I read this in one sitting because I was so caught up with the events that happened on a holiday camp one year. Three girls go missing and the girl left behind knows more than she lets on. Years later, she’s a painter who has never really got over what happened to the missing girls. Unexpectedly she is given an opportunity to return to the camp as a tutor and it is then she confronts the truth from all those years ago. A compelling read.

I have only recently read FINAL GIRLS so had high expectations for this next book by Riley Sager. If you are in the same boat then rest assured you will not be disappointed with this next book and if you haven’t read either of them then you really need to read both !!

This is the story of Emma, who as a thirteen year old girl went to summer camp and shared a cabin with three older girls. Emma woke one morning to find the other girls gone and they were never seen again. What happened to the girls ? Does Emma know more than she is letting on ?

Fifteen years later Emma returns to the camp as an art teacher and has to face her demons. Will the truth finally be revealed ?

I love the way the book is written whereby we follow Emma as she returns to summer camp as well as learning about what actually happened fifteen years earlier. The style of writing is brilliant and you really feel as if you are living through this with Emma.

You definitely need to read this book and I’m sure it will turn out to be a must read for the summer 2018, a highly addictive read !!

Thank you to Penguin Random House UK, Ebury Publishing and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

The Last Time I Lied is such a good read. 15 years after 3 girls disappear from summer camp, Emma goes back to camp to find some answers. A story full of suspense and mystery that jumps between the past and present. The final twist... I did not see that coming! Final Girls has been on my TBR list for so long now and after reading this I cannot wait to read it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

WOW I could not put this book down loved every page ..... This is the first book I have read by Riley Sager and I know it won't be the last already bought The Final Girls to read later.

This was such a good thriller the story was fresh and the characters were really well done ... This book reminded of a good old 80's Horror thriller Slash Nancy Drew Mystery which is amazing.

The book is about a girl called Emma who goes to summer camp for the first time and it does not end to well with her other roommates all going missing.... Emma now finds herself back there after 15 years trying to understand what really happened all those years ago. With so many twist and turns and real page turning moments you will be reading this way past your bedtime.

This will be a book I shall be recommending to many cant wait to read his first book and hopefully a third book at some point too found myself a new Author

Riley Sager has done it again, To follow a success like Final Girls is undoubtedly a challenge, but with Last Time I Lied, Sager has once again crafted a gripping edge of your seat thriller that is a perfect Summer read.
Emma Davis is a successful artist hiding a secret in each of her paintings. Haunted by a tragedy at a Summer camp she attended 15 years ago , when three of her companions disappeared into the forest one night and were never seen again, she has been painting them into her work, hiding them under layers of paint. Unable to move on creatively, she decides to return to the camp, which is reopening for the first time since that fateful summer, and where she has been offered a position as art instructor. Determined to find closure, and ease the guilt that has been eating away at her for more than a decade, she decides to investigate what really happened, but just when she seems to be making headway , another three girls disappear. How can history be repeating itself?
Moving effortlessly from the past to present and back again, Sager carefully revels how events in one summer echo those of the other, and the reader is cleverly drawn into unravelling the mystery as the plot twists and turns from one revelation to another. The setting in the woods is suitably atmospheric and adds a nice creep factor, and both sets of teenage girls are a wonderful blend of bitch and bravado. As a reader, its always fun when you can't figure out who to trust, and in this book , it seems like everyone is keeping secrets or has something to hide.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are entirely my own.

The events of a trip to Camp Nightingale still haunt Emma 15 years later. When 3 girls in her cabin disappear never to be seen again she is left with no closure in what happened to them. So when she gets an invite to go back to camp as a teacher she leaps at the opportunity to solve the mystery once and for all – but at what cost?

The Last Time I Lied is a twisty thriller told in the first person, with occasional second person passages. I thought Emma was a complex and well thought out character, with depth of feelings of guilt and paranoia as well as a touch of psychosis. The author was trying to instill a feeling of an unreliable narrator in her but I felt it was a little hit and miss in places. This may be because I’ve just read a book that did the same premise a lot better but I found the motivation behind her withholding information to be a little confusing. The foreboding sentences to end the chapters also became somewhat wearing over time.

