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The Lying Game
I had a life anyone would kill for.
Then someone did.
The worst part of being dead is that there’s nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It’s enough to kill a girl all over again. But I’m about to get something no one else does—an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.
Now Emma’s desperate to know what happened to me. And the only way to figure it out is to be me—to slip into my old life and piece it all together. But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends? Convince my boyfriend she’s the girl he fell in love with? Pretend to be a happy, carefree daughter when she hugs my parents good night? And can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move?
From Sara Shepard, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars books, comes a riveting new series about secrets, lies, and killer consequences.
Let the lying game begin.
Then someone did.
The worst part of being dead is that there’s nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It’s enough to kill a girl all over again. But I’m about to get something no one else does—an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.
Now Emma’s desperate to know what happened to me. And the only way to figure it out is to be me—to slip into my old life and piece it all together. But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends? Convince my boyfriend she’s the girl he fell in love with? Pretend to be a happy, carefree daughter when she hugs my parents good night? And can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move?
From Sara Shepard, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars books, comes a riveting new series about secrets, lies, and killer consequences.
Let the lying game begin.
325 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 7, 2010
About the author
Sara Shepard
147 books14.9k followersSara Shepard graduated from NYU and has an MFA from Brooklyn College. She has lived in New York City, Brooklyn, Tucson, Arizona, Philadelphia, and now lives in Pittsburgh, PA. Sara's Pretty Little Liars novels were inspired by her upbringing in Philadelphia's Main Line.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 150 reviews
April 26, 2018
My review can also be found here:
https://devouringbooks2017.wordpress....
Wow, this is actually incredible.
I picked this up because I thought some superficial young adult trash novel would pull me out of my reading slump. This is an trash, and it absolutely worked. The Lying Game had me on the edge of my seat the whole time and I've gained some respect for Sara Shepard. There's a reason her work is so popular, it's actually really good.
This had everything I wanted in a mystery, unexpected twists, clies that kept me guessing and plenty of suspects that have motives. The pacing is fast, keeping the story moving and the plot is intricate. The story is laid out perfectly where you were handed clues and memories at the right time keep you guessing and hooked.
Emma is the type of character that I like to read about. I thought I would be reading about a character more like Sutton, superficial and spoiled, but I got Emma instead. She is sweet, but she is also well-developed with her backstory as a foster kid. I like this so much more than I thought I would.
This fast paced mystery was exactly what I needed. I have written Sara Shepard's books for years, but now I see what all the hype is for. I'm really glad that I actually gave this a chance.
https://devouringbooks2017.wordpress....
Wow, this is actually incredible.
I picked this up because I thought some superficial young adult trash novel would pull me out of my reading slump. This is an trash, and it absolutely worked. The Lying Game had me on the edge of my seat the whole time and I've gained some respect for Sara Shepard. There's a reason her work is so popular, it's actually really good.
This had everything I wanted in a mystery, unexpected twists, clies that kept me guessing and plenty of suspects that have motives. The pacing is fast, keeping the story moving and the plot is intricate. The story is laid out perfectly where you were handed clues and memories at the right time keep you guessing and hooked.
Emma is the type of character that I like to read about. I thought I would be reading about a character more like Sutton, superficial and spoiled, but I got Emma instead. She is sweet, but she is also well-developed with her backstory as a foster kid. I like this so much more than I thought I would.
This fast paced mystery was exactly what I needed. I have written Sara Shepard's books for years, but now I see what all the hype is for. I'm really glad that I actually gave this a chance.
August 29, 2011
Emma Paxton is a foster child bounced from family to family since her mother abandoned her when she was five years old. When the book starts she’s living with a single mother in Las Vegas and having to put up with her foster brother Travis. An argument leads to her being kicked out, and the discovery of her long-lost identical twin sister, Sutton. A quick Google and Facebook search later and she’s on her way to Arizona for a heart-warming reunion with the sister she never knew she had. Of course, there’s a problem with this: Sutton is dead. In fact, Sutton is narrating this tale, having somehow materialised next to her twin after death. Though Emma isn’t aware of her, Sutton follows along as Emma folds herself into Sutton’s life, pretending to be her sister to find out what happened to her. Even though we have Sutton narrating, we’re still left in the dark as she has no memory of her death, or much about her previous life, and this includes what a horrible person she seemed to be. As Emma learns more about her sister, she uncovers The Lying Game, where Sutton was the ringleader of a group who got off on performing pranks on each other, and on those not in the group. Sutton is known as a wild child, she doesn’t do well in school and the cops have a file on her activities. She’s incredibly popular though and from a well off family, so there haven’t been any real consequences to her actions, until now. Has someone killed her because of the game? And is Emma next?
I picked this one up because I had heard of Pretty Little Liars but missed out on watching the tv show. I also wasn’t that interested in starting a long series, and thought this one was a stand alone. I was wrong, and this is the first in a new series. I’m a little bored of young adult trilogies and series to be honest, so if I’d known I don’t think I’d have bothered. And if I’d known how much I’d dislike this book, I really would have avoided it. Oh, where to start. First of all, I am obviously not the target audience for this book, but I have enjoyed many a YA tale recently so that shouldn’t really matter. This one was just…not good. The main plot seems like it should be a good idea – lots on intrigue possibilities and the mystery of who-dunnit, but it’s so cliche (and not at all thrilling) that it falls flat. The long lost twin thing has been done before, and other than the twist of having Sutton narrate the tale there’s little here to set it apart from those others. But I could possibly suspend my disbelief enough (even with the easy way Emma discovers her twin, oh hi Facebook) had it been well written. But it’s not. I alternated between boredom and frustration as I read, and as a book of only 300 pages it felt like it took me forever to finish – and I even skimmed a lot of it. It just didn’t hold my attention.
The characters fell flat for me too. Sutton’s friends mostly blur into one, and Emma is completely lackluster. And I’m not convinced she’s all that smart or capable. For example, it takes her forever to realise that Charlotte and Garrett used to date, and that Sutton ‘stole’ Garrett from her friend. I had assumed this was a given, from all the hints and basically straight out discussion of it at times, until Emma’s light bulb moment about 200 pages in. Christ girl, where have you been? Oh that explains Charlotte’s barbs about stealing boyfriends does it? Yeesh. And you’re the one who’s playing detective here? Sutton might as well give up hope of being found. Having a weak central character makes it difficult for me to root for her. And she can’t prove to anyone that she is not Sutton because she left her bag somewhere when she arrived in town and when she went back it was gone, so she doesn’t have her wallet. We are not just the contents of our wallets. How about you ring your friend Alex, or your last foster mother, or your social worker? There must be records of Emma ‘in the system’ that the police could easily verify. Instead we have a lame table announcement that her name is Emma. What a surprise no one believes her. At least later she’s threatened into keeping who she is a secret, which makes it a little more believable, but by then I’d lost the ability to care.
