Riley Sager knows how to creep under your skin. The words that flow through these pages are like a thrill ride to hell and back all while you’re looking over your shoulder. And just when you think you have things figured out, he pulls the rug out from under you.

There's something striking about the way Riley writes. I'm instantly drawn in and it never lets up. The atmosphere that is portrayed throughout the pages really gives you a feel of nostalgia. You can tell that he's definitely a fan of 80's horror and that makes a world of difference.

What a fun, twisty ride! It's a quick read, and I pretty much raced through this one. 3 girls go missing from summer camp, and are never found. Fifteen years later, the camp is reopened, and their roommate from that summer, along with a few other girls from that time, go back to that camp as counselors/instructors. They all have their reasons, and Emma's reason is that she wants to find out what happened to the girls, so she can finally feel at peace assuage her feelings of guilt. I found a few elements not quite realistic, but still thoroughly enjoyed the story, and will most definitely read more by this author. Want a fast paced, tricky story, along the lines of those old horror movies set at summer camp? This is a good one! Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the e-arc!

Riley Sager has stepped his game up. The layers upon layers of plot, the red herrings, the convoluted but realistic dynamics between the female characters, all make this thriller a must-read of 2018. Over a month since I finished the book, and I am still thinking about the last chapter obsessively. To say that this novel met and exceeded my (albeit subjective) standards would be an understatement.

Author Riley Sager had a big hit last year with Final Girls, and now he returns with the equally thrilling The Last Time I Lied. While I found the plot slow and meandering at times, as a whole, I thoroughly enjoyed Sager's newest book.

Fifteen years ago, Emma Davis spent a summer at Camp Nightingale. She was the youngest camper in her cabin, sharing it with friends Vivian, Natalie, and Allison. One fateful night, the three of them disappeared, never to be seen or heard from again. In present day, Emma is a promising artist when she is contacted by the camp's old director telling her that the camp is being reopened. Emma is asked to come back to teach art, and she wants to use this opportunity to find out once and for all what really happened to her friends. But incredibly, another mysterious incident comes about, and Emma is looked on with suspicion once again
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As I mentioned, some of the narrative really meanders as the reader races to the conclusion. But the actual ending makes up for that. The best types of books are those that totally surprise you, and this finale definitely did. I never saw that one coming!

MY RATING - 3.5

***4.25 STARS*** When I saw that Riley Sager had a new book coming out, I legit KNEW I needed to get my hands on a copy. of it. After reading "Final Girls" and devouring it, I had just as high of hopes for "The Last Time I Lied"! The whole concept of "summer camp gone wrong" has always intrigued me, so I was thrilled with just the synopsis, The book had me hooked from the first chapter, and that ending- OMG! The only reason this isn't a straight 5-star read for me is because I felt like the middle began to drag a little bit. However, it finished on such a strong note! I would HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone looking for a new suspense novel in the summer of 2018!

I didn't realise how much I've been wanting to read a summer camp book until I picked this one up. There's something incredibly romantic about the idea of cabins on a lake and teenagers frolicking with freedom through summer.

This had a huge element of psychological thriller to it that I really loved. I was never quite sure how reliable a narrator Emma was, which really added to the suspense.

There were a lot of side characters to the story. It was hard to really buy why so many of the people from the past would come back to the camp, and though they played roles in the present day, they all had hidden motivations which didn't add as much as I'd hoped--it just kind of became challenging to keep track of who did what why.

There's a chain of romance that really just shouldn't have happened. 'Nough said there.

I liked this more than FINAL GIRLS, but I don't know that it's as gripping. Certainly, it's not as terrifying. Regardless, it was a super pacey book, and I do recommend.

Such an attractive title, hard to resist. The description was intriguing and the set up was great. The premise has a basic flaw, why would someone go back to a place of such horror on faith begs credulity. However, if you jump over that, the suspense and suspicion builds over time.
The ending reveals all sorts of stuff, including a hugely engineered revenge plot. Its hard for me to consider that some would go to such lengths, but I guess that some feel it is not only worth it, but imperative.

Its well done and a fine read

If you enjoyed Riley Sager's last thriller, I recommend picking this one up. A fun and exciting, twisty adventure, with a setting the enhances the creepiness, this is a perfect read for the summer. It kept me guessing and surprised and I found myself propelled through the book and enjoyed trying to figure it out. I highly recommend putting this on your summer list.

