I adored The Final Girls by Riley Sager so was absolutely thrilled to get an ARC of Last Time I Lied. But I was also worried!! Would the dreaded “second novel syndrome” strike? Could this book live up to my expectations after the brilliance of The Final Girls? Not only did it smash my expectations to smithereens, I actually think it now has the edge over his debut novel!!

Now all the best US teen horror movies are set around summer camps as they are the perfect setting with the lakes, woods and creepy cabins providing lots of scope for shocks and scary moments! But with Last Time I Lied, there was more of a sinister, undercurrent and a wonderfully atmospheric feel to the narrative that owes a lot to one of my favourite books Picnic at Hanging Rock and the author does acknowledge that he was inspired by that book/film for his starting point for this novel. The disappearance of three girls from Camp Nightingale is a mystery that has remained unsolved for 15 years but now their cabin buddy Emma has been invited back for the grand reopening and the secrets of the past threaten to return with a vengeance. Emma comes across as an unreliable narrator, she has had mental health problems in the past, and being back in the place where her friends vanished without a trace seems to set her back once more. The game they played all those years ago of Two Truths and a Lie, becomes central to the plot when Emma once again plays it with three new girls that she is once again sharing her cabin with. And the scene of those past events may now be ready to give up its secrets.

To begin with I thought that Last Time I Lied was a bit of a slower burner and wasn’t sure where it was going or why. But this gives the author plenty of time to gradually increase the tension and sprinkle the narrative liberally with clues and red herrings, some I spotted and others that came as a huge surprise! And as the creases of the map he has perfectly plotted for his readers start to iron out, I became completely engrossed and bewitched by this beguiling protagonist and the secrets she had been holding within for so many years. There was an unexpected understanding of all the intricacies and angst of teenage girls, who have all the feelings of adult women but with no experience to interpret and act upon them without the guidance they so desperately need but stubbornly eschew.

And let’s talk about that epilogue!!!!! Actually, I CAN’T!!! But I have to tell you that it absolutely blew me away!! You just HAVE to read it for yourself to find out why! If you enjoyed The Final Girls then I guarantee you will love this book just as much, if not more. I did and once again Riley Sager will be on my Best Books of the year list!

Very highly recommended by me!

I wasn't a huge fan of Riley Sager's first book but wanted to give the author another go.
Surprisingly I thoroughly enjoyed this read. Following one point of view and flipping between timelines, this was a great read full of mystery and intrigue.
It was compelling and easy to follow with long-standing family dramas, isolated cabins, missing teenagers and old wounds.
It is definitely worth a read.

I’ve had my copy of The Last Time I Lied sitting on my kindle for aaaages. I absolutely adored Final Girls as it hit cult-status, and I was worried any follow up just wouldn't hit the mark, so I put off reading The Last Time I Lied. After a spate of books that felt almost like a chore reading, and seeing that Riley Sager's third novel Lock Every Door was getting ready for release I decided to get stuck in. Brilliant decision. This book has every component required to create my ideal book: unreliable female narrator, flashback narrative, unpredictable twists, and a plot so carefully planned out and intricately woven that the ending hit me right between the eyes.

There is none of the 80s-horror-movie massacres in this book, everything is so much more subtle. Three girls go missing during the night one summer at camp, like they disappeared into thin air. The only witness is first-time camper Emma Davis. Reminiscent of Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay, The Last Time I Lied alternates two timelines, past and present day seamlessly as Sager skillfully weaves two different storylines together flawlessly. The planning and plot line was superb. I’ve read so many psychological thrillers of late that I feel they are all becoming samey, I can predict from a few chapters where the story is going. This did NOT happen with The Last Time I Lied, I genuinely had no idea where the story would lead, who to trust and who to be suspicious of. All of my instincts were totally wrong, but looking back all the clues were there, hidden in plain sight.

It’s not often an author can get to me like this, but Sager had my mind bending in all directions. There are a few twists through the story before the big one at the end, and whilst it turns the book on its head, it is a clever, clever ending.

Completely different from Final Girls, Sager has shown he is no one trick pony and can reach various sub-genres in the crime fiction category with this modern slant on a mystery-suspense that pays homage to a classic.

Last Time I Lied is the second book by Riley Sager and another dark, psychological thriller guaranteed to keep the reader glued and guessing throughout the pages.

Perfect thriller with a great plot and solid narrative. I was gripped from start to finish and I can’t wait for more from the same writer.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book.. I really struggled to get into it and found that I could not finish it.