Emma is not all that emotional about Sutton either – that she had a twin and didn’t know, that she was lied to by her flaky mother, that she’s lost the chance to ever know her sister – or at least not until right at the end. There doesn’t appear to be any big shock or anger or real emotion at all. In fact, Emma is pretty robotic when I think about it. She just goes along with things without even really questioning that much, and then jumps to ridiculous conclusions based on no evidence. I’m starting to think I didn’t like Emma at all…at least Sutton is a bit more interesting. OK, she’s dead, but she doesn’t know anything about herself, and the revelations about her character are at least better done than her sister’s. Oh, and there’s a godawful seduction scene where Garrett decides the perfect time to sleep with his girlfriend is in the middle of her birthday party, where half the school and her family are in attendance. It comes complete with rose petals on the bed, champagne and ‘romantic’ music. And this is supposed to be his gift to her? What a great boyfriend. Cliche. Dreadful.
I think what most annoys me about the book is that nothing happens. It’s basically the biggest build up to a non-event I’ve read in a long time. Sure it’s the first in a series and it needs to set the scene, but have some sort of resolution or action. In the end Emma knows about as much as she did at the beginning. She doesn’t know when/where/how Sutton was killed or have any real idea who might have done it. She just knows something has gone on between Sutton and her friends. Great, I’m really glad I read the book to get to this. Oh wait, no I’m not, and I won’t be bothering with the next one either. I may never know who killed Sutton Mercer, but I can’t say I care either.
I picked this one up because I had heard of Pretty Little Liars but missed out on watching the tv show. I also wasn’t that interested in starting a long series, and thought this one was a stand alone. I was wrong, and this is the first in a new series. I’m a little bored of young adult trilogies and series to be honest, so if I’d known I don’t think I’d have bothered. And if I’d known how much I’d dislike this book, I really would have avoided it. Oh, where to start. First of all, I am obviously not the target audience for this book, but I have enjoyed many a YA tale recently so that shouldn’t really matter. This one was just…not good. The main plot seems like it should be a good idea – lots on intrigue possibilities and the mystery of who-dunnit, but it’s so cliche (and not at all thrilling) that it falls flat. The long lost twin thing has been done before, and other than the twist of having Sutton narrate the tale there’s little here to set it apart from those others. But I could possibly suspend my disbelief enough (even with the easy way Emma discovers her twin, oh hi Facebook) had it been well written. But it’s not. I alternated between boredom and frustration as I read, and as a book of only 300 pages it felt like it took me forever to finish – and I even skimmed a lot of it. It just didn’t hold my attention.
The characters fell flat for me too. Sutton’s friends mostly blur into one, and Emma is completely lackluster. And I’m not convinced she’s all that smart or capable. For example, it takes her forever to realise that Charlotte and Garrett used to date, and that Sutton ‘stole’ Garrett from her friend. I had assumed this was a given, from all the hints and basically straight out discussion of it at times, until Emma’s light bulb moment about 200 pages in. Christ girl, where have you been? Oh that explains Charlotte’s barbs about stealing boyfriends does it? Yeesh. And you’re the one who’s playing detective here? Sutton might as well give up hope of being found. Having a weak central character makes it difficult for me to root for her. And she can’t prove to anyone that she is not Sutton because she left her bag somewhere when she arrived in town and when she went back it was gone, so she doesn’t have her wallet. We are not just the contents of our wallets. How about you ring your friend Alex, or your last foster mother, or your social worker? There must be records of Emma ‘in the system’ that the police could easily verify. Instead we have a lame table announcement that her name is Emma. What a surprise no one believes her. At least later she’s threatened into keeping who she is a secret, which makes it a little more believable, but by then I’d lost the ability to care.
Emma is not all that emotional about Sutton either – that she had a twin and didn’t know, that she was lied to by her flaky mother, that she’s lost the chance to ever know her sister – or at least not until right at the end. There doesn’t appear to be any big shock or anger or real emotion at all. In fact, Emma is pretty robotic when I think about it. She just goes along with things without even really questioning that much, and then jumps to ridiculous conclusions based on no evidence. I’m starting to think I didn’t like Emma at all…at least Sutton is a bit more interesting. OK, she’s dead, but she doesn’t know anything about herself, and the revelations about her character are at least better done than her sister’s. Oh, and there’s a godawful seduction scene where Garrett decides the perfect time to sleep with his girlfriend is in the middle of her birthday party, where half the school and her family are in attendance. It comes complete with rose petals on the bed, champagne and ‘romantic’ music. And this is supposed to be his gift to her? What a great boyfriend. Cliche. Dreadful.
I think what most annoys me about the book is that nothing happens. It’s basically the biggest build up to a non-event I’ve read in a long time. Sure it’s the first in a series and it needs to set the scene, but have some sort of resolution or action. In the end Emma knows about as much as she did at the beginning. She doesn’t know when/where/how Sutton was killed or have any real idea who might have done it. She just knows something has gone on between Sutton and her friends. Great, I’m really glad I read the book to get to this. Oh wait, no I’m not, and I won’t be bothering with the next one either. I may never know who killed Sutton Mercer, but I can’t say I care either.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2013
The First Lie...
A secret boyfriend...
A stolen boyfriend...
A missing friend...
A silver locket...
A sisters' quarrel...
A long-lost twin...
Someone's death.
The Lying Game and My Thoughts
To lie and be lied (and bullied) is never fun so in short, this whole lying game Sutton, Charlotte and Madeline is what makes them popular but hated and backstabbed-in-gossips all along wherever they go. Almost all the too weird, too beautiful, too handsome, too confident, too geeky, too sexy, too naughty, too quiet, too shy people have been pranked already and these girls won't get tired of it because according to their L rules, each of them gains a point whenever they call a prank better than the other and that is of course, a prank should always be fun and fabulous. But then we meet Emma, Sutton's long-lost identical twin who suddenly play Sutton's role to break the mystery going on while Sutton's gone.
