Where the Truth Lies

by Jessica Warman

On the surface, Emily Meckler leads the perfect life. She has three best friends, two loving parents, and the ideal setup at the Connecticut prep school where her father is the headmaster. But Emily also suffers from devastating nightmares about fire and water, and nobody knows why. Then the enigmatic Del Sugar enters her life, and Emily is immediately swept away—but her passionate relationship with Del is just the first of many things that aren't quite what they seem in Emily's life. As the lies she's been told start to unravel, Emily must set out to discover the truth regarding her nightmare; on a journey that will lead her to question everything she thought she knew about love, family, and her own idyllic past.

This companion novel to Warman's critically acclaimed Breathless proves that sometimes the biggest lies are told to the people you love the most.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Boarding School, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Teen

308 pages, Hardcover

First published August 24, 2010

About the author

Jessica Warman is the author of Breathless, which received three starred reviews and was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and Where the Truth Lies. The idea for Between came from an incident in her childhood, when a local boy went missing after a party on a yacht (he was eventually found, alive).

Reviews

[Sierra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Where do I start?
So much about this book made me angry and literally sigh in frustration. I can't even remember what about this book's description drew me into it enough to put it on my 'To Read' list in the first place.
For starters, in the first part of the book (there are three) Emily meets Del--knows nothing about him!--and their first kiss is literally on page 60. Stupid, right? If you're like me, you believe in character development before anything changes. And really, readers learn little, if anything, about Del.
Second thing: Emily gets herself pregnant by page 112. WTF? That's just stupid, in my opinion. Thus begins Part Two, which is just completely stupid and will probably make you want to slam your head into the wall, like it did me. Emily is so naive that she doesn't see signs of Del's drug use, they have protection-less sex, and she's just one of the most clueless characters I've ever been introduced to in a book. She was like...stupid beyond stupid.
The entire 'summer' in the book spans one chapter. And in this summer, Emily "hides" her kid, gives birth to it, and puts it up for adoption. Yea, like someone's parents are going to let their daughter run off to New York with a girl who is, in my opinion, shady, and not even notice she's pregnant? How freaking unrealistic is that?
Another thing, what was with the cuddling? Emily and her roommates are always cuddling, which is really weird. Okay, it’s normal to cuddle with someone you're dating, but a roommate or best friend? Really sick, if you ask me. I also had a hard time figuring out why in the world Stephanie (Emily's BFF) was so...obsessed with her twin brother. It actually sickened me how weird this character was.
The whole book made me want to...I don't know, rip it in half? And the only reason I really finished it, was so I could write a review that told what happened. So, obviously, I'm not suggesting this book to anyone who believes in...well, normal situations and believable characters.
I have never read any of the author's other books, and really, I don't think I ever will. (Sorry for the hateful review...but if anything, I always speak my mind.)

[Karina Halle · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know those movies that look really exciting/interesting in the trailer and you're like "oooooh, that's gotta be good!" Then you go see the movie and you're like "yes, yes, interesting!" and then about half way it starts going down another path. The boring, safe and predictable path? And then the movie ends and you were like, "it was okay, but if I wrote the film, I would have made it about this and done this and this and this and..."

That's what Where the Truth Lies was for me. Really intriguing concept: girl at boarding school suffers from nightmares. Bad boy enters the picture. They fall in love. Meanwhile, her perfect parents are hiding things about her past and all her friends seem to have dubious lives and motives. Little threads are dropped here and there and you think it's all going to lead to something really, really cool.

But, in this case, it doesn't.

There was so much to work with here, to turn this into some gothic boarding school mystery, maybe even something paranormal. I mean, you have the terrible sleep terrors and the boarding school set-up, weird-acting twins, the charming dangerous bad boy with a shady past, as well as these detailed characters who seem to be hiding something and then in the end...nothing goes anywhere. Instead the book ignores the side characters and whatever interesting things happen to them - one character Franny seems to suffer from anorexia, she's super frail and damaged, she likes to "cuddle" her gfs a lot, she wears day of the week underwear to a fault until she starts wearing the wrong days...WHY give us all this information about her if you're just going to more or less leave her character alone - another character goes missing and a big to-do is made of it but in the end it was just kind of resolved and you're like WHY did that even matter?

So it didn't go all mysterious or creepy, instead the book ended up being about "family".

BORING.

*bangs fist* I didn't sign up for boring family drama!

And babies! Why the FUCK do babies have to come into play in a YA book (or fucking any book, yeah I'm not a baby lover). This is the second boarding school + baby book I've read and at least the last one had a morbid tone to it.

Now, if someone was like "this sounds like a book, should I read it?" I'd be like, "yeah whatever" *shrugs* The writing was fine, the characters interesting enough (although the main character has her FUCKING STUPID moments *sigh, omg* see: baby), it kept my attention the WHOLE way through (and it's a long book). So that's why I'm giving it three stars.

But would I, say, go around telling people to read this book?

Nah. I wouldn't.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where The Truth Lies is one of the most beautifully and elegantly written books of the year, one that deals with situations present in most teens' lives, if not their friends- first love, break-ups, pregnancies...

Where the Truth Lies starts of at the beginning of Emily Meckler's junior year of high school. Emily has always been the good girl. She has three best friends, a picture perfect family life with two parents (something most of her friends don't have), and the right to a boarding school education where her father is the headmaster of the said school. Her junior year is supposed to be just like the rest- perfect and uneventful. That is until it changes in one moment when she meets the mysterious, eccentric, and swoon-worthy Del Sugar. Del Sugar isn't like most boys at her boarding school. He came from foster care and has a tattoo and past he refuses to talk about. And soon he has Emily's heart as well, though as Emily is soon to learn through the falling apart of her life, this isn't the best of things. But how is one girl supposed to leave a guy she thinks she loves, especially given the situation she put herself into? And how is that same girl supposed to pull herself up when she's fallen so far from the top? Well, it looks like Emily is soon to find out...

Emily was a great main character, one that I continuously rooted for no matter how bad the circumstances she got herself into. One of the things I loved most about her character was the layers Jessica put into her, ones that contained the good girl that hid the girl who wanted to break out of her shell which hid a girl who was truly lost in all ways possible. I thought Emily was simply a fascinating character and a perfect pick to lead the story. I also enjoyed reading about her relationships with different characters in the story and how each where built up on truths and lies and how some could go tumbling down in a second. One of my favorite secondary characters was Renee. She was a funny and trustworthy girl that I truly liked. I also adored reading about Emily's other friends and the sometimes funny situations they got themselves into.