The story itself alternates between the flashbacks of Emma 15 years ago and the present story of her now. This started to get nicely muddled as she entered the same setting when she was older which I liked as a mechanic. There are some nice twists and lots of red herrings which means you don’t really trust any of the other characters – at some point in the story you end up suspecting each of them. I did feel that although the ending was quite fast paced, a few places earlier in the story lost pace and started to drag.

Overall I enjoyed The Last Time I Lied, it’s a twisty thriller in a great setting. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Ebury Press for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book I've now read by Riley Sager and I must say I did enjoy this one more than Final Girls! I know shocker because I do know final girls was a lot of people's thriller of the year but for me it had been enjoyable,yes but predictable but this on the other hand I did not see coming.

Emma Davis returns to camp nightingale fifteen years after she was last there when she was merely just a 13 year old kid but during that time three girls went missing and were never found and those girls were her friends and fellow cabin buddies. Now an artist and tempted back by franny the rich old lady whom owns the entire land that the camp is on,Emma agrees to return to teach the new girls some art but her own goal is to find them, those three missing girls that were never found. Though matter how far she has to go to get the information she needs.


Throughout this story there are many twists and turns and Emma is a pretty unreliable source given her own current mental state so it keeps you guessing if some of what she is thinking or her inner monalogue is lies or not. The other characters throughout also have you guessing,they have just the right amount shadiness for you to suspect them so you'll be continuously wondering whom did what and what is going on.

The ending was a total surprise and I highly enjoyed it,I will be reading more by this author in the future.

Tragedy strikes Camp Nightingale in Upstate New York when three girls vanish from their cabin in the middle of the night, leaving their younger roommate, Emma Davis, behind. Fifteen years later, Emma, an artist who constantly relives their disappearance through her painting is determined to uncover the mystery of her friends’ fate. When Camp Nightingale reopens for the first time since that summer, she returns as an instructor and is haunted by the past and possibly something even more sinister. Suspicion abounds as Emma’s memories of that summer lead her to hidden clues left behind in the wake of the girls’ disappearance. The author intricately interweaves the past and present as Emma investigates further, realizing that not everyone she once knew can be trusted.

The story is told by switching past and present to blend in beautifully, letting readers get to know what happened then as Emma investigates now. As the book goes on lines are blurred and the intensity goes up a notch giving readers two mysteries to solve, and the twists keep on coming to keep readers on their toes. This novel was so gripping and intriguing and, in my opinion, had the perfect setting, the creepy woods, cabin, and the eerie lake with the camp setting was excellent.

And finally, THAT ENDING! I can’t say much more because I refuse to spoil even a second of this wonderful ending, a gripping thriller with a major twist toward the end that completely throws you.

This was my first book by Riley Sager, but it certainly won't be the last

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK Ebury Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Let me start this review by saying that I was so engrossed in this book that I missed a few tube and bus stops and I almost walked into a lamppost (reading and walking at the same time is a dangerous activity). LAST TIME I LIED is gripping, it’s dark, it’s jaw-dropping and I wasn’t able to put it down.

The protagonist of this novel is Emma Davis. When she was thirteen years old she was sent to spend six weeks to Camp Nightingale, an exclusive summer camp for girls. Because she arrived late to the camp, she was put in a cabin with three older girls, Vivian, Natalie, and Amanda and she was flattered when beautiful and charming Vivian took her under her wing. But, one night, the three girls disappeared and they were never found and Camp Nightingale was closed.

Fifteen years later, Camp Nightingale opens agains its doors. Emma is an artist who just had her first showcase in an art gallery and she is asked to go back to camp to teach art to the girls. She is still obsessed by the disappearance of the three girls and she sees this as her chance to finally discover what happened to them.