"Sutton's dead," says the note and Emma has to play her role or else she'll be dead too but you know what, I love Emma more than Sutton because she's wiser and she knows how to play the right way. It's been tough for her to be passed from one foster home to another after being left behind by her biological mother Becky but she's got both soft and tough heart to let her fight back despite always watching over her Mom Star, Dad Star, Emma Star and Boyfriend Star to come and meet her. :'( It's an advantage on the other hand to Emma because she's stronger to face this challenge to try and find her twin and the murderer.
Sutton - I feel sorry for her (I always do LOL). She's popular but she's also always the target for people to give her her lesson. In this writing, Sutton is narrating the story while she watches Emma connect the dots. Everything is in Sutton's POV and Emma's been described in third person which is good. She's practically a lost soul here and I find it funny when she tries to remember everything that happened when she's still alive. I pity Sutton that in the past, she can't leave her L group because she's adopted and she has no friends but them since Laurel hated her for getting Thayer. If only she used her brain to decide to change and apologize to all the people they've pranked but it's too late. :'(
Ethan - I actually like this mysterious guy better than Garrett. He seems weird that he doesn't talk much to people and mostly does things alone but maybe I really have a thing for mysterious guys because I love discovering what they're into and in saying that, Ethan's always been nice to Sutton even if he knows her stuff. He's deep! :)
Garrett - This guy's sweet and loving but if Thayer's here, he'll be the last one I'll pick. However, Sutton loved him so much because she knew he's kinda damaged from his past love life and I appreciate that. Good thing Emma didn't surrender herself to him! :P
Overall, this is a good story and while it has a similar concept with Pretty Little Liars (I only watch it though), I'm not against TLG because it still entertained me. Ended with a ton of cliffhangers but that's what this game is for. ;)
A secret boyfriend...
A stolen boyfriend...
A missing friend...
A silver locket...
A sisters' quarrel...
A long-lost twin...
Someone's death.
The Lying Game and My Thoughts
To lie and be lied (and bullied) is never fun so in short, this whole lying game Sutton, Charlotte and Madeline is what makes them popular but hated and backstabbed-in-gossips all along wherever they go. Almost all the too weird, too beautiful, too handsome, too confident, too geeky, too sexy, too naughty, too quiet, too shy people have been pranked already and these girls won't get tired of it because according to their L rules, each of them gains a point whenever they call a prank better than the other and that is of course, a prank should always be fun and fabulous. But then we meet Emma, Sutton's long-lost identical twin who suddenly play Sutton's role to break the mystery going on while Sutton's gone.
"Sutton's dead," says the note and Emma has to play her role or else she'll be dead too but you know what, I love Emma more than Sutton because she's wiser and she knows how to play the right way. It's been tough for her to be passed from one foster home to another after being left behind by her biological mother Becky but she's got both soft and tough heart to let her fight back despite always watching over her Mom Star, Dad Star, Emma Star and Boyfriend Star to come and meet her. :'( It's an advantage on the other hand to Emma because she's stronger to face this challenge to try and find her twin and the murderer.
Sutton - I feel sorry for her (I always do LOL). She's popular but she's also always the target for people to give her her lesson. In this writing, Sutton is narrating the story while she watches Emma connect the dots. Everything is in Sutton's POV and Emma's been described in third person which is good. She's practically a lost soul here and I find it funny when she tries to remember everything that happened when she's still alive. I pity Sutton that in the past, she can't leave her L group because she's adopted and she has no friends but them since Laurel hated her for getting Thayer. If only she used her brain to decide to change and apologize to all the people they've pranked but it's too late. :'(
Ethan - I actually like this mysterious guy better than Garrett. He seems weird that he doesn't talk much to people and mostly does things alone but maybe I really have a thing for mysterious guys because I love discovering what they're into and in saying that, Ethan's always been nice to Sutton even if he knows her stuff. He's deep! :)
Garrett - This guy's sweet and loving but if Thayer's here, he'll be the last one I'll pick. However, Sutton loved him so much because she knew he's kinda damaged from his past love life and I appreciate that. Good thing Emma didn't surrender herself to him! :P
Overall, this is a good story and while it has a similar concept with Pretty Little Liars (I only watch it though), I'm not against TLG because it still entertained me. Ended with a ton of cliffhangers but that's what this game is for. ;)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2014
I pretty much only read this because 3 years ago, I read and adored the first eight Pretty Little Liars books and thought that maybe, Shepard's The Lying Game series might come close to the guilty pleasure awesomeness of PLL. But I was wrong. This was a pretty big bore fest and I seriously don't see this getting any more interesting. But even if I feel this way, I'll read on because I am curious and I'm still kind of hoping that it will get better.
September 6, 2024
Lately I've been (a little obsessively) watching Gavin Reads It All on YouTube. He's become pretty much my favorite booktuber. Check him out! Anyway, he read this entire series and did a video about it. I only listened to a few minutes before deciding it was something I just had to check out for myself. What Gavin said that hooked me is that the narrator of this story, Sutton, is actually dead. That's right, deceased. This story is told from the POV of a ghost!
Turns out it was an interesting idea, but in play it just didn't work for me. The vast majority of the story is told in third-person POV about Sutton's long-lost twin, Emma, taking over Sutton's life and secretly trying to solve her murder. Then at randomly times a sentence or two of first-person perspective will interject itself to remind you Sutton's ghost is present. Sutton has can read Emma's thoughts, an overly convenient device to allow us to know what Emma's thinking throughout the story. The ghost of Sutton acting as narrator was an unnecessary gimmick that distracted and detracted from the main story. She never had anything insightful to say, as she had total amnesia and could not remember anything about her life, let alone her murder, and she could not interact or communicate with Emma in any way. It was just pointless.
The story itself is very entertaining, though. I had so much fun revisiting the characters from the TV show, which I binged for free on Tubi before starting to read the books, and I wonder how similarly and differently the plot is going to play out between the two mediums. I'm giving this five stars just cause I'm obsessed as a mixed result of Gavin the booktuber, the fact that Blair Redford as Ethan Whitehorse is so hot, and my need to gobble up anything full of teenage drama-llamas. The writing in this book was a lot better than I expected, cause the show's script was A MESS (super fun, but a complete disaster if you care at all about continuity). I actually had to look up words while reading this! It was occasionally annoying the way luxury name brands kept getting dropped because they were so repetitive, but the author really wanted to drive it home how rich and privileged Sutton was and I think she did achieve that effect, even if the ghost gimmick didn't really work.
Anyway, 5/5 cause I had a blast and want more.