Fifteen years ago, Emma Davis went to summer camp and her life changed forever. While she was there, 3 older girls (who she shared a cabin with), disappeared and were never seen again. If that doesn't make you want to go to summer camp, I don't know what would!

The Last Time I Lied toggles back and forth between present day and 15 years ago when Emma is at camp. She is late getting to camp and has to bunk with 3 girls who are a few years older. And a hero worship begins between Emma and the groups "leader" Vivian. And we all have had a Vivian in our lives so it was easy to feel Emma's devotion to this girl. Emma was an only child, alcoholic mother and non present father so the attention that Vivian shows her is welcomed. But is Vivian truly a friend? Or a liar and manipulator? Emma never really knows and then one night, Vivian and the other girls, Allison and Natalie leave the cabin and disappear forever.

Now in the present day, Emma is a renowned artist, painting forest scenes with flair, but always hiding the three young girls with in the canvas. She has never gotten over the fact that the girls were never found and hides her pain in her paintings. When she is invited back to camp by the owner, Franny, Emma feels like it maybe her chance to right some wrongs and hopefully find out what really happened to the girls.

And so she goes back to Camp Nightingale where she finally finds the answers she seeks. I'm not going to go into any more detail, other than to say I loved the first 3/4 of this book. The mystery surrounding the girls disappearance, the flashbacks that gave continuity to the present day, and Emma's investigation in the present day were all intriguing and I couldn't put the book down. When I finally got to the end however, it left me feeling flat. It was all wrapped up in a neat bow and even with a twist, it still felt rushed to be done.

I like this author. Loved the first book and I will continue to read them!

What a gripping read! I could not put this book down! This book follows the story of Emma as she sets off to find out what really happened so that she can finally lay her demons to rest. As she starts to investigate she unravels more and more. Will she ever decide what is truth and what is a lie? 

This book was vastly unique and had many twists and turns that I did not see coming. i loved how the cabin mates liked to play two truths and a lie as it set the tone for the book. the whole time I was quickly flipping through the pages to figure out what was fact and what was fiction. Everything in this novel kept my attention. It was a definite one click read. 

The characters in this book are really well done. There were so many different characters to this novel and the author did an amazing job of keeping it straight forward so nothing would be too confusing for the reader. Each character was well written and contributed to the story in some way.

The plot was an excellent idea and I felt it was done in such a way that was unique in its own self. In such a highly saturated market for these type of books, you can tell this one really shines out and holds it's own. I can definitely see this book climbing the charts! 5 stars from me!!!!!!!

Fifteen (15) years ago, Camp Nightingale (an ALL girl summer camp for the wealthies of families) was shut down after THREE (3) teenage girls vanished without a trace after they snuck out of their cabin one night after dark.

Emma Davis, the youngest of the girls, stay behind and fell sleep. The next morning when Emma realizes that her friends never came back she reported it to the camp Director and the search began for the missing girls, without success.

Fast forward 15 years and Camp Nightingale is set to re-open its doors. Emma, a successful artist is offered a summer job at the camp as the art teacher. She takes the job and even stays in the same cabin in hopes of trying to solve the mystery of what happened to her THREE (3) friends all those years ago…...

THE LAST TIME I LIED is a FIVE (5) star read ALL the way!! If you enjoyed FINAL GIRLS – I 100% guarantee that you will enjoy this one as well – if not MORE!! It’s very easy to read with a great flow AND ... Just when you think you have things figured out - guess again – because you don’t!,

I really liked the premise of this book and liked the chapters alternating between then and now. It was a little unbelievable to me but still a page turner.

This book lived up to my expectations after reading Sager's first book, Final Girls. You think you know who to trust, but it turns out you really don't. I loved all the twists and the uncertainty I felt about the motivations of all of the characters, and I had to constantly question the validity of what the narrator said and thought. I'd highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoyed Sager's first book, or anyone wanting a quick paced suspenseful read this summer.

Title: The Last Time I Lied
Author: Riley Sager
Publisher: Dutton/Penguin Group
Publish Date: July 3, 2018
Rating: 📖📖📖📖/5

// I received this ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review //

Let me tell you that when I found out Riley Sager was coming out with a new book, I jumped at the chance to get my hands on a copy for the ARC. I LOVED Final Girls (it actually made me want to get into book reviews) and I knew his next book would be just as good. I was wasn't wrong!