The story is told from Emma’s point of view, but I found her an unreliable narrator. She’s been keeping secrets about the night Vivian, Natalie, and Amanda disappeared. Also, she is haunted by the guilt and the past and she keeps allucinating Vivian, so you can’t really trust what she says. The flashbacks to the past not only helped me to understand better the character of Emma, but also the character of Vivian – a true Queen Bee who knew how to manipulate people – and the events the led to her disappearance.

Secrets are at the center of this novel. The girls used to play a game of “two truths and one lie” and everyone seems to be hiding something about the events of fifteen years earlier, everyone has secrets. Between the atmosphere of an horror movie and the twist after twist that took me by surprise, the suspense is always high.

I’d like to thank Ebury Press for providing me with a copy of LAST TIME I LIED and so giving me the chance to read this thrilling, compulsive, and chilling novel.

It started off a little slow for me and I wasn't wholly invested in the story until around 25% through, but then it hooked me and I couldn't put it down.
It was creepy at times, it had me guessing constantly and the ending caught me off guard a little. There were moments that I thought I had it all figured out, but was soon steered in another direction, which I really enjoyed.
Definitely a page turner and one that I'd recommend to read.

Thank you so much to Ebury Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book before publication in exhange for a honest review.

While Final Girls didn't really impress me, to say the least, with its plot, there is something about Riley Sager's writing that made me want to try another book of his, so I was delighted to be granted a copy of Last Time I Lied. And I was right because it was, in my opinion, much better.

The concept is basically the same. A woman in her late 20's whose job is art-related, sole survivor from a past tragedy in the woods, traumatised by what happened but knowing more than she's willing to admit to the point that she was a suspect herself and will be suspected again during the novel, is drawn back to this tragedy and will finally uncover the truth. From chapter 1, I felt that maybe Emma wasn't the only artist feeling nervous about being a one-time hit. The parallel seemed quite obvious to me, especially when I compare Sager's books to Emma's painting series: different stage, but mostly same play, in a way. Emma is stuck, in her life and in her art, and the way it's written doesn't just explain why she agrees to go back to Camp Nightingale, it shows that she has to. And that's really great.

Emma is also an amazing unreliable narrator. She doesn't always make the most logical decisions (honestly, she could have stuffed some toilet paper in that crack, then noticed it had fallen on the floor without the light coming back in and putting 2 and 2 together for the same effect in the narrative without the naive (at best) assumption that no one else had ever noticed the light coming in the cabin), but her increasing paranoia, coupled with her own history, puts us readers in a very interesting position. We see what she sees, so we know she saw what she says. But at the same time, can we trust her? If we're to believe that some things are just impossible, what to think of what sounded plausible? What to think when the logical explanation and so many proofs say you're wrong but your gut screams otherwise? This is by far my favourite thing in this novel.

When it comes to the plot, I liked the general idea, with Emma investigating and finding clues from the start. One thing I didn't like about Final Girls was how it took so long to finally get a move on so I'm very happy we got right to it. The atmosphere was creepy, there was tension in the air, I loved it. Then we got to part II with a brutal development and man, I was so pumped! THAT was a great plot twist.

Sadly the others didn't really convince me. The resolution didn't satisfy me, I felt it didn't quite fit what we had found out on the way and was the second best choice, only chosen by the author because the best explanation would have been expected by the reader. I'm not a fan. I felt most of the plot twists suffered from what I like to call the Dan Brown Syndrom: way too many, hardly believable and only surprising because I was manipulated into following the wrong path. Don't get me wrong, I love being surprised. However I hate feeling cheated and that's how I felt, being so obviously pushed in the wrong direction. Sublety is key. Give the information to the reader and let him assume wrong on his own, instead of withholding everything useful (these "you know what I'm talking about", for God's sake...) to kill their chances to get it right. Otherwise the reader realizes the game was rigged and that's no fun. Kinda ruined my fun.


To sum up, I felt it was more entertaining than Final Girls, that's for sure, and the psychological aspect was really on point. I just think the resolution was quite underwhelming. Still recommend it, though. And will probably read the next book.