The plot of this was interesting and forever kept me immersed in the story at hand. I enjoyed seeing the constant twists Jessica put in Emily's life, as well as seeing how far one girl could fall from the 'perfect' life she had before.

Further more, I loved the fact that Where the Truth Lies took place at a boarding school. Because not only did Jessica do a great job of capturing the feel of one, but her descriptions of it often made me feel like I was right there with the characters, wrapped up in all the drama just as much as they were.

And as mentioned before Jessica's writing was nothing but fantastic. My favorite part of the story by far! I loved the level of detail to the story and how she easily made this story take place in two years without giving me the feeling that I missed important details.

The only part of the story I wasn't too found of was how everything also felt a bit too neatly into place, but other than that small thing nothing else truly bothered me.

In all, Where the Truth Lies is a fabulous novel, one that I highly suggest to all readers out there looking for a new contemporary author and her books to read! And I think it goes without saying that I can't wait to read more by Jessica Warman!

Grade: A

[Mona Daiban · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is very surprising, to say the least. I expected it to be more in-depth, and I expected to connect with the main character as I normally do with characters in well-written novels.

I didn't like some of the characters, the first one being Emily. She's just naive and stupid and clueless. Another character I dislike is Stephani. She is pushy and bossy and irritating and just plain weird. I didn't get how Emily could be best friends with Stephani but at the same time dislike her and dislike talking to her. I mean, why did she befriend Stephani in the first place when Stephani was known for having a bad attitude? What puzzled me more was when they "made up" but Emily made it clear that they weren't going to keep in touch once they go off to college..I mean seriously, what the hell??
As for Ethan, he's just waaaaay too perfect..
I found the other characters okay...I really liked Renee's character, and even though Del is bad news, but it seems that he genuinly loved Emily.

The book would've been really good if it was written in a more detailed way,because the story itself is a very good one. But what bothered me was that everything was happening so fast, Emily and Del became a couple very early in the book, and then he suddenly disappeared, Emily found out about her past so easily,and then that's it.The author failed to make cracking the mystery of Emily's past intriguing, because the answers came out so quickly and easily. The truth was pretty unexpected, but it all came out really fast, I had to reread some parts to see if I had missed anything.

I didn't like how the author made hiding Emily's pregnancy easy, because from what i've seen and know, pregnancies can't be hidden that easily. It was all unrealistic, from succeeding in hiding the pregnancy to delivering her baby and giving it up for adoption and getting her body back in shape all in a matter of a couple of months.

What bothered me the most though, was the "Madeline Moons-Park" mystery. I HATED that there wasn't any expalnation to what happened to her,when the character herself had found out. That basically ruined the whole book for me.

All in all, this book was a disappointment. It was not even near what I had expected it to be. It's not a bad book per se, but it's not a good one either.

[Jax O · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very clever tale of love, lies, and secrets. The whole story seems to be interwoven with lies and betrayals; beyond my wildest imagination. The level of emotion throughout the story was unexpected, and will keep readers on the edge of their seats. An overview shows that this story is broken up into three parts. Having completed the novel I like to think of the separate parts as THE RELATIONSHIP, THE SHOCK, and THE UNRAVELING. The first part proved to be a little discouraging and I was concerned that I would struggle with the pace of this novel. I never anticipated to become so consumed by this story, but I was quickly redirected with the second part. Emily is our main character, she is what appears to be the typical girl with the perfect life. When Del become a part of Emily s life I was very hit and miss on the character. I was unable to fully label him as bad or good. He seemed to genuinely care for Emily which would send on the path of the good boy and the disapproving father. Then, something in the story would lead me on the path that Emily was about to find herself in very big trouble, and I did not see how she was going to be able to get out of this one. The reality of the story, and what actually happened was a complete and utter shock to my reading system. I could not have anticipated it, and I did not even fathom this as a possibility when I was reading. I am still reeling over the carefully mastered story, and the reality of how all of these individually ended up with in the same story. Emily s entire life was surrounded by lies and secrets. This makes one sit back and begin to wonder what would their own lives really look like if everyone secrets were revealed. This carries a huge lesson on the intensity and impact of lies. Although, I find myself concerned with Emily s hiding her pregnancy and moving to New York to deliver. I fear that some young people would see this as a solution, when it should not even be an option. While I may not be particular fond of her actions, I feel that Warman depicted very nicely the love and loss of Emily s baby. I think that she tried to realistically show how this would affect your life, and that is life changing. This is a very cutting edge book, and I could see where for many it might even be controversial.

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved/hated WHERE THE TRUTH LIES; it grabbed me and wouldn't let go. Compulsively readable, this contemporary YA novel takes a lot of artistic license and required me to put stop rolling my eyes and concentrate on my Kindle. I finished reading in a day.

The writing: Jessica Warren writes beautifully using the perfect mixture of dialogue, plot and description. She made me love and root for Emily, the narrator. I discovered her reading BETWEEN and scooped up a few of her books for $1.99 on Amazon.

The characters: Narrator Emily, daughter of the headmaster at an exclusive boarding school, thinks she has the perfect life, except for the nightmares of fire or water that keep wake her up screaming. Her parents are great and she rooms with her three best friends, all daughters of the rich and famous. She's annoyingly naive when she meets the new kid with a bad-boy reputation, Del. As the story progresses, she grows somewhat and develops a few more layers. I never felt like she became more insightful. Still, she was likable and easy to root for. Many of the minor characters are much more interesting with compelling backstories that make Emily seem bland in comparison. The manner in which some of the students felt a little too touchy feely, but I've never been to boarding school; without their families, they might be in need of closeness and affection. My favorite character was Renee, her friend from across the hall. Least favorite, the school psychologist, the worst therapist in literature, who was probably actually a psychiatrist since she was prescribing meds.

The plot: I loved the story's premise, but I would have focused on making scenarios more realistic. An example is that Emily routinely uses a rope ladder to climb out of a second story window to meet her boyfriend at night. When she's caught, the only consequence is her father's disappointment. Most of the other examples would be too spoilerish. With several characters, mysteries of their backgrounds or actions are just left hanging, like why the girl who never came back to mysteriously vanished and isn't traceable on social media or by phone. The most unrealistic, unanswered question is how was Del able to get so much private information. I hated that only two people had consequences for the rule breaking and illegal actions, particularly the adults.