The Last Time I Lied follows Emma, an artist with a fixation on the past. After a harrowing summer at Camp Nightingale where she witnessed her cabin mates disappear into the night never to be found, Emma finds herself returning to the scene of the crime 15 years later. She has been invited back to the camp as a counselor by the wealthy Mrs. Harris-White, the owner of the camp and Emma takes the opportunity to investigate what happened to the three girls all those years ago. Emma finds tension, distrust and ever-surfacing clues that will lead her to a conclusion she may not be ready for.

Sager is a wizard with words. His style is vivid and the images she paints stick in your brain throughout the entire book. There were many times I could put myself at Camp Nightingale with the rest of the campers. I could feel the confusion that Emma feels throughout the story as she feels she is going insane and trying to hold on to reality. I believe that the mental aspect of this book was one of the finer points of the story. I truly could not figure what her involvement was in the disappearances until the end when all was revealed. Who wouldn't struggle with their sense of stability after watching your friends disappear?

While the story and plot were great, there were a few points that bothered me. I felt like I just needed more depth. The characters seemed to be a bit "one-note" and lacked some of the detail that would have made them richer characters. Maybe that is because there are just so many characters that there wasn't time to delve deeper into them. Plus Emma was a bit too whiny for my liking. The ending, while totally twisting in different directions, seemed rushed. It almost felt like Sager was running out of time and had to end it abruptly. The ending definitely needed more explanation in my opinion. Could this abruptness be because there may be a sequel? Who knows. I know I'd read it though!

In all, I highly recommend this book to mystery/thriller readers, summer camp lovers and psychological-based readers alike! Basically any reader would enjoy this book and should pick it up when it hits stores in July!

#rileysager #dutton #penguingroup #books #mystery #suspense #summercamp #mrsmadonnareads #accordingtomrsmadonna #netgalley #arc #bookreview

Up and coming artist Emma has a past, and that past has affected her work, though no one knows about it. Fifteen years ago, she attended summer camp at Camp Nightingale. She made friends with the other girls in her cabin, Vivian, Natalie, and Allison, even though they were three years older than she was. When Emma wakes up one morning and the three girls are missing, panic sets in at the camp. The last Emma saw of them, they were sneaking out of the cabin and Vivian was telling Emma to keep quiet. The girls were never found, and the camp closed its doors for good.

Now, fifteen years later, Emma's paintings each secretly contain the three missing girls hidden behind trees and branches. At an art exhibit, Emma is contacted by Franny, the rich owner of the camp, who says she's opening the camp once again, and wants Emma to come back as an art instructor. In this, Emma sees an opportunity to try to find out what really happened to her friends.

After returning to the camp, Emma quickly realizes that something is off when she discovers a security camera pointed directly at her cabin, and worse, finds cryptic clues Vivian left behind about the camp's history. As Emma digs deeper to uncover the truth about what happened all those years ago, she realizes the truth may come at a deadly price.

Last year I read and loved Final Girls by Riley Sager, so when I found out that he was coming out with a new book, I knew I needed to read it before I even knew what the book was about! The Last Time I Lied was just as good (if not better!) than Final Girls, and I couldn't get enough of it!

The book opens with a bang, and I was immediately hooked. The story bounces back and forth between the present and fifteen years ago, when Emma attend Camp Nightingale for the first time. I loved that we ultimately knew what happened during her first stay at camp, but not everything that led up to the disappearance of Emma's roommates, so I really enjoyed seeing that storyline progress from Emma showing up at camp on the first day, all the way through her going home after the girls disappeared. I think it flowed really well, and was a great addition to the storyline as creepy things started happening at the camp in the present.

I don't want to give away too much, so I'm going to keep this brief, but I wanted to say that the book caught me off guard! Only one of my theories about what was happening in the book was correct, and the rest of the book I was floundering, trying to figure out what had happened. I was reading as fast as I possibly could toward the end of the book while I was trying to put all of the puzzle pieces together, but the end of the book was still a surprise to me, which I absolutely loved. I love love loved the way the book ultimately ended - I thought it was a perfect ending!

All in all, I rated this book 5 stars, and highly recommend it for fans of the suspense/thriller genre! Riley Sager has quickly become one of my favorite thriller authors, and I can't wait for him to write more thrillers, especially if they are anything like his first two! I'd like to thank Netgalley and Dutton for an advanced copy of the book. It was my pleasure to provide an honest review. The Last Time I Lied is out July 10, 2018, so be sure to mark your calendars! You wont want to miss this one!

