Like others I've been sitting on this review for awhile. I really enjoyed the beginning of the book. Barnes is clearly a talented writer and I loved the surface of the characters she created. However, I feel like this book falls just shy of its potential. First, Barnes could have added a little more depth to Sawyer's (and her mom's) character. Furthermore, I was extremely frustrated by the resolution (or lack thereof) at the end of the book. I didn't quite understand the scandals, characters, or the character's reactions to the "scandals". And so much was introduced at the very end that when I finished the book I felt unimpressed and incomplete. The book/story didn't feel like a finished product. Why does every book these days need a sequel?

I've loved Jennifer Lynn Barnes since I picked up The Naturals and have picked up as many of her books as I can get my hands on. Which is why I was over the moon when I my request for the rACE of Little White Lies was approved. Little White Lies is just another example of Barnes' writing brilliance. Filled with twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end, I couldn't put this down. Other reviews have done a better job of breaking everything down, so I'll just say this, if you like a strong, independent female lead, a great mystery, and lots of intrigue, this is a book for you. 

I really hope the fact that the ending leaves so much open that we'll get to revisit these great characters.

I definitely dug it, I certainly hope this isn't the last of it because it ends with a lot of interesting loose threads. What I liked the most though, other than the refreshing lack of romance, was that although the character is thrown into circumstances far different from the ones she's used to, she rolls with it. She's not just some poor girl thrown into a world of wealth and determined to stand out and show all these rich folks up, she adapts--she doesn't change who she is fundamentally, but she also doesn't set out to stick out and deliberately antagonize people based on how much money they may or may not have. She's got a chip on her shoulder, and it's earned, but it's not from class differences, which is nice, or at least, different from other stuff I've read. In any case, I dug it a lot, like the characters for the most part--mostly I want more. Those tidbits left dangling are pretty juicy.

Buckle up y'all because this book is nothing but southern goodness.

A quick summary:
"I'm not saying this is Sawyer's fault," the prim and proper one said delicately. "But."
Eighteen-year-old auto mechanic Sawyer Taft did not expect her estranged grandmother to show up at her apartment door and offer her a six-figure contract to participate in debutante season. And she definitely never imagined she would accept. But when she realizes that immersing herself in her grandmother's "society" might mean discovering the answer to the biggest mystery of her life-her father's identity-she signs on the dotted line and braces herself for a year of makeovers, big dresses, bigger egos, and a whole lot of bless your heart. The one thing she doesn't expect to find is friendship, but as she's drawn into a group of debutantes with scandalous, dangerous secrets of their own, Sawyer quickly discovers that her family isn't the only mainstay of high society with skeletons in their closet. There are people in her grandmother's glittering world who are not what they appear, and no one wants Sawyer poking her nose into the past. As she navigates the twisted relationships between her new friends and their powerful parents, Sawyer's search for the truth about her own origins is just the beginning.
Set in the world of debutante balls, grand estates and rolling green hills, Little White Lies combines a charming setting, a classic fish-out-of-water story, and the sort of layered mystery only author Jennifer Lynn Barnes can pull off. 
From GoodReads. 

The Set Up:
I tend to focus on how an author opens a story because really, that's what make you want to keep reading. Barnes starts us off in jail and from the POV of the police officer, who is totally clueless as to why three debutantes in white gowns are in his jail cell in the first place. 
We meet our MC, Sawyer, through "And the fourth girl? She was picking the lock," before we are pushed back to nine months earlier when Sawyer meets her grandmother and is offered the contract. I was laughing from the beginning and immediately wanted to know how this cop got himself into his predicament. 
She'll continue to occasionally switch back to the jail scene and officer POV until we are caught up in the timeline of the story.
We're introduced to Sawyer through the many hobbies she has had over the years and this is how Barnes lets us know more about Sawyer's childhood. 
With lines such as, "I'd developed sequential interests in lock picking, the Westminster Dog Show, and fixing the perfect martini," and “For the record,” I told my cousin, “any lock-picking ability I may or may not have acquired growing up has less to do with where I lived and more to do with the fact that I was a very weird, very obsessive little kid," we learn why Sawyer is good at certain things, but they are also relatable reasons. 
We've all had that late night obsession with conspiracy theories on the internet or wanted to learn how to be a spy. 

What stood out:

Barnes has either been to my hometown, or has some sort of magical powers because she writes this world so well. Not only does she create the world but she describes the details of her characters in such a way that readers can immediately see them with lines such as, "She had a Southern accent—less twang and more drawl than my own. Com-pluh-mehnt or an in-suhlt?"  and “Money isn’t something we talk about, Sawyer. It’s something we have," as she's describing Lillian Taft.  