Turns out it was an interesting idea, but in play it just didn't work for me. The vast majority of the story is told in third-person POV about Sutton's long-lost twin, Emma, taking over Sutton's life and secretly trying to solve her murder. Then at randomly times a sentence or two of first-person perspective will interject itself to remind you Sutton's ghost is present. Sutton has can read Emma's thoughts, an overly convenient device to allow us to know what Emma's thinking throughout the story. The ghost of Sutton acting as narrator was an unnecessary gimmick that distracted and detracted from the main story. She never had anything insightful to say, as she had total amnesia and could not remember anything about her life, let alone her murder, and she could not interact or communicate with Emma in any way. It was just pointless.
The story itself is very entertaining, though. I had so much fun revisiting the characters from the TV show, which I binged for free on Tubi before starting to read the books, and I wonder how similarly and differently the plot is going to play out between the two mediums. I'm giving this five stars just cause I'm obsessed as a mixed result of Gavin the booktuber, the fact that Blair Redford as Ethan Whitehorse is so hot, and my need to gobble up anything full of teenage drama-llamas. The writing in this book was a lot better than I expected, cause the show's script was A MESS (super fun, but a complete disaster if you care at all about continuity). I actually had to look up words while reading this! It was occasionally annoying the way luxury name brands kept getting dropped because they were so repetitive, but the author really wanted to drive it home how rich and privileged Sutton was and I think she did achieve that effect, even if the ghost gimmick didn't really work.
Anyway, 5/5 cause I had a blast and want more.
July 4, 2015
I still argue that Sara Shepard is practically her own genre among YA books, and I'm okay with that. This book very much fits into that genre.
We're looking at a thriller, certainly, and there is some murder and some mayhem and a lot of unanswered questions, many of which are still unanswered at the end of the book. That's kind of Sara Shepard's forte--series that somehow feel like Soap (anyone else remember that?) where the questions that come up get answered only to be replaced by more and more questions as time goes on so the hook is never really lost. You always want to tune back in to see (or read, in this case) more.
I had a minor issue where I went through the entire Pretty Little Liars series in about two weeks, which was vaguely horrifying and vaguely impressive. Although I've paused in this series, most of that was due to fear that I would do the same thing here. The novel is intriguing and fun, if you don't mind very fluffy soap opera-like reads.
The idea of twin sisters separated at birth has been done many times, certainly, but this puts a bit of a spin on it by having one of them dead, but still narrating.
The list of suspects would actually be a list of everyone in the entire novel, so I'll leave that part out. They're an intriguing bunch, though I don't think I like above half of them. That's okay--it makes it feel less problematic to assume they're all out to get the main characters.
I'll be picking up the rest of the series for sure at some point, but a lot of that is how compulsive these are. I need to see where things end up, and I kind of love the crazy detours and red herrings that it takes to get there.
September 26, 2018
Sometimes, you just need a twisty, fun, dramatic read.
Graduate school seems to keep trying to kill my love for reading. Over the past year, I’ve been more inclined to watch TV than read. After reading dense material for classes, coming home to read more sounds sickening. But a series like this is exactly what I want to come home to and reminds me why I have always loved to escape into a good book. I quickly and easily found myself immersed in the Sutton/Emma world. I kept wanting to find out what was next and learn more about the characters. Do I like Sutton? How is Emma going to keep this up? Is Laurel innocent? And what’s up with Ethan?
If you are looking for a good series to help you escape from stressors, this series is perfect for that. It keeps you guessing and asking questions but it isn’t overly heavy. I’m looking forward to reading the next book! This was a hard book to rate because it wasn’t earth shattering or brilliantly written or deep, but it sucked me in and kept me up late reading (which hasn’t happened in a while).
Age appropriateness: There is no vulgar language but there is reference to alcohol consumption. Although the book does not have an sexual scenes, it does mention a couple deciding on whether they should have sex or not. There is also major bullying that takes place in this book. I do not think children under 12 should be reading this, regardless of maturity. If a 12-14 year old is going to read this, I think the book could be used as a great tool for parents to bring up the discussions of bullying, alcohol, and sex.
Graduate school seems to keep trying to kill my love for reading. Over the past year, I’ve been more inclined to watch TV than read. After reading dense material for classes, coming home to read more sounds sickening. But a series like this is exactly what I want to come home to and reminds me why I have always loved to escape into a good book. I quickly and easily found myself immersed in the Sutton/Emma world. I kept wanting to find out what was next and learn more about the characters. Do I like Sutton? How is Emma going to keep this up? Is Laurel innocent? And what’s up with Ethan?
If you are looking for a good series to help you escape from stressors, this series is perfect for that. It keeps you guessing and asking questions but it isn’t overly heavy. I’m looking forward to reading the next book! This was a hard book to rate because it wasn’t earth shattering or brilliantly written or deep, but it sucked me in and kept me up late reading (which hasn’t happened in a while).
Age appropriateness: There is no vulgar language but there is reference to alcohol consumption. Although the book does not have an sexual scenes, it does mention a couple deciding on whether they should have sex or not. There is also major bullying that takes place in this book. I do not think children under 12 should be reading this, regardless of maturity. If a 12-14 year old is going to read this, I think the book could be used as a great tool for parents to bring up the discussions of bullying, alcohol, and sex.
April 14, 2026
I read this book because I really liked the show and was curious to find out what it was based on. I did enjoy this book but I like the show a lot more. The show changed a lot of things but it was cool to see the same characters and how the story differed here.
I really liked the mystery and murder here. I liked the twin aspect - I really like how Emma takes Sutton's place. I do feel like the book focused less on Emma having a difficult time being Sutton - I mean it came pretty easily for her which isn't super believable.
I liked Emma's backstory being a poor foster kid with no family. I really wish she was driven by that motivation to have a family. That was a strong part of her personality in the show and I felt like that was lacking in her character. We didn't even see much of her parents or experience that relationship Emma lacked growing up and now was able to have, so that was a bit disappointing.
I didn't like Emma's friends - Madeline and Charlotte. I love them in the show but here they were just terrible people. Even Laurel I didn't care for... she was more likable than the others but still. The only reason I even liked her a little was because of the show.
Ethan just also got on my nerves. He was not half as great as he is in the show and he just was kind of there and annoying.
Overall this was an enjoyable read. I really liked the mystery and I want to know what happened to Sutton! I'm curious for the rest of this series.
I really liked the mystery and murder here. I liked the twin aspect - I really like how Emma takes Sutton's place. I do feel like the book focused less on Emma having a difficult time being Sutton - I mean it came pretty easily for her which isn't super believable.