This is the second book I have read from this author. So far I have enjoyed both books. This book has a psychological aspect to it. Although, it was more of a slow, silent element than a bold one.

The transition from the present to the past was smooth. However, the story took place more in the present then the past. Yet, the little bits of the past were like teasers. Which got me more excited to find out the truth about what happened to the disappearance of the girls.

There were several theories about what might have happened to the girls. One even had me thinking that Emma was insane. However, none of the theories compared to the actual ending. I did want to point out the ending. It was a good one. There is nothing worse than reading a whole book just to have a disappointing ending. You will not want to miss out on reading this book! I am not lying.

So, I just finished this book... and holy cow. Between this one and Final Girls, Riley Sager is now one of my favorite authors. If his writing continues to impress me the way that these two have, that won't be changing any time soon.

As soon as I realized that the author of Final Girls was releasing a new book, I knew that I HAD to have it. Not reading it wasn't an option and, after reading the synopsis for it, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. The Last Time I Lied promises a story full of suspense and intrigue, mystery and thrill. It definitely delivers.

I was sucked into the story from the very beginning and it never let up. This was definitely one of those books that kept my attention from cover to cover and, when I wasn't reading it, had me dying to get back to it.

The story itself is simply addicting. The idea of a summer camp has been used in slasher and horror movies so many times for a reason. It just works. It's a setting that offers up the possibility of so many things going wrong but also holds the intensity of first time romance, summer sun, wet skin, and secret rendevouz. It's the perfect setting for a thriller involving teens and, as a past summer camp kid, it's easy for me to imagine how easily things could go from fun in the sun to nightmare material.

The characters of The Last Time I Lied are brilliant. The personalities and actions of each person are so well developed and attuned to their specific role in the story that it insanely easy picture them as real people. They each have a darker side to them, a mental illness, secrets, mistakes, lies.

Camp Nightingale and it's surrounding Lake Midnight are perfect characters all their own. Rich in folklore, secrets, a hidden past, and the mystery of not only the girls that have gone missing there, but also what lies beneath the water itself.

I just couldn't get get enough of this mystery and if you're a fan stories like this, or just love a good thrill, I highly suggest you check it out.

Rating: 5 Stars

I liked this book but Emma, not so much. Her character was a bit whiny and I was never really sure about her. There were some interesting twists though and the story is very entertaining.

I loved Final Girls, but The Last Time I Lied is even better. Like Final Girls, it still very much has that horror movie aura to it--our main character Emma is returning her former summer camp 15 years after a terrible tragedy. But I felt like I connected more with the mystery and the main character even more. Perhaps because I have distinct memories of summer camp, and the setting and ambiance of Camp Nightingale as well as the personalities of some of the characters reminded me of my own experiences.

I highly recommend it!

Emma Davis is a rising star in the New York Art scene. Her canvases are all part of a series..ghostly shapes in white dresses, covered by dark leaves and gnarled branches. Nobody realizes that she cannot paint anything else. Nobody realizes that the white shapes represent the three girls who shared a cabin with her at Camp Nightingale, 15 years ago. Three campers who disappeared without a trace.

Her Art Gallery opening catches the attention of the owner of the camp- Francesca Harris-White. “Franny” as she likes to be called by the campers, wants to reopen the camp, which closed after the girls went missing, and she invites Emma to become the camp’s Art instructor. Despite, some concerns, Emma seizes the opportunity to return to the camp, so she can try to find closure, and maybe some answers about what happened that night.

But does Franny and her family have ulterior motives? Have they really forgiven Emma for her part of the scandal? if so, why is she assigned to sleep in the same cabin? And, why is there only one security camera on the property...one pointed at the front door of that cabin?

Each chapter begins in the present, and ends with part of the story of what had transpired “15 years ago”.

Although from the prologue, I knew what would be revealed in Part Two of the book, I still managed to miss the “clues” being dropped and was still shocked by the Part Three reveal.

For me, I often like a book and the ending drops my rating down a star or two because it disappoints. In this book, I LOVED the ending, and it raised my rating from 4 to 5 stars!!

Like the camp game that the girls played, I will leave you with Two Truths and a Lie..
1. I also went to a dysfunctional summer camp as a young girl.
2. You can read about this dysfunctional summer camp on July 3rd, 2018.
3. I will not be eagerly awaiting Riley Sager’s third novel.

I would like thank Penguin Group Dutton, Netgalley and Riley Sager for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my candid review!