One of the scenes that stood out to me most was when Sawyer has agreed to her grandmother's contract and is going to the Taft home for the first time. She's greeted at the door by her Aunt Olivia and the following conversation happens:

“John David Easterling,” she called, raising her voice so it carried. “Who’s the best shot in this family?” 
There was no reply. William Faulkner butted his head against my thigh and huffed. I bent slightly—very slightly—to pet him and noticed the red dot that had appeared on my tank top. 
“I will skin you alive if you pull that trigger,” my aunt called, her voice disturbingly cheerful. 
What trigger? I thought. The red dot on my torso wavered slightly. 
“Now, young man, I believe I asked you a question. Who’s the best shot in this family?”

We later here John David glumly reply that the best shot in the family is his momma, who tells her child target practice on our family is not appropriate nor polite. These genuine conversations are what is so grabbing about this story. You care what's happening because they are relatable, or were for me as a girl who grew up with a sporting clay world champion for a grandfather and a very bragging mother. I even wrote the note, "this entire scene is phenomenal." TRUTH.

Discussion Topics:

Drama
This story is nothing but dramatic. From debutantes under contract to a blog with secrets written on a girl's body then published, I can easily see this on Freeform taking the spot Pretty Little Liars left open. 
Throughout the story the one goal is for Sawyer to find out who her father is. There are three options and Barnes leaves us breadcrumbs throughout so when we learn the truth, it all makes sense. 
While we're on the hunt for Sawyer's dad, we also learn our villain Campbell Ames has gotten herself into a pickle and wants to out someone for a drunk driving incident that ended in a hit and run and a boy in long term care. With these two stories woven together, the book was hard to put down.
As a teacher, this would be a great book for those that aren't interested in reading but like to Netflix binge. 

Vocabulary
Barnes uses vocabulary that is absolutely refreshing. She challenges the mind of her audience but also makes these words and this story completely accessible. Some words I highlighted were:
Rapscallion
Adroit
Coquette
Salacious
Dishabille

Teen Pregnancy
There is so much to unpack here and discussion topics would be great. However, we don't see much of a discussion of teen pregnancy and the ramifications until the very end. I would have loved to see a bit more once Sawyer arrives on the scene and starts asking questions, however, there's another side of me that says it makes sense it's avoided because of the nature of these characters and their lifestyle. Teen pregnancy and scandal is not to be discussed. This is a perfect way to discuss the importance of these topics and having open and honest conversations.

I won't spoil anymore but I will say I rate this book 4.5. I loved it! It was fun, dramatic, relatable, and I want more. SO good news! I tweeted the author and learned a sequel is in the works!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC. 

"If hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, than a whole legion of scorned women had no more impressive rage than a Southern lady robbed of her pearls." 

Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a favorite young adult author of mine. I enjoy her strong female characters and interesting plot twists. While this wasn't my favorite of her novels, I enjoyed Sawyer's personality and the way she developed as a character. The story takes off right away with Sawyer's grandmother coming to see her, and only picks up from there. Numerous plot twists and nuggets of information make you want to keep reading, and I feel like the ending leaves room for a sequel. You won't be disappointed by the witty remarks of Sawyer and the way she changes throughout the book. 

As a teacher who doesn't often have time to read everything I want to offer my students, I would say this book is definitely for high school age students. Some of the content wouldn't be fit for my middle schoolers.

super enjoyable southern belle YA mystery thriller with great characters and fun situations. very much enjoyed it. it does kind of end on the note of prepping for a sequel but i'm currently unsure if there will be a sequel.

I really enjoyed the Naturals series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, and Little White Lies continues in a very similar vein. Like Rachel Hawkins' Rebel Belles, the setting of this book is predominately the debutante-laden South, but where Belles was flavored with a hint of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lies is spiked with Gossip Girl and Veronica Mars. 

I am totally the type of reader that can usually guess the end of mystery books, but I didn't see the final two or three twists of this one! Also, this book steered clear of one of my least favorite con/mystery story tropes. Too often (yes, including Ocean's Eleven and Holly Black's White Cat) the only reason the ending is surprising is because the hero/narrator deliberately didn't tell us the key to the whole thing, which they secretly did offscreen. Barnes avoids this by using two timelines-- one story unfolding the night of the Debutante Ball and another starting nine months before that and slowly working forwards to that night. Excellent!

A huge thank you to Disney for approving me for this review copy on NetGalley.

This book was flat out entertaining.

Personally, it felt like a Lifetime movie to me. It was so dramatic and at times, ridiculous but so much fun. I was hooked from the first pages and I could not stop reading at any chance I could.

