The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

“Everything is a game, Em. Whether you know it or not. Which means that sometimes a lie is more than just a lie. Sometimes it's the only way to win.”

So up until about 5 years ago, I didn't read mysteries. Okay, I read Stephen King but that was about it. I didn't enjoy being scared and I just couldn't be bothered to find a good mystery that didn't leave me with the heebie-jeebies. But one day I found the amazing Gillian Flynn. She is the author of Gone Girl, Sharp Objects, and Dark Places. I read all three in about a month. I loved the mysteries that kept me going, weren't too graphic, but were still very very thrilling. Once I realized I DO like a good mystery, my horizons definitely expanded. Nowadays, I read mysteries pretty often but mystery is genre that is very hit or miss. Finding one that really has me shooketh isn't too easy. But I cannot say enough good things about this one.

The last time Emma saw her 3 bunk mates at Camp Nightingale, they were sneaking out into the middle of the night. But the next day Vivian,Natalie, and Allison still hadn't returned. At that point. Emma knew something was wrong. 15 years later, Emma is a famous artist in New York City and her bunk mates are still missing. When Emma is offered a job as a camp counselor to the newly reopened Camp Nightingale, she accepts hoping for some closure to the past. But not all is as it seems? What ever happened to the girls? Why havenʼt they been found? Is Emma really telling everything she knows?

Reading about teenage girls is always a trip down memory lane. I tend to forget how it felt to be a teenage girl and how bad you want to fit in. To be accepted, to seem cool, and to really believe that you belong. This book touches on that feeling. It also touches on social class and how that plays a part in how we relate to one another. I always wanted to go to a glamorous summer camp but I was well aware that wasn't happening any time soon. But Emma does have that dream come true but then that turns into a nightmare. So maybe it's okay that dream never came true for me?

I LOVE a good mystery! I really love a mystery with an unreliable narrator. And people I am here to tell you Emma is just that. The novel flashes from past to present and slowly we see not all is as it seems. I loved every twist and turn. One moment, I thought I knew exactly what was coming. Next, I was speechless and refusing to book the novel down! I read the last time I lied in 2 days because I just needed to know what happened. The atmosphere of Camp Nightingale reminded me a little of the Camp from Friday the 13th. The Camp is creepy, you know something bad happened, and you know evil is always lurking. Okay, itʼs best I say no more or Iʼll ruin the mystery of it all!! Easily this book is a 5 read and a mystery you wonʼt put down till the end. Ps- the last 3 chapters had me SCREAMING, SPEECHLESS, ALL THE EMOTIONS! Go read it yʼall!