peter is beginning to be suspicious...who is the real culprit and who is framed?

[Daniel Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really didn’t expect much from this book because of how short it is and I usually feel that shorter books feel like there’s too much that needed expanded on. But with this book I didn’t really feel that. Due to the length it’s very fast paced so you won’t get bored. You get what the title say with “This story is a lie”. By the end of the book it’s hard to know what’s the truth. Would definitely recommend this book as it’s a very quick read and only £1 as it’s a world book day release!

[Zak F · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Story Is a Lie by Benjamin Dean is a gripping and impressive read, especially considering it’s under 100 pages as part of this year’s World Book Day selection. It’s great to see an LGBT+ author featured in such a big way, and this book delivers a story that’s both engaging and full of surprises. The twist at the end was fantastic, making it a must-read for anyone looking for a short but engaging story.

[Snarhooked · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea of having an unreliable narrator for this story. The premise didn't quite work for me: the Rising Stars competition didn't seem realistic and nor did the characters. They felt more like they were from a film about American high school. But it is hard to develop characters when writing such a short story.

It was certainly a popular choice among my students and I will be seeking out more books by this author for them.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, this was an extremely quick read, and it was an interesting one. The largest portion of the book, narrated by Harley, was very confusing once Peter started narrating and it just made no sense- I know that his story was a lie but it could have been anything, and the author really could have just made anything up and said it was a lie. However, I did enjoy the read and it was a good plot- and the characters were cool, too. Overall, an okay free book!

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Benjamin Dean’s YA books, so when I heard there was going to be a World Book Day one, I was thrilled. I’ve just sat here and inhaled it. I swore LOUDLY at the end. This is proper gripping, brilliantly written and my gosh, what an ending. What a character Harley is. I loved the Gossip Girl-esque elements too. Honestly, what a story.

[Shannon Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this story was going to be aimed at a slightly younger audience as I'd never seen anything from this author before. I was wrong. While it is teen appropriate it's definitely not as young as I thought it would be.

The story itself is well written and gripping. I couldn't put it down. It has me hooked. I didn't see the ending coming due to being so absorbed by the story.

[Laura (Lola) Mackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a free book offer I just couldn’t resist giving this short a read. It didn’t take long with only 100 pages to read and was an easy read as it’s aimed at teen readers. But it was great for what it was and I cannot fault. The end twist shocked me a little but I’m still not sure who to believe is in the wrong.

[Bethany Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun WBD read! A lot happened in just 100 pages, but it felt realistic. My only issues were the writing, because at times it felt a bit cliché and the ending, because I felt there wasn't enough in the text leading up to it. Maybe I'm just clueless, but it threw me off. That said, I'm happy I picked up a copy and would read more from this author.

[LouisRogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the end of the day, you do get exactly what you came for.
It's one pound and only a limited edition promotional item for world book day, so its not like its going to be the next Shakespeare or anything, but it is good for what it is.
Oh and that twist at the end! That really caught me off guard. I really could not see that that was coming.