I liked Emma's backstory being a poor foster kid with no family. I really wish she was driven by that motivation to have a family. That was a strong part of her personality in the show and I felt like that was lacking in her character. We didn't even see much of her parents or experience that relationship Emma lacked growing up and now was able to have, so that was a bit disappointing.
I didn't like Emma's friends - Madeline and Charlotte. I love them in the show but here they were just terrible people. Even Laurel I didn't care for... she was more likable than the others but still. The only reason I even liked her a little was because of the show.
Ethan just also got on my nerves. He was not half as great as he is in the show and he just was kind of there and annoying.
Overall this was an enjoyable read. I really liked the mystery and I want to know what happened to Sutton! I'm curious for the rest of this series.
September 19, 2019
The Lying Game was overall a simply written YA murder mystery, but the writing was so confusing. The story is told in first person, from the perspective of the murder victim, Sutton. Sutton is conveniently replaced by long lost twin sister, Emma, who tried to solve the murder by stepping into Sutton’s life. Oh, and dead Sutton conveniently has amnesia. There’s kind of hokey flashbacks that Sutton has to drive the plot along, but not much happens in this first book.
The characters didn’t really develop, despite having 300 pages for something character driven to happen. Looking back at the end of this book, this entire book was just set up for the mystery to encompass the remaining 5 books (I think) in this series. I was dissatisfied by this book’s “big reveal” and don’t think it accomplished much.
The worst part of The Lying Game was the first person narration. Reading about Emma’s actions followed by Sutton’s personal thoughts was too much. It blurred the twins together to the point that I had trouble remembering specifics about either character.
This book wasn’t all bad; it had some cute moments, but overall I’m just disappointed. I don’t think I’ll be continuing in the series.
The characters didn’t really develop, despite having 300 pages for something character driven to happen. Looking back at the end of this book, this entire book was just set up for the mystery to encompass the remaining 5 books (I think) in this series. I was dissatisfied by this book’s “big reveal” and don’t think it accomplished much.
The worst part of The Lying Game was the first person narration. Reading about Emma’s actions followed by Sutton’s personal thoughts was too much. It blurred the twins together to the point that I had trouble remembering specifics about either character.
This book wasn’t all bad; it had some cute moments, but overall I’m just disappointed. I don’t think I’ll be continuing in the series.
January 7, 2011
3.5 out of 5 rating
At first, I had a hard time with the way the story was written. It was written from Sutton's point of view. Most of the time she was talking third person, telling Emma's story. Then suddenly, a paragraph would be in first person and she would be talking about herself. But there was no big space between the paragraphs or anything to give you a heads up that the point of view would be changing. And it would only change for a paragraph or two and then it would be back to Emma's point of view.
This book is definitely a mystery though. I thought I knew who Sutton's killer was, and then I would think it was someone else. And the book definitely leaves you on a cliffhanger. But almost not in a good way. Usually I feel like while there might be a cliffhanger in a book, I feel like there is also some resolution in the book. But there wasn't really any in this book at all. Nothing was really determined. But that won't stop me from picking up the next one!
At first, I had a hard time with the way the story was written. It was written from Sutton's point of view. Most of the time she was talking third person, telling Emma's story. Then suddenly, a paragraph would be in first person and she would be talking about herself. But there was no big space between the paragraphs or anything to give you a heads up that the point of view would be changing. And it would only change for a paragraph or two and then it would be back to Emma's point of view.
This book is definitely a mystery though. I thought I knew who Sutton's killer was, and then I would think it was someone else. And the book definitely leaves you on a cliffhanger. But almost not in a good way. Usually I feel like while there might be a cliffhanger in a book, I feel like there is also some resolution in the book. But there wasn't really any in this book at all. Nothing was really determined. But that won't stop me from picking up the next one!
November 10, 2013
I started reading this book because I found out they had canceled the show. I was really sad (and still am) and decided to give the book a chance since it's said that books are better than their ecranisations.
To be honest, I wasn't disappointed at all!
However, at first, I didn't particularly like the book. I mean the whole dead-girl-watching thing was a bit too much for me since I was used to having two alive twins. But then... I fell totally in love with it! I mean... the characters, the mystery - that's exactly my piece of cake!
Can't wait to see who the murder is! I've read somewhere it's . But that can't be true, can it? Can it?
To be honest, I wasn't disappointed at all!
However, at first, I didn't particularly like the book. I mean the whole dead-girl-watching thing was a bit too much for me since I was used to having two alive twins. But then... I fell totally in love with it! I mean... the characters, the mystery - that's exactly my piece of cake!
Can't wait to see who the murder is! I've read somewhere it's . But that can't be true, can it? Can it?
November 13, 2011
This book is still pretty good. (I have read it three times already!)The pace is fine, I don't mind the lengthy descriptions Shepard puts in her writing and the characters are realistic. The plot is something I normally don't read about so it is interesting to read.
Though, this book goes into extremes with these pranks the girls do. Also, Emma is quick to jump to conclusions, which annoys the heck out of me.
Though, this book goes into extremes with these pranks the girls do. Also, Emma is quick to jump to conclusions, which annoys the heck out of me.
April 29, 2013
I love it. I was already a PLL addict and now you can also call me a LG addict. Sara Shepard's witting style and her story outline has definitely improved. I'm definitely going to continue reading the series!
September 9, 2013
Finished last night and loved it! The book is even better than the television series and so now I am hooked and must get the rest of the installments! This book was well written, fast paced, suspenseful, intriguing, short at only 200 pages and just very, very good.
May 26, 2015
Wow.... Just...
Wow.
This was a good one. The writing got a little confusing at times but... Fun mystery. I got the second book loaded ready to go which I'll start probably tomorrow. Really good story though, I'm still wondering what happens.
Wow.
This was a good one. The writing got a little confusing at times but... Fun mystery. I got the second book loaded ready to go which I'll start probably tomorrow. Really good story though, I'm still wondering what happens.
June 5, 2017
3.5☆
liked it enough to consider reading the prequel or sequel but this takes mean girls to a whole new level, therefore disturbing in a way I didn't particularly find stimulating or enjoyable. probably better suited for the teens to which it is marketed
liked it enough to consider reading the prequel or sequel but this takes mean girls to a whole new level, therefore disturbing in a way I didn't particularly find stimulating or enjoyable. probably better suited for the teens to which it is marketed
February 23, 2017
This is a pretty good book, but the beginning was pretty slow.