I have much more to say, but don't want to give away any secrets.

THEMES: boarding school, first loves, teen pregnancy, friendships, adoption, trauma, divorce, secrets and lies.


If you're looking for a great beach read, or a snowed in read, WHERE THE TRUTH LIES is the kind of book you can read in a day, or at a slower pace. If you don't care about realistic scenarios and just want a good story, you'll probably enjoy this book. If you get distracted by thoughts of "this could never happen", you might be extremely frustrated.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that every teenage girl should read.

Emily is a good girl. Her father is the headmaster of her swanky Connecticut boarding school, and she has a pretty good life. It's not perfect - she could do without the night terrors or burning to death in a fire or drowning in the rain - but about as close as you can get. When a new boy is admitted to Stonybrook, Emily is naturally curious. The school has a long waiting list, and no one has ever been admitted after the beginning of the school year. Her dad won't give her any information about him beyond the fact that he's very smart.. and a warning to stay away from him. Really, you'd think parents would know better than to make a mysterious, good-looking, tattooed boy into the "forbidden fruit." Of course, the warning only makes her that much more curious.

Emily tries to stay away from Del Sugar at first, mostly because her best friend and one of her roommates, Stephanie, thinks she has a shot with him. but of course, as time goes on, Del pays more and more attention to her, and Emily is flattered that she is the only one that he is trying to get to know. They begin to date, and continue in secret after her father puts his foot down. After a few months, Emily discovers that she is pregnant with Del's child. The book from there on out is fantastic.

The other storyline in this book concerns Emily's night terrors. You can tell through her sessions with her school's psychiatrist and her parents that they are withholding information from her. I was rooting for Emily throughout the whole book to get to the end of the mystery. When all is finally revealed, it's easy to see why things unfolded the way they did, but nothing is black and white.

It's very refreshing to find a frank, not Juno-esque view of teenage pregnancy. Not everything is hunky dory. Decisions aren't as cut and dry as they seem. And Emily's life will never be the same. These are things young girls need to know. They think they understand, but they really have no idea of the emotional consequences of their actions. I grew up knowing why I was adopted, and the letter my birthmom wrote to me fully explained the situation and how difficult it was for her to make this decision. Warman does a good job in describing Emily's emotional state during this time. I do have to question where she did her research concerning closed adoptions, because most of that information was outdated by about 20 years. But the end result is still the same.

Where the Truth Lies deals with peer pressure, changing friendships, forbidden romance, teenage pregnancy, and long-buried family secrets. I would recommend this book for young girls in middle school through high school.

[Tina (Fantastic Book Review) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 out of 5 Stars

I must admit after reading the synopsis of this book, I was highly intrigued about finding out the deal behind Emily's nightmares. The passionate relationship with Emily and Del turned up the knob on my interest even more.

Once I started reading this book, I found myself wrapped in a whirlwind as Emily tried to navigate around the secrets clouding her life. This book pulled at my heart and I even had a tear or two by the last page. This book is emotionally compelling and Warman's writing drew me deep into the pages and never let up. Being a paranormal book lover, where anything can happen, I tend to shy away from Contemporary novels sometimes because I find it hard to believe in the stories. But with WHERE THE TRUTH LIES, I felt like I knew these characters. Warman did an amazing job with the characters in this book. They felt real and authentic which is something I tend to find missing in so many contemporary novels that I read. If more writers could pull this off, I could find myself falling in love with this genre.

Warman inserts readers into Emily’s psyche as she goes about her day to day activities as the daughter of head master at a boarding school - A boarding school full of prodigies and even students who have been shipped off because of a not so perfect life at home. Right off the bat, I could feel that there was something missing in Emily's life. Even though she had her friends and family with her, I could still sense her longing for something more. Then enter Del Sugar, mysterious & new in a school that's never accepted students after the start of the year. I immediately wanted to know why. And what was Emily's dad keeping from her? When the truth finally came out, I was left speechless. All the lies and cover ups surrounding Emily's life is enough to make anyone question the actions by the characters involved.

WHERE THE TRUTH LIES weaves all the mysteries about decisions one would make to protect a loved one, while trying to hold onto a future that could lead to disaster if the truth came out into a beautiful story of forgiveness and second chances. This book is the companion novel to BREATHLESS, and it makes me want to go read it right now. I'm looking forward to reading more books by Jessica Warman.

[Sara Grochowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lately I've been reading a lot of books that are good, but not great. All that changed with WHERE THE TRUTH LIES. Jessica Warman had me totally and completely engrossed in Emily's story. I even spent dinner explaining to a patient friend what was happening in Emily's life - how compelling, yet shady I found the curiously named Del Sugar, my hypotheses about the secrets the various characters were hiding, and my fears regarding how the novel would end. I was, in short, consumed.

Poor Emily... she just can't get a break. There were very few times when I could confidently say that I knew what was going to happen next... and half of those times I still wasn't right. The more I read, the less I'm surprised by novels. That is, I feel that I've become more adept at noticing small details and interpreting foreshadowing, which means that I usually have a basic idea of how the novel will end. With WHERE THE TRUTH LIES, I honestly thought I knew where the clues were leading, but I hadn't even started to imagine all the lies and twists that were so intricately knotted around Emily and her past.

It almost seems like it'd be easy to judge Emily... for the reader to shake her head and think sadly, she was warned. But I felt as though I was there with Emily... and I was thinking, right along with her, but.... But they don't know him. But they don't know me. They just don't know. I know. And I understood her choices... her fears. Life is not simple and that fact is abundantly clear as Emily's story progresses.

Relationships are an important part of this novel. What makes a family? A best friend? A boyfriend? A true love? A mother? Yet none of these ideas are defined. Instead they are given a vague sort of shape, that can shift fit to even the most unexpected individual... or the person you should have expected all along.

