A fun mystery with a supernatural twist. I am a fan of Melissa Landers novels and this was a different genre from her. Usually science fiction or fantasy and now mystery with a touch of paranormal I don’t think she could write anything I didn’t love.

This book was okay. Not really my cup of tea. I think the writing could have been better, the characters more fleshed out, and certain aspects needed more attention than they got.

Make Me a Liar certainly had an interesting premise and a super interesting first line. "I like teenage boys, just enough to wear one." Given that I'd forgotten the description of the book I really had no idea what was going to happen after that.

The book, detailing people who can basically transport their minds into other peoples bodies, was somewhat interesting. I appreciated that there seemed to be a certain level of consent with most people who had the ability. But I didn't think the "how" of it was examined enough. When a book is kind of sci-fi I don't expect there to be exact science (especially with something that isn't really a science) but I do expect a certain level of understanding. I just didn't think that was there in this book.

Overall, Make Me a Liar was an entertaining and quick read but I just felt like there was something lacking.

Make Me a Liar has a similar plotline with a sci-fi twist. Tia Dante is an immersionist, a person who can swap bodies with a person with their consent. Tia uses her ability to help classmates do things they are afraid to do for themselves, such as standing up to bullies, breaking up or coming out - all for a price. When someone borrows her body while she is swapping and murders the district attorney, Tia is suspected of murder. With the aid of her ex-boyfriend Nash, who she finds out is an immersionist himself, Tia attempts to prove her innocence. Tia's first-person narration reveals her to be a witty irreverent teen (Pies before guys) with a penchant for trouble. Nash, who broke up with her, realizes his error and works to win her back. A secret supernatural organization and international mobs, as well as criminal justice issues, make this a real page-turner.

Tia Dante has a secret: she is an immersionist, one of a small group of humans capable of transferring her consciousness to another person’s body. She uses this ability to provide a service to her classmates. For a reasonable fee, and with their full consent, she will temporarily take over their bodies to accomplish something for them that they are too afraid to do, such as standing up to a school bully. She is doing just that when she sees her own body on the news, being arrested for the murder of a District Attorney. Although Tia is able to regain her body and prove she wasn’t the one controlling it while the murder occurred, as an unregistered immersionist, she’s still looking at charges of criminal negligence – unless she can find the actual murderer. With the help of her BFF Val and her annoyingly attractive ex-boyfriend Nash, Tia puts all her skills, legal and less-than, to work trying to catch the killer. A Veronica Mars for a new generation, Tia’s snarky intelligence and commitment to justice will appeal to teen mystery and thriller readers alike.

A unique, mind-bending concept that adds a special twist to the main character solving their own crime. This quick read is fun, filled with sarcastic quips, and full of plots twists that will keep readers engaged to the very end.

I reviewed this on the All the Books podcast. This is a rough transcript.

This one was pitched as Veronica Mars, but the main character can transfer her consciousness to other people’s bodies, and that was enough for me.
This is a YA murder mystery.
In this world, two years ago, some people began to be able to “head hop,” though Tia prefers being called an immersionist.
This means that with the permission of another person, she can inhabit their body.
As Veronica Mars would have done, Tia uses this to make a little extra cash.
Classmates hire her to fight their fights for her, or ask someone to prom, or confront their parents for them.
It’s all very hush hush, because a) Tia is supposed to be registered on a government watchlist as an immersionist, and b) the job isn’t very effective if everyone know she’s just pretending to be the other person.
Tia is also allergic to a long list of foods, so as a perk, she also gets to indulge in the food she craves while inhabiting someone else’s body.
Then, one job makes things much more complicated.
As she’s off fighting a bully for a client, another immersionist helps themselves to her uninhabited body--and shoots someone as her.
Now, she has to solve the murder to clear her name.
Plus, whoever the murderer is doesn’t want any loose strings, so her life is also in danger.
It’s a murder mystery where her own body is the weapon!
I think this earns the Veronica Mars comparison.
Tia has a distinct, sometimes silly voice, which isn’t exactly like Veronica Mars, but is reminiscent of it.
It also mixes dark subject matter with a fairly light tone.
For example, Tia gets the help of her ex-boyfriend on the case, and there’s a lot of sexual tension and memories there sharing the page with the investigation.
Tia is a fun main character: she’s smart, driven, and flawed. She can be petty, impulsive, and immature, but not in an over-the-top way, just in a realistic way.
Again in the Veronica Mars vein, there is a lot of detective work happening: Tia and her friends really are trying to solve this case, including interrogating witnesses and searching for evidence.
There’s romance, drama, and high stakes.
This was a quick, absorbing read. It feels like it’s setting up for a series, but I don’t see anything in the marketing about that.
I also think her best friend Val, who is deeply into astrology, was a stand-out side character.
This isn’t my usual genre, but it was a fun read.
I do want to give content warnings for eating disorders and abusive family dynamics, in addition to murder and violence, though it’s not graphically described.
And that’s Make Me a Liar by Melissa Landers

Make Me a Liar by Melissa Landers was a fun, quick YA thriller. It's about a teen girl who can "head hop" - transfer her consciousness into another body. But a head-hop job goes awry and someone in her body commits murder... now she has to clear her name, while the stakes keep escalating.