But I also have to know what happens next.
But I also have to know what happens next.
March 28, 2018
3.5
Actually pretty good but I just don't know if it deserves 4 stars.
Actually pretty good but I just don't know if it deserves 4 stars.
June 1, 2020
The premise of this book was pretty ridiculous. Most of the book was a weak 3, but the ending was a strong twisty 4.
June 13, 2020
extremamente divertido. o mistério é ótimo. to animado pros próximos.
December 31, 2021
Mystery disappearance
This book was full of suspense! Can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series to find out more about Sutton's mystery disappearance.
This book was full of suspense! Can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series to find out more about Sutton's mystery disappearance.
February 9, 2026
now I remember why I was so mad this only got two seasons....
September 20, 2026
Amei esse livro Foi muito divertido acompanhar a evolução da história e todas as descobertas ao longo do caminho.
January 24, 2013
I was surprised by how much I liked this one. Like I suspect a lot of people did, I found this one after watching the series. I'm definitely an older demographic than the show was looking for, but the premise sounded interesting and I had too much mental venom built up against Sarah Michelle Gellar from her initial post-Buffy bitchiness to watch "Ringer" when it was on the air. I'm not usually in to high school soapy dramass (or any soapy drama really), but the show pulled me in. I kept thinking, "This is terrible. I love it!" and before I knew it, I'd watched the entire first on Netflix and was catching up with the second season on Hulu.
That's what this book did, although maybe to a lesser extent. I'm not the audience for this book, but like the TV show, I found myself thoroughly sucked in anyway. I love that enough has changed from the show (and yes, I know the books came first, but I saw the show first, so it's hard to pull myself from that mindset) that I really don't know who could have killed Sutton because the show diverged so dramatically from the source material. I love that the book doesn't take itself as seriously as the show does. I REALLY love that the author seems to have a clear idea where the series is going (as opposed to the TV show, where the writers very obviously changed their minds halfway through the first season and in a hamhanded, clumsy "twist" which left several questions unanswered, changed the course of the first season). This book also avoided love triangles, which I hate with a passion (I don't count Garrett since Emma clearly isn't interested in him), the silly marital drama between the parents, irrationally bitchy behavior from Sutton (who I loathed on the show), and oh, did I mention no love triangles? Because... awesome.
This book wasn't the best I've ever read, but it was far from the worst. Really, my main complaint with it was the narrator's perspective. Switching from third-person to Sutton's first person without warning was jarring and pulled me out of the story. I mean I love that the author tried a third-person narration from first-person perspective, which isn't often used, but after a while, it was hard to get absorbed into the story because I kept waiting for the narration to change again, which SHOULDN'T be a big deal, but somehow was.
Of course that isn't enough for me not to pick up the next book from my local library. I'm looking forward to it. It's almost like getting a whole new story from a cast of characters that I already kind of know. And yes, while I'm mildly embarrassed that at my age I'm reading a young adult novel (and posting a review of it on Goodreads), I'll take a good, fun story that holds my interest any day.
That's what this book did, although maybe to a lesser extent. I'm not the audience for this book, but like the TV show, I found myself thoroughly sucked in anyway. I love that enough has changed from the show (and yes, I know the books came first, but I saw the show first, so it's hard to pull myself from that mindset) that I really don't know who could have killed Sutton because the show diverged so dramatically from the source material. I love that the book doesn't take itself as seriously as the show does. I REALLY love that the author seems to have a clear idea where the series is going (as opposed to the TV show, where the writers very obviously changed their minds halfway through the first season and in a hamhanded, clumsy "twist" which left several questions unanswered, changed the course of the first season). This book also avoided love triangles, which I hate with a passion (I don't count Garrett since Emma clearly isn't interested in him), the silly marital drama between the parents, irrationally bitchy behavior from Sutton (who I loathed on the show), and oh, did I mention no love triangles? Because... awesome.
This book wasn't the best I've ever read, but it was far from the worst. Really, my main complaint with it was the narrator's perspective. Switching from third-person to Sutton's first person without warning was jarring and pulled me out of the story. I mean I love that the author tried a third-person narration from first-person perspective, which isn't often used, but after a while, it was hard to get absorbed into the story because I kept waiting for the narration to change again, which SHOULDN'T be a big deal, but somehow was.
Of course that isn't enough for me not to pick up the next book from my local library. I'm looking forward to it. It's almost like getting a whole new story from a cast of characters that I already kind of know. And yes, while I'm mildly embarrassed that at my age I'm reading a young adult novel (and posting a review of it on Goodreads), I'll take a good, fun story that holds my interest any day.
May 2, 2013
The Lying Game is the first book in Sara Shepard's The Lying Game Series. This book has been on my "to read" list for the longest time and I finally had a reason to read it after it was selected for me during a "pick-it-for-me" challenge. Overall I liked it. I felt it was almost exclusively targeted to a teen audience but I can't really count that against the book since it does fall in the "young adult" genre. I read a lot of young adult and don't often feel my adulthood affects my enjoyment of the genre. I guess it's like grown women shopping for clothes in the junior's section...there are some items you can get away with and some you just can't.
As noted in the book synopsis, the story revolves around identical twin sisters Emma and Sutton who were adopted out and never met. Emma finds herself thrust in the middle of Sutton's life after Sutton's disappearance and no one seems to notice she is not Sutton. Emma takes the opportunity to resume Sutton's life in an effort to learn about her twin and what, or who, contributed to her disappearance. The storyline seemed pretty original and I thought the fact that the story is told in absent Sutton's point of view was an interesting addition, but I didn't get that "sucked in" feeling that I love to feel as I escape into a good book. Sutton's (and now Emma's) social group in this story are rich, snobby, spoiled, and dangerous, and I couldn't connect with the characters. Maybe I wasn't supposed to. I liked Emma's character, who grew up in the foster care system and did not have the charmed life Sutton was apparently granted. From what I have heard, fans of Ms. Shepard's Pretty Little Liars's Series will likely enjoy The Lying Game.
My favorite quote:
"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be. —KURT VONNEGUT"
As noted in the book synopsis, the story revolves around identical twin sisters Emma and Sutton who were adopted out and never met. Emma finds herself thrust in the middle of Sutton's life after Sutton's disappearance and no one seems to notice she is not Sutton. Emma takes the opportunity to resume Sutton's life in an effort to learn about her twin and what, or who, contributed to her disappearance. The storyline seemed pretty original and I thought the fact that the story is told in absent Sutton's point of view was an interesting addition, but I didn't get that "sucked in" feeling that I love to feel as I escape into a good book. Sutton's (and now Emma's) social group in this story are rich, snobby, spoiled, and dangerous, and I couldn't connect with the characters. Maybe I wasn't supposed to. I liked Emma's character, who grew up in the foster care system and did not have the charmed life Sutton was apparently granted. From what I have heard, fans of Ms. Shepard's Pretty Little Liars's Series will likely enjoy The Lying Game.