Having bought and absolutely devoured "Final Girls" Sager's debut I had super-high expectations for this one, his follow-up. As most readers know, expectations can be a double-edged sword - a book can either live up to them and proceed to blow your mind or let you down and leave you very disappointed. I am pleased to report that it is the former here, rather than the latter. In fact, I surprised myself by liking this one even more than the first! I feel it is far superior.

Creepy and deliciously dark, "Last Time I Lied" has a series of spectacular twists scattered throughout. It starts off slow and steady but soon gathers place and from then it zips along. I particularly liked the dual narrative which helps to build the tension without introducing too many POV making it easy-to-follow. One slight gripe I had was that I felt there were too many characters involved in the story when there needn't have been. Despite this I enjoyed it immensely and I hope that Sager continues to write in this vein.

I look forward to future books, if the first two are anything to go by it will be another stonker! I have no hesitation in recommending this to crime fans and in particular those who love an intriguing psychological thriller. Cleverly written, fresh and inventive you won't want to miss this one!

Many thanks to Ebury Press for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I read Final Girls and loved it ,so was delighted to be given the chance to read The Last Time I Lied and I wasn't disappointed.Although I found the story quite slow to start off with,it soon gathered pace and turned into a good psychological thriller,I love these ! Slowly the shocking truth emerges .An excellent read.
Many thanks to the Publisher,the Author and NetGalley for the review copy in return for an honest review.

I had a blast reading this book! I've been stuck in a bit of a reading rut lately, but this book yanked me right out of it and made me look forward to picking up my kindle again. I enjoyed the structure (I always find dual narratives work wonders when attempting to create tension), and the setting ( a summer camp in the middle of nowhere) was particularly intriguing and visually rich. I do feel that perhaps there were too many characters (sometimes I was left wondering who someone was, despite them appearing to play crucial roles in the plot development) and I also feel there were some interesting elements that should have been further explored or cut entirely. I was a little disappointed by the ending, and although I liked the twist at the very end, I feel it was delivered in an odd way - it almost seemed like an afterthought. Despite this, I flew through it and enjoyed reading it immensely, hence the 4 stars!

I really enjoyed, “Final Girls,” by Riley Sager and so I was delighted to receive a copy of her latest, for review. Emma Davis is a successful artist, whose work, and dreams, are dominated by an event that happened when she was thirteen. Sent, for the summer, to the exclusive Camp Nightingale, typically the haunt of the daughters of the rich and famous, Emma found herself roomed with the three girls who haunt her thoughts, and her paintings. Vivian, the troubled Senator’s daughter, Natalie, the daughter of a top orthopaedic surgeon and Allison, whose mother was a famous Broadway actress. That final summer, fifteen years before, the three girls had simply vanished one night and never been found.

Now, Emma is contacted by Mrs Francesca Harris-White (“call me, Franny”) the wealthy owner of the camp. She still has her expensive, Park Avenue apartment – complete with an indoor garden – her, ever present assistant, Lottie, and a desire to open the camp again. Emma is invited to teach art to the girls who will be visiting and decides to take up the offer and finally put her obsession to rest.
Once there, she discovers many people she knew, such as photojournalist, Rebecca Schoenfeld, who was also present fifteen years ago, and Franny’s two adopted sons, Theo and Chet. Do those associated with Camp Nightingale want to let go of the past, or, like her, are they still unable to move on? Can Emma overcome her guilt and discover what happened, all those years ago?