WHERE THE TRUTH LIES is a companion novel, but it isn't necessary to have read BREATHLESS before delving into this story. I can assure you, however, that you will want to have both novels on hand... you won't want to leave behind Warman's gorgeous writing... and, regardless, her characters will refuse to let you go.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book by Jessica Warman is incredibly complex and surprising; and in my opinion, wonderful. Emily is the main character whom suffers from terrible nightmares, and she doesn't know why, and everyone around her appears to be clueless as well. Her father is a headmaster in a boarding school, she has lived there all her life, and attended the school starting in grade seven. This book takes place when she's a Junior/Senior.

I've read many reviews on how people have said that the book doesn't go in-depth at all and is very flat, while I believe quite the opposite. I find that Del is incredibly compelling and it makes complete sense as to why he is the way he is, and did the things that he had done. I loved the growing relationship with Renee and Emily, and found it to be very real and almost meant to be. Franny, on the other hand, had given a strange impression on me from the start, she didn't seem quite right. I imagined her as being 12, even though she was 16-18 throughout the book. I found that Emily's pregnancy was a bit rushed, but not all that surprising. Ethan was quite charming, but I believe that he wasn't right for Emily, despite the fact that they ended up together in the end. Which leads me to say, that I didn't enjoy the end all that much. Like Del, I believe that he could have protected Emily and knew all aspects to her, whilst Ethan is just a boy who fell in love.

Despite all of this though, I enjoyed the book quite a bit. I also was quite surprised to find that "Breathless" by the same author, and this book, were tied together slightly. A pleasant surprise, either way.

[Ginny · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, in this tale we have Emily, who suffers from night terrors. She dreams of fire and water to the point that she doesn't sleep. But what do the dreams mean? Things change and Emily's life unravels when Del Sugar shows up as a new student mid-way through junior year. At the end of the unravel, Emily learns the truth.

Jessica Warman has a way with words. Every sentence draws me in and hooks me. Before I realize it, I have read half the book, and don't want to stop. At times I did become a bit frustrated with some of the supporting characters, but that is also what makes them real and likable in other ways.

Before you get the impression that this is a sugary sweet story, please know that there is teenage use of smoking, drugs, sex, defiance, and lying to the parentals.

[P.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 44 for 2010. I loved this one. I couldn't stop turning the pages and had to find out how it ended. Highly recommended for seventh grade and up for those interested in mystery, romance, and realistic fiction.

[Elusive · Rating 1 out of 5]

In ‘Where the Truth Lies’, Emily Meckler has everything most people can only dream of – caring parents, best friends and a good education. However, she has been plagued by nightmares involving fire and water for years yet no one can explain why. When mysterious new student Del sweeps her off her feet, their blossoming romance results in something life-changing hence Emily finds herself keeping secrets while uncovering others.

After reading ‘Beautiful Lies’ and ‘Breathless’ by this author, I find it hard to believe that she wrote this long-winded, boring, predictable book. The mystery behind Emily’s terrifying nightmares could have been interesting except that it was barely focused on. Instead, her soap opera life was given the spotlight and that was truly a bad idea because her problems were incredibly mundane compared to her night terrors. However, the author failed to convince me that she was genuinely suffering. All she did was confide in her shrink, take medication and keep a dream journal but she didn’t appear to take any of it seriously.

The major revelation regarding Emily’s parents was incredibly obvious from the start. I’ll give you a hint – she has red hair though her parents don’t. Anyone with a brain could have immediately figured that out. Therefore, when she finally discovered the truth and was shocked, that moment was simply laughable. It didn’t help that it happened only much later on in the book. Plus, her reactions were unrealistic as she was angry and upset but in no time at all, she easily accepted everything based on her own beliefs. I didn’t understand the point of including this in the story since it was written very sloppily.

Needless to say, Emily was a terrible main character. She was dumb and boring yet one of her friends could say that she’s complex. Unbelievable! None of her friends behaved like actual friends. Franny constantly pulled out her hair and was losing a lot of weight yet no one bothered to seek help or talk to her about it while Grace was tactless. However, Emily’s so-called best friend Stephanie was the worst – she was obsessed with her twin brother Ethan to the extent that I wondered if she was harbouring (incestuous) feelings towards him. At one point, she even came up with a set of rules (for Emily who was dating him) which included no sex. What the hell?

Her reasoning for behaving like a lovestruck, obsessed stalker was ridiculous. Their parents were getting divorced hence Ethan was all she had left and she didn’t want to lose him to Emily. If I were Emily, I’d run for the hills but since she’s stupid, she accepted that poor explanation. Unhealthy obsession aside, Stephanie was still unlikeable. Meanwhile, Ethan was too perfect and stereotypical while Del was supposed to be the mysterious bad boy type but I felt like the author tried too hard to make the reader get that impression.

The pacing was another glaring problem. For instance, a couple of paragraphs after reading about Emily and Del having sex for the first time, she already finds out that she’s pregnant. Besides that, time seemed to fly but the writing wasn’t effective enough to maintain a good natural flow. As a result, it felt like too much was crammed into one book and none of the issues were properly delved into. Characters come and go without making any difference because they had no presence in the first place. Pointless bits such as what had happened to Madeline Moon-Park (who’s also in ‘Breathless’) were irrelevant to the story.

Overall, ‘Where the Truth Lies’ was a dull and forgettable read. Watching paint dry would definitely be more entertaining unless you’re in the mood for one-dimensional characters, predictable outcomes and unrealistic situations.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

From the blurb on the inside flap and the excerpt on the back cover I expected this book to be about nightmares and romance but those were more like little anecdotes compared to the real story which I found predictable and annoying.

Jessica Warman's new novel "Where the Truth Lies" follows the same lengthy time duration as her previous one "Breathless" but is no where near the quality. The story follows Emily Meckler, a junior at a posh boarding school, Stonybrook, where her father is the headmaster. She suffers from frighteningly vivid dreams involving either smoke and fire or drowning rain. Then the mysteriously beautiful Del Sugar shows up and captures Emily's heart bringing her more trouble than she could have imagined.

My first problem with this story is that there are so many underdeveloped/extraneous plot points; Emily shares a dorm with three other girls one of which is more of just a stand-in for when she doesn't feel like hanging out with the other two. Franny, her other friend is a frail, broken thing who compulsively pulls out her own hair and needs to constantly be cuddled and taken care of. The third girl, Stephanie, is apparently Emily's best friend but she's too selfish and wrapped up in her parent's divorce and constantly seeking her twin brother's attention to be much of a friend. then she gets upset with Emily when she finds out she's been hiding secrets from her, secrets she wouldn't have cared about anyway given her own personal drama. I found Stephanie's attachment to her twin brother more that mildly disturbing as did the other characters but it was never put to anything more than she wanted attention from the only she felt she had left; it was way weirder than that.