Great read from a great writer. I couldn't put the book down until I finished it. Definitely plan to read more by Riley Sager.

Riley Sagar seems to have well and truly escaped the curse of the second book. I actually think Last time i Lied has the slight edge over Final Girls.

Recommended.

Have you ever played two truths and a lie?

Emma has. Her first summer away from home, she learned how to play the game. And she learned how to lie.

Then three of her new friends went into the woods and never returned . . .

Now, years later, Emma has been asked to go back to the newly re-opened Camp Nightingale. She thinks she’s laying old ghosts to rest but really she’s returning to the scene of a crime.

Because Emma’s innocence might be the biggest lie of all…

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy.

I read and loved The Final Girls so was keen to read Riley Sager's next book. This is a very different story but equally gripping. There are lots of twists and turns throughout and my head often hurt with trying to figure out what had happened. The conclusion is not predictable ( but not quite deserving of all the tense build up) but sticking with 5 stars as I'm growing to love this author.

I was left feeling pretty disappointed by this book, having heard such good things about the author. This tells the story of Emma and her return to Camp Nightingale 15 years after three of her camp mates disappeared. Firstly, I found the pace to be pretty slow, particularly in the first half of the narrative. It took me a long time to get into the narrative and it felt like there was a lot of material included that could have been pared back, for me. Secondly, I found a lot of the characters to be pretty unbelievable, in terms of motivations and behaviours, which threw me out of the narrative on occasion. Thirdly, I just didn't think the plot was that good overall, with reveals that felt anticlimactic unfortunately. I would say that the prose was good, with some fabulous sentences and the second half of the book was definitely more gripping than the first. Overall however, I think the main problem for me was my own expectation, which was high. This was a competent thriller, but it just didn't blow me away.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A great thriller I would recommend to young adults.

Thanks to Penguin Random House UK for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Full review to come.
I deeply apologize, but life is a handful lately and I'm using all my free time to read, not review. I hope everybody understands.

I really enjoyed this book. The alternate chapters between now and 15 years ago, worked very well. There's enough head messing for readers to be unsure if Emma's losing her mind or genuinely tormented. I thought the tale was slightly slow to begin with, although the careful characterisation kept my attention. The action really kicked off in the second half, and from then on moved at a brisk speed. This was a very clever tale, that carried on giving, even after the denouement. Well worth a read. You can thank me later!

Have you ever played two truths and a lie? Emma has. Her first summer away from home she learned how to play, she also learned how to lie. Then three of her new friends went into the woods and never returned. Now, years later, Emma has been asked to return to the newly re-opened Camp Nightingale. She thinks she is laying old ghosts to rest but really she is returning to the scene of a crime. Because Emma’s innocence might not be the biggest lie of all.

I loved the premise of this and Sager executes it perfectly with this intense, creepy feel. The setting of Camp Nightingale is the perfect place for three people to go missing in the woods, the atmosphere is perfectly balanced with the plot to provide the most chills and unease. My sense of unease started at the beginning and continued through to the end of the book and I adored being swept into this creepy, dangerous world.

I love how Sager has written this as well. We follow Emma in the present day as she struggles with what happened all those years ago, as she begins to discover the truth and we also have flashback chapters that inform us of the tragic events from Emma’s first trip to Camp Nightingale. The flashbacks are short and punchy and definitely leave you wanting more, Sager would leave us with a cliff-hanger to return to as we then switch back to the present day, I was left on the edge of my seat, desperately wanting the revelation to come sooner. I was definitely gripped by this book and so engrossed in reading it and discovering the truth.

As I have said this book is wonderfully atmospheric. Sager also employs multiple red herrings throughout the book, some are more obvious than others, but they all serve to ramp up the tension and increase the drama and excitement, and it works sensationally!

‘Last Time I Lied’ is a fantastically intense, dramatic thriller, one that will have you on the edge of your seat and fill you with the deepest of unease. All is not what it seems at Camp Nightingale.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK for an advance copy.

So happy to be given a whole budget to replenish our senior shelves in the school library. The books in there are far from appealing at the moment and I have been delighted to find books here that will intrigue, captivate and engross my senior students.

This is a fantastic read with characters they will be able to connect with, a pacy narrative and an ending that will provide plenty to talk about.