This really is an excellent thriller, full of intriguing flashbacks, with good characters, an interesting setting and a fast moving plot. If it is possible to have a literary page turner, than this is one. I loved, “Final Girls,” and I pleased to say that I enjoyed this just as much. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

This author clearly watched and loved many eightys teen camp story horror movies as did I
The picture she creates is very fitting to that era
I prefer the final girls but this isn’t bad ,just similar sorta feel to it of old American horror movie though no gore more mystery
I’d like a book just on Viviean as I loved her character ,complex a bully a heroine ,a life saver ,a judge , all sorts thrown into her and she came alive off the page
Lots of characters not too many to get Muddled but enough for u to suspect a good few
Loved the idea she painted an covered up the girls in each one ,cd picture the scenes also under water
and the asylum below the sea that may or may not have been swollen up by water on purpose for one mans idea of a great dam.
Will look at her third novel and most likely buy it but wd like to see progress in the potential I read in her first novel or all will become a bit samey and cliche though you do wanna know the heart of the mystery throughout.enjoyable imagery , Ok story with mystery an intrigue but fell a little bit flat for me as setting so similar and feel of it to the first novel but this is an author I look out for
Thanks netgalley and publishers for letting me have this reading opportunity

Initially I found it hard to get into the story but as the book progressed I did enjoy it. It revolves around an American summer camp switching between time lines. The main character is an artist looking back at a huge event that happened when she was a teenager at summer camp having been invited to return to the scene 15 years later. The story unravels the mystery and although it tends to be a bit "Indiana Jones", I definitely wanted to solve the mystery. The book looks at mental health issues and finishes with a twist which is satisfying, if not a huge surprise.

An unusual story which seemed at first to be a possible kidnapping/abduction then went onto seem to be repeated further on in the story but at the conclusion it proved to be a surprisingly different scenario. A cracking read, well recommended.

I had a lot of fun reading this, and fun was really what I needed. I read around 250 pages in one sitting (something I rarely do); I also went to bed way too late because I just needed to know how this one ends. But, this book really does not hold up to scrutiny and there were a couple of things that did not work for me.

When Emma was 13-years old and spending her summer at a camp for rich kids, her three roommates disappear. Now, 15 years later, Emma is a painter who has been painting and then painting over her friends for years, when she is invited back to the newly re-opened camp. Hoping for closure she accepts the invitation, but things might not be as idyllic as they seem.

I highly enjoyed the dual time lines (this is something I often adore) and thought Riley Sager brilliantly used this to develop his story. I did however grow increasingly annoyed at the way Emma withholds information from the reader. This is difficult to achieve in first person narration and here it did not work for me. Another thing that annoyed me about the narrative voice is the way in which people, especially women are described. Emma is 28 and talks about herself and other women in the story as both old and spent, which, you know, grated. Especially when contrasted to the way the only significant male figure in the story is described: because obviously he just got hotter. While I understand why Emma might project her self-loathing onto her looks, I don't buy that she would think this way about other women. Speaking of self-loathing - I also thought Emma's guilt was maybe a bit over the top because, I mean, she was 13 when everything happened. The way people kept holding her behaviour as a kid over her head did feel a bit unneccessary.

In general I thought some the characterization worked a lot better in the past than in the present. I thought Emma's relationship to Vivian (one of the girls who disappeared in the past) was done excedingly well. I had a very similar friendship as a teenager: my best friend was both the best and the worst person possible for me. When she wanted, spending time with her felt radiant, she was funny and brilliant and unbelievably charismatic (I used to half-joke that I have never met a boy who didn't fall in love with her - something that wasn't as funny when she set her eyes on somebody I quite fancied - this happened more than once), we had so much fun. But, and here she is similar to Vivian, she could also be cold and uncaring. Riley Sager captured this part of (some) teenage friendships so unbelievably well that in contrast the weird mirroring with the girls in the present really did not work for me at all.

The book was well-written in a way that I just flew through. I could picture the camp perfectly and got a great sense of place and mood. I also enjoyed the mystery side to the story, for the most part. I did think that a couple of developments were a bit too convenient but overall, I did enjoyed my time with the book.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Emma was at summer camp with three other girls who left her alone one night and snuck out of their cabin. This was the last time they were seen. Emma decides to pursue their disappearance many years later but this comes at a price that she can’t risk, her life.

After my love for Riley’s previous book, I was apprehensive that this would be as brilliant and those doubts were unfounded this was a brilliant read. Five well deserved stars!