My biggest annoyance with this book however was Emily Meckler herself. Emily is a good girl with red hair, a beautiful voice and disturbing dreams but her biggest flaw is overwhelming naivete. Sure, she smokes a joint and doesn't seem to have a problem breaking a couple rules but she's always so gullible and naive. When Del Sugar comes to campus she's immediately captivated by his mystery and of course his wonderfully illegal (he's seventeen) tattoo. Then she falls head over heels for him when he says he's special and a short time later they have unprotected sex and she gets pregnant. This part of the story is the only interesting thing that happens because she decides to hide the pregnancy and give the baby up for adoption. She only tells her new friend Renee about it and she spends the summer at Renee's stepfather's New York apartment where she has the baby then has a trainer whip her back into shape by September; I say this is interesting because it's not often you come across a teenager who successfully hides her pregnancy and this seemed like a unique and plausible situation.

The book is filled with more instances of Emily's blinding naivete and immature decisions as well as predictable plot points and thinly veiled lies. There is only one real mystery and one real plot twist; the mystery is never really resolved and involves a character we've never even met while the plot twist seems strange and a little implausible.

Overall, I found this book to be a big leap backwards from the authors previous novel; lacking in focus and believability and full of hyperbole and extraneous details.

[Kibbenza · Rating 2 out of 5]

So here we have Emily. She has night terrors. She goes to boarding school. She has parents who love her. She has friends. And when the 'mysterious, sexy' Del Sugar comes to town, she forgets about all of that and runs off with him even though her best friend likes him. Why? Because he pays attention to her. Which...I could almost understand, except for the fact that SO DO OTHER BOYS. It's not as if this is the first guy to pay her any mind. She's got a guy who likes her and she's like "nah, he's my best friend's brother, ew."

So instead... she hangs out with this new guy who she really doesn't know, even though he invited her best friend to lunch, because he's got a tattoo and a bad reputation. But it's okay, because he assures her that's not really what happened, and she KNOWS him, guys, so she takes his word for it. And when he *breaks their dorm window with an apple to get her attention one night* she doesn't even think that's weird. When he convinces her to stop talking and kiss, instead of getting to know each other, that's okay, too! So I'm not at all surprised that when he convinces her he loves her, she loves him too, and says, "Fuck it, this guy was my first kiss, I love him, it's perfect, let's totally have sex!"

Oh, but not just any sex. Sex without a condom. Which she calls "being careful". Most of the time. And then is somehow surprised when she ends up pregnant? But then is too afraid to tell him. And this doesn't... you know... tell her something about their relationship???

So, she and her other friend Renee decide, no, it's gonna be fine. We'll just steal some uniforms in a size up, dress you in baggy clothes, and then, Emily, you *hide out in New York for a summer*. Your strict parents will totally allow that. (And they do, because plot devices!) She has the baby, gives it up for adoption with fudged papers thanks to Renee's super rich dad, and boom. It's done. Add in a personal trainer, also courtesy of Renee's Super Rich Dad, and her belly is flat in no time. You can't even tell she had a baby!!!

HOW CONVENIENT.

Btw, that all takes up about, two pages? (Okay, maybe more, but not much.) Then she goes back and is super guilty but lives life like normal.

Oh, but in all of this, what about those nightmares?

Well, funny thing. Turns out Emily was also sort of... adopted. Or, kidnapped. Really. But it's okay, because her mother was an addict, so really they saved her! And she decides that's cool, she loves her parents, even though they're sort of the cause of her night terrors. And they faked her birth certificate and shit, because everyone knows people who can fake papers in this world.

And then Del comes back and they run off to find her baby, because of course they do. And he knew about that kidnapping thing, and they were meant to be together because they're the same, and blah blah blah DEL IS NUTS AND SO IS EMILY.

She ditches him, THANK GOD, and goes back to her happy family (of kidnappers) and gets back with her Prince Charming boyfriend who isn't crazy-crazy and just has an unhealthy relationship with his twin sister.

Having read other books of this author's... wtf even was this?

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where the Truth Lies is a wonderfully written tale involving Emily, a junior, who begins her school year with many firsts, obstacles, and discoveries. The story begins with us getting to know Emily, her friends, and the details of the dreams that leave her breathless most nights. I thought that this book would focus heavily on these mysterious dreams Emily faces but I was wrong. While this is an important aspect of the story, Where the Truth Lies contains way more than this mystery. Early on Emily meets Del, a bad boy that immediately seems drawn to her. Their relationship puts her at odds with her parents and her friends, but deep down, Emily can't help but want to be with Del. Their secret encounters lead to much more than Emily ever anticipated.

As Emily faces unimaginable decisions, she finds out that Del may not be the person she thought he was. In addition, her parents, whom she has always trusted, may be hiding a dark secret that breaks apart the steady foundation that used to be her life. Emily's own strength and determination may be the only thing she can truly rely on.

Where the Truth Lies is not a quick read but I was completely submerged into Emily's story. The layers of the plot kept me guessing and gripping the pages. As I tried to piece together my own perception, the story would twist into a place I never considered. This, along with the outstanding characters, kept me wanting to read more. Jessica Warman's writing style is fantastic. She knows how to bring realistic situations to each page. Her descriptions, characters, and plot stayed true to what I imagine many teens face when dealing with love, friends, and family secrets.

Characters: Emily was very much like a typical teenage girl, struggling with school but enjoying her time with her friends and exploring love along the way. She, like many others, was not resistant to making mistakes or misjudging situations. As her story progressed I could see her grow and change into a stronger young lady. I enjoyed the light interactions she had with her best friends and seeing how they learned to deal with their own personal drama. Del was amazing because his personality didn't fall too much into one particular category. He wasn't too bad, too good, too perfect. He was mysterious and maybe a little damaged by his past, but I continuously wanted to know more about him. Emily's friends, and the wonderful "swoon" worthy Ethan, were all a great addition to the story because they were very multidimensional as well. Together, these characters made the perfect blend to bring together Emily's story.