My favorite quote:
"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be. —KURT VONNEGUT"
August 25, 2013
Another "Lying" theme novel series after Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
Emma Paxton, gadis yatim piatu yang hidup dengan keluarga angkatnya, menemukan video pembunuhan seorang cewek yang wajahnya mirip dengannya. Setelah mendapatkan profil facebooknya, Emma yakin bahwa sang cewek, Sutton Mercer, adalah saudara kembarnya dan Emma menganggap video itu hanyalah sebuah gurauan.
Dari facebook tersebut Emma mendapati bahwa mereka memiliki kehidupan yang jauh berbeda, Sutton dengan kepopulerannya, juga teman se-genk-nya yang 'high class' , orangtua yang kaya, rumah yang bagus, dan pacar yang mencintainya. Sedangkan Emma yang awalnya tinggal di panti asuhan telah berganti-ganti keluarga angkat dan tidak benar-benar merasa memiliki keluarga seumur hidupnya, kerja part-time untuk mendapatkan uang dan percaya bahwa suatu saat akan menemukan seseorang pacar yang tepat yang ditakdirkan untuk dirinya.
Setelah saling mengirim message di facebook, mereka sepakat untuk bertemu di kota tempat tinggal Sutton, Tucson, Arizona. Namun ketika Sutton tidak muncul di tempat yang disepakati dan teman-temannya mengira Emma adalah Sutton, semua menjadi rumit. Emma menemukan pesan yang berisi Sutton telah mati dan dia harus berperan sebagai Sutton kalau dia tidak ingin berakhir seperti saudara kembarnya.
Meskipun sekuat tenaga Emma mengaku dirinya bukanlah Sutton, tidak ada yang mempercayainya termasuk orangtuanya, adiknya, Laurel, bahkan polisi sekalipun karena Sutton memiliki reputasi yang cukup 'mengganggu'. Dia dan teman-temannya, Madeline Vega dan Charlotte Chamberlain sering memainkan 'The Lying Game' mereka kepada siapa saja yang dianggap pantas untuk dijadikan bahan guaruan.
Dengan rasa takut dan terancam, Emma memutuskan untuk tetap menjalankan perannya sebagai Sutton dan bertekad untuk menyelidiki siapa yang telah membunuh saudaranya dan mengancam dirinya untuk memainkan permainan ini.
Apakah Sutton benar-benar sudah meninggal? Siapa yang tega membunuhnya? Karena Sutton memiliki sederet 'teman' yang pernah menjadi korban 'The Lying Game'-nya, banyak yang akan dicurigai Emma sebagai pembunuh saudaranya.
Atau apakah Sutton hanya memainkan The Big Lying Gamenya pada Emma dan suatu saat akan muncul dan berteriak 'GOTCHA' ?
Emma Paxton, gadis yatim piatu yang hidup dengan keluarga angkatnya, menemukan video pembunuhan seorang cewek yang wajahnya mirip dengannya. Setelah mendapatkan profil facebooknya, Emma yakin bahwa sang cewek, Sutton Mercer, adalah saudara kembarnya dan Emma menganggap video itu hanyalah sebuah gurauan.
Dari facebook tersebut Emma mendapati bahwa mereka memiliki kehidupan yang jauh berbeda, Sutton dengan kepopulerannya, juga teman se-genk-nya yang 'high class' , orangtua yang kaya, rumah yang bagus, dan pacar yang mencintainya. Sedangkan Emma yang awalnya tinggal di panti asuhan telah berganti-ganti keluarga angkat dan tidak benar-benar merasa memiliki keluarga seumur hidupnya, kerja part-time untuk mendapatkan uang dan percaya bahwa suatu saat akan menemukan seseorang pacar yang tepat yang ditakdirkan untuk dirinya.
Setelah saling mengirim message di facebook, mereka sepakat untuk bertemu di kota tempat tinggal Sutton, Tucson, Arizona. Namun ketika Sutton tidak muncul di tempat yang disepakati dan teman-temannya mengira Emma adalah Sutton, semua menjadi rumit. Emma menemukan pesan yang berisi Sutton telah mati dan dia harus berperan sebagai Sutton kalau dia tidak ingin berakhir seperti saudara kembarnya.
Meskipun sekuat tenaga Emma mengaku dirinya bukanlah Sutton, tidak ada yang mempercayainya termasuk orangtuanya, adiknya, Laurel, bahkan polisi sekalipun karena Sutton memiliki reputasi yang cukup 'mengganggu'. Dia dan teman-temannya, Madeline Vega dan Charlotte Chamberlain sering memainkan 'The Lying Game' mereka kepada siapa saja yang dianggap pantas untuk dijadikan bahan guaruan.
Dengan rasa takut dan terancam, Emma memutuskan untuk tetap menjalankan perannya sebagai Sutton dan bertekad untuk menyelidiki siapa yang telah membunuh saudaranya dan mengancam dirinya untuk memainkan permainan ini.
Apakah Sutton benar-benar sudah meninggal? Siapa yang tega membunuhnya? Karena Sutton memiliki sederet 'teman' yang pernah menjadi korban 'The Lying Game'-nya, banyak yang akan dicurigai Emma sebagai pembunuh saudaranya.
Atau apakah Sutton hanya memainkan The Big Lying Gamenya pada Emma dan suatu saat akan muncul dan berteriak 'GOTCHA' ?
May 14, 2012
{my thoughts} - I have to admit that after watching the tv series this was not what I had expected. I did enjoy reading it though, I apologize for it taking me so long to complete, I think I fell into some kind of a funk.
