With shades of E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars and Courtney Summers’s Sadie, this dark and twisted mystery set in a divided Maine seaside town simmers with unresolved tensions and unpredictable truths. Everyone in Tenney’s Harbor knows about the Garrison tragedy. How an unexplained fire ravaged their house, killing four of the five family members. But what people don’t know is who did it.All fingers … what people don’t know is who did it.
All fingers point at Pearl Haskins’ father, who was the caretaker of the property, but Pearl just doesn’t believe it. Leave it to a town of rich people to blame “the help.”
With her disgraced father now trying to find work in between booze benders, Pearl’s future doesn’t hold much more than waiting tables at the local country club, where the wealthy come to flaunt their money and spread their gossip. This year, Tristan, the last surviving Garrison, and his group of affluent and arrogant friends have made a point of sitting in Pearl’s section. Though she’s repulsed by most of them, Tristan’s quiet sadness and somber demeanor have her rethinking her judgments.
Befriending the boys could mean getting closer to the truth, clearing her father’s name, and giving Tristan the closure he seems to be searching for. But it could also trap Pearl in a sinister web of secrets, lies, and betrayals that would leave no life unchanged…if it doesn’t take hers first.
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thanks to Gillian French for the Advance Reader’s Edition of the lies they tell it was an amazing book about summer , pearl is trying to clear her fathers name since everyone in Tenney’s harbor knows about the garrison tragedy a fire unexplained , a five person family reduced to one plus no leads on who did it . Then pearl meet Tristan the only surviving garrison and his group of affluent and arrogant friends Tristan’s sad and somber demeanor intrigue her being friends with the boy could mean getting closer to the truth of course all fingers point at pearl Haskins dad who was the caretaker of the property but she can’t believe it leave it to a town of rich people to blame “the help” . clearing her fathers name and giving Tristan the closure he seems to need searching for but , it could also trap pearl in a sinister web of secrets and lies and betrayal that would leave no life unchanged if it doesn’t take her first . this book keeps you on the edge of your seat a real page turner a good murder mystery with a lot of thrills and suspense just the right amount to keep you wanting more I kind of figured out who I thought did the crime in the first few pages your going to have to read the book to find out I would recommend this book to my friends and family LAURA8759 .
The Lies They Tell by Gillian French is a slow burn, young adult mystery, and I love that it’s one of those books that hooks you from the very beginning. We start with a bang and then are transported into the future and to what Pearl’s life with her dad is like now. There is some suspense, lots of drama, tough subjects, and a big surprise right at the end. Even though it is a slow burn, this book was also quite the page-turner for me, and I was completely invested in finding out just what happened to Tristan’s parents. There is some sailing lingo that I wasn’t super familiar with, but that in no way took away from the main plot of the book for me.
For some reason I’m always a fan of reading about rich kids engulfed in mystery, and The Lies They Tell definitely scratched that itch for me. This is a character-driven story which is part of the reason I think it is a slower burn, but it is also so much more than just a mystery. I really felt for Pearl and no matter what age you are, I don’t think it’s hard to connect to her. I listened to the audiobook and I thought Caitlin Davies’ narration was a bit stilted, but other than that I really enjoyed listening to this one. If you are in the mood for a contemporary/mystery young adult novel that takes itself seriously I would recommend checking out The Lies They Tell. Just make sure you are prepared for a slow burn and not a fast-paced thriller.
Thank you to the publisher for my advance review copy via Edelweiss. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
This is a great book that not only entertains with mystery and suspense but with the beauty and allure of Maine. French knows her characters in and out and the locale that influences them. The dialogue is realistic and compelling. A good complement to her previous books (The Door To January and Grit) that give her readers a taste of Maine and a sometimes scary sometimes intriguing and sometimes downright funny! Highly recommend this writer.
Overall Rating: 3/5 Stars
I had fun reading this book. I was constantly trying to pin the murderer on somebody. I didn’t like the outcome of the book. I was a bit disappointed. It went too fast and I’m just really unhappy with how it ended and who the murderer ended up being.
The Lies They Tell is a story about a girl named Pearl who is trying to figure out who killed the Garrison family. She wants to know who did so her father’s name can be cleared. He was there when it happened and people lost their trust in him.
In her investigation, she befriends Bridges, Akil, and Tristan Garrison. The last Garrison son alive. She soon finds out that these boys are a bit odd and very mean.
I enjoyed the mystery in this book. Although, I’ll never understand the kids getting into something the police should be handling.
I can’t wait to read other books by Gillian. I’m ready to be on my toes again!
Character Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
I liked all of the characters in this book. Gillian wrote them all so well. She went the extra mile on each and every one of them.
Tristan is such a complex character. You never know what he’s going to do. Which is why, I didn’t trust him throughout the entire book. But, I also wanted him to be Pearl’s love interest and not Bridges.
Pearl was an amazing character. She cares so much for her father that she’s trying to solve a murder. She puts herself in danger to help her father get back all the jobs he lost due to this incident. She’s so genuine to her friends and I feel bad that she loves Reese but he doesn’t love her the same way.
Romance Rating: 2/5 Stars
This is obviously not a romance book. But since there is sort of a romance in it, I’m going to give it a rating.
I hated Bridges and Pearl. Out of the two people I wanted her to be with, it wasn’t him. I mean, they didn’t really even date. But still. I disliked him and thought she could do better.
I was totally hoping Reese would come around and love her. Either that or Tristan would man up and stop being so withdrawn from the world. But luckily, she didn’t end up with Tristan because that could have been terrible.
I just wanted more for Pearl and her love life.