Hello everyone!
I am back with another book review, The Best Lies by Sarah Lyu. Thanks so much to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.
**TRIGGER WARNING: Parental/domestic abuse, suicidal discussion/attempt**
Seventeen-year-old Remy used to think she knew how her life was going to turn out. Now her whole world is upside down. Her boyfriend, Jack, is dead - shot in the chest by Remy's best friend, Elise. Was it self-defence? Or something more malicious? As Remy tries to piece together that night, the police start asking questions and Remy has to decide where her loyalties lie.
It's been a good long while since I read a toxic relationship book and I forgot how dark and twisty and intriguing they are. The relationship between Elise and Remy starts out innocent enough but as the two learn more about each other, the deeper they are drawn into the toxicity and manipulation of their friendship. I don't want to get into specifics because I don't want to spoil anything but the intricacies of their relationship were really well done on the part of Lyu.
I really enjoyed the writing style and the way Lyu set up the story timeline. Alternating between past and present, Remy narrates the point from when she meets Elise to the fateful night. At first, I was worried that the timeline jumping around would be difficult to follow but it was actually really well done. I never got lost and I didn't find myself hoping that one timeline would come back - which frequently happens for me.
This book also touches on other deeper topics such as physical and verbal abuse, manipulation, and a little bit on race. I think it will hit home for a lot of readers - it certainly did for me, so just be aware of that going in. I didn't find it too much for me, but, of course, everyone is different so proceed with caution.
Even though much of this book was about Elise and Remy's friendship, I found that the romance between Jack and Remy - the small portion that we get - really stood out to me. Their relationship was just really wholesome and adorable - it's one of those ones that I love to read about.
Overall, a new favourite for me and one I won't soon forget.
Seventeen-year-old Remy used to think she knew how her life was going to turn out. Now her whole world is upside down. Her boyfriend, Jack, is dead - shot in the chest by Remy's best friend, Elise. Was it self-defence? Or something more malicious? As Remy tries to piece together that night, the police start asking questions and Remy has to decide where her loyalties lie.
It's been a good long while since I read a toxic relationship book and I forgot how dark and twisty and intriguing they are. The relationship between Elise and Remy starts out innocent enough but as the two learn more about each other, the deeper they are drawn into the toxicity and manipulation of their friendship. I don't want to get into specifics because I don't want to spoil anything but the intricacies of their relationship were really well done on the part of Lyu.
I really enjoyed the writing style and the way Lyu set up the story timeline. Alternating between past and present, Remy narrates the point from when she meets Elise to the fateful night. At first, I was worried that the timeline jumping around would be difficult to follow but it was actually really well done. I never got lost and I didn't find myself hoping that one timeline would come back - which frequently happens for me.
This book also touches on other deeper topics such as physical and verbal abuse, manipulation, and a little bit on race. I think it will hit home for a lot of readers - it certainly did for me, so just be aware of that going in. I didn't find it too much for me, but, of course, everyone is different so proceed with caution.
Even though much of this book was about Elise and Remy's friendship, I found that the romance between Jack and Remy - the small portion that we get - really stood out to me. Their relationship was just really wholesome and adorable - it's one of those ones that I love to read about.
Overall, a new favourite for me and one I won't soon forget.