However, I did feel that the story felt like it dragged out some plot points for longer than it should have and just dropped some plot points that I would have liked to see more of. I felt that Campbell’s character was a bit confusing in the middle of the book as her actions and attitude kept completely changing. I also wish we could have gotten to see more of a positive relationship between the girls that wasn’t based on alibis.

I thoroughly enjoyed the characters in this story. I thought the main core cast was very strong and I hear that there is a sequel to this that I am extremely excited to pick up. This book was a lot of fun and I cannot wait to see what happens next!

https://thebroadwaylibrarian.wordpress.com/2018/06/14/little-white-lies-by-jennifer-lynn-barnes/

If you get to the end of the arc and it ends in the middle of a sentence, redownload the file and it should be corrected! It's not meant to end that abruptly.

Like all Jennifer Lynn Barnes books, I was instantly hooked on Little White Lies. I always get super invested in her characters and the plots are super fun as well, so it's the best of both worlds. Sawyer was a really interesting character and I liked the way she interacted with the world. I especially loved the friendships (or almost friendships) that develop throughout the book. For a minute there I thought we were getting a really one dimensional look at someone, but luckily that wasn't the case. Also! For those who don't like romance, Sawyer doesn't have a love interest. The constant "three weeks later" etc. time jumps were a little annoying to me - that's just a personal pet peeve of mine in books. It didn't really take away from the plot, it just happened every other chapter. The flash forwards were interesting though and only a little confusing at times because of the formatting of the arc. Speaking of the formatting though, sometimes sentences would be missing pretty significant chunks. I could piece together the info from context clues, but it was slightly annoying. This is obviously an issue with the arc itself, not the finished book.

Sawyer has been taking care of her mom for her entire life. Living above the bar where her mother works, Sawyer has been managing their finances since she was nine, supplementing their income with her wages from a nearby mechanic shop. When the grandmother Sawyer's never met shows up unexpectedly and offers her five hundred thousand dollars if Sawyer spends the next nine months as a debutante, Sawyer can't pass up the opportunity.

As Sawyer dives deep into the high society life that her mom left--scandalized by her pregnancy, she discovers that she's not the only potential scandal in their community.

I loved the small reveals that happened throughout the entire book while waiting for the big mystery to be solved at the end. Definitely more accessible to girls, unlike Barnes other books that have wider appeal. Full of girl drama that many students will love, even if they can't relate to the idea of a debutante.

Thank you net galley for an advanced reader copy of this book.  Jennifer Barnes latest is a fantastic read with twists and turns up until the last page.  I loved the setting of the modern debutante south, adored the main character Sawyer Ann, and all the supporting characters.    The plot developed moving backward with events leading up to the debutante ball trying to reveal layers of family secrets.   This was a great read and I will continue to recommend and read novels by this author.   Five stars!!!!

Am I angry enough at the ending that I won't read the next book? Or am I curious enough about how Barnes will start the sequel to pick it up? Precise writing, decent character building (many characters and I can keep them apart in my mind), format improves the book with its flashback and increasing timeline. Not a huge fan of making the characters, especially Sawyer, good at all the things. Some convenient plot jumps.

Three and a half stars. Basically this is a Southern debutante Gossip Girl mystery that is a fun read if you are ready to suspend disbelief and are fine with flashbacks, inconsistencies, and implausible situations. This book reminds me more of The Squad series and is less like her recent series The Naturals and The Fixer, which I prefer. I would much rather read another Fixer novel than the next one in this series.

A little Old South debutante, a little Gossip Girl scandal quality, and a lot of felonious high-jinks. 

Little White Lies delves into the mystery of Sawyer Taft, a self-sufficient, take-no-prisoners type of young woman who's grown up with a less than responsible mother. Sawyer is thrust into the world of Southern debutantes, accidental kidnappings, and dirty blackmail when all she wants to do is figure out who her mysterious father is. 

Barnes tackles a lot of different characters types through her leading lady and other major players: Sawyer (the "jackie" of all trades), Lily (prim debutante legacy with a scandalous hobby), Sadie-Grace (sweet and innocent accessory to all shenanigans), and Campbell (dramatic senator's daughter and possibly Lucifer in disguise). 

The dynamic between the ladies is amusing, and there's an affectionate chemistry that Barnes works on building between Sawyer, her cousin, Lily, and Sadie=Grace. In terms of character development, there isn't too much to go on. We get a few layers to Campbell, and Sawyer gains some perspective on all of her family drama, but I feel like the ladies are basically the same characters at the end as they were in the beginning. 

I thought some of the show-stealers included Lillian, the prim yet terrifying matriarch of the Taft family, and Boone, one of the society boys who has that quirky hipster human that's flooding the YA market yet still a bit endearing. 