What I liked:
- short chapters
- quick-witted characters
- positive relationships
- interesting premise
- fast pace
- solid character growth
What I'll consider before giving it to middle schoolers:
- language (nothing crazy or overwhelming, but occasional swears)
- sexual innuendo and lots of body talk
- murders, duh, but not gory ones, nothing gratuitously violent

Overall, it was a great escapist read. The author set us up nicely for a sequel too. 3.5 stars for me!

Thank you to Disney Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

This book is SO fun and different than anything I’ve ever read before! I was hooked from the first paragraph and read the entire thing in one sitting. Yes, the premise of the book - transferable consciousness manipulated to frame someone else for a murder - is a fresh take, but so are the characters, the pace of the story, and the overall writing!

Teens (and 40 year old librarians, obviously) are going to love Tia. The story is told from her point of view, and she thinks and acts like a real teenager - albeit a totally smart, funny, and badass teenager! Yes, this is an engaging mystery with great dialogue and a smidge of romance, but it’s the brains behind this story that really make it special. You can tell that Landers explored the legal and criminal potential behind the idea of transferred consciousness and how it could affect the dynamics between people and power. I’m constantly saying that kids are smarter than we give them credit for, and it’s really powerful when a book acknowledges that teens read with their brains as well and know how to use them!

I will absolutely be recommending this book to high school librarians for purchase and have already told my teenage son he’s got to read this one. I love Tia as well as the whole cast of characters, and I’m hoping for more books about her adventures! Grades 8+

This was such an enjoyable book! The uniqueness of the characters made for a fun and suspenseful story. A murder mystery full of action that will keep you hooked until the last page. Landers is phenomenal at world building and her setting feels so authentic that you could believe that head bopping was a real thing. Teenagers will easily relate to the characters and find parts of the story humorous. Highly recommend for all ages who like a great who-dun-it mystery.

What a unique idea of having a main character be able to hop heads. I enjoyed seeing how she interacted with each person that she head hopped into. The realization of how different everyone feels in their bodies was really helpful to see how Tia connected with her clients. I also liked the interactions between Tia and Blade, and Tia and Nash. Both Blade and Nash were fun unique characters, ones readers could easily get behind Tia being with. I think my biggest issue with this story was that it ended kind of abruptly. The plus side was that I had zero idea who framed Tia for murder up until the last couple of pages. That being said that was a very quick wrap up.
Thank you so much to Disney Publishing Worldwide and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

Loved the writing, big fan of this author in general, and technically there's nothing wrong with this, just an it's not you, it's me for me. I don't read a lot of spec thrillers—simply didn't entice me enough.

The book starts out with everything a good mystery-thriller needs to suck in a reader: strong, protagonist, an out-of-nowhere murder, and a fantastical twist (head-hopping). Tia, Val, and Nash are mostly likeable teens who work together to prove Tia’s innocence. The concept of being able to switch bodies at will lures in readers with the “what if” possibility of this happening in a modern day setting. The middle part of the book dragged, but the last quarter had decent twists that lead to a believable conclusion. I’m not sure if this is the first of a series, but the author leaves the story on a note where sequels are distinct possibilities. Although, I’d like to read more about Tia and Nash infiltrating the ILO, the research and the how behind heading swapping. As a stand-alone, it is a satisfying read for mystery-thriller fans without being overly gory or disturbing. Thank you to Net Galley and Melissa Landers for the advance copy.

This book has a very interesting, an action packed premise/1st few chapters. The first 25% of the book is pretty much breakneck speed, trying to figure out who committed the crime and the transferable consciousness is a unique concept that was very intriguing. So I might classify the main character as “unlikable“ but I think she is just a survivor who does what she needs to do. And I like her, but I’m not sure what the title is supposed to mean.

That said, there were some parts I found myself skimming through, and I struggled somewhat through the “middle slump.” I suppose this is the first book meant to be in a series, but I felt that there were some plot lines that were tied up too quickly and others that were left hanging—especially in regard to Blade and Nash.

Wow! I didn’t expect to like this as much as I did. I thought the specially gifted teen trope had been done to death. Landers put a twist into the main character, Tia, that totally sucked me in. Tia is a YA character who acts and thinks like a real teen. If I had a special gift that others didn’t, I’d totally make money from it, too. Who wouldn’t use head hopping to their advantage?! Adding in the murder mystery was great, plus a little touch of romance to add pepper. Ideal plotting, awesome characters, make this book easy to root for. Also, the comedy of inhabiting someone else’s body is fun. Definitely a must read.

I really enjoyed this book, I loved the idea of transferable consciousness and I haven’t seen it in any books I’ve read before.

What if some people had the ability to transfer their consciousness to another person?
How would that affect crime and laws?

These are some of the things explored in Make Me A Liar.

Tia is a "head hopper". She has a side gig where she helps her classmates do things that are hard for them to do by entering their mind and doing it for them.
But when her body commits murder while she's on another head, she's got to figure out who did it.

This fast paced whodunit kept me turning pages.

Thanks to Netgalley and Disney Publishing for an early copy for review.

This was a great book, but there is A LOT going on and its not the beach read you are looking for.

You seriously have to concentrate on the plotline and the main character Tia.

At times, I disliked Tia big time, but that's okay, I don't need to love the characters to enjoy the book. Honestly, I am impressed by the idea of transferable consciousness - clever and it made for a special plot that I have not read before.

The pace is perfect and I was never quite sure where this story was going, but when we got there I was "how did we get here?

I may put this one on my reread list as I am sure I missed a few things.