Cover: I like this cover. I feel that it sums up the mystery aspect of the book with the school far in the background and the girl's hidden face.

Where the Truth Lies is the incredible story of a young girl, facing the challenges of life, and learning how to get past the lies in order to find the truth.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where the Truth Lies was...unexpected. One thing I can say for sure is that it turned out to be nothing like what I thought it would.

First of all, I didn't exactly like the characters. In the first place, Emily made a lot of stupid choices, and basically managed to screw up her previously perfect life. I had a bad feeling about Del from the start (especially considering how fast their relationship began), and though he wasn't the best morally, he was a very interesting character. The fact that Emily's friend Stephanie was weirdly close to her twin brother was a little on the disturbing side, but then again all of the relationships in this book were weird to say the least.

The description is a little misleading in my opinion, because it makes you think that most of the book will be about her relationship with Del, when it's really about a huge, erm, complication that arises in Emily's life. Consequently, this is a hard book to review without giving stuff away, so I'm just gonna throw a spoiler warning out right now:

**Beware: Spoilers ahead!**

So anyway, Emily gets pregnant. When I read this I was like: "What?! This wasn't in this books job description!" That was very unexpected, and it definitely changed the course of the whole book. I thought the way Emily hid her pregnancy was a little on the "well that's never likely to actually happen" side, but it did make things interesting.

One thing I didn't buy into was Emily and Ethan's relationship. There just never seemed to be that...spark. I also didn't like how Del was out of the picture so soon, and we never got to know much about him.

Overall, I'm not exactly sure what the point of this book was, but I did think that the end bit where Emily sees her daughter and then her real mom, and comes to terms with the fact that she will never be in either of their lives, was moving. However, besides that the end did feel rushed, and the explanations as to why Emily has fire and water dreams seemed loose and randomly thrown in.

One thing I do have to say about Jessica Warman's writing style, is that it's very good. Her characters, no matter how odd, ring true and their emotions are well written and easy to imagine. I've read Breathless by her as well, and the writing was similarly well done. (I also liked it better, though with the boarding school setting, the two are similar.)

As for the cover, I think it's pretty, but I don't see what it has to do with the book. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember one time when a character stood in a field.

Where the Truth Lies is probably one of the most surprising books I've ever read. At times the plot seems unevenly paced and forced, but the characters are undeniably interesting, and the writing excellent.

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

To everyone, Emily has a perfect life. She attends a prep school where her father is the headmaster of and has three best friends. However, for most of her life she has been having nightmares frequently, about either water or fire, but doesn't know why. She goes to therapy frequently but nothing helps.

Enter Del Sugar , a new boy in school with a mysterious background and has an attraction to Emily. She doesn't understand why he likes her, but nonetheless is compelled by his bad boy charm. Being with him makes her feel alive and she loves every second of it. But then the truth of Emily's past starts to unravel and things start to fall apart. What will she decide in the end?

When I first started out the novel, it was readable but didn't completely grab my attention. I borrowed this in our high school library and had it with me for about 3 weeks until I decided to take a stab at it again.

The more I read, the more I was seeing bits of myself in Emily. When you have a character that you strongly relate to in any sense, you want to continue reading til the end to see what will happen to them. I won't spoil anything but everything her parents did was in order to protect her. I felt that she was similar to me in that aspect because I have such conservative parents and they won't let me do anything which they think it'll only bring me distraction; but I know in the end they want what is best for me.

I found Del's part to be so interesting because he didn't like Emily for no apparent reason, compared to most YA novels I've read. Del is a very complex character and has quite a history of his own. I like that there are a lot of dimensions to him and Emily. So it was quite fascinating to read how both reacted to the same situation differently because of their mindset.


Another character I found quite unique was Emily's long-time friend, Stephanie , because she had the biggest brother complex on the planet. The aspect she plays in the novel is that friends sometimes don't last forever and I love how the author added that to the book. No matter how long of a history that you and a friend may have, there are things in life that will separate you over time.

After reading this novel, especially if you're a young adult, it really does put things into perspective when it comes to being responsible. Emily did something that changed her life forever. It really put a huge strain on her and made her question a lot of things. I would be devastated if she was my daughter and knew what she went through. It really made me appreciate my parents.

This is a fantastic novel dealing with growing up and making hard decisions in life. Where the Truth Lies gives everyone something to think about.

[Jasmine · Rating 2 out of 5]

No offense to the author, but this is one of the most annoying books I have ever read. Literally, I was constantly sighing and rolling my eyes because the book was unrealistic.

So this Emily girl, who I thought was cool at first, is one of the dumbest girls ever. Her choices are poor.

I do not remember the story mentioning anything about her and Del having sex (maybe I missed it idk) but all of a sudden she's pregnant.

Who hides a pregnancy like she does? Please, my parents would NEVER let me go hang with a friend for a summer like they did. Oh, and speaking of parents, none of them were biological. Everyone in that story freaking lied.

The anger I received from reading this was outrageous.

Stephanie is by far, other than Emily and her parents, the most annoying character in the book. She was not a good friend at all, she was pushy, moody, and bossy. Her obsession with her brother was horrifying and disturbing. She might as well marry him for God's sake. The things she did to Emily were crazy, like breaking the watch. WHO DOES THAT? Her rules for Emily and Ethan were unnecessary and creepy. Never in my life, for example, am I going to tell my sister's boyfriend how to be in their relationship.

Del: I actually like Del. Yeah it was wrong of him to leave and stuff, but I think he is actually right for Emily. Even though the relationship was rushed like there's no tomorrow, I think they were a cute couple.

Ethan: I don't see how Ethan is as sweet and innocent as everyone claims him to be. He isn't bad, but the constant title of prefect and nice made me question him. I don't think him and Emily belong together. I found it stupid how Emily liked Ethan all of a sudden, once he admitted to liking her. That makes Emily desperate and even twice as stupid. I know she said she always had a little crush on him, but I still found it hard to believe. She probably lying to herself just to get a guy.

Franny: I don't want to go into detail on her, she's just plain weird with all that cuddling nonsense

Grace: I don't even know Grace, she was barely in the story

Sandy: That whole Sandy situation creeped me out. I got kinda scared actually.