The story-line flashes from the present moment (where Sawyer and others are sitting in a jail cell) through the nine months that led them to that point. I totally get that the jail scenes were meant to stoke the reader's curiosity and build up the drama, but I'm not so sure they were needed. At times, the transition from "now" to "then" felt a little bit clunky, though perhaps that will be smoother in the final published edition. 

Overall, I did find the plot to be intriguing. Even though it seems like Sawyer's father-search is going to be the spotlight mystery, we wind up with several cases on our hands. Even when you think a mystery is solved, there are a few red herrings thrown in to keep you guessing. I'm curious enough to read whatever Barnes has planned next since there are some obviously-left-open plot points that add to Sawyer's draw to continue spending some time with her newly-discovered family.

I have enjoyed Jennifer Lynn Barnes' work since the days of The Squad. This title didn't disappoint though I was hoping for a little more emotional depth.

This was a really well written, quick read. It's an inside view of southern debutante balls and culture from a girl who definitely did not grow up in this world. I've always lived in the south, and have a friend from grad school whose grandmother put her in the debutante circuit, so I'm familiar and bemused by the whole idea of debutantes. I loved Sawyer, who dished out a bit of reality to the rich debutante girls. While debutantes are at the center of the story, the actual mystery is the identity of Sawyer's father and what the slightly diabolical Campbell is up to. The supporting characters all have strong personalities and add to the book. There's also a nice juicy ending that I did not see coming. Overall, a really enjoyable book. I'm hoping there will be more books in the future with this cast of characters!

This book ends in the middle of a sentence. One of the reasons I slowed down on reading YA, my preferred genre for most of my twenties, is that I got sick of books that didn't tell a complete story. Don't get me wrong, I love a good series or trilogy, but each book should resolve something, even if it sets up what is coming next. A lot of things were set up, but I don't actually think much was resolved.

The structure also didn't work for me. There was no need to flash between the police station and the story - the police station stuff wasn't really dramatic enough. It felt a little more like failed comedy?

Things I did like: the setting. It was believable that Sawyer would accede to her grandmother to try to find her father. Lillian was an interesting character. I was interested in the family dynamics. No one else really felt like a full character though.

I want to know what happens next though, so hey!

Jennifer Lynn Barnes is sort of a "will they-won't they" type author for me. She's got a great mind for thrillers but this is only the second book I've read from her. Her first The Naturalists was okay. I liked it, but I found it considerably lacking in both the overall characterization and the romance. But, I'm happy to report that Little White Lies is an absolute gem of a thriller that I couldn't help but devour in one go.

Sawyer Taft is an eighteen year old auto mechanic with a flaky mom dealing with enough financial trouble to just hang over her head. And when her wealthy grandmother shows up unannounced, baring a contract guaranteeing a half a million dollars for college on the condition she return to her home to participate in this years debutante season, Sawyer finds herself immersed in a world of false pleasantries and plastic smiles.

I think the best thing about this book is the setting. Barnes did a superb job at creating a glittery, Southern debutante world that is as black as sin beneath its cheery visage. The culture and the tradition that has been baked into these girls is strong and I appreciated how much effort and research it must have taken to capture that feeling like a photograph. Barnes' writing style is detailed, but also simple. It never gets too complex, even when the mystery aspect really began picking up speed.

This is a well paced book, but it does get...boring at parts. This is a long book and while it goes by fast, there are sections of this book that drag because there's just so much stuff that happens. And some of it, I hate to say, isn't that important. There's two big mysteries going on, the mystery of Sawyer's father and what Campbell is up too. And while the latter is certainly complex, the former gets almost too much mystery. There are four suspects for Sawyer's father and the mystery of that is so drawn out and so boring because it's the first person you think it is. It's not surprising, it's not a huge reveal, it's just a by-product of reading too much of the genre and knowing the tropes. But the entire mystery is given so much undeserved weight that it feels bigger then it should be.

That being said, this makes for a good thriller for people who aren't necessarily into murder mysteries. While that aspect was surprising to me, I thought for sure this was a murder mystery when I started reading, it didn't dampen my enjoyment. Maybe one day I'll go back to Barnes' other works, but for now Little White Lies is enough for me. It's fun, it's enjoyable, and the plot is spectacularly thrilling.

I will read anything this lady writes. It is all fantastic. The Naturals is still my favorite but I did love this book as well. I was a little disappointed because I think the ending is cut off but other than that it was a great read. I couldn't put it down, read the whole thing in about a day and a half. I loved the mystery and intrigue. I thought most of the characters were relate-able. I didn't love the back and forth with present day and flashbacks because it was a little confusing at first but in the end she won me over with the non-linear story telling.