It's great to read a book that does not feel formulaic and gives some credit to their reader's intelligence too. Young people are very fussy about the books they choose to read and in this time-precious day and age it really has to be something above and beyond the ordinary to get them to put down their devices and get their noses stuck in a book.

I think this is one book that will capture their imagination and keep them turning the pages until the end. This is definitely going onto my 'must-buy' list and I really look forward to seeing what the young people themselves think of this twisty, clever and engaging novel.

Riley Sager knows just how to convince you to never go camping.

This book has a lot of little puzzles that work together towards solving the overall extremely tragic and confusing mystery. But, the more levels you uncover, the less you truly know. Then when you find out what really happened…why it happened? That’s just some twisted sh*t.

I would definitely recommend this to thriller lovers and fans of Final Girls.

I was so excited to read ‘Last Time I Lied’ ever since I heard that it was being released, late last year. After receiving a copy in the mail, I have been dying to get to it ever since. After an eventful few months of University exams, I finally had time – and I’m happy to say it was definitely worth the wait!

I heard about Riley Sager in the summer of 2017, when his first book ‘Final Girls’ hit the shelves. It was an instant favourite in the bookish community, and I had lots of recommendations to read it afterwards. However, I didn’t quite get to it in the Autumn, and it slipped my mind. But when I saw that Sager was coming out with a new book, I couldn’t let that happen again.

The positives:
I flew through this book in a few days, and couldn’t focus on much else. I listened to the beginning on Audiobook and finished the rest with a hard copy.

The story follows the main character and narrator, Emma Davis, who returns to the summer camp where three of her friends went missing. As soon as Emma returns, creepy things start happening again. Everyone becomes a suspect, as Emma begins to unravel the mystery. I really enjoyed the plot of the book, which had a few good twists and turns.

In terms of the storyline, I loved following Emma’s train of thought as she tried to unravel the mystery from years before. This allowed me to get onto the same wavelength, figuring out things alongside her. I also thought Sager’s writing was very good, intriguing and suspenseful, perfect for a thriller.

The negatives:
However, I did find the ending of the book disappointing, overall, which took the book down from 5 stars to 4. Particularly, in the last chapter, where I felt as though the ending was rushed. I was left with questions and frustrations and feel as though the ending could be extended. The ending was arguably the most important plot point – where the beginning dragged on. It felt as if it had almost been thrown in, as an afterthought.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story and am looking forward to reading ‘Final Girls’ next! If you’re looking for a suspenseful thriller, with a twisty and unique premise, then pick up ‘Last Time I Lied’. It would be the perfect Halloween read!

I received this E-Arc in exchange for an honest review and would like to say thank-you to Ebury Press for providing me with an advanced-readers-copy of this book.

Equally as entertaining as Riley Sager's previous book, but with an added depth that read like a far more mature novel. Although the setting of Camp Nightingale conjures up Friday 13th type scenarios and teen slasher films, this book is a much more psychological delve into the dark hearts of teenage girls and the repercussions of keeping secrets. It's a whip smart, fast paced roller coaster of a book that I raced through reading.
Emma is a fantastic unreliable narrator, clearly she is suffering some form of PTSD, but to what extent. Are her fears paranoia, teenage pranks, or is someone really out to get her? As she draws closer to the truth of what happened in camp all those years ago the tension ratchets up to a breathless finish.
Needless to say I am eagerly awaiting the next book from Riley Sager, and my thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the copy is exchange for an honest review.

Two truths and a lie:

I have had Riley Sager's Final Girls on my TBR since it came out.

I am an idiot for not having yet read it.

I did not like his second book, Last Time I Lied. ;) 

I loved Last Time I Lied! It is a slow burner but a deliciously creepy, mysterious and intriguing one. I found Emma a sympathetic and engaging lead, despite her apparent prickliness. The supporting characters were each well drawn and Sager keeps you on your toes as you cannot decide who to trust.

The locations are all clearly described and I could fully imagine busy Camp Nightingale, both Dogwood Cabin and the Lodge full of secrets and the cool, compelling beauty of Lake Midnight.

The story itself is complex, meaty and gripping, with layers and layers of intrigue and several whiplash-inducing twists that I truly did not see coming. I really enjoyed Last Time I Lied, from its tense and spellbinding opening to its surprising and shocking ending, and cannot wait to get to Final Girls. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK for the ARC of Last Time I Lied.

Loved this book, a super read and an author I will seek out again. A real twisting tale of deceit and treachery!