The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

THE LYING GAME introduces Emma, an almost 18 year old who was abandoned by her mother and grew up in many different foster homes. Emma finds out she has an identical twin named Sutton and sets out to meet her in hopes that she can become part of her adopted family. However Sutton's family thinks she's Sutton and doesn't believe Emma when she claims differently. Meanwhile, Emma decides to try to figure out what happened to Sutton. Sutton and her friends are not nice people and are involved in lying games which include pranks to humiliate others. Possibly my all time favorite line comes from this book. At Sutton's 18th birthday party "Three laptops sat on a table near the door: each had USB cords to upload photos to Facebook and Twitter. I still smile when I read that. But please note this is not a funny book and the author requests readers to not try any of the pranks in the book. I like Emma (and Sutton's spirit who occasionally appears and Ethan the cute boy next store) and will cheer her on. Teens will gobble this book up and will anxiously await the sequel. I read it as an e-book arc from netgalley.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

At the end of chapter 1 Samantha is killed in a (teen drunken) car crash. In chapter 2 Sam wakes up and it's the same day and she is very much alive. She gets to relive the day 7 times apparently to try to live that day the right way. What will she do differently? What will she do the same? I was so looking forward to reading this book based on reviews I had read. However, as a parent I found it quite disturbing. The teens drink, smoke (cigarettes and pot) regularly, cut classes constantly and are promiscuous. Restaurants serve liquor without asking for IDs. There are no consequences for not showing up in class. Parents don't seem to notice the smell of tobacco or booze. Older teens will devour this book and there are parts I did enjoy. I am happy to say that by chapter 6 there is finally a designated driver. Reading it made me feel like I did something right as a parent.

WHAT I SAW AND HOW I LIED by Judy Blundell

What started off as a slow read turned out to be a book I couldn't put down. The year is 1947 and 15 year-old Evie's stepdad Joe has returned from the war. Joe takes Evie and her mom Bev on their first vacation to Palm Beach Florida. It is late summer and the off season so there are not many people in their hotel. However they spend a lot of time with another couple, the Graysons, and Peter, a GI that knows Joe from the war. Evie believes she is in love with Peter. Joe agrees to go into business with Mr. Grayson. Mrs. Grayson disappears every day for a few hours. Bev takes golf lessons and spends a lot of time with Evie and Peter while Joe and Mr. Grayson are out. The Graysons are asked to leave Palm Beach on a sour note and Peter, Joe and Bev go on a boat ride just as a hurricane is blowing in and only two of them arrive back safely. There is a lot of historical fiction (see below.) There is also mystery, romance and tender moments between mother and daughter. However, we learn that not everything looks as we see it and the last part of the book was like putting pieces of a puzzle back together. Highly recommended for young adults and adults.



Spoiler alert:

I did not know that Jews were not allowed in Palm Beach when this story takes place. Instead they went to Miami. I found this fact shocking considering how many Jewish people I know that have moved or relocated to Palm Beach.