This books is about two identical twin sisters that are separated as young children. One is raised by an adoptive family and the other is raised by their biological mother up until the mother drops off the radar and she ends up in foster care. They locate each other and correspond over the computer and through the phone and then decide to meet. The problem however is that they aren’t able to meet because the twin that had been adopted is dead and the story is written from her point of view from beyond the grave – or so to speak. That leaves it the job and obligation of the other twin to discover who killed her, why and what happened to her with little to no help. It’s got a good plot, nice mystery and its full of surprises. It is interesting to watch the one girl mold herself into her twin or attempt to in order to become her twin in a sense so that no one will discover that the other girl is missing. However, it leads her down a path that she isn’t ready to travel and it makes her rethink why she is there taking part in such a disaster, but then she remembers that she was cheated out of getting to know her sister so now she wants to do what she can in order to find out what happened. She learns that she has no real allies in this quest and those that she didn’t think she could trust she can and those that she thought she should trust she can’t. Its a huge web of lying, deceit and misconception that in the end will hopefully lead to some answers and the truth of what happened to her sister.
{reason for reading} – I read it because I likes the {pretty little liars} series. I like how when books are turned into shows or movies how they are changed so much that it gives you a different take on the story and so far I like the take on this story as it makes sense and it is entertaining to read. It seems to be bringing back my passion to reading mysteries.
This books is about two identical twin sisters that are separated as young children. One is raised by an adoptive family and the other is raised by their biological mother up until the mother drops off the radar and she ends up in foster care. They locate each other and correspond over the computer and through the phone and then decide to meet. The problem however is that they aren’t able to meet because the twin that had been adopted is dead and the story is written from her point of view from beyond the grave – or so to speak. That leaves it the job and obligation of the other twin to discover who killed her, why and what happened to her with little to no help. It’s got a good plot, nice mystery and its full of surprises. It is interesting to watch the one girl mold herself into her twin or attempt to in order to become her twin in a sense so that no one will discover that the other girl is missing. However, it leads her down a path that she isn’t ready to travel and it makes her rethink why she is there taking part in such a disaster, but then she remembers that she was cheated out of getting to know her sister so now she wants to do what she can in order to find out what happened. She learns that she has no real allies in this quest and those that she didn’t think she could trust she can and those that she thought she should trust she can’t. Its a huge web of lying, deceit and misconception that in the end will hopefully lead to some answers and the truth of what happened to her sister.
{reason for reading} – I read it because I likes the {pretty little liars} series. I like how when books are turned into shows or movies how they are changed so much that it gives you a different take on the story and so far I like the take on this story as it makes sense and it is entertaining to read. It seems to be bringing back my passion to reading mysteries.
August 30, 2013
The Lying Game is not necessarily a very well written or in depth book... but it is highly addictive.
I honestly didn’t expect to really like this book. I had seen part of, if not the whole, pilot episode of the TV series and did not particularly care for it. Now however, I think I may need to give it another shot!
Emma Paxton was a foster kid, stuck in the system after being abandoned by her mother. After happening upon a video of a girl on the internet who looks exactly like her, she sets out to find the twin sister she never knew existed. She contacts the girl in the video, Sutton Mercer, via Facebook and receives a message telling her to meet her. Emma hops on the first bus out of town, ready for her new life to begin.
What Emma doesn’t expect is to become trapped as a replacement for her Sutton, who has mysteriously gone missing – except nobody believes Emma, after all, who would believe a girl with a police record a mile long? A girl who founded a secret club called The Lying Game.
To make things worse, Emma receives threatening notes telling her she’d better keep up the act or she’s in for it.
I can’t really relate to any of the characters in this book, and normally, that pulls me right out, but The Lying Game kept me booked. Sutton and her friends are those evil girls in school that you can’t turn your back on. They pull pranks and drink and party and are just not the kind of people I would hang out with. However, Emma is not at all like those girls so watching her take Sutton’s place in life and having to act just like Sutton is quite the adventure.
I got this ebook from the library and as soon as I finished, I checked the ebook of the second book in the series, “Never Have I Ever” which I actually liked MORE! (Review on that one coming very soon.)
I highly recommend this series based on this book.
Cover Art: I like it. It’s simple, somewhat mysterious and interesting. Not the coolest cover I’ve ever seen, but definitely eye catching. I like that the whole series follows the same trend with the same girl.
August 28, 2012
My desire to pick this book up & start reading it is solely based on the book cover. Yes, the pretty book cover. and yet again, you cannot judge a book by it's cover proved to be very true.
It has a good premise which is like the prince and the pauper, switching place with someone who has a similar face & a totally different life. However, the difference is that in this story, one of them is dead while the other one is force to take the dead person's place.
Sutton is the dead one & Emma was shocked to discover the kind of life her long lost twin sister led. Compared to the other series by the same author, The Pretty Little Liars, both have similar based story, which is; one twin sister's dead, another take over her life. The difference is that this series is told from the victims perspective; Emma & the Sutton ghost.
The story is kinda very short & leaving me feeling empty. Reader got nothing from this book except that Sutton is dead & Emma is clueless of who murdered her sister. From the ending point and on, the murderer could be anybody. But i doubt it was her sister, Laurel or any of her BFFs. What actually the point of the Sutton ghost? She cant communicate with Emma or any of the other character. She cant provide anything to the story. well,except from the few flash back. All she do is following Emma around and self monologue. i guess that contribute something....
I have to remind myself that this is the first book of the series, it suppose to be like this. The big question is whether i'll continue with the series. Turn out that there is a TV series based on the books & some review said that the TV series is much more thrilling than the book. Usually, i ditch the TV series and read the book and that probably what i would do but that leave me with the same big question; will i read further? Probably yes, just to know who is the killer.
It has a good premise which is like the prince and the pauper, switching place with someone who has a similar face & a totally different life. However, the difference is that in this story, one of them is dead while the other one is force to take the dead person's place.
Sutton is the dead one & Emma was shocked to discover the kind of life her long lost twin sister led. Compared to the other series by the same author, The Pretty Little Liars, both have similar based story, which is; one twin sister's dead, another take over her life. The difference is that this series is told from the victims perspective; Emma & the Sutton ghost.
The story is kinda very short & leaving me feeling empty. Reader got nothing from this book except that Sutton is dead & Emma is clueless of who murdered her sister. From the ending point and on, the murderer could be anybody. But i doubt it was her sister, Laurel or any of her BFFs. What actually the point of the Sutton ghost? She cant communicate with Emma or any of the other character. She cant provide anything to the story. well,except from the few flash back. All she do is following Emma around and self monologue. i guess that contribute something....
I have to remind myself that this is the first book of the series, it suppose to be like this. The big question is whether i'll continue with the series. Turn out that there is a TV series based on the books & some review said that the TV series is much more thrilling than the book. Usually, i ditch the TV series and read the book and that probably what i would do but that leave me with the same big question; will i read further? Probably yes, just to know who is the killer.
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