Renee: I feel like Renee was the only true friend to Emily. I loved her character.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I had no idea, at all, what to expect from this novel. The summary was pretty vague as were the reviews I'd read. From the first page I was awed by this novel. The characters, the writing, the plot... everything was presented so beautifully and each page always introduced a new plot twist that never ceased to surprise me and make me want to keep reading. Where The Truth Lies was a tangled, and amazing, read that proved that no one is ever as they seem and how one wrong choice can change your life forever.

Emily is a character unlike any other. She is sweet and kind, but also careful and exclusive. She doesn't open up to just anyone. I really liked reading about her friends. Each of them was going through a lot and it helped that they had each other to lean on through the hard times. Emily, especially. Her life was a roller coaster of secrets. Never knowing who to turn to, Emily opened up to Renee. Renee was definitely one of my favorite characters in the book. As a child of two celebrities, Renee didn't let all the fame go to her head. She was down to earth and understood Emily like no one else did.

The plot of this is fast paced and intense. Emily deals with a lot and I was completely thrown when some of her secrets were uncovered. Although Emily made some bad choices, I was constantly hoping for the best and wanting things to just be okay for her in the end. Every page contained some new twist and turn and I never knew what was going to happen next. It all starts when Del Sugar arrives. From there Emily's life changes drastically and will never be the same again.

Where The Truth Lies was a story of family and friendships and how important it is to not only stay true to them, but to yourself. This is the second boarding school novel I've read in a row, but I never cease to learn something new and interesting about what life is like there.

This was a fantastically written and heart wrenching sophomore novel that left me eager to read her debut, Breathless. This is definitely worth picking up this fall!

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars

[Maggie61 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read most of this book in a day.
There is so much going on, so many secrets, so many complex characters and some twists and turns along the way.
Emily is the headmaster's daughter at a boarding school. She suffers from violent nightmares that seem to have no explanation. She has friends that she has had for years and then the "bad boy" comes to the school mid term. We all know the appeal of the bad boy and for emily if is no different. As she becomes involved with damaged Del, her relationships with everyone else unravel and shift and gradually so many secrets come to light
As Emily becomes more involved with Del he suddenly disappears. Other than a friend Renee, most others have become distant. Even things with her parents are strained. There's so much going on that occasionally a little confusion hits but soon everything becomes clear. When Del returns briefly and offers some answers, she runs off with him on a journey where she does some growing up.
The characters in this book are so interesting and so complex. There are different sides to most everyone. Her parents, but are they her parents, want what is best for her but the secrets they keep prevent her from knowing the answers to many questions. Stephanie has been her best friend for many years but their relationship is hanging. She's become bossy and mean and wants to control the relationship Emily has with Stephanie's twin Ethan and maybe sabotage it. Her other friends from boarding school aren't the friends they used to be. Del, the bad boy, is just a little too damaged to be what Emily needs. And Ethan who has loved her for years, turns his back on her when and doesn't measure up to what he thought she was.
I had to keep reading to find out where everyone was gong and would end up. This was the first book of this author that I have read and I am looking forward to reading more.

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is exactly how I like my YA books. If the first one or two YA books I picked up years ago had been like this and The Twin's Daughter I'd have been reading the genre long before now.
I was only a few pages in when I came to GR and added Breathless. I didn't add it because it's a "companion novel" but because of Warman's writing in this book.
I didn't want to turn that last page. It's a lovely feeling to want a book to go on. I found myself wishing the book was three times as long as it is. That feeling hasn't been surfacing often in the past few months so I cherished it while reading this.
On and off while reading I couldn't believe how, all at the same time, it was so unrelatable yet so relatable. The actual experiences, some of them, that Emily and her friends go through aren't the average teenagers experiences. Not in the manner they were in this book anyway. Yet the feelings couldn't have been more similiar. I doubt there is a woman anywhere who could read this and not remember the feelings they had when they were a teenager and everything started to change. When they wanted things back they way they used to be, the way they always were, but realized that wasn't going to happen.
Warman did a great, great job here and I'm anxiously looking forward to her next book. She's one of the very few authors who I'll go, right away when it comes out, and buy a book from. Usually I'll wait to get it from a friend, swapping site, used book store, etc. but Warman is one I won't wait on.

[The Bookologist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotionally evoking, Where The Truth Lies brings you in a world of secrets and a whirlwind of relationships, friendships, and family. The story was very realistic with all the characters and the problems they encountered all throughout.

Warman's writing is extremely beautiful and emotional. She really can capture someone's attention in just a snap. I was impressed with her writing from the very beginning and did not stop reading it until the very end.

The plot was very intense and suspenseful. Warman weaves the story in a way that she keeps the readers devouring the novel until the finish until all the secrets start to piece up. Your with so much anticipation because she adds in so many twists into Emily's life.

Emily was a very likable character. She has a great personality and attitude. Her friends and family was always there. To everyone, she was always known to be the good girl. Her life was very realistic and simple, just until Del comes in to her life. Del Sugar, 'Del', had a very 'hidden' personality and was very mysterious and a bit dark. I was always curious about some things about Del… and I don't know why. He just has that 'irregular' feeling, to me… I guess he's different from the rest. Renee was also very adorable and her funniness was a great extra sparkle to the story.

The relationships in this novel were very interesting. Del and Emily had a very affectionate relationship… Although, I wonder how it'd turn out if they were a bit more amorous towards each other. This played a big part in the story, but, was still balanced at the same time.

This is my first book that i've read from Warman and I'm very impressed. I wasn't too sure what I was getting my self into at first, but now, I know that Warman is an author to watch. A fantastic novel!

[Stacey · Rating 1 out of 5]

It seems that I have a problem with Jessica Warman's books. This is the second book by her that I have read, and my opinion of it is as low (if not lower) than the first book I read by her (Breathless).
The one thing I cannot stand with both books, is the protagonists. I won't delve into Breathless, since this review is for Where the Truth Lies, but I will say they both made terrible and unforgivable decisions.
Emily, the main character of this book, began out okay, I had no problem with her. But somewhere along the way, she just became unbearable.
*Spoilers from here on out, I'm not hiding them, you have been warned*
She starts sneaking around with this "bad boy" with a secret, sleeps with him, gets pregnant, lies about it, hides the pregnancy, gives the baby away without a seconds thought and without anyone knowing, gives this "boohoo for me, my life is a terrible tragedy because my boyfriend ran away while I was pregnant and I had to hide the pregnancy" crap, finds her ex-boyfriend and goes looking for the baby. And at this point, I completely lose it. She has NO RIGHT, looking for that baby. She was clear from the beginning she did not give a damn about what happened to it, as long as her parents and everyone else didn't find out. That is beyond selfish and at that moment I truly wished this girl was actually real. Not because I admire her, because I wanted to take this book and throw it at her face and yell "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU."
I honestly cannot understand why anyone would rate this more than 3 stars. I wish I didn't waste my time with it, but I did.

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I love the cover of this book. After reading the book the cover makes more sense, like the big building in the back.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a great read. I really liked the character of Emily, because her dad runs the private school she goes to she is expected to be the good girl, but when Del Sugar comes along, Emily is anything but good. Her father forbids her to hang out with him, but she does anyways, sneaking off with him at all hours of the night by crawling out her window. Let's just say that accidents happen and Del leaves Emily with a huge decision to make on her own. I didn't really care to much for Del and Emily's relationship in the book, I always figured something was odd about how he automatically latched on to her as soon as he joined school, and I did figure out why I felt this way. Later on in the book Emily finds out that her parents have been keeping a huge secret from her, and the connection with her and Del really comes to light.
I loved Emily's relationship with Ethan, they are my perfect couple, the type of people I love to read about together. They had a great relationship. Even though Stephanie, Emily's best friend, is the twin of Ethan and she goes through some pretty extreme measures to tear Emily and Ethan apart, they still had a great chemistry between them.
I even liked the ending of this book. It wasn't what I was expecting, but it leaves you feeling happy for what Emily has done and with her and Ethan's relationship. In my head I know how they turn out. =)

[La Femme Readers · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Rating: 4.5

Where The Truth Lies was a novel about friendship, family and detrimental secrets. These underlying lies had the capacity to spin an individual's life into a web of uncertainty and distrust. In presenting this concept, Jessica introduced a sequenced plot with nail-biting anticipation. Another well-executed aspect was the evolvement of main and secondary characters. The combination of personality qualities and flaws eased my character connection. Emily, daughter of her school's headmaster, was good-hearted by nature. Labeled as a "goody, goody" by her peers, Emily was an ordinary student who sought out love and attention from her friends and family. The friends within her circle were versatile and realistic. Each girl had her own problem that derived a minor story within this twisted world of unexpected events.

I really loved Renee, it was a friendship that blossomed out of nowhere. Her non-judgmental aura was admirable and a crutch for Emily. However, not every person in this novel had a good effect on Emily. When Del Sugar transferred into her existence, a level of love and spontaneity blinded her choices. His shady exterior identified him as bad news. But, in the end everyone in this novel carried a deep flaw that induced individual growth and actions for better survival. Overall, I read this book in two sittings. The inclination of truth behind each background grabbed my heart strings and wouldn't let go. Jessica's style was also detailed yet simplistic at the same time. A type of effort that's natural in engrossing the reader from beginning to end.

[Jessy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Where the Truth Lies was not what I was expecting. It's about Emily Meckler and her cigarette smoking friends at this posh boarding school in Conneticut. Everytime they were together they were smoking cigarette's out the bedroom window or getting high on "mexican red hair."

Emily and her friends (Grace, Steph, and Franny) have a very weird relationship. They kept wanting to cuddle with each other in bed and if one of them misses the "cuddlepalooza" then they have to have another one to include all four of them. They also called each other sweetie and baby pratically every time they spoke to each other. Steph also has an unusual relationship with her twin brother Ethan. She mentions matching tattoos on several occasions and once Emily starts dating Ethan she creates all these ridiculous rules about dating her precious brother including not having sex, not breaking up with him, and not seeing him on holidays.

Also the whole time line was very quick and I didn't know how much time had passed until it was specfically mentioned and even then it was usually only one sentence just to let the reader know.

Overall I don't this book was very realistic. I just don't see how a sixteen year old teenager can hide a pregnancy from 200 students plus her parents for six months and then run off to NYC to give birth to the baby and put the baby for adoption without her parents having any idea whats going on.

[just another bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really don't know what to think of this book. It wasn't bad, but I don't know if it was good. I think what threw me off is that this book as so much going on in it. It covers nearly two years of Emily's life but isn't any longer than your average book. This meant that a lot of things were brushed over, I think the book could have been a lot more emotional.

Sometimes I felt like the teen life was spot on... then other times I just felt like the author was just trying too hard. The very laid back attitude towards smoking seemed off (smoking cigarettes at least). And the lounging around in underwear seemed out of place. The author also threw around terms either incorrectly (night terrors for instance) or carelessly (a character's trichotillomania and eating disorder are practically mentioned merely as character traits and not something her best friend should be terribly concerned about).

This book also has a case of dumb parents, but the plot wouldn't have worked any other way so... eh.

Mostly, this book felt like a compilation of bad YA cliches and teen fantasy. I think it had the potential to really, really good but the author simply seemed to stray away from handling anything too seriously.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I fully expected this to be a typical teen romance with a little bit of family drama thrown in. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this wasn’t entirely predictable and while there were some parts where I thought Emily wasn’t exactly doing the smart thing, in the end, I feel she made some good choice given her circumstances.

The story slowly reveals more and more about Emily’s perceived idyllic life as the daughter of a prep school headmaster. She’s grown up on the campus and now lives in the dorms with her friends, some who remain her friend and some who drift apart and are replaced by another. It reveals a lot about how someone who almost always follows the rules can fall for the “bad boy” and have her world turned upside down. Surprisingly, the most shocking lies she uncovers have only a little to do with bad boy Del Sugar. Although he is a classic bad boy, he isn’t the main focus of the story and yet he plays a key role in how Emily’s situation develops and unfolds.

A good coming of age story, and a worthwhile quick read if you want an intriguing story without all the nonsense that you usually find in young adult novels.

[Kat · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had some hope for this one. It came across as mysterious and enthralling but when I read it that wasn't the case at all. I was bombarded with so much that it came out a jumbled mess. There was just too much happening and way too fast to get a grasp or feel for not to mention that there was so much that was unnecessary. Why the main character was paying attention to the underwear her roommate was wearing was both disturbing and creepy. Plus, the incestuous vibe her friend gave wasn't much better. Like, whoa.
This was just a giant cluster of not happening and not good.

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